Best starter Motorola HT for DMR ? - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Best starter Motorola HT for DMR ?

Posted: 11/21/2018 9:05:23 AM EDT

Have enough Chinese DMR handhelds ..kinda tired of messing with them since no two ever seem to program exactly alike...But was wanting to add another Motorola to the collection capable of DMR without spending $1k (! cause the YL will f--n shoot me !). I also want to add a saber to the moto collection but they are cheap enough on ebay. Right now the priority is something I can do DMR with, is it just the Mototrbo models that are DMR capable?

Posted: 11/21/2018 10:11:07 AM EDT

[#1]

What band, VHF or UHF?

What model of Saber, Astro, old Saber?

I have some laying around I am selling, do have some VHF DMR radios I personally have laying around, but not in HT.

I tried to IM you, box full

ETA: All Motorola gear

As for others in DMR, there are a few, you want to be careful on DMR flavors.

Posted: 11/21/2018 10:12:34 AM EDT

[#2]

DMR has been around long enough that used XPR 7550s are starting to show up. Check a local club and let them know you are in the market. Best way to get it programmed up front.

Given the post just before me ... most DMR in the lower 48 is UHF.

Posted: 11/21/2018 10:36:48 AM EDT

[#3]

Quote History

Quoted:
DMR has been around long enough that used XPR 7550s are starting to show up. Check a local club and let them know you are in the market. Best way to get it programmed up front.

Given the post just before me ... most DMR in the lower 48 is UHF.

View Quote

Wonder why that is? I know locally they are UHF

Our VHF Repeaters get about 10-20 miles further then our UHF Repeaters (Commercial/Public Safety) P25 fan here.

Posted: 11/21/2018 10:39:00 AM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:

Wonder why that is? I know locally they are UHF

Our VHF Repeaters get about 10-20 miles further then our UHF Repeaters (Commercial/Public Safety) P25 fan here.

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I'd guess the lack of avail VHF Coordinated Repeater Pairs.

Posted: 11/21/2018 11:50:02 AM EDT

[#5]

Mainly, its a pain to coordinate VHF properly in many areas so there is a surplus of UHF gear. Secondly, if you look at Motorola's largest vendor (Bearcom, which sells 54% of the Motorola radios in the world), 95% of their customers are simply wharehouses, hotels, etc where they are mainly looking for in-building portable coverage and not really any wide area coverage. UHF works best in those situations and is also a lot easier to license compared to 800 MHz or VHF.

Personally, one of my favorite DMR radios Motorola makes is the SL300. I like the SL7550 as well but that is a digital only radio (no analog). Now, the reason I suggest those two versus the XPR6550 or XPR7550 are mainly because they program and can be charged via a standard micro-USB cable. You don't have to spend the $50-$70 on a B revision cable used with the XPR6000/XPR7000 and entire APX portable line up and you likely already have the programming cable laying around.

Posted: 11/21/2018 12:18:08 PM EDT

[#6]

Tag for interest. As apparently I have a DMR repeater in the area, whereas the (supposed) fusion repeater is offline.

Posted: 11/21/2018 2:34:58 PM EDT

[#7]

I think it's because the UHF is restricted in the US /Canadian border region.
Moto prices are dropping on the DMR items, dont forget you'll need the CPS
DMR capable Moto's:
XPR 6550, 7550, 5550, 4550.
There are sub models (example XPR 4500 is same as 4550 w/o GPS) XPR 4350 will do DMR also, as will the XPR 5350. Both are "bare basic" type radios. Reduced channel capability etc.
There are some other models that can take a digital upgrade, but I dont remember the specifics on models right now. IIRC the upgrade is about $75.

Posted: 11/21/2018 4:44:24 PM EDT

[#8]

Id like to go VHF as the main local repeater is VHF ...BUUUT a new repeater came online locally that is UHF and my shark is UHF. decisions decisions.
One of the things I like about the FT2dR is that it does fusion DMR through a hotspot and analog in both VHF/UHF. Too bad Moto did not do a dual band.
It looks like the XPR's are more available in UHF and thus less expensive.

