Let's see those photos of your top tier radios for amateur use

[wolverine]

Post photos of your top tier radios that you use for amateur radio


Here's two of my radios, Motorola XTS 3000 UHF and Motorola HT750 VHF

 

[ts548]

Left to Right - Motorola XTS 2500 VHF, XTS 2500 UHF, XTS 5000 700/800
Bottom - Motorola HT 1250 UHF, XTS 2500 700/800

Top to Bottom - Kenwood 7180 VHF, Kenwood 8180 UHF, Motorola XTL 2500 700/800, Uniden Bearcat 996XT (When it comes in)

 

[Skypilot007]

Here a couple of my favorites.

XTS3000 for 440 and MCS2000 on 900MHz.

 

[SCPD]

Xts 5000r vhf

Here is my XTS5000R for 2m work. I was a bit skeptical at the "Motorola" reputation but the analog audio is the best I've ever heard from a portable -- simply superb.

 

[mrweather]

"Motorola: you can find better but you can't pay more!"

 

[newsphotog]

Top tier? Here you go:

Just kidding.

 

[rescue161]

There is no need to argue. People spend money on what they want to spend money on. If you don't like Motorola radios, then don't buy them. Personally, I do and have a metric ton of commercial radios. There isn't an amateur radio manufacturer out there that is putting out a good FM radio, period.

Some folks like to buy the newest iPhone or the newest video game console or the newest car. It's their money.

Here is my current setup in my truck. VHF Astro Spectra 110 Watt on top, 800 MHz Astro Spectra on bottom, and Nextel i560 craddle on left.

 

[bezking]

That Baofeng wouldn't survive being sneezed on. :lol:

Let's put an end to the arguement, please - posts deleted. Thanks!

 

[SCPD]

Slightly OT: Can you guys give a few links to where you get these cool radio boxes/center consoles? I've looked around but never really found a good online source. I have a Dodge Durango '03


Thanks
-Nick

 

[rescue161]

Mine is a Jotto Desk 9 inch console. It's in a 1997 Dodge Ram. I used a Ford Crown Vic no-holes mounting bracket, which is bolted to the center seat. I think I paid $112.00 for both pieces. The reason I went with the Crown Vic mounting plate is that it came free with the console. If I went with another mount, the cost would have doubled. It also came with 9 inches of face-plates. I just had to tell them which radios I wanted in the console.

I cannot for the life of me remember where I got it, but I got it online and shipping was free. I'll try to dig up the receipts. You can go to the jotto desk website and look up which one you need and then search for that part number and find the cheapest dealer.

 

[MTS2000des]

Someone doesn't like Moto? Well HELLO MOTO! Here's my setup @home:
From left to right:
XTS2500I VHF mod 1.5 ADP
XTS2500 UHF mod III w/Q52/Q53 FPP/ADP
MTS2000 mod III 800 Smartzone
JT1000 UHF and VHF Federalized FPP
MTS2000 UHF mod II H35 signaling package
HT1250 VHF

On table adjacent, various chargers, spare batteries. Radios:
Yaesu FT-60R dual band HT
HT750 UHF 16 channel
MTX950 900MHz (programmed with all Georgia 927 repeaters)

Base radios:
Kenwood TM-V71A dual band, antenna is a Diamond X30 30 ft above gnd.
Spectra A5 UHF medium power, V6.15 MLM, for GMRS and HAM, antenna is a unity gain 1/4 wave in attic
Power supply is an Astron RS-20A (had it for years!)

Misc:
Old VHF/UHF scanner, Realistic PRO-2020, circa 1983. Used for ham monitoring
Linksys WRT-54G Ver 4 wireless router and Westell modem serves up AT&T DSL
Not visible on adjacent floor is an HP dual core desktop running Win 7, wireless keyboard and mouse, connected to my 32" Samsung HDTV as a monitor.
Also have an Impres Mutli-unit charger on a night table by itself

 

[mgolden2]

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Question for all the Motorola users, and i love Motorola too just dont have any....how do you guys program them? Spend couple hundred bucks for different softwear for each radio? MTS2000des' picture above reminded me to ask. Very cool setup by the way

 

[hkrharry]

If we told ya, we have to kill ya!

