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BKR 9500 Mobile Remote-Mount Radio
- Thread starter BC60
- Start date
Same garbage control head so not impressed. They need to ditch the touchscreen and this would have been the opportunity.
aglowgibbon
Member
This still feels like too little too late:
Only P25/Analog (No DMR, NXDN, etc.)
No LTE
No PTT over LTE/WiFi solution (TBD if BKRPlay becomes a thing)
TBD if any UI updates over KNG
This just feels like a multi-band KNG to me. Not really a new radio.
Only P25/Analog (No DMR, NXDN, etc.)
No LTE
No PTT over LTE/WiFi solution (TBD if BKRPlay becomes a thing)
TBD if any UI updates over KNG
This just feels like a multi-band KNG to me. Not really a new radio.
aglowgibbon
Member
This was to maintain compatibility with current KNG radios as a drop-in replacement. No control head or cabling changes needed.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
BK has been in the "also participated" category for many years now. Some of their older products were good, especially for wildland fire service, but the rest of the product line is stale and uninspiring. I really wanted to like their BKR9000, but just couldn't.
So this is where I get to brag on BK for a post. On our P25 system we are the gatekeepers and we do a monthly Failsoft test where we bring our system into failsoft for 30 mins twice in one day (Morning/Evening). Doing this allows our system users (both at our 911 center and out in the field) to become comfortable with failsoft and what to do when it happens. It's not a matter of IF site trunking/failsoft will happen but WHEN. Might not be tomorrow and it might not be until 2 years from now but at some point the man made P25 system will experience issues that will require failsoft/site trunking. We want our users to be comfortable dealing with reduced system performance until we can get the system back 100%. Failsoft also allows us to find programming errors.
So when the BKR 9000 first came out we were given 2 to test out on our system. We quickly found out that the 9000 could not handle failsoft. Even with correct failsoft conventional freqs programmed in we found out that the 9000s would not work during failsoft. We traced it down to the radios not having NAC transmit capability during failsoft. So BK had their firmware engineer fly into our area and stop by our shop one failsoft test day so that he could see the issue for himself. He was able to draft a test firmware while here which allowed transmit NAC during failsoft and we were able to get the 2 9000s to work in failsoft.
The fact that BK had their main firmware engineer make a day trip to our shop just to deal with this issue speaks to their customer service.
They knew that we were not in a position to make a mass purchase at the time but still wanted to fix an issue we helped them spot.
So, yeah, while the BKR9000 is underwhelming in some regards I give BK kudos for the customer service side of their organization.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Yes, something that is missing with the other vendors. I would LOVE it if others would adopt this attitude.
What don't you like about it? My biggest gripe is lack of accessories, both BK and Kenwood STILL can't figure out how to make an RSM with volume and channel control, even though Moto has been doing it 20+ years. However overall I like the 9000.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Well, compared to Kenwood and Tait, support for something other than P25. No LTE integration, limited product line. No real infrastructure offerings.
On some other radio sites, experiences of others showing that the mobiles do not have the same level of durability of other public safety tier brands. Granted, extreme cases, but apparently not up to the same level as others.
It's not really that I don't like them. It's more that they are kind of on the fringes of the playing field, watching. I always love to see competition in the marketplace, and I had high hopes for the BKR9000's, but it took them years to get it to the market and when it arrived, it was already behind the others.
This ^^^ The below pictures are of a BK KNG-M150 and a Motorola APX 8500. The radios were mounted side by side, lets just say they got under water.
Based on the M150 fit and finish, I'm not surprised. I've sacrificed a lot of blood to the BK gods from the terrible finish of the M150 chassis.
In addition, anecdotally of course, I've never replaced any other radio brick or control head as often as I do M150s. For a fleet of about 90 M150s, we've had at least half out for repair, often bouncers. I would never buy a used M150 without warranty--I'd buy a Kenwood or Motorola sight unseen all day long. I've replaced three NX control heads, one no power, one no connectivity over RJ45, one speaker amp failed. I've replaced dozens of M150 heads for various reasons, often touchscreen failures or failure to boot. The bricks just randomly die, stop modulating their TX, lose their programming, etc.
In addition, anecdotally of course, I've never replaced any other radio brick or control head as often as I do M150s. For a fleet of about 90 M150s, we've had at least half out for repair, often bouncers. I would never buy a used M150 without warranty--I'd buy a Kenwood or Motorola sight unseen all day long. I've replaced three NX control heads, one no power, one no connectivity over RJ45, one speaker amp failed. I've replaced dozens of M150 heads for various reasons, often touchscreen failures or failure to boot. The bricks just randomly die, stop modulating their TX, lose their programming, etc.
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kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
EFJ is really responsive to firmware issues. Just because BK sent an engineer, still doesn't make up for them being the absolute bottom of the barrel in the P25 space.
The ONE KNG portable user on our provincial system had such a bad experience, they have been replaced with APX portables.
I would give the bottom of the barrel space to Icom. IMHO BK does a good job on P25, both conventional and trunking. We have a BKR9000 on a local Phase II system and I have a KNG-P800 that I use for NAS.
Project25_MASTR
TX-COMU
BK had a training with dealers not too long ago. The question regarding new control heads came up and the answer was to maintain compatibility with existing KNG mobile heads and quicken the overall development period. Dealers were shown a timeline that includes a additional BKR95xx radio and the release plan for new control heads. So It's coming but BK is very much just trying to get a solution out onto the market which can easily be retrofit into exsiting setups (much like Motorola has done with the APX8500 and EF Johnson with the existing control head lineup).
aglowgibbon
Member
Their trunking logic behind the scenes is HORRIBLE. I've had plenty of issues with radios locking up and getting lost in imbalanced coverage areas. Granted it's not ideal, but the radio shouldn't lock up.
I should have qualified my comment that the 9000 that we have is on a small system with only one simulcast "site". I do recall seeing post about them locking up when de-affiliation from a TRS.
Project25_MASTR
TX-COMU
I had an extended demo with the 9000 on a multiband Motorola system (VHF/700/800) roaming between 700/800 MHz simulcast and VHF wide-area and VHF simulcast even when roaming between RFSS and jumping bands. Never had an issue with them. Also tried it on a 700 MHz wide-area Harris system (with RFSS hopping in Harris wide-area fashion), no issues.
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
I don't count Icom, they didn't even make a half assed attempt with their P25 trunking radios. The KNG-P800 radios are absolute junk. They might be okay for NAS, but one of our largest users of our provincial radio system just dumped them for APX portables. Every single member I know that works for that agency hates the BK portables. They also hate the BK mobiles as well.
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