Didn't realize I had 14 pages of PMs--cleared out now.

No I had my eye on like a VHF saber (astro ?) as I always liked those radios and my collection stops at the jedi radios. I try to collect functional stuff tho and keep it working if possible. I dont think any of those do DMR.

Posted: 11/21/2018 4:57:03 PM EDT

[#9]

Be sure to visit http://dmr-marc.net/. Look thru all of it. Eventually, you will need a DMR ID that you can get thru that site.

For now, maybe just check out the Repeaters map & zoom into where you live to get an idea of what is in your locale.

Posted: 11/21/2018 8:20:42 PM EDT

[#10]

what is the difference - between an xpr7550 and a 7550e?

Posted: 11/21/2018 8:46:01 PM EDT

[#11]

7550e has networking capabilities for wifi to program them and other options that are really applicable as a ham.

I have a 6550 and 7550. I prefer the 7550 size and shape but the 6550 is a solid radio. Both are good to go.

Personally I'm a hytera guy. A 6 series radio is just as nice as the 7550 and the 9 series far exceeds any ht radio I've interacted with from Motorola.

Posted: 11/24/2018 8:55:12 PM EDT

[#12]

would this be sufficient with the appropriate cable to program and xpr 6550 or 7550?
already existing on another laptop. All this radio SW was left on the laptop when it was surplused.

Posted: 11/24/2018 10:53:37 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
would this be sufficient with the appropriate cable to program and xpr 6550 or 7550?
already existing on another laptop. All this radio SW was left on the laptop when it was surplused.
https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g306/offctr/IMG_20181124_192808_zpsty5yplvy.jpg https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g306/offctr/IMG_20181124_195003_zpsikq8rdtp.jpg

View Quote

Depends if the CPS and radio firmware match. If the radio has touched a newer version then what is on that laptop you will be SOL without an MOL account.

Posted: 11/24/2018 10:56:44 PM EDT

[#14]

Where in PA are you - hit me up on a PM, I'm in PA and have DMR and software

Posted: 11/24/2018 10:57:58 PM EDT

[#15]

Get an XPR7550. Plenty show up over on the facebook moto swap page. I got a brand new VHF at Dayton two years ago for $300. I would go with UHF though. That's where the majority of repeaters are.

Posted: 11/24/2018 11:08:27 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
Get an XPR7550. Plenty show up over on the facebook moto swap page. I got a brand new VHF at Dayton two years ago for $300. I would go with UHF though. That's where the majority of repeaters are.

View Quote

Agree on the UHF selection - almost all of the DMR repeaters I've seen are UHF

Posted: 11/25/2018 1:54:02 AM EDT

[#17]

It looks like some really nice condition --some nearly new 7550s can be had for around $400 (UHF) so I am def going to pick one up.
I am SW PA near Greensburg --little south of Greensburg,,, N. Fayette county. I already have some TYT's (thumbs up) an Anytone (meh) an Ailunce HD1 (pretty good) and of course the openspot with my Yaesu FT2DR. Just getting tired of the chinese radios with thier near constant firmware updates and lack of support and stubborn instance on devloping thier own SW --which they suck at. The other motos I have had were kind of a bear to program BUT once you figured out the method it was bupkis.
Im up on the seven springs machine and the two westmoreland DMR repeaters --the UHF is TGIF talkgroup 9 and the VHF is mostly on on PA 3142 so I monitor those alot of the time.

Posted: 11/25/2018 8:42:37 AM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
would this be sufficient with the appropriate cable to program and xpr 6550 or 7550?
already existing on another laptop. All this radio SW was left on the laptop when it was surplused.
https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g306/offctr/IMG_20181124_192808_zpsty5yplvy.jpg https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g306/offctr/IMG_20181124_195003_zpsikq8rdtp.jpg

View Quote

CPS release 8.8 if I am reading correctly. Doubt it has any definition of the XPR7000 line. Current is 16.0. For any e model you'll need 13.5 or newer.

