Motorola radios?

[W4KRR]

Some models of Motorola radios will do P-25 digital, something that isn't available with ham gear (at least not yet). There are several P-25 digital VHF and UHF amateur repeaters in use here in south Florida, and in many other parts of the country. Plus other things already mentioned, that Motorola radios generally have louder audio, better sensitivity, better immunity to intermod, and are usually more rugged.

 

[W2NJS]

The acronym FPP stands for Front Panel Programming.

 

[JnglMassiv]

Amateur gear is easier to use and has many more features while commercial gear has better RF performance.

I'd simply say 'Better performance'. Battery life, TX duty cycle, audio quality and volume, environmental and damage withstand specs, sensitivity, button screen printing lifespan..

Here's a list in the order they occurred to me...Some have already been mentioned but here goes:

Tough. I want to be able to toss my radio into the passenger seat as I climb into the car. I want to know that a few minutes of drizzle won't ruin my fleet. I want to swing that radio round and round by the antenna for comedic effect without risk of a depot repair.

Upgradeable firmware gets better and better.

P25 for highend radios.

Superior audio, like not even close. I use an Astro Saber as my primary scanner for Chicago PD. Not too easy to set up initially (compared with a scanner) but now that it's done, awesome rx radio. Scanner and hammy radios are simply laughable in side-by-side comparison with commercial rigs.

Honest-to-goodness priority scanning.

Speaker mics that can withstand my rough treatment. The elevated antenna on public safety mics for UHF rocks, too.

Over on the HF side o' things, I have a couple pros, too.
Killer speech compression.
Wicked DSP.
Standalone ALE capabilities. Wiki link

I don't mind saying I like the underground nature of programming and upgrading capabilities. Nuff said.

Finally, there's some social aspects I enjoy. The hobbyist Motorola crew is smart and generous and I've made a number of friends both online and IRL.

 

[n1oty]

This is what I am taking away from this discussion so far.

Amateur gear is easier to use and has many more features while commercial gear has better RF performance.

I disagree with your assessment that amateur gear has more features and is easier to use. Others have already posted about features that are unheard of in amateur equipment. You will not find P25 ham gear, nor will you find 900 MHZ ham gear. I am surprised, though, that no one has mentioned MARS/CAP operation. Although much ham equipment can be modded to work the MARS/CAP segments, that is no longer legal. The commercial, type accepted equipment is legal in those segments as well as the ham bands. I have commercial equipment that LEGALLY covers from 136-162, 146-174, 136-174, 403-470 and 450-520 (well, 900 MHZ too).

The commercial equipment also lends itself to interesting installations. For instance, I mated a Motorola MCS2000 version 3 radio to an L3208 Digital Junction Box and three MC3000 desksets throughout my house in order to give me three separate operating positions with one radio.

John

 

[N8IAA]

Use Yaesu commercial and ham radios. Have had HT1000's, Sabre's, and a Racal P-25 (which I wish I had back). Can not beat the sensitivity on receive in bad conditions.
JMHO,
Larry

 

[W2NJS]

For some totally unknown reason, there exists a strong anti-Motorola prejudice in some parts of the ham world. I've never been able to figure out why this is, but I finally got so sick of hearing it that I no longer would take a Saber with me to a meeting. I guess you have to attribute it to ignorance or envy, or maybe both. It's a real shame what those guys are missing out on. I own two ham portables and umpteen Motorolas, and the Motorolas beat the ham radios in many ways.

 

[FFPM571]

In a nutshell.. Ham radios are designed as hobby radios. Motorola are designed for use in the real world.

Some hams feel that the only true ham radio is one that is designed for true ham use.

 

[AK9R]

For some totally unknown reason, there exists a strong anti-Motorola prejudice in some parts of the ham world.

Is it a prejudice against Motorola radios or the people who carry them?

 

[zz0468]

Is it a prejudice against Motorola radios or the people who carry them?

Or maybe it's merely a realization that Motorola's almost mythical status among hobbyists is mostly vaporware.

Sure, it's good stuff. It's tough. It sounds good. It looks good. But when you look at how much of a pain in the neck programming can be, or how annoying Motorola can be in regards to used equipment (try selling a GP68 on eBay!), then the veneer starts to wear a bit thin. Try dealing with Motorola on a professional level. It can be enough to make you think that maybe Provoice isn't such a bad idea after all.

And Motorola isn't the only manufacturer of radios that are tough, sound good, and look good.

I use Motorola almost exclusively for my 440 and 900 radios. I also have (and wear on occasion) a lapel pin with the /\/\ logo, inside a red circle with a slash through it. Prejudice, or reality?

 

[newsphotog]

For some totally unknown reason, there exists a strong anti-Motorola prejudice in some parts of the ham world. I've never been able to figure out why this is, but I finally got so sick of hearing it that I no longer would take a Saber with me to a meeting. I guess you have to attribute it to ignorance or envy, or maybe both. It's a real shame what those guys are missing out on. I own two ham portables and umpteen Motorolas, and the Motorolas beat the ham radios in many ways.

I am not afraid to admit my jealousy for people who own Motorola equipment. I've heard nothing but praise for their RF performance compared to hammy equipment, and I want to try it out for myself. The only issue is that I'm not sure I want to invest in the equipment to program them on my own or pay someone to program it for me every time I want the frequencies/settings/scanlists changed. P25 would be a big reason for me to invest in Motorola equipment.

 

[n1oty]

I am not afraid to admit my jealousy for people who own Motorola equipment. I've heard nothing but praise for their RF performance compared to hammy equipment, and I want to try it out for myself. The only issue is that I'm not sure I want to invest in the equipment to program them on my own or pay someone to program it for me every time I want the frequencies/settings/scanlists changed. P25 would be a big reason for me to invest in Motorola equipment.

