Saber,Can it be any bigger??

[Nasby]

A friend works for a local government agency that uses the Motorola Saber walkie talkie. All I can wonder is what type of dope the radio designers were smoking when they came up with the design of this radio. The thing is huge!! I can't imagine why it has to be so large. I really feel sorry for anyone who has to carry one of these at work. Does Motorola still produce these tons of plastic?

 

[Mr_Observer]

Motorola has discontinued all versions of the Saber and Astro Saber. No Saber models are currently in production.

 

[KB9LIQ]

Not as big as the GE portables the Illinois State Police use to carry. I don't remember the model number on them but you could use it as a night stick if you wanted

 

[zz0468]

The things were built like a tank, they have a huge battery, and they'd put up with the abuse of 24-7 public safety service and just keep working. I'd say the designers knew exactly what they were doing.

 

[Grog]

I own and use sabers every day, I have owned a XTS3000 and XTS5000. The saber (plus the systems & astro saber) are the best design radio motorola ever built. They are very thin and can be carried in a back pocket very easily.


Maybe a little girly man might have a problem with the size of the saber, but I don't

 

[DewAddict]

I have a Saber II and Astro Saber, both VHF. They are by far my absolute favorite radio to use. I also owned an XTS5000R and while it has more features as technology has advanced, I prefer the Astro Saber any day.

Now if I can just find the XTS style mic with the Saber connection on it at Dayton (I forget the part number..lol)....my radio will be complete....

 

[CCHLLM]

They weren't smoking dope, but maybe you are if the technology of a radio designed 20 years ago concerns you. That's what it took 20 years ago to accomplish what the Saber is capable of. Yes, it's big compared to a lot of what's available today, and yes, the batteries are huge compared to the battery technologies available today. You must have missed the fact that its depth is thinner than anything else of the same generation, but all the componentry has to fit somewhere, so shrink it here...bulge it there......

If the Saber's size concerns you, go check out the MX360s that had crystal channel elements and that the government bought thousands of in order to get the features and flexibilities they needed before the programmable units became available. Or find some info on the HT200 (no, I didn't mean the HT220) that was designed in the 60s, had a max of 2 channels, and was used for years by government agencies.

 

[Dorpmuller]

Love my Sabers-and they got affordable. Just the right size for my fat fingers.

Rich

 

[grem467]

Hes obviously never had to carry an STX lol

 

[FFPM571]

Ive owned dozens of Sabers in all flavors. Saber I, II, III, IR, IIR Systems III. I still use a UHF T band Systems III all the time. I now use an XTS3000 III VHF as my primary. Those radios are almost 20 years old and still work like they are new. You can pretty much custom build your own analog Saber to your own specs. I have a few times. Given the size and options for the time they were bulletproof. You can get a smaller battery by the way.

the part # for the Jedi/XTS remote mic for a Saber is is a NTN6225 NTN6712 for the Astro saber

 

[Cskib32087]

NYPD makes motorola keep producing them, Now called the SSE5000 but in a saber case because they like it so much.
I guess all 10,000 cops there are dopes in your book.

 

[RKG]

Motorola has discontinued all versions of the Saber and Astro Saber. No Saber models are currently in production.

Not entirely true; there are SSE versions (actually XTS radios in Saber cases) for special customers. E.g., http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/SSE5000_(NYPD)

Contrary to the OP's opinion, a lot of folks found (and find) the tall but slim Saber form easier to carry and use than the shorter but fatter Jedi.

 

[Progline]

I still use 2 Saber IIIs - one vhf & uhf. The finest performing HT I've ever used. And why are the batteries BIG? SO THEY LAST FOREVER ON A CHARGE!

Sorry the OP finds them so offensive...maybe if your life depended on them, you'd think differently.

 

[jhooten]

If the Saber's size concerns you, go check out the MX360s that had crystal channel elements and that the government bought thousands of in order to get the features and flexibilities they needed before the programmable units became available. Or find some info on the HT200 (no, I didn't mean the HT220) that was designed in the 60s, had a max of 2 channels, and was used for years by government agencies.

We had an MP (4'11" 90#) on post who was issued an MX with the ultra high cap battery. The bottom of the battery bumped the ground when she walked! Ok, I exaggerate just a little. It was below her knee.

 

[prcguy]

The Saber was the finest radio of its time and achieved the best MTBF of any hand held radio in existence.
prcguy

 

[kb9sxk]

A friend works for a local government agency that uses the Motorola Saber walkie talkie. All I can wonder is what type of dope the radio designers were smoking when they came up with the design of this radio. The thing is huge!! I can't imagine why it has to be so large. I really feel sorry for anyone who has to carry one of these at work. Does Motorola still produce these tons of plastic?

Don't talk about my girl that way!

 

[Mr_Observer]

Not entirely true; there are SSE versions (actually XTS radios in Saber cases) for special customers. E.g., http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/SSE5000_(NYPD)

Contrary to the OP's opinion, a lot of folks found (and find) the tall but slim Saber form easier to carry and use than the shorter but fatter Jedi.

I've always concidered the SSE to be a member of the Astro 25 family. Its pretty much an XTS 5000 in a Astro Saber case anyway. But the point is well taken....

 

[EngineerZ]

I agree with many of the posters here. The Saber is one of the best radios /\/\ produced (the other being the HT600/MT1000/P200). I've heard stories of Sabers being dropped off of and run over by fire apparatus and they continued to work. (HT600's on the other hand, supposed have been used to chock the wheels on trains...)

There was a short NiCd battery for the Saber which considerably reduced the size of the radio to that the OP may have been happy with, but with smaller size came shorter life, so not many folks bought it. In later years, Motorola came out with a Tri-chem charger and L-ion battery that is only 2-3/8" high (compared to the standard 4" battery). The L-ion battery had comparable life to the standard NiCd, but since it came out (what some would consider) past the radio's prime, not a lot of folks know about it.

The GE radio the one poster referred to was probably the M-PA. That has to be the biggest, baddest public safety radio ever built.

The MX360 was also a seriously big radio that could do some damage, but I understand that the back had a nasty habit of popping off when the radio was used in, *ahem* shall we say, a forceful manner and the its modular guts would spray out all over the place.

--z

 

[Grog]

I've always concidered the SSE to be a member of the Astro 25 family. Its pretty much an XTS 5000 in a Astro Saber case anyway. But the point is well taken....

I would say it's just a change in the series. The astro saber line changed quite a bit of the internal workings while keeping very close to the original design. The SSE5000 changed a bit more, but it was designed so they could keep all their saber goodies.

There was a short NiCd battery for the Saber which considerably reduced the size of the radio to that the OP may have been happy with, but with smaller size came shorter life, so not many folks bought it. In later years, Motorola came out with a Tri-chem charger and L-ion battery that is only 2-3/8" high (compared to the standard 4" battery). The L-ion battery had comparable life to the standard NiCd, but since it came out (what some would consider) past the radio's prime, not a lot of folks know about it.

They also have a nimh shorty, think it is up to 1350mah compared to the 1900 of the l-ion battery. As cool as it would be to have a shorty, I know I can get two impress nicads for the price.

 

[KT4HX]

The sabers are a lightweight! The MX-360 was mentioned, and I recall the MX-350 as well - that was a brick. Before that I recall a Motorola lunch-box type of VHF radio, with a carry handle and mic clip on the end - now that was fun to lug around!