PACNWComms

That sounds like the same method to open up UHF1/UHF2 to full UHF range on the XPR6550.....I have made that mistake a few times, going to fast as well, then see the error that freqs are out of range for the specific model of radio. I kick myself, when doing that, as it is always when my clean (hex edited) copy is on another computer, across town or the other side of the state. I need to make my own 6550 look different form the many company ones around that do not have that mod done to them. Good to know it works on the XPR6580 as well.

This thread made me look up how long some of my DTR410's have held up. Looks like 2012 was when I put the first batch into service with a school. They only needed coverage on campus, and liked the fixed antenna as it would be harder to break, and the radio was cheaper than the DTR550/650's. I doubt a Retevis would hold up to ten years and counting of use/abuse by school personnel. The Retevis reminds me of the eXRS radios that also tried 900 MHz ISM band frequency hopping, at a lower price (about $100 per pair) that made me go big and buy Motorola instead. I still have those eXRS radios, I will not even give them away to anyone, they are that bad. The only issue I ever had was a user that tried to plug the charging connector into the cradle (single cup) upside down. I then took a silver Sharpie to the Batwings and instructed users that the connector needs to show the Motorola symbol for the charger to work. There was enough slop in the spring contacts that the cable did connect, but was not making proper electrical connection.

I run several sites on DTR series Motorola radios as well. They do work great within their specifications. Many schools wanted something that could not be heard via Radio Shack/Realistic scanner, and then I find out their license for UHF expired. DTR series radios in ISM band were the perfect fit.

Full disclosure, I used to work as an engineer for the the JVC/Kenwood Group / Zetron.....the 5000 series Kenwoods are nice, but I prefer APX series Motorola for sure. I will only contemplate Kenwood amateur radios now, unless they are at a hugely discounted rate. You may have dodged a bullet, and it was hard for me to recommend Kenwood P25 radios when I knew some of the inside info. My area is going P25 Phase II as well, and multi-band capability is also needed. Years ago, I did have some Harris Unity XG-100P radios for this purpose, but I only keep one for my own use now (amateur bands, marine VHF, GMRS, etc.). P25 is my favorite digital mode, with DMR second.

Believe it or not, there was a push to go with Harris, and I had to pitch the OpenSky debacle.....and the fact that most of the enterprise is already using Motorola ASTRO/Trbo infrastructure......would have cost about $200mil more to go Harris. This is a company that issued Motorola HT-200's and has been Motorola ever since. I won the argument and it is APX8000/8500's for all now, not just the few sites that have had them a year or two now. Multi-band is needed due to many mutual aid agreements. So, DMR and P25 are my favorite digital modes.

Same here (audio and equipment wise), as I have maintained public safety radios for several decades now. I carry a Motorola XTS1500 P25 Phase I for monitoring local county 911, and then a XPR6550 Trbo series radio for some of the GMRS and amateur nets. A 900 MHz DTR410 is also kept close as many construction sites and tugs on the closest few rivers use them, but have left their default TalkGroups programmed. Audio wise the XPR7550e and XPR5550e seem the best in my own use, but build quality does not match the more expensive P25 radios. For work it is an APX4000 and XPR7550e for handhelds and APX4500 and XPR5550e for mobiles. All get replaced this year for APX8000/8500 P25 Phase I/II gear.....it will be a busy time getting everything programmed and switched out.

For that price, I would go this route instead (link). But, having the programming cables, software, and computer to do the work may bar many from going this route. Just amazed to see a Midland at that price point, even in 2022. I almost bought one when older models were $100-140, but saw too many reviews about worn/failing microphone cords. https://used-radios.com/motorola-xpr4550-uhf-403-470mhz-mobile-radio-40w/

I only know of the John Deere incident firsthand, but there are most likely others as section 5 at this link https://www.repair.org/agriculture mentions modification of motorized vehicles. This also includes new air intakes, exhaust and other accessories for cars. The ability to repair something outside of a dealer network has also been an issue in commercial and public safety radio systems for many years. Working on public safety radio systems requires documentation on training for intrinsically safe standards repair, and manufacture specific training, while other requirements are involved with aviation and maritime radio (needing a General Radiotelephone Operators Licence) for example.

Ed Fong antenna, those are great for receive and transmit. Used many of those for emergency communications services in the aftermath of hurricanes, floods, and oil spills. Also provides some funding for student projects, and lets them learn real world aspects of electrical engineering and building a product that can be used in by the public. Let us know what you get with that Ed Fong antenna real world.....to see if the math worked out. With transmit and handhelds, I was taught to estimate about one mile per watt, but that still depends on terrain, frequency, and antenna in use (that was assuming the standard antenna included with the handheld radio.) Receive can often be much more, depending on the radio you are receiving and antenna in use......talk in versus talk out is also always an issue when repeaters are in use. Forestry service often deploys five watt portable repeaters, as their handhelds are only five watts, keeps that talk-in vs. talk-out similar in distance. You have received great advice in previous posts above.

