• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

MotoTRBO Sales ...

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vinzep491

Member
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
979
Hey gang

I have been requesting quotes for TRBO equipment from various shops without much luck. What does one do if they would like to purchase the equipment and configure it myself? Every shop seems more interested in gaining my company name and repeater locations. Also they want to therow in their tech people to "evaluate my needs".

What does the tech savy person do if I want to configure and program my own system. I do not need their advice or them to set up and maintain my system. I'm not looking for a contract or anything.

It's so bad that I can't even get APROX quotes without writing them a book with my intentions...

All I want is the equipment with no strings attached.. and I can take it from there...

Any advice on how I can go about ordering equipment without all the hastle and sales tactics??
 

SCPD

QRT
Joined
Feb 24, 2001
Messages
0
Location
Virginia
No dummy

Don't get too ticked off at the Moto vendors. Keep in mind that 98% of the customers they deal with want them to lead them by the hand thru every step of the process. It can honestly throw them off when someone who just wants to buy equipment calls and says "Gimme a quote on these 3 motorola part numbers'. And of course they want to pick up the extra money involved in coordinating (and programming) everything for you.

I don't know where you are at, but look up Sullivan Communications in Fairfield, Alabama. Of the vendors I deal with, they seem to be the best at not launching an interrogation into what you want the equipment for. I give 'em a Moto part number, and it's on its merry way. I'm sure there are many, many Moto vendors that do the same. Remember, you're not limited to Moto vendors near you. It only cost a few bucks for a vendor across the country to ship you something. Maybe if you called a vendor a few states away, they would figure there's no way it's cost effective to try to pitch you a system and cross a few state lines to install and maintain it. And they will just sell you the part you are asking for without the hassle. A sale is a sale.
 

Dorf411

Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2009
Messages
99
Location
Western S. Dak
Dealers get quote requests by email regularly which are obviously fraudulent so they need to evaluate all requests to ensure they are valid and worth their effort and time. We don't do any online sales and try to keep all customers within a very modest reach to ensure they get the proper level of support. We also are very reluctant to get involved with anything that has the potential to be high risk or a project that we have no control of. If you called me requesting quotes from an unknown location and limited details I would take a pass.
 

Devilz311

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
43
Location
NJ
Dealers get quote requests by email regularly which are obviously fraudulent so they need to evaluate all requests to ensure they are valid and worth their effort and time. We don't do any online sales and try to keep all customers within a very modest reach to ensure they get the proper level of support. We also are very reluctant to get involved with anything that has the potential to be high risk or a project that we have no control of. If you called me requesting quotes from an unknown location and limited details I would take a pass.

So If I e-mailed or called in and asked for a quote on 5 MotoTRBO radios for a personal business and needed no support or other help, just radios, you'd turn it down?

Sounds like a pretty lousy business practice... If someone was looking to buy several thousand dollars of radios from me, as long as the money was green I could care less what they planned on doing with it...
 

Dorf411

Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2009
Messages
99
Location
Western S. Dak
So If I e-mailed or called in and asked for a quote on 5 MotoTRBO radios for a personal business and needed no support or other help, just radios, you'd turn it down?

Sounds like a pretty lousy business practice... If someone was looking to buy several thousand dollars of radios from me, as long as the money was green I could care less what they planned on doing with it...

I would tell you what the MSRP for the requested radio is and recommend you contact your nearest Motorola dealer. To me "lousy business practice" is to accept a credit card phone order that gets billed back after the radios are shipped. We are not an internet based retail company so we have a very modest annual sales and therefore don't see the high volume discounts from Motorola. We would never be competitive with a high volume dealer and that is not what we do or want to do.

I have seen Ebay buy it now for new CP200's for prices that are less than or near our dealer cost, we cannot compete with those prices and don't waste our time trying.
 
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vinzep491

Member
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
979
I read here about dealers not wanting to quote such a technical system over the internet, but then why have the "Request a Quote Online" feature on your site at all? If a comany only wants to sell and coordinate over the phone ort in person, just state that with a phone number on the website.

Every one of the 5 or so sites that I requested a quote off of had a specific form and link to "Request A Quote Online".

