Will we see a Mototrbo-APX?

[Mars]

I have heard from more than one birdy that Motorola has an APX7000 Revision 2 with DMR in it floating in the wild. Including one that works for an agency about a third of the way through a 12,000 unit APX8000 order. I doubt the radio will ever see the light of day from a production standpoint, but it can be done.

If anyone has one of these in their hands, send me a PM. I can suck the firmware and everything else out of the radio so we have a copy. (In case they pull the same BULLSHIT they did with the ASTRO25 Phase II support for the XTS/XTL radios. There were working Phase II 5000s floating around Plantation.)

 

[triptolemus]

I doubt the radio will ever see the light of day from a production standpoint, but it can be done.

It may see the light of day, but certainly not through you.

 

[techman]

Never say never - some said Motorola would never provide a tier3 solution and will Late Nov 15 we saw maybe that is not the case.

Tait or Hytera could come out with a product to compete with Kenwood on the DMR and P25 front and that could start to change the game.

 

[PRC148]

I brought up the idea about flashing an APX portable radio with MotoTRBO to a close friend who is a Local Government sales representative.
He said that the company administration told him absolutely not. The APX was designed for public safety and the only mode other than analog
that will ever be offered is P-25. Period. Several public safety agencies in Nebraska are using MotoTRBO, but it is being discouraged by Motorola
and the State of Nebraska who deployed the NWIN system a few years ago. State, county and local government entities are being persuaded to
transition to that digital system rather than utilizing TRBO.

I was also told that Motorola sales reps and MSS owners were informed that selling MotoTRBO equipment to public safety entities is a violation of
company policy and they would face termination of their employment or loss of their franchise.

Our local Moto dealers are pushing TRBO on every agency around here.

 

[com501]

The problem is of course that public safety can't get any MR pricing or grants for Trbo, only P25. That is the big wrinkle for large fleet sales there Moto would help with financing or bulk pricing.

 

[slapshot0017]

A DMR APX would be great for interop, but would ruin the market for both as astro would lose sales and DMR would go up in price, that is unless you keep the customers in the dark and tell them what they can and can't buy. It's a double edged sword that marketing would hate, but engineering would love.

 

[escomm]

It may see the light of day, but certainly not through you.

You're correct. I don't build radios and I don't own a factory. Not sure what this has to do with anything though.

 

[escomm]

Never say never - some said Motorola would never provide a tier3 solution and will Late Nov 15 we saw maybe that is not the case.

You probably misheard what was said. Tier 3 will never exist in the US. It's no surprise Motorola has Tier 3 products overseas. They got with the program with their Tetra offerings because European procurement generally frowns on proprietary features, especially when those proprietary features lock out European manufacturers.

 

[escomm]

The problem is of course that public safety can't get any MR pricing or grants for Trbo, only P25. That is the big wrinkle for large fleet sales there Moto would help with financing or bulk pricing.

That's because MR pricing would be higher than indirect dealer channel pricing, and those MRs should be quoting TRBO products out of the dealer catalog and not through the MR channel. Also any competent MR would be wise to suggest piggybacking on a contract like WSCA or HGAC or something like that in order to ensure the project never goes out to bid and keep in line with Motorola's government sales model.

 

[Mars]

You probably misheard what was said. Tier 3 will never exist in the US.