Batboard

Hello, just wondering if anyone has ever messed around with the MW520 data terminals? I want to pick one up and see if I can get any use out of it, such as messages from one unit to another, or find out (hopefully not the hard way) that there has to be somn type of system controller. I am sure there needs to be though. Please let me know if you have any information, thanks!!

The MW520 is a Pentium computer build by Motorola for mobile applications. It is a basic computer with touch screen. Depending what options are included there could be a radio modem or other wireless device.

All the advanced features, like mobile-to-mobile messaging require software.

The new MW800 is very slick. If you look closely in the new "Looney Toons" movie, Wile E. Coyote is using a Motorola MW800.

http://mw800.motorola.com/

MW900 is the latest and greatest.

SG

Are referring to the ML900?

luch, to my knowledge, I don't think your MW520 will support any sort of terminal-to-terminal messaging, unless you have a full-blown ASTRO Data System.

You need to run ASTRO digital radios through an ASTRO Quantar repeater, and the ASTRO subscriber radio(s) must be equipped with the Data option. Then at the dsipatch point you need the very costly DIU3000 unit, which in turn must be tied into an even more expensive NCP3000 box that interfaces to the PC where the terminal messaging software resides.

It's one heck of a big, huge costly system to support even the simplist of short messaging, even for just one mobile with a terminal. The DIU3000 and NCP3000 togethert would cost about $50,000 new. Of course, you can find these things for a fraction of this on eBay once in a blue moon, but even then you'd probably be into many thousands of dollars.

In the end, it's essentially impossible for Ham type use since the infrastructure equipment becomes a nightmare of expensive gear that would otherwise support many hundredes (if not 1,000's) of mobiles for the same cost (not including terminal costs, of course).

Larry

Yeah sorry, ML is corrrect, gotta slow down on the alcohol.

SG

The ML900 is a ruggedized laptop and not a true Mobile mounted Work station. But it comes close with the DDN7411A mount.

But they are cool.

http://ml900.motorola.com/

hehe screw the MW520... the PDRC kicks its butt and the newer stuff. ML900 is nice though.

The older MW520 has screen issues and would often over heat or cause extreme condensation/freezing in the winter.

Thanks for all your input everyone. Just like the KDT 480 terminals, it sounds pricy, and not worth it. Amazing how much $ this stuff goes for, even used.....Does look nice though!!

We're getting ready to trade in some of our color MW520's, M said they would give us $235 a unit trade in, I told the cheif I would buy all of them at that price.

SG

The Mw520 is stand-alone, right? I know that the M(K)DT's are "dumb" terminals but I always understood that the MW series was more like a PC with a RF modem rather than some sort of a node.

Yes the MW's are true mobile PC's and run normal apps like Delorme Street Atlas if you so desire.

Since the MW520 is a real PC, could you not somehow build it out as a TNC and use it to run packet or something?

Wow a 3 year old topic back from the dead...gotta love the Search button.

Some of the MW520 had built-in GPS, you could load it with an APRS program and hook a TNC or similar to one of the serial ports and run APRS on it. I'm not sure what models had data radios built in, but i'm sure it was 800 or 900MHz only. If it was based on a standard portable or mobile chassis it would be cool to swap in some VHF hardware and set it up on 144.39....

Sorry about that, but these things have caught my eye now that they are starting to hit ebay.

I see a lot of potential use for them. I'm not so big on them for virtual radio operation as I am other things. I'd like to put some mapping software on one, as well as see if I could stuff a broadband card into it and get mobile internet.

All without having to buy a seperate notebook and duct tape it into the car.

They come in a few flavors of processor I see, and my big thing is trying to find out how to tell which CPU is which. I also wonder if the processor could be upgradeable? I'm not expecting 1Ghz, but 700/800 aught to be plenty for most of the things I'd like to try...

-Shawn