Very nice. I like when pictures are posted instead of just seeing typed text and having to take someone's word for whatever is being discussed. Seeing this, I may buy more SW102 meters for some of my other UHF installs.....most of them are under 500 MHz. Thank you for posting.

I stayed away from this thread for a bit, as I thought it was for the growing number of YouTube videos showing the large "toy" tractors and construction equipment, smaller version than real use, but much larger than common toys, that are radio controlled and cost several thousand dollars. While this looks useful, like others have said, it may be better to get a Kubota or John Deere, something that can take more options. My Dad bought a John Deere about twenty years ago, and he bought it with several buckets, fence post auger, and other accessories. Then the whole right to repair issue came up, where John Deere added electronics to keep people going to Deere repair shops, otherwise they may risk their warranties, or see software issues come up. Well his was the last version of tractor that did not have the software and electronics to force you to go to John Deere. He sold it for a larger sum than he paid, with seven years of use on it. This "right to repair" is an ongoing issue with John Deere. May want to go Kubota on that note. However, either way, a larger tractor with more accessory options may be more useful than this little dozer looking thing. A skid steer Bobcat may even be more useful, as they also have many accessories that can be had with them.

Those StiCo antennas are awesome. I have used both StiCo and the Laird Phantom antennas, for UHF commercial band and GMRS. Not as efficient as a longer whip, but still viable and useful, and better than just a handheld inside of a vehicle. My Laird Phantom antenna was not on the roof though, instead being mounted to the lip of the trunk of my old Pontiac, and many people said I wouldn't get more than a few miles on GMRS. Managed to do pretty well, and could hit local repeaters just fine. Good luck on your install.

Very nice. Thank you for clarifying, as many do not. The XPR5550/7550/e version's are a great benchmark, and ones I use as well,. The Rubidium standard in my case comes from a Trak9100 which may be replaced with newer Spectracom equipment, I am beginning to lose modules on that aging time source. I wish more people would check their cheaper radios, but that does get expensive, if they do not own the equipment or have to pay someone to do the work for them. Chinese radios are getting better in time, a decade ago they were a whole lot worse. Test equipment is getting the same way, I now include a Surecom SW102 meter in line with many of my RoIP shelf builds (Motorola UHF FDMA/TDMA or analog, mobile with Zetron interface to connect a remote site radio system to an ASTRO dispatch system at another site) as they work very well......even with being a cheap meter and made in China.

This ties into a thread that was running a while back, where each radio is different, and why I try to buy radio with a full display and keypads. I want to be able to read an entire frequency on the display, not just a channel number or CTCSS number. I also want buttons for functions instead of menus if possible. As others have noted, each radio is different, and it is important to read manuals, watch videos on the hardware, and use the equipment......that results in learning. I often meet people that do not understand the capabilities and limitiation of their radios, as they have only charged them up and used them (GMRS radios that come pre-programmed) versus amateur radios that require programming and typing in a frequency/tone pair. Amateur radios often have full displays and keypads, while many GMRs radios may not, having abbreviated controls and displays, and sometimes capabilities. My recommendation for someone with an amateur license, and ability to use GMRS via a family license, is to buy amateur radio equipment, setting it up also for GMRS. However, you may also find that having dedicated gear, like the non amateur licensed family members is more beneficial, as all family members are equipped the same. In my own family, I am the only one with amateur and commercial licenses. Each family member has the same radio for GMRS use. I then carry a second single/multi-band amateur (actually commercial radios: Motorola XTS1500, Vertex and Motorola mobiles, and sometimes a Harris Unity XG-100P) when I feel the need to do so. This is then augmented with many other radios I have acquired over the past few decades in RF work if there is something specific that is needed. Having each family member using the same radio means we have full knowledge of how each one works, and even parts replacement based on having several of the same radio. People may laugh, but my families current FRS/GMRS radio is the Garmin Rino 530. This is a combination radio GPS, and has been a great companion for many family excursions and hikes across the country. (People state the radio is not very good in the Garmin Rino series, but it works for us.) Glad to see you fostering another radio user, and maybe more. You are sure to get a lot of advice on this site. Enjoy.

Great statement, and even better is to use a dedicated communications service monitor, combined: spectrum analyzer, frequency counter, tracking generator, etc, I currently use Aeroflex/Viavi 3920, HP8920 and Singer test sets. (This could be a debate in and of itself on these forums, which test equipment to use for testing your radio. Just as we are seeing the arguments about radios in use - Chinese, Japanese, and "other", I still prefer my many Motorola commercial gear to my one Radioddity DB20-G for example). "S" meters are not accurate enough to tell very much and using one that is part of the device under test would not pass for accurate measurement, let alone anything that is regulated by any agency related to radio. (Especially for any radio in use on board aircraft or vessels that also fall under other regulation.) I work with many people that think their radio's own RSSI meter is infallible as it is built into the radio itself (mostly with APX4000 and XPR7550e handhelds), as I take it over to my Aeroflex 3920 to check for sure....using the Autotest II setting for APX or Trbo series radios.

