Seeking advice for an XL-200

[mmckenna]

whats the story with kenwood and their programming software?? i hear they are now THE HARDEST and MOST EXPENSIVE since merging with EFJohnson...

Yeah, without going into too much detail (feel free to PM or open a new thread)
It's not the most expensive, it's still cheaper than Motorola and Harris by a long shot.
The registration process for the software is a bit of a pain, but it was a good answer to people bootlegging the software. A pain for individuals, but not really a big deal for any commercial/public agency.

 

[RussH]

Sorry if I’m repeating what was already said but…. STOP!! HALT!! SCREECH!!!! For RPM2 a License dongle is necessary for it to be of any use other then a cool icon on your desktop… the basic one runs about $875 and the P25 Phase II Trunking/EDACS one will run u close to $1500… that’s without the respective required Trunking and P25 phase II or any other features enabled in the feature string…. To make matters even more gritty is that unless you’re name is a 3 or 4 letter govt agency you can send all the emails, business letters, Manila envelopes, u want and the only thing you’ll hear back is absolute silence… L3Harris essentially does not deal with individuals anymore

Umm... I'm not sure where you came up with these numbers? The list price for a RPM/RPM2 programming dongle is $450 (which includes Phase II Trunking/EDACS). I've purchased about four of them for my shop.

..It's not the most expensive, it's still cheaper than Motorola and Harris by a long shot.
The registration process for the software is a bit of a pain, but it was a good answer to people bootlegging the software. A pain for individuals, but not really a big deal for any commercial/public agency.

The biggest irritation, for me, is that it's only available as a single-seat license. I'm always worried that the computer is going to eat it and I can't recover the license or the computer will get replaced and someone will have forgotten to extract the old license. At least with the Harris RPM dongle, it can be shared between computers.

 

[12dbsinad]

Umm... I'm not sure where you came up with these numbers? The list price for a RPM/RPM2 programming dongle is $450 (which includes Phase II Trunking/EDACS). I've purchased about four of them for my shop.

You're probably buying the AAC master dongle, the regular RPM/RPM2 with dongle and annual updates ( SS-SW1D ) lists for 1,095.00. Non-dongle RPM lists for 895.00 (which I'd never recommend)

 

[RussH]

You're probably buying the AAC master dongle, the regular RPM/RPM2 with dongle and annual updates ( SS-SW1D ) lists for 1,095.00. Non-dongle RPM lists for 895.00 (which I'd never recommend)

Correct... my predecessor made that mistake with the non-dongle license. It was infuriating to only have two computers in my shop that could use RPM.
Even so... those numbers are still far below the original numbers suggested.

 

[12dbsinad]

Correct... my predecessor made that mistake with the non-dongle license. It was infuriating to only have two computers in my shop that could use RPM.
Even so... those numbers are still far below the original numbers suggested.

I guess maybe the non-dongle version would have it's place in a small user end programming situation, but even then it's debatable because like you said, if a computer fails you're SOL. For a radio shop, NFW!

 

[AESFTW]

Thoroughly enjoying my XL200p. No issues as of yet although highly recommend the high capacity battery if you are going to be going all day. The battery drain is a bit of a pain. Sofar though, the radio has worked flawlessly and I enjoy being able to program over WIFI. May not be as durable as a Motorola as mentioned prior but it is my daily carry and I much prefer it over my 8000xe.

 

[IFRIED91]

You're probably buying the AAC master dongle, the regular RPM/RPM2 with dongle and annual updates ( SS-SW1D ) lists for 1,095.00. Non-dongle RPM lists for 895.00 (which I'd never recommend)

Regardless of any number amounts… Harris now refuses to deal with individuals period… and they’ll eat a $1000 loss any day as it means absolutely nothing from the million dollar upgrade they’ll perform on a counties phase II systems elsewhere …. even smaller municipalities are referred to regional local dealers for repairs, and servicing

 

[2154]

Regardless of any number amounts… Harris now refuses to deal with individuals period… and they’ll eat a $1000 loss any day as it means absolutely nothing from the million dollar upgrade they’ll perform on a counties phase II systems elsewhere …. even smaller municipalities are referred to regional local dealers for repairs, and servicing

There are multiple dealers out there who will sell RPM to an individual. And multiples who will assist with feature upgrades and support. Yes Harris TAC may not be as end user friendly as they once were for those without a service agreement, but everything you've mentioned can be found and acquired for an end user individual.

 

[K2NEC]

This being one of them?

Harris Programming Software, SS-SW1D, RPM/RPM2 With Master Dongle

What is the SS-SW1D Programming Software? The Harris SS-SW1D is programming software that includes both RPM and RPM2. The software kit includes the Master Dongles needed for adding the radios onto trunking systems and 1 year of software updates. Works with the following radios: Unity XG-100P...

www.49ercommunications.com

 

[wa8pyr]

A good unit for the money. As far as battery life, for sure get the upgraded 4800Mah battery. The standard battery sucks. Radio draws WAY to much current to have a small battery and I don't even know why they even offer it. The bigger battery does kind of stick out in the back (added cells) and makes the bottom half the radio fat, like an afterthought.

As far as software, what MTS said. RPM2 can be a pain and expensive if you're just trying to program 1 radio. I'd suggest getting the dongle version RPM so you can use it on multiple computers (with the dongle). All in all it's a decent radio and has a good feel.

Can't program the XL200P with RPM as it's been RPM2 since day one except for maybe a few very early models; everything released in the last several years has been RPM2 only.

