MDC1200 and MDC600 on Motorola Saber??

[losangelescop]

Hey all, little noob question here

What are they, what do they each do, what are they used for and are they any good???

I've heard that they also emit tones when you push or release the PTT, kind of like MODAT and Roger Beep. Is that also correct?

Also how good are Secure Capable Saber III's, I have an opportunity to finally buy a couple and wondering about good and bad points on each, and how they compare in TX/RX quality and range with Waris and Jedi radios, using UHF whip antennas?

Thanks,
Nic.

[Jim2121]

If you enable MDC1200 an ID is sent to the dispatch. either (on some units before you press the ptt, or after) It sounds like a burst: and you can hear it here: http://www.kb9ukd.com/digital/ Scroll down to MDC1200, on the left & play it as a .wav file ...It also provides dispatch with ANI, tells them who pressed the ptt.... If they have the decode equipment, it shows up on there display.... do a search, on the search icon above.... for MDC1200..someone else is going to have to finish this question. "we never close" we just wear out.....
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8:45am I can go home, whats broke is now fixed
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pick up where I left off, now that I'm home... No roger Beep with the sabers. (that I know of) Be careful about where you buy or get a Secure Capable Saber ...(sometimes if its from a Gov't auction or sale. they might pull out the secure mod.) I'm not up to date on secure/sabers..
Jedi ie: HT1000, MT2000, do MDC1200... An HT1000, Jt1000, can only hold 16 channels... (the JT is front program) Sabers can hold 48,120 channels (some 255channels) MT2000 48-160 channels... as for range & UHF antenna.... depends on the wattage the radios is set at. Enviroment, Using a Repeater or not? another topic... So Nic see if you get another reply on how secure the saber is? hope this helps....
Jim

[Grog]

how good are Secure Capable Saber III's, I have an opportunity to finally buy a couple and wondering about good and bad points on each, and how they compare in TX/RX quality and range with Waris and Jedi radios

I'd say if they are all in good working order, the saber should outpreform the jedi by a little bit, and it'll make the waris look like a FRS radio

[fogster]

What are they, what do they each do, what are they used for and are they any good???

MDC1200 basically transmits a brief data packet at the beginning of your transmission, containing the 4-digit number (hex) you give it. It's generally used for unit IDs; as Jim2121 says, dispatchers can tell who's talking. (Some units--not Sabers, though--are able to decode the data itself.) Some Sabers have an emergency button, which, when pressed, sends a series of data indicating your ID and that you're in an 'emergency' mode. I'd dare say that MDC1200 is almost ubiquitous in public safety use.

MDC600 is just a (much) older version of MDC1200. I'm not aware of anywhere using it.

I've heard that they also emit tones when you push or release the PTT, kind of like MODAT and Roger Beep. Is that also correct?

What you're probably thinking of is the "sidetone." It's just a beep that comes out of the speaker when it's transmitting the MDC1200 data so that you know not to talk. (If your Saber is secure-capable, or programmed to think it is, you'll get a very short beep on PTT anyway in clear mode.)

Also how good are Secure Capable Saber III's, I have an opportunity to finally buy a couple and wondering about good and bad points on each, and how they compare in TX/RX quality and range with Waris and Jedi radios, using UHF whip antennas?

I've been quite pleased with mine. (Performance-wise, there's no difference between secure-capable and non-, just the ability to house a secure module, which makes the radio a little bigger... They're the same otherwise.) The only 'downside' is that they're an older platform, so they don't have all the fancy bells and whistles that you probably don't need anyway. (Things like Smartnet trunking, Digital ID display, more advanced MDC features...

A couple caveats that may or may not apply to you:
- The UHF Sabers (H44...) came in several bandsplits, and eBay is often flooded with "government split" ones on 403-433 MHz, which is essentially useless. You can't tell which of the bandsplits it's on by the model number, and sellers rarely have any idea... So if you're buying a UHF from a seller who doesn't specialize in Motorola gear, or who's just not trustworthy, UHF Sabers can be a gamble.
- Secure-capable radios that don't have a secure module should have a 'bypass module' in them. If the bypass module is removed, you'll get no audio. (It's just a matter of soldering a wire in place, though, if it comes down to it.) I've never seen a radio sold without some sort of module, but be aware that it could happen.

[mr.syntrx]

What are they, what do they each do, what are they used for and are they any good???

MDC1200 basically transmits a brief data packet at the beginning of your transmission, containing the 4-digit number (hex) you give it. It's generally used for unit IDs; as Jim2121 says, dispatchers can tell who's talking. (Some units--not Sabers, though--are able to decode the data itself.)

8D Sabers can do StatAlert. Rare as hen's teeth though, so they're probably not worth mentioning anyway. The OP shouldn't count on finding one.

A couple caveats that may or may not apply to you:
- The UHF Sabers (H44...) came in several bandsplits, and eBay is often flooded with "government split" ones on 403-433 MHz, which is essentially useless. You can't tell which of the bandsplits it's on by the model number, and sellers rarely have any idea... So if you're buying a UHF from a seller who doesn't specialize in Motorola gear, or who's just not trustworthy, UHF Sabers can be a gamble.

Not so much of a problem because he's in Australia, but their usefulness depends on whether he has a wideband channel in that range (odds are he doesn't, if he has a channel down there at all, as most of the allocations down there in VK land are narrowband.)

[losangelescop]

Thanks guys, the ones up for offer already come pre-programmed with all the channels I need, so the split shouldn't be a problem, but I dont think there's anywhere here in Australia that I can get used genuine Motorola accessories for them. I would need RSM's, rapid chargers or a rapid gang charger, antennas, batteries, and possibly leather swivel cases. Anyone know of anywhere in Australia I can get these? I've tried ebay.com.au for decades but theres rarely any Sabers or Saber parts/accessories on there. I COULD get some shipped from the United States eBay site using PayPal etc, but I'm sure it would be expensive and a pain in the @$$.

Wouldn't it be great if I ended up getting a green card!?!? I'd FINALLY be living in the best country on earth for Motorola gear, plus a helluvalot more!...God Bless America!

[mr.syntrx]

All that stuff was available through normal dealer channels in Australia... 8 years ago. Not anymore. These are ANCIENT radios, after all. Some Sabers are as old as the techs servicing them nowadays.

[AEC]

Most secure capable Sabers only have a single MDC option selection; and that is PRE, so the MDC data is transmitted BEFORE the radio enables the secure module(to prevent 'falsing' and encryption synchronization problems).

Non secure Sabers usually have 3 options for the MDC, and those are normally: PRE/BOTH/POST, so you can select when your ID gets transmitted as non secure Sabers have no worries with encryption synchronization, so these models have the selections available in their options list for MDC.

And MDC600 is a slower(almost GE-STAR-like sounding ID string), so the data packets are sent at a slower data rate.

As for narrow band......almost ALL Sabers I have had are capable of 6.25 Khz. channel spacing and perform there quite well also.

Systems Sabers ARE of a differnet breed though....similar in many respects, but without fiddling with the band limits in the RSS, they are pretty much 'locked' within the factory-set band splits +/- a Mhz. or two.

One other note for the Systems models; They are capable of status messages, but the drawback is thet the radio will also automatically place a PL tone on ALL CSQ channels if this option is used...just a warning!