EF Johnson Radios

[ButchGone]

I'm curious, how much do EF Johnson 800MHz capable radios go for, like the 5100 series portables? I ask because most Motorola XTS 2500 series radios are in the $2,300 to $2,600 range, give or take a hundred or two. The XTS 5000 series cost about $4,000. An agency that's linking up to the local trunked system (Motorola SmatrZone 3600 baud mixed-mode) is buying EF Johnson radios and will use digital voice on the Motorola system and it's said that the EF Johnsons' are less expensive and have more included features.
Thanks,
BG..

 

[cg]

I can't recall the prices offhand but they are several hundreds of dollars less per radio for the same features. Enough where an agency that requires low bids may end up with the EFJs.
In CT, the corrections department has them for the DOC conventional system. There are several radios that have access to the CSP digital TRS and therefore have the P25 & trunking options.

chris

 

[SDOG]

Just my 2 cents, but check with agencies who have had them for awhile. A military installation near me had motorola products on their UHF trunking system, switched to EFJ, and then recently switched back to M. The end users (FD/Security) had nothing but problems with EFJ. Poor sound quality, shutting down on their own, poor reception etc. As soon as they switched back to M, the problems went away.
I don't want to see an agency end up with something that could put our public safety personnel in harms way. Granted, the EFJ equipment they had was purchased about 4 years ago, and may have improved since then, just be carefula ndtalk to current users.

Best of luck!!
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Avenger44]

I use alot of EF Johnson Radios All day Long .Never Had a Probelm With the Radios . Motorola Is getting out of the 2-way business. Right now Motorola Is working with EF Johnson . Motorola Is talking to EF Johnson about takeing over the 2-way Service and Setup for Motorola . Just the Info I had that Came From a Motorola Tech . There are a Few Motorola Tech's that went to EF Johnson . Anyway Just My Thoughts .

Steve.

 

[PRRESCUE]

Steve,

Any information on the radios, and when they are going to be sent back to me I have sent you numerous messenger since November 19th and I still have no response from you. Please contact me ASAP.

Edgardo

 

[MMIC]

I have personally seen two agencies purchase, then dump, the EFJ radios. I can't quite recall the issues that they had, but they were certainly show-stoppers. Additionally, the look, feel, and operation of the EFJ radios is far inferior to comparable Motorola products. The Motorola radios are certainly worth the extra few hundred dollars that will be spent on the radios.

As far as Motorola getting out of the two-way business, I have many close contacts in Motorola and have not heard anything to that end. With Motorola continually bringing out new products (ASTRO systems, base stations, subscribers, TETRA systems, etc.) I would not say that they are anywhere close to dumping it (plus, there's still a LOT of post-9/11 grant money being shelled out - not to mention the windfall of 800 MHz rebanding). The only relationship that Motorola had with EFJ was when they allowed EFJ to produce SmartNet and SmartZone radios and gave them several thousand RF boards to use in the radios. That relationship has since ended and all ties cut with EFJ.

 

[N4DES]

Don't pass up looking at the Motorola XTS1500 as an option. Pricing on the Model 1.5
with display and 3600 baud trunking is around $1500.00 +/- $100.00 or so.

If you don't need any more than 48 channels and can live without a keypad it's another usable option if you want to migrate to digital with an overall lower cost.

http://www.motorola.com/governmenta...gationpath=id_803i/id_1388i/id_2354i/id_1491i

 

[portsmouth]

Hi.
Our city recently had the opportunity to test some EFJ 5100 series radios on our 10 channel, single site smart net trunking system. Our city is only 30 square miles and the 300 foot tower sits on the highest point in the city. It is 15 feet above sea level. The city is very flat. We do have some marginal coverage on the city fringes with talking back to the site with portables but we have %100 coverage with mobiles. Using portables or mobiles, we have never had a problem with them losing the control channel and going out of range.

Our boss wanted to test the EFJ radios as they were about $400 cheaper that the motorola radios. We got 5 portables to test. The saleman brought them in and she said they were all programmed for our system. I asked about the system key. She said what's that. Oh this is going to be fun. From the time we requested test radios to actual test time was at least a month.

We gave out the five portables to different departments. With in a week, all five portables were back in our shop. I can only repeat the comments that are fit for this forum. The nicest comment was "Please take this piece of junk back and give me my old Motorola radio back."

The major complaint was the EFJ would just randomly go out of range.
On the hip and in a vehicle, 2.4 miles from the transmitter site, it would randomly go out of range.
As a technician, I carried a test portable. Twice, without being touched, it changed talk groups by it's self.

The test radios did not meet our requirements to be used on our system.
This was our expierence with EFJ radios.
Thanks.
Joe

 

[Avenger44]

Hi.
Our city recently had the opportunity to test some EFJ 5100 series radios on our 10 channel, single site smart net trunking system. Our city is only 30 square miles and the 300 foot tower sits on the highest point in the city. It is 15 feet above sea level. The city is very flat. We do have some marginal coverage on the city fringes with talking back to the site with portables but we have %100 coverage with mobiles. Using portables or mobiles, we have never had a problem with them losing the control channel and going out of range.

Our boss wanted to test the EFJ radios as they were about $400 cheaper that the motorola radios. We got 5 portables to test. The saleman brought them in and she said they were all programmed for our system. I asked about the system key. She said what's that. Oh this is going to be fun. From the time we requested test radios to actual test time was at least a month.

We gave out the five portables to different departments. With in a week, all five portables were back in our shop. I can only repeat the comments that are fit for this forum. The nicest comment was "Please take this piece of junk back and give me my old Motorola radio back."

The major complaint was the EFJ would just randomly go out of range.
On the hip and in a vehicle, 2.4 miles from the transmitter site, it would randomly go out of range.
As a technician, I carried a test portable. Twice, without being touched, it changed talk groups by it's self.

The test radios did not meet our requirements to be used on our system.
This was our expierence with EFJ radios.
Thanks.
Joe

I have the 5100 Portables and the 5300 ef johnson radios . i've never had a problem with coverage , or radio changing talkgroups on it own . Are Radios are Flashed for Mult-Net With P25 , the system we have hear is 800 MHz . Only thing we did to are Portables is that the antennas on the portables where not that good , so we changed the antennas to a larson antennas . we have the portables on are belt and we use speaker Mic's on them . I think the EF Johnson Radios Are Grate . The 5100 Prtables are the Same as the Motorola XTS-5000 Portables . The EF Johnson 5300 Mobile is the same as the Motorola XTL-5000 Mobiles . The EFJ-5100 / 5300 Where made by Motorola for EF Johnson .I also have a EFJ-5100 P25 UHF Radio and a EFJ-5300 UHF P25 Mobile that I use on the Ham Bands . I got rid of all my Motorola Gear .I use P25 on the Ham Bands . Works grate there Also .

anyway just my to cents .

73

Steve.
APCO Member
EF Johnson Radio Tech
Motorola Radio Tech
ARRL Member