Dealers should not flaunt the ability to sell online if they are not capable of doing that. That is all I'm saying. I did not just randomly email a show and ask them for a quote. I did a specific web search for Online Mototrbo Dealers, and narrowed it down to the ones that give quotes online.

Ahh... Now that I got my frustrations out... Thank you to the few sane dealers who have contacted me outside of this thread, and I am happy I will be choosing to do business with someone that understands and has some decent customer service.

:)
 

wkredick

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2006
Messages
148
Location
Waterford,New York,USA
I sell TRBO out of the area all the time for equipment only transactions.Some customers have their own 3rd Party Software on TRBO from another Dealer and it does not bother me.A few have required additional technical advice which we consider it a billable event ,unless its something simple like customer didnt enable 2nd voice path on repeater system or something.From mixed mode to a Connect+ system.
Certainly would love to get the labor from programming and install but will take what I can get when possible for a box sale also.
 

radioman2001

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
2,974
Location
New York North Carolina and all points in between
Two-way radio is a consumer radio nowadays. Any dealer that doesn't want to bother quoting and selling on line won't be in business very much longer, and quoting list price means your not interested in selling. A friend who I worked for years ago finally shut down his shop after 50 years due to online dealers. It didn't pay for him to keep fighting against the big dealers pricing. He did make it on the installs and programming for a while, but even that has now gotten out of hand by on line programmers and those that obtain software illegally. All his customers now will have to deal with mother M directly if they want service, since there isn't a radio shop within 20 miles of his former shop anymore.
I highly recommend RailComm in TN or First Communications in Florida as dealers to get a price quotes from. Been dealing with them for 2 years with no problems, for us they blow away state contract pricing. BTW we don't buy MOTOTRBO too many problems with them, we are sticking with the CDM and HT line.
 

JRayfield

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2009
Messages
797
Location
Springfield, MO
Care to elaborate on the specific problems that you've had with the MOTOTRBO line (XPR series)? There are quite a few out in this area, being used for business as well as public safety, and there have been little to no problems. And users love them.

John Rayfield, Jr. CETma


Two-way radio is a consumer radio nowadays. Any dealer that doesn't want to bother quoting and selling on line won't be in business very much longer, and quoting list price means your not interested in selling. A friend who I worked for years ago finally shut down his shop after 50 years due to online dealers. It didn't pay for him to keep fighting against the big dealers pricing. He did make it on the installs and programming for a while, but even that has now gotten out of hand by on line programmers and those that obtain software illegally. All his customers now will have to deal with mother M directly if they want service, since there isn't a radio shop within 20 miles of his former shop anymore.
I highly recommend RailComm in TN or First Communications in Florida as dealers to get a price quotes from. Been dealing with them for 2 years with no problems, for us they blow away state contract pricing. BTW we don't buy MOTOTRBO too many problems with them, we are sticking with the CDM and HT line.
 

firefive76

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Messages
434
Location
Kansas
I'm with you on sticking with the Pro series radios. I have a XPR6550 & a HT1250. The HT receives MUCH better than the XPR, audio on the XPR sounds cheap/crappy, & the scan seems to be incredibly slow.


Two-way radio is a consumer radio nowadays. Any dealer that doesn't want to bother quoting and selling on line won't be in business very much longer, and quoting list price means your not interested in selling. A friend who I worked for years ago finally shut down his shop after 50 years due to online dealers. It didn't pay for him to keep fighting against the big dealers pricing. He did make it on the installs and programming for a while, but even that has now gotten out of hand by on line programmers and those that obtain software illegally. All his customers now will have to deal with mother M directly if they want service, since there isn't a radio shop within 20 miles of his former shop anymore.
I highly recommend RailComm in TN or First Communications in Florida as dealers to get a price quotes from. Been dealing with them for 2 years with no problems, for us they blow away state contract pricing. BTW we don't buy MOTOTRBO too many problems with them, we are sticking with the CDM and HT line.
 

SCPD

QRT
Joined
Feb 24, 2001
Messages
0
Location
Virginia
Agree

I'm with you on sticking with the Pro series radios. I have a XPR6550 & a HT1250. The HT receives MUCH better than the XPR, audio on the XPR sounds cheap/crappy, & the scan seems to be incredibly slow.

