Purchased Brand New Motorola APX 8000HXE

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

You can look at your radio and wish it did more things, or get hacked software and enjoy all those things. Of course I would never, ever suggest obtaining or using hacked software, I'm just putting this out there to ponder.

I would never do any of those things, except when I am on a boat out in international waters, and then only for "educational purposes".

 

[prcguy]

I have a couple of Systems Sabers around here somewhere. In the 80s and 90s you were a bad a$$ carrying one around, but today not so much. To be even acknowledged these days you need to be sporting an APX something and an 8000 series is needed to get any sort of respect. Grandpas out there will reminisce about the Systems Saber and and swap war stories, but the kids these days will not have a clue about the Saber series. You might as well be talking about a WWII Galvin BC-611.

There was actually a lot of important work going on there at the time. It is sad to see what happened to the company. While this is actually a thread about the fancy schmancy APX, I must change back to on topic - in my opinion Motorola has not made a great handheld since the Systems Saber.

There, I did it. Let the flames begin!

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I don't need to impress anyone with what I am sporting. I don't need to "get the nod" from a 30 something Hamster!

To me, it is about performance and "new" is all about bells and whistles not performance. For example, try buying a new V8 SUV with a body on frame construction. They manufacturers will dazzle you with electronic gadgets that will not be repairable. Or will have features removed from "the cloud" within 4 years and they slip an anemic over taxed turbocharged V6 or I4 in under the bonnet.

I am still using a Motorola Razr V3M. And I will be until Verizon shuts me down. They have been threatening to do so for 3 years and guess what, they cannot, because the only way they have coverage they do requires the old network. My wife thinks it is "unprofessional" for me to be sporting less than a "smart phone". Well we differ on that. In fact we went to a restaurant and some young hipster waitress was all over me asking about the phone. My wife was not so happy. I like the V3M ergonomics, a slippery iPhone would be a crushed pile of glass if I had to use it for more than a day. I would either drop it or put it in a bench vice after trying to navigate the screens to answer a robo call. I have indeed looked at the modern replacements for flip phones and they are all ugly fat blobs.

I got some NOS short lithium-ion batteries for the Systems Saber and it now weighs exactly same as an APX8K . Only a single band, but I have little use beyond UHF wide-band conventional so I am not crying. I do have a VHF one around here all programmed up. I can duct tape them together if need be. Saber has better RX specs than APX and I have bought a ton of nice ones for about $25 each and have swapped modules from Govt band to 440-470 MHz. You should like the SABER because that are like a PRC-77 in that they are modular and can be fixed with a screwdriver. You don't need any wild FLASH or VooDoo software to make them work.

I have a couple of Systems Sabers around here somewhere. In the 80s and 90s you were a bad a$$ carrying one around, but today not so much. To be even acknowledged these days you need to be sporting an APX something and an 8000 series is needed to get any sort of respect. Grandpas out there will reminisce about the Systems Saber and and swap war stories, but the kids these days will not have a clue about the Saber series. You might as well be talking about a WWII Galvin BC-611.

 

[prcguy]

Hey, I have a Motorola Razr flip phone also! But I retired it about 15yrs ago.

I don't need to impress anyone with what I am sporting. I don't need to "get the nod" from a 30 something Hamster!

To me, it is about performance and "new" is all about bells and whistles not performance. For example, try buying a new V8 SUV with a body on frame construction. They manufacturers will dazzle you with electronic gadgets that will not be repairable. Or will have features removed from "the cloud" within 4 years and they slip an anemic over taxed turbocharged V6 or I4 in under the bonnet.

I am still using a Motorola Razr V3M. And I will be until Verizon shuts me down. They have been threatening to do so for 3 years and guess what, they cannot, because the only way they have coverage they do requires the old network. My wife thinks it is "unprofessional" for me to be sporting less than a "smart phone". Well we differ on that. In fact we went to a restaurant and some young hipster waitress was all over me asking about the phone. My wife was not so happy. I like the V3M ergonomics, a slippery iPhone would be a crushed pile of glass if I had to use it for more than a day. I would either drop it or put it in a bench vice after trying to navigate the screens to answer a robo call. I have indeed looked at the modern replacements for flip phones and they are all ugly fat blobs.

