Motorola DTR 650, Impressive!

[Bootyhunter]

1 watt, 900mhz, convention says "No good for wooded areas", right? Welp, I picked up 5 of these recently to have a little more secure communications. Tried them today for the 1st time and we were at the 2 points marked on the map, you can see the thick woods between us, and comms were loud crisp and cyrstal clear, no issues at all. Im impressed! Will definetely be doing testing to see what the range will be, but we put them to actual use today and they performed flawlessly and met our needs.

 

[kv5e]

Love the DTR series radios!

 

[hp8920]

One feature of unlicensed 900 MHz spectrum is you can do (or really have to do) spread spectrum over 26 MHz. This helps a lot when you have multipath fading/standing waves, compared to tiny 12.5/6.25 kHz channels that LMR has. Cell phones went CDMA with MHz+ carriers and never looked back.

 

[KC2GSP]

I like mine.. was planning on bringing them with me on a cruise just to fool around with. Lot of people saying that their FRS bubble pack radios don't penetrate through the various floors and that the DTR worked great.

I left one powered on at home and drove around keying it up frequently just to see it's limits in the neighborhood. Worked real well

 

[Bootyhunter]

I like mine.. was planning on bringing them with me on a cruise just to fool around with. Lot of people saying that their FRS bubble pack radios don't penetrate through the various floors and that the DTR worked great.

I left one powered on at home and drove around keying it up frequently just to see it's limits in the neighborhood. Worked real well

Yes I have heard they work better than anything else for a cruise ship. If we get to do another one I will definetely take them. I used the small WLN KDC1 uhf radios on our last cruise and they did good between a few decks but had their limitations. I think these DTR's will be a major improvement. I plan to do the same as far as range test in my neighborhood. Thanks for the reply!

 

[PACNWDude]

Have used the DTR series radios for over a decade now. Great for short range 1 to 1.5 mile range, depending on model/antenna. The frequency hopping aspect makes them somewhat secure, especially if you set your own hopset, and frequency wise, they will weave around/through trees and cement structures very well. They are great for use on board ships. Now, only if Motorola would make them IS certified for hazardous location use. (They never will at the price they sell for, too cheap of a radio).

I have several schools on DTR-410's and have used the 550/650's as well for camping, hiking, and other gatherings. No issues with everyone being on the same channel like FRS.

 

[popnokick]

This thread started out about the Moto DTR, but what about the evolution of the DTR / DLR radios? I’m referring to the Moto Curve which uses the same frequency range and spread spectrum, and adds WiFi voice as well (when in coverage).

 

[alcahuete]

DTRs are perhaps one of the best radio platforms ever made. Great for short range and long range communications, great on cruise ships. Just incredible little radios.

 

[KC2GSP]

This thread started out about the Moto DTR, but what about the evolution of the DTR / DLR radios? I’m referring to the Moto Curve which uses the same frequency range and spread spectrum, and adds WiFi voice as well (when in coverage).

I'm not against the DLR.. may pick some up if the price is right. I believe they're all cross compatible as long as they're enabled on the same talk groups. I just prefer the DTR since they had more of that traditional radio look and feel

 

[devicelab]

I'm not against the DLR.. may pick some up if the price is right. I believe they're all cross compatible as long as they're enabled on the same talk groups. I just prefer the DTR since they had more of that traditional radio look and feel

There was a guy on that auction site selling (2) DLR 1060 radios for $50. Haven't checked recently though.

 

[WPXS472]

While I am happy that everyone seems to really like these radios, they didn't really work out for me. Don't get me wrong. I am not knocking them at all. I really like the concept. When I tried them, the range wasn't all that good. But the thing that killed them for me was that talk permit tone. Having to wait to talk just ruined it for me, I know that the way they do it assures that there is communication between the two radios before you are permitted to talk, thus eliminating missed transmissions. But, it just really annoyed me, and since they didn't perform all that well, I abandoned them. With the advent of better cellphone coverage, I find I have little use for radios any more. Too bad, since I like using radios. I know, there are a lot of times, and places where cellphones either don't work, or are impractical.

 

[Bootyhunter]

While I am happy that everyone seems to really like these radios, they didn't really work out for me. Don't get me wrong. I am not knocking them at all. I really like the concept. When I tried them, the range wasn't all that good. But the thing that killed them for me was that talk permit tone. Having to wait to talk just ruined it for me, I know that the way they do it assures that there is communication between the two radios before you are permitted to talk, thus eliminating missed transmissions. But, it just really annoyed me, and since they didn't perform all that well, I abandoned them. With the advent of better cellphone coverage, I find I have little use for radios any more. Too bad, since I like using radios. I know, there are a lot of times, and places where cellphones either don't work, or are impractical.

If you still have your dtr's I would be interested in buying them. Thanks!

 

[WPXS472]

Well, they were used DTR410s, and they have been in storage for years. I really doubt that you would want them. I would still like to fool around with some FHSS radios at some point, but there are far more important things to consider.

 

[alcahuete]

Well, they were used DTR410s,

Well that was your problem with the range. The 410s were terrible in comparison to the 550s and 650s. They had those tiny antennas.

 

[WPXS472]

That may well have been part of it. I couldn't afford the 650's. I have used other 900 MHz spread spectrum stuff, and never really got any decent range. I actually like the 900 MHz band, and for a while had a repeater on the highest point in the state. 900 is a funny band. I have been amazed at how much range I got, and also amazed at how little I got. There isn't anything wrong with the DTRs. A lot of people seem to be really happy with them. They just didn't work for me. I have used commercial 900 radios that had 3 watts output, 3 times the DTRs, and they don't do a whole lot better.

 

[alcahuete]

That may well have been part of it. I couldn't afford the 650's.

The 650s or 550s with the long 6" antennas are pretty amazing. Definitely perform better.

I have used commercial 900 radios that had 3 watts output, 3 times the DTRs, and they don't do a whole lot better.

The DTRs outperform my commercial 900 gear almost 100% of the time. I especially notice the difference on ships and in large buildings. Simply theory but I believe it's the spread spectrum that does it, compared to the commercial gear. The space might be "open" on one frequency but will fail on another. The spread spectrum seems to take care of that.

 

[WPXS472]

I have noticed severe selective fading at 900. The spreading should help with that. 900 has a tendency to work in places where you think it shouldn't, and not work in places where you think it should. I keep wanting to use either dual polarization, or circular polarization on that band. I did make a helical antenna at one time, but using it with a regular whip on the other end of the path resulted in no improvement. Cellphones seem to have solved a lot of those kinds of problems. I am constantly amazed at how well they work for their power level.

 

[alcahuete]

I did make a helical antenna at one time, but using it with a regular whip on the other end of the path resulted in no improvement.

I tried several external antennas on the DTRs and found the same thing. The signal was actually considerably worse, even on a good mount with good, short coax. Haven't figured it out to this day.