Batboard

I'm confused about what housing colors are available for the APX6000/6000XE family. The spec sheets say black, yellow and green for both models, but I'm seeing housing kits online like the NHN7071AS in orange, and I see red and blue as well.

Can they all be ordered from the factory in these colors? We're looking at buying in the not too distant future, and would like to color-code to separate the portables per apparatus (i.e., yellow=engine, green=ladder, etc.), and having more than three color options would be helpful.

The 6000 and 7000 radios, standard and XE, are available from the factory in black, yellow, and green. APX XE models give you a color-matching top controller and speaker grille when you order one of the three color options. The standard APX only has a black top controller available for all three housing colors (looks strange after seeing an XE with matching top plastic). The red, blue, and orange colors you refer to replace only the black outer housing (I think of it like an APX 'shirt'). The 'hat' (top controller), the 'tie' (speaker grille), and the 'shoes' (batteries) all remain black. I have only seen the colored housings available for the 7000. Someone else might chime in on the availability via the 6000. Hope this helps. -Jeff

Clarification...standard APX speaker grilles remain in whatever color you got from the factory (or order yourself a different one from parts after the fact)...black, yellow, or green. So you could have an APX6000 with the black top controller and battery (only thing available), the black, green, or yellow speaker grille originally put on the radio, and if they make the other colored housings for the 6000 (again, not sure), a red, blue, or orange housing. Yikes, who dressed THAT radio? Call the Motorola fashion police. But yes, the other housings do make it easy to quickly identify radios with different functions or programming (i.e., SWAT, rescue, command, RIT, etc.) - Jeff

Since they don't seem to allow ordering the other colors from the factory, I'm wondering how hard it is to swap the housing pieces. Realistically though, I doubt that we would bother. I would have been nice to be able to get them from the factory in any color.

Not hard at all to swap the main housing and speaker grille, the control top is quite a bit more involved.

Can anyone confirm the actual availability of housing colors other than black, green and yellow for the 6000XE? I've found part numbers for red, blue and orange for the regular 6000, but so far nothing for the XEs.

There are no other colors for the XEs

Bummer - it would have been nice to have some additional options for color-coding them.

I actually saw a pink apx 6000. Pretty sure it was custom and not factory. I didnt ask though.

TomSlick wrote:Can anyone confirm the actual availability of housing colors other than black, green and yellow for the 6000XE? I've found part numbers for red, blue and orange for the regular 6000, but so far nothing for the XEs.

Tom Can you provide the numbers that you found

Will the Coyote Tan case for the SRX2200 fit on an APX6000?

pfd radio wrote:Tom Can you provide the numbers that you found

Sorry for the delay in responding - if you look at Wiscomm, for example, you can see non-XE housing kits in red, orange and blue:

http://shopwiscomm.com/APX6000-Parts-C270810.aspx

They are in the "NHN707xAS" range.

I'll let everyone in on a little secret.. Unlike the APX7000XE which uses a different housing shell then the standard APX7000, the APX6000 & APX6000XE use the same housing shell. The top control of the APX6000XE drops down a little on the sides to fill in the gap. So you can use the standard colored APX6000 housing shells on an APX6000XE.

Here is a comparison photo of a couple of my radios, APX6000 & APX6000XE.

Mfire39 wrote:I'll let everyone in on a little secret.. Unlike the APX7000XE which uses a different housing shell then the standard APX7000, the APX6000 & APX6000XE use the same housing shell.

Thanks, that's good to know.

I'm wondering if anyone can speak to availability of the various housing colors. For example, radioparts.com shows at least one (orange, I think) as 'discontinued'.

To change the housing, what special tools if any do you need?

PATHman89 wrote:To change the housing, what special tools if any do you need?

You'll need a Torx T8 bit to remove the six screws which hold the housing to the chassis.

1. Remove the battery
2. Remove the accessory connector cover
3. Remove the two screws in the middle of the radio which hold the speaker grille in
4. Lift speaker grille away to reveal two screws underneath
5. Remove the top two screws above the speaker. Be careful not to let the speaker fall out
6. Remove the bottom two screws below the serial label
7. Carefully pull the sides of the housing away from the chassis and remove cover
8. Reassemble

Voila!

mikegilbert wrote:

PATHman89 wrote:To change the housing, what special tools if any do you need?

You'll need a Torx T8 bit to remove the six screws which hold the housing to the chassis.

1. Remove the battery
2. Remove the accessory connector cover
3. Remove the two screws in the middle of the radio which hold the speaker grille in
4. Lift speaker grille away to reveal two screws underneath
5. Remove the top two screws above the speaker. Be careful not to let the speaker fall out
6. Remove the bottom two screws below the serial label
7. Carefully pull the sides of the housing away from the chassis and remove cover
8. Reassemble

Voila!

The three-piece setup on the 6000's makes is a HELL of a lot easier than the 7000 single-shell design.

F800 wrote:Will the Coyote Tan case for the SRX2200 fit on an APX6000?

Yes, it should. I have Coyote furniture on my APX8000, which is based on the APX6000, and it fits perfect.

We use various colors of heat shrink tubing on the antennas to help identify radio groups at a distance.

Dan

Is there a XE style speaker Grille part for the regular 6K?

motoapco25 wrote:Is there a XE style speaker Grille part for the regular 6K?

No...closest to that would be the 8000 (non-XE) speaker grille.