Posted: 11/26/2018 7:32:14 AM EDT

[#19]

ended up purchasing a 7550e (uhf) with accessories,battery, charger, programming cable and sw as a package should be here before the end of the week. Need a sample codeplug to work from if anyone has one.

Posted: 11/27/2018 6:09:40 AM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
ended up purchasing a 7550e (uhf) with accessories,battery, charger, programming cable and sw as a package should be here before the end of the week. Need a sample codeplug to work from if anyone has one.

View Quote

IM me your email and I'll send you a stripped down one that should work.

Posted: 11/28/2018 9:41:19 PM EDT

[#21]

ok I sent you an im, had a box pop up with "unable to send im while inbox is full" so.......not sure if that went or not, cause my inbox is empty.
radio showed up today supposed to have bluetooth and gps but cannot find the bluetooth menu according to everything i have seen its the ok/menu button and down down down down to the "bluetooth" selection. This one goes "contacts" "scan" "utilities" "notifications"
and back to contacts .....and gps?

Posted: 11/28/2018 10:39:14 PM EDT

[#22]

The programming software is the only reason I haven't jumped on the bandwagon. We use the XPR6550 at work, and would not mind one for personal use. We have a few UHF systems in the area that it could be used on as well. I've heard nightmares about the CPS.

Posted: 11/28/2018 11:05:34 PM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:
The programming software is the only reason I haven't jumped on the bandwagon. We use the XPR6550 at work, and would not mind one for personal use. We have a few UHF systems in the area that it could be used on as well. I've heard nightmares about the CPS.

View Quote

It's not that bad and operates the same as just about all other vendors (or maybe they all operate like moto)

The big pain is the MOL account. Once you are paid and activated you can go there and download CPS and firmware along with other tools.

Posted: 11/29/2018 10:00:42 AM EDT

[#24]

After a few hours of experimenting and looking at codeplugs found on the internet in various places, and a cocktail or two I got one chanel programmed up and up on TGIF talkgroup 9 which is the default talkgroup of one of the local uhf repeaters --and were off! so it seems to be working ok just need to figure out how to add more talkgroups/contacts and slowly expand the codeplug ---add a channel for the openspot stuff like that
ETA: Just had a quick QSO with a gentleman in Wisconsin on TGIF 9 so it is actually working.

Posted: 11/29/2018 7:41:53 PM EDT

[#25]

Can you get the Moto to show the caller ham ID like you do with the TYT's and Ailunce/anytone/retevis etc etc ?

Posted: 11/29/2018 10:14:27 PM EDT

[#26]

Yes. You just have to create an individual contact under the Digital tree in CPS named with the alias.

Posted: 11/30/2018 3:45:19 AM EDT

[#27]

Quote History

Quoted:
Yes. You just have to create an individual contact under the Digital tree in CPS named with the alias.

View Quote

For each and every dmr ID/ham call sign ? or is there any way to import a database like the .csv file for the import dmr radios ---I think the DMR data base is at 150,000 id's now. The 7550 is MUCH easier to program in terms of a codeplug --channels,talk groups stuff like that --that is all fairly straight forward and now the TYT's do talker alias so the ham call sign is transmitted without the need for a database in the radio,Like C4FM, does the moto do something similar? or do you have to program the "callers" individually ?

Posted: 11/30/2018 4:18:19 AM EDT

[#28]

If you look at the TGIF network there is alot still unspoken for.. I bet if we approached them for talkgroup 556 or 87 --the EMCOM (9911)group is already taken -- arfcom could have its own talkgroup....just sayin.....

