Using DTR or TriSquare Radios

[C138NC]

I was looking into getting VHF radios for my post to use, maybe 12 atleast to the max but i was also coming across the TriSquare radios.

Does anyone have a set, how is it? is it worth it? I know its not as strong as a real radio rig and its small anyways

Just thought it would be useful to use around town during events, lets say an approximate of 4-8 square miles including buildings in the surroundings so i believe that could cut the range pretty short to maybe 2-3 miles maybe less.

Though these radios are in what Band Range? 900Mhz if i recall?

I dont find anything useful on the net on these radios even if i read the box, i want to have real input from users who actually own a pair and used them and tested how well they perform that way i can get better info on them without just reading the usual advertised information.

Range, reliability, etc. 30-100 miles they say on the box plus depends on line of site and terrain...

Just thought this could be an alternative without having me buying 12 VHF Radios that i can just get these Trisquare radios that come in a pack of 2.

 

[fineshot1]

Beware

I do not have any of these but I do use 900Mhz MTX9000 portables in the 3W power range
and you are still lucky to get a mile of range from them depending on the surrounding
terrain and local obstructions such as foliage and buildings. I doubt you would be satisfied
with the range on them as they are much lower power than the models I use.

Always beware of the range claims on any portables sold as they are often over inflated.

 

[C138NC]

I do not have any of these but I do use 900Mhz MTX9000 portables in the 3W power range
and you are still lucky to get a mile of range from them depending on the surrounding
terrain and local obstructions such as foliage and buildings. I doubt you would be satisfied
with the range on them as they are much lower power than the models I use.

Always beware of the range claims on any portables sold as they are often over inflated.

Yeah your right about that range claims like those little FRS GMRS bubble pack radios.

I might as well stick with looking for a Radio bundle on ebay and im only looking for the particular models "GP300" this time its just for my post, ill just get my own stuff later, im just focused on getting the radios for em.

Since our department is going VIPER, we cant get the old stuff since its going back to the communications director and probably off to the auction, i might have to go to that.

 

[pickles37]

I've used the Trisquares for a while, and really like them a lot. You are some useful reviews on the Trisquare website at

TriSquare Electronics Corporation - Media - In the News

They are much nicer than the bubble pack FRS and GMRS. Range in urban areas is about 1 mile. There are only two things I don't like about them: the PTT switch is a bit stiff, and they are not good at standing up vertically on a surface

You can do some really cool things with them such as rebroadcasting signals from other radios, which would not be legal in other radio services (see, e.g. How to transmit sound from your scanner, PC or FRS radio with a Trisquare eXRS TSX radio | eHow.com )

The DTRs have a nicer look and feel, but are a lot more expensive

David

 

[rescuecomm]

The GP300's are good radios, but are not narrowband capable. This would be a problem if you are planning to use them on public safety (after 2013) or MURS. UHF on GMRS would be okay. I have used the Nextel i355's on Directalk which is 0.6 watts on the same 900 mhz band. The range is about a 1/4 mile over terrain and less in buildings.

Bob

 

[RayAir]

I've used the Trisquares for a while, and really like them a lot. You are some useful reviews on the Trisquare website at

TriSquare Electronics Corporation - Media - In the News

They are much nicer than the bubble pack FRS and GMRS. Range in urban areas is about 1 mile. There are only two things I don't like about them: the PTT switch is a bit stiff, and they are not good at standing up vertically on a surface

You can do some really cool things with them such as rebroadcasting signals from other radios, which would not be legal in other radio services (see, e.g. How to transmit sound from your scanner, PC or FRS radio with a Trisquare eXRS TSX radio | eHow.com )

The DTRs have a nicer look and feel, but are a lot more expensive

David

Rather than soldering wires, I have seen VOX headsets for TriSquare radios on EBAY for less than $15. If I want to listen to my scanner and I am way in the back yard I normally use a VOX headset under my scanner speaker (ran to a Icom IC-F43GS) and put it out very low power on FRS encrypted (spectral rotation) because there are some scanner listeners/hams in my neighborhood and I don't want them stumbling on the frequency and finding out it is a scanner rebroadcast.

 

[RayAir]

I have been impressed with a pair of Motorola DTR 550 generation 2 (longer 900MHz whip antennas) radios that I have. I recently took them on a cruise and had full ship coverage aboard the Carnival Sensation. I couldn't get anything close to full ship coverage when I tried using a pair of 4W UHF Motorola Visar's a couple of years ago. So the DTR is great for difficult environments. I have tried them a couple of times- house to car. I got about 1.5Mi. In the open they are probably comparable to 4W UHF.

The Motorola DTR offers more privacy than the TriSquare if you create your own unique 11-digit I.D private channels on the DTR. The DTR is also digital, using VSELP and a 90mS hop rate compared to the TriSquare which uses analog FM with a 400mS hop rate.

 

[C138NC]

The GP300's are good radios, but are not narrowband capable. This would be a problem if you are planning to use them on public safety (after 2013) or MURS. UHF on GMRS would be okay. I have used the Nextel i355's on Directalk which is 0.6 watts on the same 900 mhz band. The range is about a 1/4 mile over terrain and less in buildings.

Bob

Mmm well I guess i can use the radios now before 2013 and the GP300's wont even be on any Public Safety Freq/Repeater, etc, just all on MURS pretty much unless i find a different radio that can do narrowband unless I just look for something else.

 

[rescuecomm]

I was thinking about using a couple of the Tri-Square radios to tie a remote receiver link to a repeater. The antennas would be line of sight.

Bob

 

[ekkis]

i355 VOX headset?

Rather than soldering wires, I have seen VOX headsets for TriSquare radios on EBAY for less than $15. If I want to listen to my scanner and I am way in the back yard I normally use a VOX headset under my scanner speaker (ran to a Icom IC-F43GS) and put it out very low power on FRS encrypted (spectral rotation) because there are some scanner listeners/hams in my neighborhood and I don't want them stumbling on the frequency and finding out it is a scanner rebroadcast.

have you come across a Nextel i355 headset that can do VOX? I want to wear it under a helmet and the last thing I want to do whilst riding (a motorbike) is to have to find and press a PTT button... however, I've not been successful in finding a headset!

 

[SCPD]

The narrow path

The GP300's are good radios, but are not narrowband capable. This would be a problem if you are planning to use them on public safety (after 2013) or MURS. UHF on GMRS would be okay. I have used the Nextel i355's on Directalk which is 0.6 watts on the same 900 mhz band. The range is about a 1/4 mile over terrain and less in buildings.

Bob

GP300's were manufactured both narrowband and wideband. It's not a software change. There's a Motorola document that was floating around here awhile back that showed, by model number, which models of GP300 were narrow, and which were wide. We have hundreds at work, and 4 out of the 5 turned out to be already narrow, and we could keep using them.