We're experiencing the same thing.

Right now we are not Trbo yet, waiting on a license modification. Everything is analog FM simplex. The range between our XPR6550's and other radios is definately noticable. When I carry a XPR, I often have to take it off my belt and hold it up in the air to be heard, something I never have to do with my GP300 (my radio of choice at work, I think they are the best in noisy enviroments) or a HT750. I have had 4 XPR's given back to me, and told to buy a HT750 as replacement.

I think the UHF/GPS antenna is not the best. I don't want to screw in a HT750 antenna in there for comparison, because of the center pin. Can I take a HT/GP antenna and screw it in there? That center pin is making me shy away from trying it. And all the antennas for the XPR have been the GPS ones.
But I think the range issue is the antenna, not the radio.
.
I tend to not pay too much attention to audio issues. Some of my users will put the mike next to their mouth and yell, others will leave the mike on their belt and expect to be heard. Out of the hundreds of users, I'm fairly certain there are only three other than me that put the mike 2-3" from our mouths and talk in a normal voice. I'm not saying there are no issues, but I've got a tin ear to that sort of thing thru the years.

I don't know what mode firefive is running with the XPR's, like I said, I'm analog simplex. We have yet to try the Trbo side of things. But with my bosses giving them back, the chances of me buying more XPR's are getting pretty thin.
 

firefive76

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Messages
434
Location
Kansas
Yea, I forgot to add that in. We are operating all on analog here. We bought some to try out as an alternative to the HT1250's as the Impres battery/charger, features, and the price looked good. Another annoying thing we have noticed is the time it takes after you unkey the PTT to send the MDC ID. It's not immediately sent after the PTT is released like it is on every other radio we have.


We're experiencing the same thing.

Right now we are not Trbo yet, waiting on a license modification. Everything is analog FM simplex. The range between our XPR6550's and other radios is definately noticable. When I carry a XPR, I often have to take it off my belt and hold it up in the air to be heard, something I never have to do with my GP300 (my radio of choice at work, I think they are the best in noisy enviroments) or a HT750. I have had 4 XPR's given back to me, and told to buy a HT750 as replacement.

I think the UHF/GPS antenna is not the best. I don't want to screw in a HT750 antenna in there for comparison, because of the center pin. Can I take a HT/GP antenna and screw it in there? That center pin is making me shy away from trying it. And all the antennas for the XPR have been the GPS ones.
But I think the range issue is the antenna, not the radio.
.
I tend to not pay too much attention to audio issues. Some of my users will put the mike next to their mouth and yell, others will leave the mike on their belt and expect to be heard. Out of the hundreds of users, I'm fairly certain there are only three other than me that put the mike 2-3" from our mouths and talk in a normal voice. I'm not saying there are no issues, but I've got a tin ear to that sort of thing thru the years.

I don't know what mode firefive is running with the XPR's, like I said, I'm analog simplex. We have yet to try the Trbo side of things. But with my bosses giving them back, the chances of me buying more XPR's are getting pretty thin.
 

Chris45

Member
Joined
May 26, 2004
Messages
144
Check Out Radio Express in Virginia

Hey gang

I have been requesting quotes for TRBO equipment from various shops without much luck. What does one do if they would like to purchase the equipment and configure it myself? Every shop seems more interested in gaining my company name and repeater locations. Also they want to therow in their tech people to "evaluate my needs".

What does the tech savy person do if I want to configure and program my own system. I do not need their advice or them to set up and maintain my system. I'm not looking for a contract or anything.

It's so bad that I can't even get APROX quotes without writing them a book with my intentions...

All I want is the equipment with no strings attached.. and I can take it from there...

Any advice on how I can go about ordering equipment without all the hastle and sales tactics??

Check out Radio Express in Virginia. E-mail and ask for John or Jim Armstrong. They are not pushy and if you want to do your own progrqamming that is fine. Just bought from them last month with no problems


Motorola Two Way Radio Dealer Northern Virginia Radio Express, Inc.
 