I got some NOS short lithium-ion batteries for the Systems Saber and it now weighs exactly same as an APX8K . Only a single band, but I have little use beyond UHF wide-band conventional so I am not crying. I do have a VHF one around here all programmed up. I can duct tape them together if need be. Saber has better RX specs than APX and I have bought a ton of nice ones for about $25 each and have swapped modules from Govt band to 440-470 MHz. You should like the SABER because that are like a PRC-77 in that they are modular and can be fixed with a screwdriver. You don't need any wild FLASH or VooDoo software to make them work.

 

[mbnv992]

Funny story speaking of old vs newer technology -

I just picked up a super mint MTS2000 UHF radio and her receiver is much more sensitive than my UHF XTS5000 which cost many times more hahaha. It picks up transmissions ( with a stubby antenna at that ! ) that my UHF 5000 with a whip never even broke squelch.
And yes - both radios have been benched and are withen spec. The MTS just picks up transmissions better.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of a Jedi radio having a much better receiver than a 3000 or even a 5000 either.

 

[N4KVE]

I still have a mint UHF 403-470 MTS2000, & UHF Astro Saber full keypad radio. Both are amazing radios. But I also have a 8000XE. While the 8000 has multiple bands which I hardly use, the UHF analog on the 8000 is no better than the older analog radios. But of course, the 8000 has P25, ADP, AES-256, and other features, & bands.

 

[mbnv992]

Yep I had an Astro Saber 3 UHF back in the early 2000’s. Loved that radio. I still have a mint AS3 in 800MHZ that I got from a fellow Batlabber has a build date of late 2002 so it was probably one of the latest production AS radios before they were axed. Thing is mint and I’m pretty sure was never fielded.

Never messed with an APX before but I’m sure they are really good radios. I remember a lot of people were complaining about the “snap together” build if the Jedi / XTS series back in the day - wishing they would make something like the old Saber radios. Hence - the APX line was born.

 

[jruta]

Beautiful radio ya got there. I myself bought a 6k brand new four years ago and absolutely love it. I’m also of the idea of buying quality. Not an investment I plan to make again- this should last my a hobby lifetime with its available flash upgrades. I like the form factor, a solidly built radio. Enjoy yours.

 

[slobonmycob]

What dealer did you go through? Any you wanna recommend?

 

[N4KVE]

I recommend Ken Bryant. I’ve known him since 1993. Great guy.

 

[mbnv992]

I could only imagine how much a brand new APX8000HXE costs ( with all bands ). Gonna guess and say probably close to $8000 after taxes

 

[K2NEC]

I could only imagine how much a brand new APX8000HXE costs ( with all bands ). Gonna guess and say probably close to $8000 after taxes

More in the ballpark of $6000

 

[N4KVE]

I could only imagine how much a brand new APX8000HXE costs ( with all bands ). Gonna guess and say probably close to $8000 after taxes

With Motorola, the model number usually equals the price. LOL

 

[mbnv992]

HAhahaha was just gonna say that in my previous message hahaha

Xts2500 = $2500
Xts5000 = $5000
Apx6000 = $6000

Etc etc

Astro Sabers were even several thousand dollars when they were new in the late 90’s as well.

 

[K2NEC]

With Motorola, the model number usually equals the price. LOL

Lol I heard that one. Except the APX6000, to my surprise, doesn't cost $6000. More like $1500 depending on features

 

[buddrousa]

the bids APX6000 for us were more like the $2500+ range for the 30 we were quoted

 

[mbnv992]

And that $2500 for the 6000’s were probably with a good discount too for a state / municipal purchase. For an individual it’s probably much more than that.

 

[K2NEC]

the bids APX6000 for us were more like the $2500+ range for the 30 we were quoted

I don't remember exactly how much the basic (no features) apx6000 cost. But as you already know, you pay for features.

 

[GTR8000]

Lol I heard that one. Except the APX6000, to my surprise, doesn't cost $6000. More like $1500 depending on features

If you see a brand new APX 6000 advertised for $1,500...it fell off the back of a truck. The base Model 1.5 with no mode of operation or features added isn't even that cheap, currently $2,028.75 on NYS contract.

 

[jruta]

Yes, like GTR8000 said, my 6k (model 1.5) was well over two thousand dollars with a very basic flash (almost four years ago) from an authorized dealer. Nice toys ain’t cheap.