Hello all- new and confused about MTX800s

[Toby B]

I've been lurking for a while,

and I've searched and gotten all the answers- but it was a yes/no question!

Boeing Surplus dumped a bunch of MTX800s radios for less than the volume knob listed for, so I was a sucker and bought a few.
We use them at work (at the city) and I'd figured that they were trunking only, and just good for parts. Or to drop into the fountain as a joke...
"I can't take this thing anymore! >splash< ahhhh, that's better"

However, our radio guy said that they're reprogrammable as comventional- they might have to have a dummy trunk, but 'they make great hunting radios'

And in searching the board, I've found posts that say 'no, trunk only' and 'sure' and 'maybe'. Has anyone had any experience with them?

Also, I suppose, an even more pertinent question might be whether they can do frequencies that are legal for me to use personally?

Thanks!

Toby

[txshooter]

As a individual in the US I don't believe you could be licensed on a 800 Mhz frequency even something conventional. Legally the answer would be no, even if you found out that you could program something conventional in the radio. There is somewhat of a market for these in some third world countries and Latin America. Pennies on the dollar compared to what they originally sold for, but at least something.

They can also be used for lots of other fun things like target practice!

[JustinMoon205]

MTX800 trunked personalities only. MTX810 and MTX Classics will do trunking and conventional. That is from my experience with them. Never seen an 800 that did conventional. Someone please speak up if I am incorrect.

There is a frequency that was WIDELY used as a "talkaround" or "direct" frequency in many of the MESMR and MOSMR trunking systems in the US prior to Nextel buying them up. I can't think of it off the top of my head but I will look and see if I can locate it. I have some MTX810's around that have that frequency in it and I have used them several times and never heard anything on it or had any problems. As far as to the legality of that......likely not as those systems / frequencies are no longer licensed for conventional two way and I think they are Nextel spectrum now. Never heard any traffic of any sort other than another user using it for "talkaround" use.

-Justin

[Toby B]

Yeah, I dug through to figure out that the 's' version can do conventional...

and then realized that there's really no place in the 800 band to legally use 'em!

I'm thinking maybe a new sport- radio chucking!
Not as much fun as pumpkins,
but possibly more satisfying...

Toby

[N4KVE]

I picked up some classics years ago for $10 each. The systems were off but ch 3 was simplex. They worked great. Perfect coverage at Daytona Speedway between friends all over the track. Don't know what freq as they came programmed. People tried to buy them from me during the entire race. Had to decline. GARY N4KVE.

[JustinMoon205]

The frequency pair I am referring to is 853.4875/808.4875. Most activity is on the 853.4875 simplex. MANY MANY 800mhz portables that were setup for Type I trunking systems back in the 80's and 90's had this frequency in them for simplex use. Majority of them have DPL tones. I have several on this frequency and haver heard traffic on the frequency in my local area.

-Justin