XTL/XTS5000 XTS 5000R M2

[AmazingHD]

Looking around for an XTS 5000R M2 Housing, preferably new or used with no scratches if possible.
Also want it to come with the knobs and stuff already connected to it.
Could I just get a regular XTS 5000 Model 2 housing and work?
Can anyone lead me in the right direction as I've been looking for over 30 mins unable to find anything?

Thanks in advance,

 

[K2NEC]

Yes a normal 5000 housing will work. The "R" just means ruggedized, as far as I know, no noticeable difference.

 

[GTR8000]

The housings are interchangeable. The 5000 R is submersible up to 3 feet for 2 hours, that's really the only functional difference. Of course once you take the radio apart, you've compromised the watertight integrity of it anyway, so it really doesn't matter what housing you use, it's technically no longer an R model.

 

[cmdrwill]

The difference is the chassis, the R has the vacuum port and a vent.

 

[mbnv992]

Unlike the old days of the Saber / Astro Saber R radios, the case is the same except for the vents / gas port as noted above.

Which is Intersting since the Saber R and now APX “XE” models are basically a truly ruggedized case design. They seemed to have skipped that with the XTS line.

 

[rescue161]

The plastic housings for the XTS line is the same, whether it is a "Ruggedized" ("Immersible" for the 2500) model or not. The difference comes in the chassis. An "R" ("I" for the 2500) chassis has a pressure port and a "Non-R" or "Non-I" does not. Once repairs are made on an R/I model and the radio is back together, you connect a handheld vacuum pump to that port, place a drop of water on the white pads on the vent that is located on the chassis and then pull a vacuum to -6 PSI and wait one minute. If the pressure holds at -6 for one minute, the test is complete and the radio is water tight. If you forget to add the drop of water to the vent, the test will fail. If you did place a drop of water on the vent and the test failed, i.e., the pressure went to -4, then you take off the vacuum pump and put a pressure pump on the port. Next, you pressurize the radio to 6 PSI and dunk the entire radio into a bucket of water and look for bubbles. The bubbles are where the leak is and you should inspect the seals in that area and start over once the seal is replaced. If the test immediately fails, i.e., you can't even get it to go to -6 PSI initially, then there is probably a seal missing or you forgot the drop of water. That vent allows air to flow between the inside and the outside of the radio case, but will not allow water to penetrate, hence why you need to add the drop of water before pulling a vacuum.

 

[K2NEC]

The plastic housings for the XTS line is the same, whether it is a "Ruggedized" ("Immersible" for the 2500) model or not. The difference comes in the chassis. An "R" ("I" for the 2500) chassis has a pressure port and a "Non-R" or "Non-I" does not. Once repairs are made on an R/I model and the radio is back together, you connect a handheld vacuum pump to that port, place a drop of water on the white pads on the vent that is located on the chassis and then pull a vacuum to -6 PSI and wait one minute. If the pressure holds at -6 for one minute, the test is complete and the radio is water tight. If you forget to add the drop of water to the vent, the test will fail. If you did place a drop of water on the vent and the test failed, i.e., the pressure went to -4, then you take off the vacuum pump and put a pressure pump on the port. Next, you pressurize the radio to 6 PSI and dunk the entire radio into a bucket of water and look for bubbles. The bubbles are where the leak is and you should inspect the seals in that area and start over once the seal is replaced. If the test immediately fails, i.e., you can't even get it to go to -6 PSI initially, then there is probably a seal missing or you forgot the drop of water. That vent allows air to flow between the inside and the outside of the radio case, but will not allow water to penetrate, hence why you need to add the drop of water before pulling a vacuum.

Interesting little guide to that. Thanks! Learned something new today

 

[rescue161]

I worked at a repair facility and this is how we checked after we repaired or rebuilt a radio. There is a manual that covers all of it, but what I posted is the shortened version. There is a lot of misinformation on the subject. I have read that there is a special gas inside the radio from the factory and if you break the seal, then that gas will escape and the radio cannot be waterproof until it goes back to Motorola to have the gas put back in, which is completely false. That port on the back is just a means to test all of the seals. As mentioned earlier, the vent allows air, special gas or otherwise, to flow between the inside/outside of the case.

Side note:
If you cannot get the initial vacuum to hold at all, i.e., you can't get it below zero (0 to -6), then do not put in the bucket of water, as the radio will immediately fill up with water and you'll spend a lot of time cleaning up the mess. One thing that will happen is a tech will forget the seal around the battery terminals. The vacuum can't be pulled, so the tech will switch to the pressure pump and dunk the radio while trying to pressurize the case. Well, the case won't pressurize and then it fills up with water. Only perform the pressure/water bucket method if the radio has a slow leak. Otherwise, you can hold the radio up to your ear with the pressure pump attached and you should be able to hear the rush of air and determine the source of the leak.