Visar issue ( what else is new with these things )

[MT2000 man]

Good day all,

First off, yes, I still use a Visar every now and then. I have a UHF DN version one here that every once in a while when I turn it on, the display reads 88 with the scan icon on, does NOT give a power up beep, and sounds like an electrical interference runs through the speaker. Also, when the radio is on after a certain amount of time, the transmissions will get blocked out, yet when I TX everyone can hear me on the other radios. It's like of like the speaker mutes itself.

Any ideas what's going on with this radio ? It's NOT the battery, since I tried it with several batteries and the same issue occurs. Seems like the power on issue happens about once out of ever 3-4 power ups.

[JRUTA]

Haha I see I'm not the only one that still has one. I know you said its not a battery issue, but its possible that the radios contacts need a good cleaning with a pencil eraser. I would try cleaning both the radio and battery contacts with this method first before ruling out something uglier. It can't hurt.

[MT2000 man]

Cleaned the battery contacts with a pencil eraser, and so far all is well ! Hasn't done the issue since ( knock on wood lol )

[MTS2000des]

These radios are guano. I know everyone liked them 20 years ago before all the off shore boys figured out how to build small ultra-compact portables for cheap.

The so-called controller board is ultra THIN, snapped into the front cover with virtually no protection, and notorious for developing cracks, the interconnect flex may be going, or if moisture EVER gets inside...they're pretty much a lost cause. Did I mention the sealing integrity SUCKS on the housing?

If you've done the obvious you might want to consider replacing the radio. These are (or SHOULD BE) cheap as dirt. Otherwise time to hang them up and consider something newer (and better). I believe ESCOMM had some nice EX series portables for sale for cheap. These would be a huge upgrade reliability, performance and at least they are still somewhat supported.

[JRUTA]

Hopefully thats the fix for yours.

Of course what the above poster said is true. (you guys have been around for a while lol) I know they made some design changes in the DN revisions- thicker boards, different housing, But I guess they were still not a great design.

For whatever the reason, I still have mine. I know they sell thin Lithium Ion battries (1900mAh I believe) for them on flebay. Was thinking of trying one out. Oh and make sure you clean the radios contacts themselves too.

[MT2000 man]

Ok, a little update, ( thanks Erik for the response too ! ) -

Radio still acts up, even after cleaning both the battery contacts, and radio contacts. I have another UHF Visar with the DTMF keypad I just picked up ( radio is like new, DN revision, with a speaker mic, good battery, holder and charger ) on "that auction site" for $85 shipped. I thought that was a good deal so I jumped on it. My current Visar must have sensed it's getting replaced and is deciding to act up lol

True these radios are not reliable at all, made cheap, etc. but for whatever reason, I have always liked them. Full 4 watts of power, and the audio is pretty good. I had an EX600 for a few months, and while it did 1000% more than my Visar could ever think of doing, the audio was horrible, and was thicker than the Visar as well, so I sold it and went back. I still use my XTS5000R for everyday use ( if my Visar was used everyday then that would be an issue LOL ). For a bang around the house / vacation / car convoys / etc. radio the Visar fits the bill perfectly. I just wish they didn't break as easily lol I'll admit, I HAVE dropped this radio on a tile floor countless of times, and just the other day it fell off the holster and slid 3 feet across the tile floor, so now that I'm thinking about it, that last fall is what probably sealed it's fate.

EDIT - also, those thin Li-Ion batteries from the Bay are fantastic ! I bought one 5 months ago and still use it all the time. It's something like 2400MAH, and lasts 3-4 days 8+ hours a day without needing a recharge. Only thing I don't like about them is how they charge. There's no charging contacts on the back of the battery, you have to plug it in to charge it. The plug is on the top of the battery, and is very cheaply made. When you plug it in, the charger wall wart turns red, but it's VERY finicky on when it chargers. You have to move the plug around in the hole until it finally goes red, then you cannot move the radio or it will not charge. That's the only thing I don't like about that battery.

[JRUTA]

Well, sorry to hear that didn't fix it. Yup, toast. I really love mine too, I use my Xts25 for work, but love it for the same reasons you state. Thanks for the info on the other batteries. I'm gonna try one - I love the slim form factor.

[RadioSouth]

Unfortunately they stopped making the slim 600 MAh? battery and the form factor with fat battery is ludicrous, kinda like a big potato with an antenna that defeats the whole meaning of micro. It was definitely innovative when it came out but yeah, had a couple go to the dreaded '88' when dropped.
Prior to the Visar only the Expo came close. Guess the time for the Visar has come and gone.

[MT2000 man]

Here are some size comparisons between the slim battery and the fat one. The size is really amazing.



free upload pictures



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Funny thing is, since the slim battery is rated at 2400MAH, it lasts even LONGER than the fat one lol

[RadioSouth]

Just looked 'em up, they made 600 1200 and 1500 MAh OEM. The slim battery was only rated for 4 Hour usage at 5-5-90 cycle on the 800 MHz radios. The only real application I found for the fat batteries was when used as a cupholder radio, fit that role well.

[JRUTA]

RadioSouth, these aren't OEM. They have a plug-in charger and aren't made for the drop-in charger, but they are nice and thin with MUCH better specs than the OEM slims. Look great for the price. I'm ordering one. We'll see how it goes. Yep, Visar with the OEM Hi-cap battery is ridiculous, a potato indeed.

[RadioSouth]

Please let me know how that slim battery works out.

[JRUTA]

Will do