Rare models? MT1000 & HT600

[WA3VJB]

How rare was the tone pad option on the MT1000 and HT600 series radios?

I have found an example from each model, both on VHF.

I don't know which public safety or commerical services would have used field-dialed telephone interconnect that these radios offer.

Sure, the hams use these on the repeaters, although far less often with cellular telephones these days, but they would not have purchased these radios new in any quantity.

SO who did, and how common are they to be found on the used market?

Thanks any information you may have.

Paul/VJB

[img]http://wa3vjb.amham.com/pics/DSC00615'.jpg[/img]

[601]

All of my HT600's and P200's have the DTMF front on them, they were relatively common, I got 4 of them in one ebay auction, all with the fronts They were retired from a power company. I used to see them all the time, but I slowly moved away from the HT's to the MT1000's since they offer more options. I really have no use for them, but do like to keep them just in case, especially for remote repeater control that I intend to set up in the future.

I've even seen the DTMF fronts for the MT1000, though much less that the others, the signalling cover I found to be more common than the other.

[wa2zdy]

Yeah Paul, nothing rare about them. I've had dozens of all three varieties - HT600, P200, MT1000. I've wondered who used them too but eh, they've been good for echolink and such, so I don't wonder too much.

Some of them are odd though. The programmable fronts require a double push of the # and * to make them send the tones. This is because those keys are also used to address the phone number memories.

I think I still have a couple if you need. Let me know.

[k2hz]

Some of them are odd though. The programmable fronts require a double push of the # and * to make them send the tones. This is because those keys are also used to address the phone number memories.

There are actually 3 versions of DTMF covers for the Genesis series radios.

The "programmable" or "timed tone" units are of limited vaule for ham or commercial interconnect use since they send a fixed tone length of about 150ms when a key is pressed and are designed to be preprogramed and activated with the # and * keys. You can stretch the tones out to about 400ms with a resistor change.

There is an "ANI" variation of this board that sends a programmed DTMF ANI and the user can not chage it. It is set with a special programming fixture.

The best version is the "continuous tone" which sends all digits plus * and # for as long as the key is pressed.

Beware of DTMF units you see on eBay, I find the timed tone are common and the continuous tone is rare. Ask before you buy or you may be disappointed.

[WA3VJB]

Any part numbers to distinguish?
I guess the best way is to power it up and listen !

Thanks for the addl information.

The mail room today just handed me a couple of new Motorola batteries I ordered for the MT1000.

The Cell Origin ?

Communist China.


Is nothing sacred ?

The last batch I bought, the cell origin was Japan.

[k2hz]

Any part numbers to distinguish?
.

For the HT600:
NTN5215A Continuous
NTN4627B Timed
NTN5405A ANI

For the MT1000:
NTN5596A Continuous
NTN5040A Timed
NTN5395A ANI.

The ANI and Timed use the same board. You could probably convert from ANI to Timed by removing U705 and adding R731. The Continuous board is totally different.

In the Option charts the "Timed" option is called "DTMF" and the "Continuous" is called "Continuous Tone DTMF" so "Timed" appears to be the more common option.

[specialeddie1]

Figures

[RadioSouth]

Yup, I stopped buying OEM when they turned to Chinese crap. It's Multiplier all the way for me.

[mancow]

I think the railroads used the dtmf pads quite a bit.

[WA3VJB]

Man, can't believe it.
After all the making-fun I spent of non-Motorola stuff made in the "Third World."

Sure, the MT1000 and HT600 radios themselves were manufactured in Malaysia, but I have to tell you, these things do not seem to break ! Out of the 20 or so I've come across on surplus all but three work perfectly despite 15+ years of who-knows-what kind of life they've been through.

OTOH, I have problems with just about anything I encounter that's made in communist China, including simple stuff like the coolant overflow tank I bought for my older car. Split plastic in a month, from a poorly done seam.

Well on these batteries I guess I ought to do the resistor-stopwatch capacity test often, in case I have to claim a warranty replacement or two if these things crap out early.

If Motorola watches this page as closely as their software watchdogs, let them take a message from us that we notice when the switch to shoddy sub-contractors.

[Robert HT220]

I got a UHF 8 freq. 438-470 MT1000 off eBay for about $20 shipped with the continuous DTMF front. Only bad thing is the channel selector got loose and wobbles around but still works. As for batteries I had a NTN5448 1500? mah Motorola green dot battery that lasted a long time and I've had good luck with the NTN5447B Motorola batteries too. The one I bought from Dkouz about two years ago still holds a charge for at least 18 hours, and it's from 1996! I saw some 2150mah aftermarket batteries on ebay for 30 bucks, anybody tried those?

[escomm]

Hmmm, specialeddie shows up around the same time as that joker from BatteryZone talking about what a waste Impres is (despite the endless threads here praising the technology), and then I see here he's plugging a guy named Jessie Baker, very similar to jbaker@bz, no?

I can't help but wonder if their IP addy's are from the same subnet