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XTS 2500 Vs. 5000

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Opinions? Looking for a high band UHF radio to monitor everyday police and fire in Massachusetts. I currently have a 5K in VHF for the New Hampshire area and I love it however; it seems pretty pricy to try and get a uhf high 5K so I was looking for a good comparison


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ResqChief201

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Well the XTS2500 is newer than the 5000. The 2500 is still supported for another two years however Motorola does not produce 2500s or 5000s anymore.

The 2500 comes in 4meg or 8meg versions (AN or BN models). This is mainly a factor when using a radio for trunking.

The 2500 is lighter in weight than the 5000 but both radios are very durable. Both radios are capable of most of the same options as well such as trunking, P25, FPP, Voice Announcements and many others.

Biggest difference would be the size/weight and different looks


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Well the XTS2500 is newer than the 5000. The 2500 is still supported for another two years however Motorola does not produce 2500s or 5000s anymore.

The 2500 comes in 4meg or 8meg versions (AN or BN models). This is mainly a factor when using a radio for trunking.

The 2500 is lighter in weight than the 5000 but both radios are very durable. Both radios are capable of most of the same options as well such as trunking, P25, FPP, Voice Announcements and many others.

Biggest difference would be the size/weight and different looks


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How are things like audio clarity, volume, buttons, and knobs? Also, I know that the 5K and the 2500 share the same CPS but is the 2500 as easy to program as the 5K?


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N4DES

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Well the XTS2500 is newer than the 5000. The 2500 is still supported for another two years however Motorola does not produce 2500s or 5000s anymore.

The 2500 comes in 4meg or 8meg versions (AN or BN models). This is mainly a factor when using a radio for trunking.

Only the "BN" model is still supported. The "AN" model was dropped from depot support a number of years ago.
 

ResqChief201

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How are things like audio clarity, volume, buttons, and knobs? Also, I know that the 5K and the 2500 share the same CPS but is the 2500 as easy to program as the 5K?


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Audio clarity is very similar. I personally think the 2500 has a better speaker than the 5000 but that's just my opinion.
The 2500 still has the PTT on the side and 3 programmable side buttons. It has the Emergency Button on top and an A/B/C switch.
The CPS, is the same and will look just like a 5000 when you go to program it. Same layout and all. Is it easy? Depends on how skilled with CPS you are :)


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Audio clarity is very similar. I personally think the 2500 has a better speaker than the 5000 but that's just my opinion.
The 2500 still has the PTT on the side and 3 programmable side buttons. It has the Emergency Button on top and an A/B/C switch.
The CPS, is the same and will look just like a 5000 when you go to program it. Same layout and all. Is it easy? Depends on how skilled with CPS you are :)


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[emoji23]. Sometimes it's really easy, sometimes it's worse than a terrorist. I really love my 5K and I just want to make sure that I'm not making too many sacrifices if I go with a 2500


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ResqChief201

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The ABS housings on both radios are made of the same material and thickness. Both radios meet the same criteria when being tested. The only true thing is that the 5000 BATTERY is more rugged than the 2500 Battery. This is what gives the 5000 it's weight. Seeing that your on UHF, I'm assuming you are using it for conventional purposes. Both radios will meet your needs the same.


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The ABS housings on both radios are made of the same material and thickness. Both radios meet the same criteria when being tested. The only true thing is that the 5000 BATTERY is more rugged than the 2500 Battery. This is what gives the 5000 it's weight. Seeing that your on UHF, I'm assuming you are using it for conventional purposes. Both radios will meet your needs the same.


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Yes it is conventional and for the most part, non didgital with a very heavy amount of MDC.


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ResqChief201

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Yes it is conventional and for the most part, non didgital with a very heavy amount of MDC.


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Then both radios will work identical to what you are looking for. They both hold the same amount of scan list members and both can do MDC. I personally favor the XTS2500 over the 5000 due to its size and weight. It doesn't weight my pants down at work and it's ergonomically designed to fit in your hand better than the 5000.

Both radios also use the same charger, so therefore you could save a few dollars if you already have a 5000 charger!


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Then both radios will work identical to what you are looking for. They both hold the same amount of scan list members and both can do MDC. I personally favor the XTS2500 over the 5000 due to its size and weight. It doesn't weight my pants down at work and it's ergonomically designed to fit in your hand better than the 5000.

Both radios also use the same charger, so therefore you could save a few dollars if you already have a 5000 charger!


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Well I don't quite have a 5000 charger, I put it in a HT1000 charger hahaha


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mikegilbert

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The 5000's buttons are part of the housing and because of that, are very robust.

I've had several 2500s come in with broken PTT and side button switches. They're mounted directly to the main PCB, so it's not a simple case swap.

The 2500 really isn't much smaller than the 5000, and it's also thicker.

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MTS2000des

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The ABS housings on both radios are made of the same material and thickness. Both radios meet the same criteria when being tested.

The housings may be the same, but the internals are worlds apart as far as durability/serviceability.

I have around 400 or so XTS radios on my system. Out of those, the XTS5000s are older yet fewer of them by far see the bench. The 2500s suffer from weak ZIF connectors on the main boards, and while these can be repaired, they are difficult and time consuming. Good thing the BNs are flat rate-able for now.

The UCM is the entire keypad board. Want to add H/W crypto on a 2500? you have to replace the ENTIRE keypad board specific to your radio, whereas the same UCM fits every 5000 made, regardless of whether it's an M1, M2 or M3.

Nevermind the fact that on a keypad radio, you're flexing the UCM everytime you press a button.

The 2500 is a cost cutter version of the 5000. Always has, always will be.
 

Anderegg

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The 2500 has a weird shape and is odd to hold in the hand due to the battery, but I must say i prefer the 2500's knobs to the 3000/5000, which can typically feel spongy. You also cannot get a 4400mah Li-ion battery for a 2500! Audio wise, they sound the same to me, in tone and in volume level.
 

madrabbitt

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Programming is identical. The 5k has one extra switch which may or may not affect you.

I have both. I carry the 2500 day to day (and by that, i mean from the charger to the car in the morning, from the car into dinner at night after work, and back to the charger when i get home)

However, when im actually working in the field, its the 5k and a spare battery. If i go outside, its a public safety situation, so im going to have the radio designed for it. Also, GPS speaker mic is a 5k thing, even if i rarely use the GPS function on it.

For monitoring like that, a 2500 should meet your needs.
 
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Programming is identical. The 5k has one extra switch which may or may not affect you.

I have both. I carry the 2500 day to day (and by that, i mean from the charger to the car in the morning, from the car into dinner at night after work, and back to the charger when i get home)

However, when im actually working in the field, its the 5k and a spare battery. If i go outside, its a public safety situation, so im going to have the radio designed for it. Also, GPS speaker mic is a 5k thing, even if i rarely use the GPS function on it.

For monitoring like that, a 2500 should meet your needs.



What public safety purposes do u use your 5K for?


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kg6nlw

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I would get another 5000...Right now they are going to come on the market a dime a dozen. Or if you really want true easy interop between V/UHF, get an APX dual band.

Regards,

-Frank C.
 
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