Batboard

Someone asked me this morning about a front panel programmable Motorola mobile. To the best of my knowledge they don't exist, do they?

Well... there was a story about a FPP spectra that was only to exist in one mans mind... But there also was talk of an APX7500 being able to..

The APX 7500 is available with an FPP flash. I've seen and operated one with an 03 head.

FireCpt809 wrote:Well... there was a story about a FPP spectra that was only to exist in one mans mind... But there also was talk of an APX7500 being able to..

...with FASCINATOR.

Hello.

There is such a radio in existence.
I have seen it firsthand in secret labs and in the vehicles of unnamed agencies.
It does program through the front keypad with ease.
Various encryption algorithms are present.
Further discussion of this device will get me in trouble.

Haha forgot all about cow tipper! Good end to a long day.

You know, I once heard the fire department in Rochester, NY bought Icom ham mobiles, took them out of band so they could do FPP.
Then someone broke them the news.

I think the OP question has been answered.. Yes they exist, are they commonplace no. Just like when the XTS5000/2500 came out it was like ohhhh wow gotta have it. Now days most of the Astro 25 radios that are in the hands of people in this hobby are FPP. The option was for the federal agencies and forest service. Once it out there and can be obtained it will make its way to the APX's or XTL's that end up in this world.

FireCpt809 wrote: The option was for the federal agencies and forest service. Once it out there and can be obtained it will make its way to the APX's or XTL's that end up in this world.

I will ask for the sake of conversation...why would the forestry service need FPP radios?

thebigphish wrote:

FireCpt809 wrote: The option was for the federal agencies and forest service. Once it out there and can be obtained it will make its way to the APX's or XTL's that end up in this world.

I will ask for the sake of conversation...why would the forestry service need FPP radios?

They could be hundreds of miles from the nearest laptop & need to have immediate frequency changes done to their radios, while they are fighting a forest fire. GARY N4KVE

The Forestry Service operates their radios out of emergency caches (meaning a bunch of radios stored for an emergency) so that when the cache is activated (meaning taken out to be used) the appropriate channels must be programmed. The other answer is that they're a Federal Agency, not bound by FCC rules that prohibit FPP under Part 90 operations.

Thanks for the answers Tom and N4KVE... Yes the forest service...http://www.nifc.gov/NIICD/index.html

KE7JFF wrote:You know, I once heard the fire department in Rochester, NY bought Icom ham mobiles, took them out of band so they could do FPP.
Then someone broke them the news.

I live in Rochester... Never heard this one before, and I work for the Icom LMR dealer in Rochester

maxkelley_kc2spy wrote:

KE7JFF wrote:You know, I once heard the fire department in Rochester, NY bought Icom ham mobiles, took them out of band so they could do FPP.
Then someone broke them the news.

I live in Rochester... Never heard this one before, and I work for the Icom LMR dealer in Rochester

Probably Scottsville FD,

and as for "Icom LMR in Rochester"... there are 2 to choose from...

tpg

Or they just bought Icom ham rigs online and didn't bother asking the dealers...and I heard it was Rochester FD proper, but you know never know. I heard this from when I lived in Schenectady, NY and getting into 2-way radios.

Def not Rochester proper. They went from MCS2000 to XTL1500...

tpg

Well, it wasn't a primary radio, they had it in addition. Either way, the person I heard about this from said it didn't last long as someone had to tell them "you can't use that radio unless you like lawyers!"

It really doesn't matter what Rochester had ... The OP has his question answered..