Used Motorola HT's for amateur use?

[KJ4LYN]

Is there a used/surplus Motorola HT that would be good for amateur usage? They seem like a more rugged radio than the average Yaesu radio that I currently use.

I've seen the GP68, the HT1000, Saber 1E's mentioned.

Is there something available on the surplus market that can be programmed on the keypad? I've got a local Motorola dealer that can program radios, so that isn't a deal killer.

Any suggestions based on price, function, ease of programming, ease of use, battery price and accessories?

[WQIZ266]

About 5 of my Ham friends use them.Commercial radios are definitely better than your average Yaesu dual band handheld.Better performance and no intermod unless you're on top of a skyscraper(which we did try btw).An HT1000 was rendered useless with all the repeater antennas up there.As far as keypads I don't know of any on the fly Pro Motorola portables but you can look.Programming them via computer seems to be the way but if you have a Motorola dealer that you like then that shouldn't be so bad.I think it's worth the tradeoff between performance and ease of changing fequencies on the fly.
Just make sure you get the right split on the radio.The most popular splits in use in NYC seem to be the 450-470,440-470 or 470-512 variety but the lower splits are just as ready available.

[KD0CAC]

Posting to see .

[KC8VWM]

Systems Saber is a good choice. I had it programmed for every possible 2m repeater combination. One of the banks are setup for simplex frequencies. Each bank is capable of 16 "channels" for a total capacity of 128 programmable frequencies. (I think, can't remember exactly)

PL tones are user selectable from the keypad. The scan feature helps find repeater activity or you can manually select.

Batteries last a long time (An entire shift if you work the beat ) and I measured 7 watts out from this portable.

Thing will probobly outlast me.

[KJ6HCB]

I use a lot of /\/\ stuff. Most is not keypad programmable so invest in a RIB and the software and cabling, or pay the $$$ from a dealer.

Sabers, HT1000 (Jedi line), and even the Maxtrac/GM300 mobiles and some of the newer MCS2000, M1225 etc mobiles are great!

[KS4VT]

XTS2500's and XTS5000's are capable of Front Panel Programming (FPP) and can be found on ebay <$1000.00. All of the accessories interchange, except for the battery. You just have to know how to read the feature sets.

A ton of information is on batlabs http://www.batlabs.com

[W4KRR]

In addition to everything already said, if you don't mind slightly older models, the MT1000 can be had for cheap. In addition to the newer XTS2500, I also have several MT1000's; I just got a 99 channel UHF model from eBay for $35 in great condition, including a rapid charger. Not front panel programmable, but they're rugged, and accessories are available cheap, and 99 channels is adequate for many people.

[KB1ILS]

Sure you can use them, in fact I prefer them, and the TX and RX audio is superb. Ask around, a lot of agencies are phasing out the "Jedi" series right now (HT1000, MT2000, MTS2000, etc.) and will be more than happy to give you all the radios and accessories that you can carry. However be warned it may be difficult to locate someone who can program them due to software that needs to be run on an older computer. I regretfully just got rid of all of my Jedi series radios and accessories when the shop whom I had doing the programming stopped supporting that line of radios. Great radios, rugged and reliable, but the Jedi series is getting older.

[KB0MNM]

I think that you will find quite a few models of the Motorola HTs are superior to amateur radios, but this is comparing apples and oranges- the feature you might miss most is dual-band capability. From personal experience, I like the one that has a 'flip top' display, which means that you can put it on your hip and read it looking down- irregardless of keypad toward or away from you. My other experience with the radios is this- you may not always have inexpensive programming access. I used to work where I could borrow a rib and cables and software for my CDM1550 mobile. Then one of the dispatchers asked why I was coming in to work on the weekend. Now I still have the radio, but do not wish to sell it with a mix of business band and amateur radio frequencies ( I also helped with projects under the license of nearby schools ). To change that programming, I expect that a one time fee would be $60.00 and the tools to do it myself would be at least $250.00 ( provided I build my own cables and rib ). So your cost of programming could also vary. 73 KB0MNM

[WQIZ266]

So your cost of programming could also vary. 73 KB0MNM

Absolutely!
I went to a radio shop one time that does programming for all the black car taxi types and limo's in the Queens NYC area and they wanted $30 per channel! LOL! I had a 4 watt Motorola CP200 with four channels but after he finished programming it for me.I gave him $30 for all four channels and said I'm not paying $120 just for 5 mins of work.Good bye...He knew he was ripping me off anyway so....
Now I don't recommend you do what I did.So Find a cheaper place.Ultimately after that I found a place nearby that did my two channel Motorola mobile for $25.

Alternatively you could go with Vertex or Icom commercials as they both let you use their free software to program your radios at home,unlike Motorola.You must buy a programming cable though.It is quite cheap $16-$65 depending if you buy the official ones or where you buy it.I've had great performance with radios from both companies but Vertex is better in my opinion.In fact Most of the NYPD are using Vertex UHF radios right now.Here in Brazil,the Police and other agencies seem to be using mostly VHF Icom radios.

Good luck.