MCS2000 useful?

[joczr2]

Hi everyone. This is a great forum and I hope to learn as I am new to the radio world. My question is I have two MSC-2000 models 2 & 3. Both are the 800 MHz. Are they worth getting programmed or are they useless these days. Is there a device that would bring take the analog signal the radios pick up and convert it to a digital form that I could listen to?

Just wondering if I need to waste or not waste money.

Thanks so much.

 

[mmckenna]

Those are analog only radios. They'll do Motorola Type 1 and Type 2 trunking (SmartNet/SmartZone) but that's about it.

As they are they are not digital capable and there isn't really any way to make them digital.

Good radios, I ran them on a trunked system for a long time.

Good for conventional 800MHz and the Motorola type analog trunked system, if there are any in your area.
You would want to make sure they have the "reband" firmware.
They are pretty cheap on e-Bay. Not a waste of money, but only useful for older systems. We dumped a lot of those when we replaced our system.

 

[joczr2]

Thanks. I appreciate the help

 

[N4KVE]

They are excellent radios. I have a few I use on 900 ham freq's, but as stated above, analog only, & they would need the newest FW to listen to a rebanded system. Of course they could listen to a conventional freq as is. I love the big display. I think the local SO is still using them in their cars, but that will stop when the new system is launched next year.

 

[wa8pyr]

Those are analog only radios. They'll do Motorola Type 1 and Type 2 trunking (SmartNet/SmartZone) but that's about it.

As they are they are not digital capable and there isn't really any way to make them digital.

Good radios, I ran them on a trunked system for a long time.

Good for conventional 800MHz and the Motorola type analog trunked system, if there are any in your area.

If you use Unitrunker or any other sort of similar program to decode a control channel they work quite nicely for that purpose. Take the audio off the accessory connector (Pin 10 - Analog ground, Pin 11 - Filtered audio out).

Otherwise pretty outdated as noted by others.