Depending on the exact location and situation - as well as the type of Duplexer you might be using, a Preselector is probably more of a Nice to have, as compared to a Need to have. But, if you're buying a used repeater, get one with a Preselector if you can - especially if the price is within $50 or so. Buying a Preselector after the fact would probably run you @ $200 + tuning. If you have a really good duplexer (meaning a properly tuned 6 cavity bandpass/bandreject) the benefit you would get from a Preselector is minimal. If you were running a typical compact flatpack notch duplexer - the benefit would be amazing. The front end (receiver) of an MTR2000 is worlds better than most any '2 mobile radio based' duplex repeater package out there. The MTR2K converts received signal into PCM (Pulse coded modulation) digital signal for all it's internal processing, and the internal noise level introduced by the machine is nearly non-existent. You get a clearly reproduced voice -- even with a weak input signal from a distant mobile. Trouble areas are minimal - but if you're getting one off eBay, be super careful. If you can wait on them, you will often find people selling off a batch of them as they part out an old UHF trunking system - recent pricing between $450 and $650. The power supplies can be troublesome on the 100 watt units - but I've picked some up for a few hundred dollars that had known power supply issues, and then turned around & grabbed a huge 26 volt DC rack mount power supply for $100 or less (plus the $50+ for shipping the beast). Nice way to eliminate a known problem spot & put a 100 watt repeater on the air for less than $500. Motorola doesn't support them anymore, and many of the components are designed as "bricks" - so you can swap around a receiver, a power amp, a power supply module, but each component is sealed up & considered non-serviceable by Mother M. I don't think I've ever seen any schematics or break downs to component level. Software is a little old & cludgy, but I've still got a winXP machine that runs it well enough. The last time I programmed one - I realized it had been nearly 5 years since I'd touched one for a customer. A testament to the "set it and forget it" nature of those machines. Basic single user repeater mode is pretty straightforward. If you try to run a multi-tone panel things get a little more complicated, but the method to do it has been well documented and doped out.