HH

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Question for all the Motorola users, and i love Motorola too just dont have any....how do you guys program them? Spend couple hundred bucks for different softwear for each radio? MTS2000des' picture above reminded me to ask. Very cool setup by the way

 

[exkalibur]

My "main" station setup (pics to be posted)...
VHF MCS2000
UHF MCS2000
900 MCS2000
Above are for hammie stuff. Below are other Search and Rescue/Volunteer EMT radios as well as for scanning/monitoring purposes:
VHF CDM1250 (data source for TRUNK88)
UHF CDM1250 (data source for UniTrunker)
800 GTX x7 (data source for TRUNK88 on 4 3600 systems)
900 GTX x2 (data source for TRUNK88 on 2 2600 systems)
900 Maxtrac (data source for ATCSMon)
VHF Tilsonic Airband radio (yes I have a restricted air-band operator certification)
800 SmartNet C4 Spectra with TX disabled
VHF Astro Spectra (hams love P25...)
VHF Orion x2 (source radios for a voice logger)
Uniden BC796T (misc stuff, and as a quick "go to" radio for a particular frequency)

The VHF/UHF MCS2000s are fed via a duplexer into a Diamond X-500 antenna.
The 800/900 radios all go into an 800MHz omni except the two Spectras which have their own antennas.
The VHF/UHF CDMs, Orions, Air-band and 796 go into a Discone
The VHF Astro Spectra goes into an SRL-201.

Discone is fed with LMR-400, X-500 fed with LMR-600, 800 Omni is fed with 1/2" Superflex Heliax and SRL201 fed with LMR-400.

As for portables...

I have quite a few, but my "main stay" ones, depending on the situation are;

VHF XTS5000
UHF XTS2500
UHF XTS4000
800 MTX8000
UHF GP580
800 MTX8250

"other" portables that are used from time to time...

Lowband MT1000
VHF Ericsson M-PA (with Hamflash)
UHF Ericsson M-PA (with Hamflash)
800 Ericsson LPE-200
Uniden 396T.

 

[exkalibur]

Some of us are fortunate enough to work at a place that has ready access to such programming stuffs

 

[rescue161]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Question for all the Motorola users, and i love Motorola too just dont have any....how do you guys program them? Spend couple hundred bucks for different softwear for each radio? MTS2000des' picture above reminded me to ask. Very cool setup by the way

Just paid for the CPS subscription through MOL.

 

[SCPD]

Question for all the Motorola users, and i love Motorola too just dont have any....how do you guys program them? Spend couple hundred bucks for different softwear for each radio? MTS2000des' picture above reminded me to ask. Very cool setup by the way

I program mine thru the keypad. :wink:

 

[990adv]

I have no real problem with Motorola equipment. What myself and other hams dislike is the attitude of some owners of Motorola gear. Many seem reluctant to assist new people.(I am being nice here) Seems like a very cliquish group.

Currently I use an Icom 92ad a Yaesu VX8dr for handhelds. In my truck I have an Icom 2820 and 7000. Using RT Systems software I can completely reprogram the radios for whatever area I am driving to in less than 30 minutes. This includes ham info, aviation, business, public service etc. If I make one file I can load it onto all the radios so the channel numbers all match up.

I love radios. Would love to add some Motorola radios to the mix. Can the above be done with Motorola radios? Would I need to take the radios to someone else? I do not work for Motorola nor do I have an advanced degree in computer science. I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on cables and software. Please point me in the correct direction if what I want is out there.

 

[SCPD]

I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on cables and software.

Genuine Motorola products are not for the faint of heart (or wallet.)

 

[990adv]

I do not mind spending some money, just want to be assured that I will be able to actually use the radios. I have no fear that I will have any problems with my current radios.