Exactly, I do not expect it to be accurate. And the radios is made to be cheap.

Great point and an issue that has been expounded upon in previous threads about cheaper radios made in China, versus commercial grade radios made in Japan/Malaysia/Mexico/Israel. One poster even mentioned that their Chinese made radios ran "clean"......a point that I find hard to believe. I run a Radioddity DB20-G mobile in my daily commuter car, because it fits the dash cubby hole.....but I do not expect its signal meter to be accurate, or transmit to be perfect. In contrast, my picture above shows the Surecom SW102 meter connected to a Motorola XPR4550 UHF attached to a Zetron 6300 IP interface......I need better specs for real world professional use, and especially for RoIP interface equipment between sites. Something that a hobbyist may not need or afford for GMRS use, (the XPR4550 in this case is operating in analog mode). Great points above.

When I started in RF communications several decades ago in the military, Bird/Thruline watt meters were only inserted during installation, and for yearly tests, to ensure the coax and antennas system was still serviceable. It was common to not leave a meter inline with the radio equipment. However, working with HF radio, it was common to ensure that a HF wattmeter was kept inline, as the radio gear was more expensive, the antenna being more critical, and the need to know the SWRmore important, meters were left inline. Fast forward to a few years ago, and I find myself making UHF Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) kits for connection of remote sites to a central hub station, and the Surecom SW102 is purchased to be a cheap inline meter. I begin to leave them inline for all of these kits. The people at the sites are not radio people, and travel is limited, so maintenance is only when something is completely broken. The cheap Surecom meter has a display, I can ask someone at each site to tell me what that meter says when the radio is keyed up. It shows SWR, frequency, and power, even providing a percentage. I now have them take a picture and send it to me. I now know what is going on coax, antenna and output power/SWR wise. I will continue to leave Surecom SW102 meters in UHF kits across the country. Their insertion loss is minimal, and they benefit me in a very positive way, as being a cheap check on the radio system in use at each site. Attached is a picture of a 25 watt UHF radio under test with a Surecom SW102, and even with many adapters in use,loss and SWR is minimal. For actual installations, I made cables with the appropriate ends,to minimize loss even more, but this is an example of my own use of Surecom SW102 meters in use, in line with UHF radios.

While responding to hurricane Katrina in 2005, then Rita, and Wilma that hit afterward, one issue with providing emergency communications services for first response personnel was the need to drive in all the fuel and generators, as there was no power to pump fuel at gas stations. This was the case from Louisiana to Mississippi, as power outages hit so hard, and cell phone towers failed once they flooded or their batteries and/or generator fuel was expended. Even sites that had propane suffered from expending their fuel, gas leaks, or physical damage. Convoys of mobile communications suites, generators, and thousands of gallons of diesel fuel made their way around the area. It has not changed too much for that part of the country. However, technology has changed a lot. Battery packs, solar panels, and generators have become cheaper, more reliable, and capable. Now, I see many people rely on their cell phones so much that they have the battery packs, chargers, and adapters for AC and vehicle charging. What they also seem to have, is broken screens, and a lack of knowledge of the limitations of cell phone use in an emergency. Text messaging uses less bandwidth and is more likely to get through in a widespread incident. This has changed in some areas, as text to 911 is becoming more common and some applications have stressed the need to preserve cell phone capacity for emergency use. My own personal preparation involves HF to SHF radio, cell phones, and everything from generator, solar panel, and battery packs, but also getting involved with local community efforts, such as CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), and public/private sector partnerships.....some of which may give you Wireless Priority Service (WPS) and GETS Government Emergency Telecommunications Service priority access. There are also methods to get priority restorative service from communications providers for certain industries. If you have a business that caters to incident/emergency response, that may prove helpful. Glad to see people preparing.

This is so very true, and not just with Motorola. (I have co-workers that swear this is only Motorola, as some of them used to work for Icom, and I used to work for the JVC/Kenwood Group, then Harris, but mostly on Motorola Solutions Inc. systems. I know they are full of it as all vendors force planned obsolescence, just like cars). But, older GR series repeaters are great if you can handle the light duty cycle. I currently use a VHF GR1225 for amateur use,as well as a GR300 that started life with two dual channel Motorola mobiles installed, but now contains two XPR4550 Trbo (analog/DMR)mobiles. Both came from oil industry use, and were cast off as surplus when narrow banding took place in 2013. However robust these older units are, it is hard to find parts, even well used spare parts, let alone "new old stock" from a reputable dealer. I have a six repeater system in one city in Texas that is ran entirely off Radius series radios and repeaters, the oldest Motorola system in the corporation, and is is no longer supported by any local vendor, with no parts available when it does finally go down. The current replacement recommendation from Motorola is a SLR5700 series repeater (50 watts) or a SLR8000 (100 watts). Model numbers approximate pricing,so about $6k for the SLR5700 and $8-10k for the SLR8000 when installed.