TGIF talkgroups:

Name

Talkgroup Number
TGIF 9

Parrot ( PRIVATE CALL ) 100

TAC-101 101

TAC-102 102

TAC-103 103

North America 110

Europe 111

Asia Pacific 112

World Wide English 113

World Wide 114

Over The Road 115

RWK 190

TESTING AND EXPERIMENTING 201

TESTING AND EXPERIMENTING 202

DigiComm Cafe 203

New York Link 212

CCARS 250

PASOLA-CLUB 267

Canada 302

Florida 312

PA CREW 314

New Mexico 315

N5OGD-John 3:16 316

Indiana 317

Michigan 318

YLSYSTEMS 319

Tech ONE 321

Reserved 334

CTDG 345

The Carolinas 411

Raleigh 412

W5CBT GROUP 431

Reserved 440

1st Responders 450

Wisconsin 500

Mt.Mitchell Hams 519

CC&lARA 702

PVRA 991

TANN 992

Israel 1818

Ontario 3023

Black Sheep Lounge 3933

TX Misfits 5323

EMCOM 9911

Parrot ( PRIVATE CALL ) 9990

KC2ABV REPEATER SYSTEM 31018

DMR Track 31489

Latinos Unidos 33013

Puerto Rico Digital System 33014

SKYNET 37030

WC3PS-WEARS 65911

Posted: 12/2/2018 9:28:03 AM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

Quoted:

For each and every dmr ID/ham call sign ? or is there any way to import a database like the .csv file for the import dmr radios ---I think the DMR data base is at 150,000 id's now. The 7550 is MUCH easier to program in terms of a codeplug --channels,talk groups stuff like that --that is all fairly straight forward and now the TYT's do talker alias so the ham call sign is transmitted without the need for a database in the radio,Like C4FM, does the moto do something similar? or do you have to program the "callers" individually ?

View Quote

No way to import on TRBO CPS. You can drag and drop from other TRBO codeplugs but can't import/export to CSV or spreadsheet like you can with ASTRO and ASTRO 25 CPS. Therefore, each ID must be individually entered if you want the alias to be visible on the display (which does take of memory). You can alias IDs with Radio Manager but that's a whole extra can-o-worms.

Posted: 12/3/2018 3:36:07 PM EDT

[#30]

Haven't really looked into DMR... until this thread. Looks like I might be adding a DMR HT down the road. I know slightly off topic, but the MotoTrbo enhanced privacy is just ADP correct? Running ADP on the MotoTrbo can not connect to a P25 radio, like a XTS5000 with ADP correct? If you get one, post up! I have never played with DMR before!

Posted: 12/3/2018 4:47:32 PM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:
Haven't really looked into DMR... until this thread. Looks like I might be adding a DMR HT down the road. I know slightly off topic, but the MotoTrbo enhanced privacy is just ADP correct? Running ADP on the MotoTrbo can not connect to a P25 radio, like a XTS5000 with ADP correct? If you get one, post up! I have never played with DMR before!

View Quote

Correct. Outside of the US, Motorola offers AES-256 encryption on the TRBO line. ADP would be compatable if the modulation schemes were the same (but TDMA versus C4FM).

Posted: 12/3/2018 11:02:11 PM EDT

[#32]

Quote History

Quoted:
Correct. Outside of the US, Motorola offers AES-256 encryption on the TRBO line. ADP would be compatable if the modulation schemes were the same (but TDMA versus C4FM).

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Haven't really looked into DMR... until this thread. Looks like I might be adding a DMR HT down the road. I know slightly off topic, but the MotoTrbo enhanced privacy is just ADP correct? Running ADP on the MotoTrbo can not connect to a P25 radio, like a XTS5000 with ADP correct? If you get one, post up! I have never played with DMR before!

Correct. Outside of the US, Motorola offers AES-256 encryption on the TRBO line. ADP would be compatable if the modulation schemes were the same (but TDMA versus C4FM).

Thank you for the answer! I did some reading and it seems M has that shit on lock. I guess I can see why, but I was able to get an APX with MACE no problem. Now I want to look into DMR because I found 2 repeaters around, and also with AES256, because they said "no"

Posted: 12/4/2018 10:22:09 PM EDT

[#33]

Quote History

Quoted:
If you look at the TGIF network there is alot still unspoken for.. I bet if we approached them for talkgroup 556 or 87 --the EMCOM (9911)group is already taken -- arfcom could have its own talkgroup....just sayin.....

TGIF talkgroups:

*snip*

View Quote

Do they have a list of repeaters on their network? I looked but didn't see one

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Best starter Motorola HT for DMR ?

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