Our Company is looking to replace our Handhelds.

[sking128]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here it goes. I work for the Royal Gorge Route Railroad and we are looking at replacing our hendhelds. we currently use the Kenwood NX-210 radios, they are 10 years old and are starting to give us issues. We recently purchased two RCA RDR2380's and I am not real happy with their performance. Does anyone know of a lightweight replacement radio?

TIA,

Steve King.

 

[Giddyuptd]

Kenwood NX5200, 5300 etc line?

 

[buddrousa]

Old Railroad people will know this but if the radio is not built like the rail the train rides on they will not last. I am shocked that the NX-210's lasted 10 years but I think the NX-5200 radio is better built than the NX-210.

 

[mass-man]

10 years is very good! You could buy more NX-210s But yes the NX-5200 is better built.

 

[Bill1957]

Kenwood NX 3200k or the NX 3200k2. Less expensive than NX 5200 and lots of features. 3200k 64 channels/no display,3200k2 has 512 channels/with display.

 

[mmckenna]

NX-210's have been discontinued. Might be able to find some on dealer shelves, but I'd not count on it. We placed an order for 20 or so of them when the notice came out. I know our dealer had a tough time getting that order filled.

NX-3200 is the suggested replacement if you need analog and NXDN only. NX-5000 would be fine, but for railroad use, you don't need a radio with that much capability. It's money you'll spend that you'll never get back. Good radio, but overkill.

I've been using the NX-3x00's for a while now with good results. Solid radios and nice form factor, but I'm not in the rail industry, so your milage may vary.

 

[mmckenna]

And I wouldn't trust one of those "RCA" radios any farther than I could throw it. Useful for stuffing under a table leg if the table is wobbly.

 

[Cameron314]

What is the difference between the NX-3200 and and NX-3220? Is it just the acc jack? I looked at the NX-3320 and thought it's too bad it has a 2 pin but then looking at the 3200 it has a muti pin connecter. Seems odd to build two models.

 

[mmckenna]

Yep, the accessory jack.

The 2 pin accessories are considered a lower tier radio. The accessories are cheaper and the two pin jacks won't stand up to a lot of cycles. The 14 pin connectors are more durable and usually much more water resistant.

Kenwood did that to accommodate existing users that already had the investment in the 2 pin stuff.

 

[cmdrwill]

And I wouldn't trust one of those "RCA" radios any farther than I could throw it. Useful for stuffing under a table leg if the table is wobbly.

EXACTLY and I will add CHEEP China JUNK name steelers. And it p's me off as I worked for the Real RCA Two Way radio division.

As MMC says, get a real radio..

 

[sking128]

NX-210's have been discontinued. Might be able to find some on dealer shelves, but I'd not count on it. We placed an order for 20 or so of them when the notice came out. I know our dealer had a tough time getting that order filled.

NX-3200 is the suggested replacement if you need analog and NXDN only. NX-5000 would be fine, but for railroad use, you don't need a radio with that much capability. It's money you'll spend that you'll never get back. Good radio, but overkill.

I've been using the NX-3x00's for a while now with good results. Solid radios and nice form factor, but I'm not in the rail industry, so your milage may vary.

Thanks for the info, I think I will look into the 3x00 series. We have 12 miles of track through the Royal Gorge, so not a lot heavy wear and tear.

Steve

 

[speedway_navigator]

And it p's me off as I worked for the Real RCA Two Way radio division.

My first installs were RCA super car phones when I started my 2 way career in the mid 80s.