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Motorola for "mixed use" mobile radio?
- Thread starter rtc1930
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K6GBW
Member
If you ever get this done, please post some pics of what you ended up with. Very curious what you come up with.
I ended up with a kenwood instead of motorola but happy with the result. It's a dual deck setup with VHF and UHF going to the single "advanced head" but probably could have saved some space with the basic head. I need to make a new insert panel so it fits better with the switch controller and hides the wires better. The previous radio I had when i made the panel was a smaller form factor. The panel is just a sheet of textured ABS cut to fit in the recess of the console. It's a friction fit so just pops back out to expose the original cubbies underneath if I trade in the truck.
Loving the radio though and does everything I need and more. I ended up just buying new to avoid some of the used pitfalls and to ensure I could program. Was a bit of wait and licensing is not cheap but the dealer was awesome to work with and got me everything I needed. I may eventually add the third deck if I come across a used one.
A lot of people complain about the kenwood KPG programming SW but it felt pretty straight forward to me. I have everything grouped so FD stuff is separate from personal and transmit is blocked on anything outside my permissions. We don't have much digital out here so made it quite a bit simpler to integrate. Worked with our OEM and radio tech to ensure everything was set up properly on that side of the fence.
Loving the radio though and does everything I need and more. I ended up just buying new to avoid some of the used pitfalls and to ensure I could program. Was a bit of wait and licensing is not cheap but the dealer was awesome to work with and got me everything I needed. I may eventually add the third deck if I come across a used one.
A lot of people complain about the kenwood KPG programming SW but it felt pretty straight forward to me. I have everything grouped so FD stuff is separate from personal and transmit is blocked on anything outside my permissions. We don't have much digital out here so made it quite a bit simpler to integrate. Worked with our OEM and radio tech to ensure everything was set up properly on that side of the fence.
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mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Glad to see you found something that works for you. The capabilities of the NX-5000 line are a great solution for many. Getting P25 and DMR in the same radio was unheard of when these first came out.
For conventional stuff, it's not hard to figure out. Getting into trunking and it starts to be a headache, but those of us that work with them have managed.
Installation looks good.
What did you do about your antennas?
For conventional stuff, it's not hard to figure out. Getting into trunking and it starts to be a headache, but those of us that work with them have managed.
Installation looks good.
What did you do about your antennas?
K6GBW
Member
Excellent! Glad it worked out. I’m currently trying to figure out a dual band ham radio for a Subaru Crosstrek. Talk about no room!
Thanks!
I have the UHF mounted on a back rack and the vhf is a 1/2 wave on a fender bracket. I do want to move the VHF to the roof eventually to get a bit more gain out of it but just haven't pulled that trigger yet.
Yeah that will be tight but the remote heads are great on most units now and at least open up some possibilities.
That's a nice looking control head.
Thanks! It's total overkill but like the radio I love the flexibility... I use my truck for camping as well and have bed lights along with a few other flood lights in the back. The controller lets me program how the lights work in different modes and even lets me use the emergency lights as off road flood lights so they serve a dual purpose. You can technically get pretty close with some of the smarter "off-road" oriented switch panels to tone it down a bit but I seemed to have passed a point of no return with this setup...
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
If UHF gives you issues, keep in mind that mounting on the back racks have proven to be problematic.
If you are going to do a permanent install for the VHF antenna (and you -should-), either install a mount for a separate UHF antenna, or get a dual band antenna designed for the commercial LMR frequencies. The improved ground plane will help with antenna performance.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
The larger displays really help when you are running 2 or more RF decks. You did the right thing...
Maybe, maybe not.... With the recent price reductions in Harris XG-100M multiband radios, a 30 to 870MHz radio with all the trimmings and even a remote hand held control head can be put together for really good prices these days.
The XG-100M I just put in my truck cost me right at $537 total including remote control mic, new speaker, power cable, remote CANbus cable and upgrading with nearly all features. It covers 136-174, 380-520 and 760-870MHz analog wide/narrow and P25, trunking, PII plus it receives 30-50MHz. The remote handheld control head will fit anything including a bicycle or the standard control head is not any bigger than a Motorola APX. Then you have a single antenna connection for 138-870MHz and one for 30-50MHz so you can use a single multiband antenna for VHF/UHF amateur/GMRS, etc.
Project25_MASTR
Millennial Graying OBT Guy
But last I checked the license for RPM was $1,400 per installation. D1N is significantly less. APX CPS and Armada are not serialized per install...so once you have it you don't have to pay a license fee for multiple installations.
Looking at hardware costs...software costs have to be considered as well.
Last I checked, once you get one of the radios I mentioned and mingle with the crowd, everything you would ever need just shows up. There are a lot of kind and amazing people out there ready to help. So considering all costs, $537 and I'm good.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
I was referring to his decision to go with the larger control head on the NX-5000's.
brndnstffrd
Member
I've been looking, and that's SIGNIFIGANTLY cheaper than what I've been seeing, especially with Phase 2 and lowband added.
Over the last several months there have been some really good deals on the XG-100M radio bricks, anywhere from $249 to $400. New full keypad control heads were $34, new mics were $22 and handheld control head mics were $99 to $149 but most of that seems to have dried up at the moment. If more agencies dump more radios it should push the prices back down.
I think a lot of people grabbed up the cheap radios, had them upgraded with more features and are now trying to make a profit on that, especially on the control head mics. I now have four of these radios and lots of control heads and accys and just love this series of radio. Far more than the dual band APX7500 I had.
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