Motorola Used Radio Rumors

[Project25_MASTR]

Motorola has destroyed trade-in radios in the past but for the most part these days trade-in's are the responsibility of the MR to deal with and often times they get just chunked into bulk electronics recycling. More often these days you'll see municipal shops will destroy the radios like one would destroy hard drives (and then occasionally try and put up the now junk radios on govbids).

 

[ElroyJetson]

Trade-ins cut into profit margins. With system security improving, I suspect that used radios in the wild are an uncommon problem.

Have you ever really thought about Motorola's Advanced System Key? It pretty much makes a surplus radio useless unless you get the key removed. While that can be done, it's probably done to only a handful of surplussed radios. The rest end up being scrapped. Or if someone has one in range of its connected system and turns it on, it'll likely be inhibited shortly and stay that way. This makes the radio worthless with no secondary market value.

I'm sure that the way things are going, once radios are retired from systems, they will become VERY useless, in the future. We're not there quite yet, but no manufacturer is taking pains to make it easier to repurpose their used radios. If anything they're making an effort to degrade their value and utility.

There are still lots of radios being sold at surplus auctions. You just have to find the right auction sites. Govdeals is the biggest one, but there are plenty of others, many of which serve local areas. I deal with one that commonly sells surplus for about ten counties. I've picked up both Motorola and Harris gear from them. as new as some APX mobiles.

 

[N4DES]

I am speaking of a system contract inclusive of infrastructure and services as well as subscribers. The bid terms for pricing are low bidder for aggregate. Motorola has indeed tried to preserve the high price of the portables, while discounting on the aggregate. I am surprised Motorola would extend a $400 discount bounty per radio, "post contract". Why would they do that unless it was contractually mandated? Maybe Motorola had a program to boost some sales and they were honoring that.

It was not contractually mandated to any degree; it was provided post award by MSI above and beyond the contracted T's & C's. I was the one who authored and managed all of our subscriber contracts from 2001 to when I retired in 2023. Not too many agencies are replacing subscribers in tandem with the infrastructure under the same contract anymore. The subscriber contracts are typically separate so they can be multi-year and live on way after the infrastructure is built out and that contract is closed, or they are using nationwide contracts like NASPO.

 

[FFPM571]

I work for a Motorola dealer. We have boxes and boxes of trade in's. Most times the customers and departments dont want them or know what to do with them so we take them. Sometimes they get put into the rental pool most times they get sent to Ewaste. If and when they run a promo for credit for a radio sale we send a box of them for credit. They get shipped and credited and then to Ewaste.

 

[hitechRadio]

They were probably thinking of the nextel rebanding back in the day. It still circulates today as if it is still happening, reminds me of that Chinese whisper game.
I remember boxing hundreds of Spectras destined for presumably the e-waste dump.

 

[PACNWDude]

I work a for corporation that has private fire fighting personnel and stations across the country. Especially for 7/800 MHz radios, they give us a credit for each that we trade in when we upgrade (with some caveats), as there are many people that will sell their old gear on the open market, and find that someone is interfering with them later. However, we must trade in batches of 100 each XTS/XTL series radios to get credit toward APX series radios. They also must be in some sort of usable condition, not stripped of parts as we have tried a few times (knobs taken usually).

 

[12dbsinad]

This is totally true. I've personally witnessed this. 3 or 4 years ago Motorola upgraded a 800 analog trunk system near me to P25 and all old radios went back to M to be "recycled". Even the VHF interop radios got canned. Local FD's tried to grab them (XTS/XTL's) and NO way was that happening. I asked one of the M techs what happens to them and he looked at me and smiled. I said say no more. Complete BS but nothing surprises me from that company.

 

[FFPM571]

This is totally true. I've personally witnessed this. 3 or 4 years ago Motorola upgraded a 800 analog trunk system near me to P25 and all old radios went back to M to be "recycled". Even the VHF interop radios got canned. Local FD's tried to grab them (XTS/XTL's) and NO way was that happening. I asked one of the M techs what happens to them and he looked at me and smiled. I said say no more. Complete BS but nothing surprises me from that company.

Yea because a smile from one tech tells the whole story... there is no use for analog and now Phase I P25 gear. It's worth more in scrap..

 

[AM909]

Motorola offers some pretty deep discounts anyway, as can be seen in the recent Ventura County contract that someone wrote about and linked to. I have a feeling those trade-in amounts that people are talking about are largely instead of a discount of a similar amount. If I'm the customer, I'm happy to have the vendor deal with getting rid of the old radios instead of having to likely pay someone to cart them away.

 

[12dbsinad]

Yea because a smile from one tech tells the whole story... there is no use for analog and now Phase I P25 gear. It's worth more in scrap..