If you want to play with P25, Motorola is not the only game in town. Kenwood and Icom P25 gear is decent and the programming equipment/software is a lot cheaper.

 

[zz0468]

I am not afraid to admit my jealousy for people who own Motorola equipment.

There's really no need to be jealous. The stuff is available, pretty much any radio you want. And a lot of them are cheap. A RIB for programming is $35 on eBay, you can make most of the cables you need yourself.

I've heard nothing but praise for their RF performance compared to hammy equipment, and I want to try it out for myself.

They DO work well. But in comparison to other name brand modern commercial grade equipment, it's probably a wash.

Gack. I HATE the term "hammy".

The only issue is that I'm not sure I want to invest in the equipment to program them on my own or pay someone to program it for me every time I want the frequencies/settings/scanlists changed.

Depending on the radio, programming may not be so expensive. the software is... 'out there', and can be obtained. What's not discontinued, Motorola will gladly sell you. Stick with the older radios (Spectra, for example) and radios and programming equipment can be had for cheap.

P25 would be a big reason for me to invest in Motorola equipment.

Is someone else has stated, they're not the only P25 game in town. If you're just looking for a tough commercial grade P25 radio, Motorola isn't the only choice. If it HAS to be Motorola, there are some interesting challenges to overcome, but it's not a huge deal. It's easier if you're in the business and have access to the tools, and have the ability to open the radio and fiddle with what needs fiddling. Otherwise, it can be a pain in the neck.

 

[mancow]

The closest I've seen RF wise to a modern Moto rig is the Icom IC-92AD. I don't know if it's because it's digital and they tightened the specs up a bit or what but it has an overall RF performance feel that is on par with an XTS5000 and the physical construction is just as solid.

Everything else just seems like junk.

 

[Robinsmark]

Not everyone has a Ham License

For whatever reason I am interested in this. Probably because I saw lots of Motorola radios for sale in the flea market at this past years Dayton hamfest.

Not wanting to pick a fight here, but what are the advantages of using a Motorola radio (hand held and mobile) for Ham use? I know they are built tough. Do they have better specs in regards to sensitivity, selectivity, rejection etc? Is it worth the hassle of programming and such?

I asked this same sort of question in the Motorola forum a while back with some response but I do not believe those responses came from fellow Hams.

I like having a pair of P-200 Moto radios on a GMRS channel when I need short range communication with the NON HAM members of my family. Works for me!

 

[ElroyJetson]

Anti-Motorola prejudice on the part of an amateur radio operator is easily cured by shoving an XTS5000 into his hands, one equipped with FPP, and letting him play with it. He can not help but be deeply impressed.

Everyone I've talked to agrees on this point: Motorola's XTS5000 implementation of front panel programming is FAR easier and simpler than adding a new channel to memory on ANY portable radio made specifically for the amateur radio market. Nothing else even comes close.

With Motorola's public safety radios, with the right features in them, the only things you don't get are
D-Star and digital modes OTHER than P25, or dual band capability. (Excepting the still very rare APX7000, of course.) But there's your great sensitive receiver with GOOD rejection characteristics, a solid, strong transmitter, and excellent audio qualities including a loudspeaker in the radio that really IS a LOUD speaker. Loud enough to easily be heard while the radio is on the passenger seat next to you while you're driving down the highway at 70 MPH with the windows down. Try to duplicate THAT with an amateur portable radio. I doubt it will happen.

Motorola isn't the only GOOD brand, but among EXCELLENT brands, Motorola's best radios have very little competition.

Elroy

 

[990adv]

I had the opportunity yesterday to do some more research. The Chicago FM Society had a Hamfest in Belvidere IL. There was nothing for sale that I would of bought, but I did see numerous guys with a XTS5000 or two hanging from a hip.

Sturdy, well built, heavy, nice audio from the internal speaker and the mic. One guy had one for VHF and one for UHF, both with the largest capacity battery available, speaker mics and FPP. I asked him how much all that cost. Both radios, chargers, batteries, cables, accesories, software and such he said over $5000. Was he pulling my leg?

One thing frequently mentioned was how well the radio would perform in downtown Chicago during a week day, intermod rejection. Maybe so. A couple guys keyed up distant repeaters. I heard them fine and imagine from the signal strength I had I could of keyed them up also.

 

[zz0468]

...I asked him how much all that cost. Both radios, chargers, batteries, cables, accesories, software and such he said over $5000. Was he pulling my leg?

Nope. Sounds about right.

 

[FFPM571]

$5K for a an XTS? Not really.. Used FPP xts's are around a grand. Good Impress battery $120 , charger $120, speaker mic Commander II $130 , software $300 ish, cable $100 That dont add up to $5 k

 

[W4TF]

Yup....if he's talking about both radios with accessories, then yeah that's a good estimate.....might be a little less, but around that ballpark

 

[990adv]

The $5000 is for TWO radios and all the related kit.

Even at the prices you listed it is over $3500 for two.

Far be it from me to tell anyone what to do with their own money, but I do not get it. $3500 to $5000 for just two HTs? In the grand scheme of the whole amateur radio spectrum that just seems out of sorts. I should of asked these guys what they had for HF. Now sure, if I win the lottery I will have one each for VHF and UHF. The additional capabilities and performance that these radios bring just is not worth the price to me. Your interest, needs, uses or desires may differ.

This is not an anti-Motorola rant. Just my opinion on how these radios fit into amatuer radio in the context of how I operate. Still think they are cool.