Maxtrac radios any good?

ku4zs1 · Post by **ku4zs1** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 9:18 pm

I am looking at acquiring a UHF Maxtrac with MDC for another vehicle. I wanted to get something cheap but definately wanted to have the MDC capability so I can page the radio in the car.

I seem to remember some bad things about maxtracs but couldnt find any posts on here about it. Just seems like I heard they were not good choices, like for link radios and such. This wont be a link radio, but... anyways, I think you get my question. Do maxtracs have any typical problems for just general mobile operation, not link radios or anything? I dont want to waste my money if this radio is going to start having problems.

d119 · Post by **d119** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 9:19 pm

It's a fine mobile radio, if you can live without an alphanumeric display and a lot of function buttons.

The MaxTrac one one of Motorola's Flagship products. A lot like the MICOR and MT500.... Diehards...

kb0nly · Post by **kb0nly** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 10:19 pm

They work great as link's, data setups, repeaters, you name it! The Maxtrac is a very versatile radio.

Post by **wavetar** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 5:05 am

There's very little bad to say about the Maxtrac series, actually. The water resistance isn't the greatest, as there's no gasket sealing at all. As long as you're using it in a dry vehicle, that's not really an issue. They are quite robust, and are easily fixed for most common problems. There's a ton of cheap spare units for parts on ebay & at hamfests. Not to mention, they are very 'hacker friendly'. They were definitely a flagship model for many years. The 16-channel GM300 can also do MDC & is essentially the same radio. They're both good economical choices.

Todd

motorola_otaku · Post by **motorola_otaku** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 2:30 pm

They also have excellent receivers, sometimes outperforming Spectras and even Astro radios. And the PAs are tolerant of brutal duty cycles.

ku4zs1 · Post by **ku4zs1** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 3:32 pm

Im convinced, and bought one

KitN1MCC · Post by **KitN1MCC** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 3:42 pm

Maxtracs are a Die hard Little Radio/Easy to Fix easy to find parts and fun to hack around with

hell even the little 2 channel jobs are godo for the money

kf4sqb · Post by **kf4sqb** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 5:07 pm

Only common problem I know of is the tendency of the logic board to RF board connector, a row of header pins that go through the chassis in roughly the center of the radio, to lose connection from time to time. Simple fix, just pull the logic board out of the chassis, and clean the pins. Good as new.