I'm curious about the actual average range of the various DTR series handhelds. I've seen/ heard that people have used them at Disneyland & such which would seem like the range is fairly decent. However, at my former workplace the IT folks tried to use them & told me that, in their opinion, they sucked. I was told by them "we can barely talk to each other from our office to the main lobby". That distance is about 1000 feet & their office was about 50 feet in elevation above the lobby's. Can any users of those radios clue me in? TIA
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Motorola DTR HTs
- Thread starter ke6ats
- Start date
On flat terrain out in the open about a mile in a half at the most. This with 2 DTR700s. I'm not sure what the DLRs would do insofar as differences. The DTRs have better antennae.
I have some DLR1020’s we use with the kids when camping. I’ve been really impressed by their coverage. We’ve had them work close to two miles away in the sierra nevadas with lots of trees in between.
We also used them once on a cruise ship. They worked from essentially the front of the ship to the back (~800 feet?) with 3-4 floors in between. I thought that was pretty impressive.
My biggest complaint (and I’ve heard this from many users in a business setting) is that users tend to cut their traffic off at the end by unkeying when they really need to hold the PTT for an extra half second. Seems like something Motorola could fix in firmware.
We also used them once on a cruise ship. They worked from essentially the front of the ship to the back (~800 feet?) with 3-4 floors in between. I thought that was pretty impressive.
My biggest complaint (and I’ve heard this from many users in a business setting) is that users tend to cut their traffic off at the end by unkeying when they really need to hold the PTT for an extra half second. Seems like something Motorola could fix in firmware.
My experience has been range testing in a neighborhood. With the DTR650s with short antenna I got 0.5 miles but with the long antenna I got 1 mile.
Amazingly, the DLR1020s worked up to 1 miles with their small built in antennas.
I tried both while golfing by leaving a radio of each in the car and I did get the out of range bonk on both when at the farthest point on t.e course from my car. This course was quite wooded.
Amazingly, the DLR1020s worked up to 1 miles with their small built in antennas.
I tried both while golfing by leaving a radio of each in the car and I did get the out of range bonk on both when at the farthest point on t.e course from my car. This course was quite wooded.
Wicho
Member
I have DTR700 and DTR600 units with long and short antennas, and DLR1020 and 1060 units too. They’re all phenomenal for what they are.
Range has just about always, in my experience, beat out 5W UHF simplex DMR, NXDN and analog inside and around buildings and urban areas. Have used them at many large school campuses and downtown San Diego, CA for a distance of many blocks (real downtown area with high rises). Surprisingly, they also perform better through lots of pine trees (use them in Truckee, CA and the surrounding area and mountains) than my 5W UHF and VHF in analog and digital.
I’m surprised your IT people had problems at 1,000 feet, but without knowing what was in between the two radios, my comment should be taken with a grain of salt.
Range has just about always, in my experience, beat out 5W UHF simplex DMR, NXDN and analog inside and around buildings and urban areas. Have used them at many large school campuses and downtown San Diego, CA for a distance of many blocks (real downtown area with high rises). Surprisingly, they also perform better through lots of pine trees (use them in Truckee, CA and the surrounding area and mountains) than my 5W UHF and VHF in analog and digital.
I’m surprised your IT people had problems at 1,000 feet, but without knowing what was in between the two radios, my comment should be taken with a grain of salt.
I have a couple of local school campus locations that use the DTR410's, with the short fixed antenna. They work great for a campus of about a dozen buildings with few other obstructions, up to three floors and about a five acre area.
Two that I have for personal use, well in the woods they do not work well, maybe a half-mile. I also have used them on a 212 foot steel ship, they work well between about three or four decks (of eleven - crows nest), but do cut out and will not transmit unless you have another unit in range (and similar programmed - custom Talk Groups in use). At my own work, metal office equipment, cabinets and pre-stressed concrete walls mean I get about a city block on range. The DTR410's tend to have shorter range than the DTR500/600/700/DPL series due to the fixed and short antenna.
Great radios though, that work well in office and ship type of locations. Even with a short and fixed antenna. But, they are limited in range and power output, but make up for discrete and relatively secure comms if you do not leave them defaulted on programming. (Many construction companies in my area of the country bought these and left them defaulted....saturating 900 MHz ISM band, trying to get away from the overly used UHF FRS/GMRS band).
Two that I have for personal use, well in the woods they do not work well, maybe a half-mile. I also have used them on a 212 foot steel ship, they work well between about three or four decks (of eleven - crows nest), but do cut out and will not transmit unless you have another unit in range (and similar programmed - custom Talk Groups in use). At my own work, metal office equipment, cabinets and pre-stressed concrete walls mean I get about a city block on range. The DTR410's tend to have shorter range than the DTR500/600/700/DPL series due to the fixed and short antenna.
Great radios though, that work well in office and ship type of locations. Even with a short and fixed antenna. But, they are limited in range and power output, but make up for discrete and relatively secure comms if you do not leave them defaulted on programming. (Many construction companies in my area of the country bought these and left them defaulted....saturating 900 MHz ISM band, trying to get away from the overly used UHF FRS/GMRS band).
Depends on which radio, where you're using it, etc., I have a whole fleet of DTR650 and DTR550 radios, and have had amazing results. I have gotten well over 20 miles here in the Socal desert. Ran out of road before I ran out of range...literally. Have gotten entire cruise ship coverage on pretty much every ship I've been on, and basically entire hotel coverage as some of the largest hotels in Vegas. Regularly use them while boating and routinely get better coverage than VHF marine, in areas of terrain.
In an urban environment or out in the forest or something, you're not going to do so great. You're not going to violate the laws of physics with these things, but they're just phenomenal little radios.
In an urban environment or out in the forest or something, you're not going to do so great. You're not going to violate the laws of physics with these things, but they're just phenomenal little radios.
Right on. After all the replies, I'm thinking I'll give them a try. Thanks.
Can't hurt. What I would do personally before spending a ton of money is just get a pair of old beat up 550s on eBay or such and do some testing. Sometimes you can find a pair for under $100. Your mileage will definitely vary with these things, but I have had extremely good luck.
Just tried a pair on a container ship. Amazing coverage, from the bridge, all the way down into the engine room.