TRamrod38

Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Messages
208
I was talking to a deputy 2 nights ago and there sheriff dept. uses TRBO the dispatcher call him and I could him the dispatcher clear and when he answered back the dispatcher could not understand anything he was saying so he had to call dispatch on phone. We were only about 2.5 miles to the dispatch center. Deputy said some days they work good some days they do not work very well at all. He said bad choice for the Sheriff Dept.
 

Devilz311

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
43
Location
NJ
I think the UHF/GPS antenna is not the best. I don't want to screw in a HT750 antenna in there for comparison, because of the center pin. Can I take a HT/GP antenna and screw it in there? That center pin is making me shy away from trying it. And all the antennas for the XPR have been the GPS ones.
But I think the range issue is the antenna, not the radio.

If you're using it in analog only and not using any of the TRBO features, the antenna's from the JEDI series will work fine.
 

JRayfield

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2009
Messages
797
Location
Springfield, MO
The fact that they work good some days and not others, could indicate a possible intermittent problem in the system or possibly intermittent interference. Then, too, I've heard people voice this same, or similar, complaint about a radio, and the 'problem' was simply poor system coverage. They could talk from some areas and couldn't from others, and so they thought that there was a 'problem' with the equipment, but there really wasn't any such 'problem' at all. Their expectations were too high, and the system just wasn't 'designed' in a way that it could meet those expectations. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. That's why two-way radio sales people should 'under promise and over perform/deliver'.

2.5 miles from a repeater is easily enough to have a problem getting back into it, depending upon numerous factors, such as terrain, buildings in the area, if the portable is on the officer's belt or not (and even the 'size' of the officer - yes, people who are 'larger' will shield the RF from the portable, more than a 'skinny' person), and even the 'noise floor' (the amount of noise that the repeater has on its input frequency). The noise floor can especially be a problem. Right now, I have a customer (police dept) who's having a lot of trouble with talkback to their repeater from portables, even well within a 2.5 mile area. The problem is a very high noise floor caused by electrical interference, the source of which we haven't been able to find yet, that 'covers up' portable signals on the repeater input..

John Rayfield, Jr. CETma

I was talking to a deputy 2 nights ago and there sheriff dept. uses TRBO the dispatcher call him and I could him the dispatcher clear and when he answered back the dispatcher could not understand anything he was saying so he had to call dispatch on phone. We were only about 2.5 miles to the dispatch center. Deputy said some days they work good some days they do not work very well at all. He said bad choice for the Sheriff Dept.
 

Batwings21

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
Banned
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
56
I read here about dealers not wanting to quote such a technical system over the internet, but then why have the "Request a Quote Online" feature on your site at all? If a comany only wants to sell and coordinate over the phone ort in person, just state that with a phone number on the website.

Every one of the 5 or so sites that I requested a quote off of had a specific form and link to "Request A Quote Online".

Dealers should not flaunt the ability to sell online if they are not capable of doing that. That is all I'm saying. I did not just randomly email a show and ask them for a quote. I did a specific web search for Online Mototrbo Dealers, and narrowed it down to the ones that give quotes online.

Ahh... Now that I got my frustrations out... Thank you to the few sane dealers who have contacted me outside of this thread, and I am happy I will be choosing to do business with someone that understands and has some decent customer service.

:)

The reason they are all like that is most of the dealer web sites are all built by one company who Motorola deals with for their co-op program where moto helps pay for marketing. Its kinds one size fits all and they include that request a quote button that ends up as a email to a saleman.
 

InlandEmpire

Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2012
Messages
23
Location
Riverside County California
I think the best way to get a good price without the sales is to find a reputable dealer that matches online pricing. I have found that most will as long as it is an advertised price. The best reason to go to a dealer is that they can give you insight on the products you are buying. Yeah, some try to upsell, but a good dealer may suggest additional tech that could be helpful.

I've found that dealers want a book on what you want in order to sell you the right product. With so many variations on one kind of radio, they don't want to buy inventory and then have it returned because it was the wrong product.

If you know exactly what product you want, with no questions asked, without any input, online dealers are fine. I would still go with a local dealer though. The key to getting an approximate price is the phrase "may I have a budgetary quote one the following items:..." It lets the dealer know that you aren't exactly ready to buy.

I've dealt with cut-rate and online dealers. I know there are good ones out there, but the best customer service has come from dealers that ask a ton of questions.
 
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