It's worth more in scrape because they really don't want it in circulation. Still PLENTY of market for analog and phase 1. There are still tons and tons in use today. If that was the case companies like Sunny Communications wouldn't be turning over used Moto gear like candy. Eventually that won't be an issue with subscription programming with everything going through Mother M. They'll tell you when the radio is no good anymore, even second hand market. Forced obsolescence equals $$$$. Just ask Bill Gates.

 

[mmckenna]

If that was the case companies like Sunny Communications wouldn't be turning over used Moto gear like candy.

Forgot about them. Yeah, lots of used radios on the market.
I think the issue with the mentioned group is that they are upset at the prices.
Hard to properly whack when you can't afford the same radio the local agencies are using.

 

[merlin]

Take a look at Harris XG-100s turning up on ebay with holes drilled in them.

 

[northstarfire0693]

Take a look at Harris XG-100s turning up on ebay with holes drilled in them.

Id like to see that.

 

[ElroyJetson]

Reminds me of all those ex Miami-Dade Sabers that were kicking around at various Southeast hamfests, with a nice 1/4" hole drilled clean through them. Such a stupid waste. They were good for some parts salvage, that's all. As I remember they were UHF in the 460 split. Typically the VCO, which is of course the most expensive module in the radio, got the drill. And it ALWAYS went through that nice 8K memory display board, which would have been nice to salvage to upgrade Saber Is.

That made me want to punch somebody I've never met.

 

[12dbsinad]

The holes are to drain any moisture out of the radio for a trouble free experience

 

[ElroyJetson]

Yeah, on that principle I'll drill drain holes in the bottom of my boat. Then I won't have to bail water when it rains.

 

[MTS2000des]

Planned obsolescence isn't anything new. Apple is the biggest offender. Look how many perfectly good functional iCloud locked iOS devices get destroyed sent to E-Waste by govs, schools, corporate folks- of course Apple could release a "patch" to authorized shops to wipe them so they could be re-used. Nope. They cite "security concerns" which is total guano. They wouldn't be a 2719.26 BILLION (as of 9/23/23) company if they weren't trying to make life difficult for the second hand market. For years now, you can't even replace a damn battery or screen without limiting functionality unless you take it to "mother Apple" and a screen or back glass replacement is often the cost of a new device.

This is happening in every industry. As cars become computers that just happen to move you around, the days of backyard mechanics doing their own work are over. You don't have costly proprietary tools to diagnose the 32 different CAN bus systems, you can't even start. Then good luck getting those "smart parts". Ask this guy about a $5600 tail light on his F150.

It's easy to single out MSI as the "worst offender" but reality of it is this is the way of the entire industry. L3 Harris destroyed all test/repair jigs for the Unity line. JVC Kenwood is not innocent either. No one is going to build a light bulb that lasts for a hundred years. They figured out long ago they would not stay in business if you only bought one.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Reminds me of all those ex Miami-Dade Sabers that were kicking around at various Southeast hamfests, with a nice 1/4" hole drilled clean through them. Such a stupid waste. They were good for some parts salvage, that's all. As I remember they were UHF in the 460 split. Typically the VCO, which is of course the most expensive module in the radio, got the drill. And it ALWAYS went through that nice 8K memory display board, which would have been nice to salvage to upgrade Saber Is.

That made me want to punch somebody I've never met.

The fire radios? I programmed the very first batch years ago. That is actually a shame. Sabers are the only "luxury radio" that were any good.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Planned obsolescence isn't anything new. Apple is the biggest offender. Look how many perfectly good functional iCloud locked iOS devices get destroyed sent to E-Waste by govs, schools, corporate folks- of course Apple could release a "patch" to authorized shops to wipe them so they could be re-used. Nope. They cite "security concerns" which is total guano. They wouldn't be a 2719.26 BILLION (as of 9/23/23) company if they weren't trying to make life difficult for the second hand market. For years now, you can't even replace a damn battery or screen without limiting functionality unless you take it to "mother Apple" and a screen or back glass replacement is often the cost of a new device.

This is happening in every industry. As cars become computers that just happen to move you around, the days of backyard mechanics doing their own work are over. You don't have costly proprietary tools to diagnose the 32 different CAN bus systems, you can't even start. Then good luck getting those "smart parts". Ask this guy about a $5600 tail light on his F150.

It's easy to single out MSI as the "worst offender" but reality of it is this is the way of the entire industry. L3 Harris destroyed all test/repair jigs for the Unity line. JVC Kenwood is not innocent either. No one is going to build a light bulb that lasts for a hundred years. They figured out long ago they would not stay in business if you only bought one.

Yeah cars are absolutely the worst. I have a very low mileage big SUV that is 21 years old and needs paint badly. Either I paint that or buy newer. I could buy a 2023 with cash, but looking back at 2014 to avoid the technology scam and to get a N/A V8..

 

[12dbsinad]

Big "right to repair" stuff going on, just look at the farmers and John Deere, look at Apple who lost. That's what happens when profit turns to greed.