MTX960=Junk!!

[commscanaus]

At work we use a 5 channel Motorola Smartnet type II system at 800Mhz.
Until recently, we had Jedi series MTX838 radios which were a pleasure to use.
Despite being fairly large and bulky, the receive audio is lound and clear, transmit audio always nice and loud. To get feedback on transmit, it was necessary to hold two radios in very close proximity to start the squealing. The Jedi's could really take the punishment, even the construction workers found it hard to destroy them!

Of course the Jedi series has long since passed it's product life and our system maintainer came in and swapped them all out for MTX960 Waris series.

These radios are JUNK!
Made in Malaysia (not Florida like the Jedi) from cheap plastic which cracks easily. The battery is held in by the flimsy plastic on the bottom of the case. The PTT rubber is held in place by a plastic surround that easily breaks away. The volume knob is creaky and hard to grip, no rib on the knob to tell it's position easily without unhooking the radio from the belt and looking.

The receive audio is mushy, raspy and harsh. Numerous repeats are sometimes necessary to the message through (not always easy on a busy 5 channel system). The audio output is useless in a noisy environment. Get two of these radios in the same room on the same talkgroup, key one up and the screaming feedback is instantaneous and deafening.

Bottom line....I hate these damn cheap pieces of garbage!!!
Motorola- what has happened?? My Icom's are far better quality than these things.

For those interested, the radio model is AZH25UCH6GB6

If it wasn't a trunked network, I would buy my own used Jedi and program it for work!

Are any of the other Waris HT's this bad? I really puts me off wanting to get one for conventional/personal use.

I really think M has dropped the ball with this one!

Commscanaus.

 

[C138NC]

Being it looks like an HT1250 I dont find it bad at all when I had the chance to use a set for a day, audio clarity on RX is nice but talk about durability, drop it and there goes the thought of "dang now its cracked, whats next? it fails??" just like i dropped my saber last month, the battery, the best way i can describe it or use the word "the latch" the battery isnt so secure anymore, luckily i got a spare battery.

 

[K8TEK]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9630/5.0.0.230 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

The latch for the battery is on the radio itself on the Genesis series, which is what your digital saber is.

 

[Astro25]

I believe TAIT manufactures the Waris series for Motorola, where Motorola just writes the firmware (although I haven't confirmed this as a fact).

And yes, they do suck compared to the Jedi series. The mobile audio (CDM) is actually alright, but the portables tend to sound like someone talking through a sock, even with newer firmware. In conventional use I've found that turning off LLE, or "Low-Level Expansion" tends to help with the often muddy RX audio, however I'm not sure how that falls into play in a trunking environment.

 

[productionguy85]

I have used the MTX line and it doesn't sound half bad. (Remember they are Motorola!!). Also, how can you be sure that audio config in the repeater was not modified?

 

[commscanaus]

Thanks for the replies folks,

Today I have started using a speaker mic (MDPMMN4021A) and the situation has improved slightly.
Being clipped to my shirt, the audio can be turned down and still be heard reasonably well.

I don't believe the repeaters themselves have been modified in any way, as the audio is still nice and crisp when heard through a MaxTrac 888. It also sounds fine when listening on a Uniden BC396T.

It may well be the case that the system maintainer has enabled the LLE or similar audio companding function in the MTX960's. It just does not sound at all natural, and tends to be very harsh.
It even has the similar sound of DES or DVP decoded audio on an analogue Saber.

Also today, I find myself super glueing the PTT surrounds back on to two of our MTX960's, which are useless without them. Otherwise they get sent back to the supplier and we are down a pair of radio's for a couple of weeks

It would be nice if M could come up with a smaller version of the Saber. Those radios would have to be the nicest shape (hence the APX now available) and would sell like hot cakes if they are as rugged as they used to be!

Commscanaus.

 

[SD70MAC]

Waris HT's

I like the newer versions of the Waris line, as long as they are Firmware v5.00.00 and above. The ones before v5.00.00 were junk . We had a guy who was knocking of the PTT plastic and we had to send him on his way ! We had about 50+ HT750/HT1250 and he was the only one that was doing this. We have alot of Kenwoods and Icoms now and they have about a 2 year life span before they die. The older Kenwoods are ok ,but the newer they are cheaper they are. The HT1000's we have some of them are 1995 and they still work but are dieing of old age.
I do like my HT1250 and HT1550XLS,the speaker mic port was a poor design. Moto should have put the Jedi mic port on this line as well.



Just my 2 cents.

 

[SCPD]

Lle

... but the portables tend to sound like someone talking through a sock, even with newer firmware. In conventional use I've found that turning off LLE, or "Low-Level Expansion" tends to help with the often muddy RX audio ...

I never know how to set that emphasis and expansion settings. I sit there and look at it and go "should I even touch this?" and I end up leaving it alone.

We have the same muddy audio sometimes, although the biggest issue is weak audio due to some radios being 25 khz, and some being 12.5, The vendor gives me the radio at 12.5, but most of the radios already in use are at 25 khz. I don't really want to change the new radios to 25, cuz I guess sometime in the future we need to be at 12.5. Of course, we are only licensed for 3 watt handhelds, but run plenty of GM300's and CDM1250's into 5 dB gain antennas 50' to 100' feet in the air. Oh well, I suppose changing the new handhelds that come in back to 25 khz wouldn't be the worse thing we do