You can get the license dongle for RPM2; it works on both RPM and RPM2, and holds your system keys as well. That way you can put your software on multiple computers and simply use the dongle on the computer you're going to program from at that moment.

That being said, we have a bunch of XL200P (and one XL200M) in the county. I like them; decent battery life, highly readable display, customizable to the Nth degree, rugged yet relatively light weight.

As far as dealing with L3Harris, go through a local shop, not corporate. They'll gladly sell you an XL200P and RPM2 with a license dongle for the appropriate amount of money.

 

[12dbsinad]

Delete

 

[12dbsinad]

Can't program the XL200P with RPM as it's been RPM2 since day one except for maybe a few very early models; everything released in the last several years has been RPM2 only.

You can get the license dongle for RPM2; it works on both RPM and RPM2, and holds your system keys as well. That way you can put your software on multiple computers and simply use the dongle on the computer you're going to program from at that moment.

That being said, we have a bunch of XL200P (and one XL200M) in the county. I like them; decent battery life, highly readable display, customizable to the Nth degree, rugged yet relatively light weight.

As far as dealing with L3Harris, go through a local shop, not corporate. They'll gladly sell you an XL200P and RPM2 with a license dongle for the appropriate amount of money.

Yes, I’m familiar. I work for a shop and program them daily. I believe another gentlemen referenced dealing with L3

 

[wa8pyr]

The biggest irritation, for me, is that it's only available as a single-seat license. I'm always worried that the computer is going to eat it and I can't recover the license or the computer will get replaced and someone will have forgotten to extract the old license. At least with the Harris RPM dongle, it can be shared between computers.

That was my biggest concern about RPM (and now RPM2), and one of the factors in keeping us from buying Harris several years ago. I sat in a meeting with Harris reps at the time and questioned that computer-based licensing scheme; as a COM-L, if I got called out to a scene in the middle of nowhere and my computer crapped out, I'd be stuck if I had to serve double duty as a COM-T. I'd have to install RPM on whatever computer was at hand.

Their response was "oh no problem, you can just call TAC or get on line and we'll get it licensed right away." My response to that was "I'm in an area with no internet and no cellular service. Now what? With a license dongle I could at least install the software from my thumb drive on another computer and be back in business right away. Besides, I don't want to put a license I paid for on a computer I don't own."

Six months later I got a call from our local Harris rep informing me that they now had license dongles. Guess my complaint along with complaints from who knows how many other system admins got someone's attention.

 

[RussH]

That was my biggest concern about RPM (and now RPM2), and one of the factors in keeping us from buying Harris several years ago. I sat in a meeting with Harris reps at the time and questioned that computer-based licensing scheme; as a COM-L, if I got called out to a scene in the middle of nowhere and my computer crapped out, I'd be stuck if I had to serve double duty as a COM-T. I'd have to install RPM on whatever computer was at hand.

Their response was "oh no problem, you can just call TAC or get on line and we'll get it licensed right away." My response to that was "I'm in an area with no internet and no cellular service. Now what? With a license dongle I could at least install the software from my thumb drive on another computer and be back in business right away. Besides, I don't want to put a license I paid for on a computer I don't own."

Six months later I got a call from our local Harris rep informing me that they now had license dongles. Guess my complaint along with complaints from who knows how many other system admins got someone's attention.

I'm having this exact argument with Kenwood right now, as they are transitioning to position-based licensing. At least L3/Harris has developed a solution, with a license-dongle.

 

[2154]

I'm having this exact argument with Kenwood right now, as they are transitioning to position-based licensing. At least L3/Harris has developed a solution, with a license-dongle.

Kenwood has a dongle based version for the KPG-D1,2,3,6,etc. but do charge a little more for it.

 

[apco25]

As long as you go through a dealer, Harris isn't any issue at all to work with on an individual basis.

 

[12dbsinad]

As long as you go through a dealer, Harris isn't any issue at all to work with on an individual basis.

This is correct. They don't want to deal with any Joe Blow that bought a XL on ebay or a hamfest... and can you really blame them?

 

[K2NEC]

So I just wanted to share a little update.
I ended up purchasing an XL200 and I really like the functionality of it. It does everything I want it to and more. Probably my favorite option is the A/B/C/D selector which allows a larger "zone" in the radio. This makes it nicer to organize larger zones. One thing that definitely threw me off was the volume knob. Since I never had used an XL200 before the "click" of the volume knob really threw me for a loop lol.

You guys really weren't kidding with the battery life of the standard battery. It's pretty subpar compared to other standard capacity batteries I've encountered in the past. I'm glad I've got the standard and extended battery. But if I want better battery life I pay for it with the ergonomics of the radio. Oh well.

Getting RPM2 was a bit of a hassle because it took a few months to get but once the ball was rolling the process was relatively simple and painless.

Something that's really a major turn off is the lack of accessories or parts on the internet. With my APX (or any other radio for that matter) I can find just about anything I need. With this XL200 I'm lucky to find a decent carry holster for it. With that being said, I'm looking to get a black full keypad front for the radio (currently it's yellow and hideous) Part# 14036-1100-01. If anyone has one laying around or can point me in the right direction to get one, I'd greatly appreciate it. I also can't tell if the volume knob is damaged or if it's just the tension on the knob but it feels slightly off when turning the volume down. How much of a hassle would it be to get this replaced if it's more than a surface problem?

 

[TheRadioGuru]

I really enjoy mine with the glove knob kit, makes the knobs so much better to me. New London Technologies has about any housing or keypad item you need for the XL200.

 

[K2NEC]

Can you point me in the right direction? I can't seem to find it on the NTL website