What's wrong with the Motorola VISAR ?

poser · Post by **poser** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 7:01 pm

It's nice and small and puts out 4Watts, but I've heard bad things about the VISAR. What exactly is wrong with it? Thanks!

MTS2000des · Post by **MTS2000des** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 7:57 pm

they're great when they work...other than that:

they are fragile, the controller board is thin and is attached with clips directly to the front housing of the radio. don't drop it, jar it or get it wet.

the damn flex always goes bad, PITA to replace.

they have crappy battery life with the slim batteries.

the speakers are crap.

other than that, they are nice radios.

Rayjk110 · Post by **Rayjk110** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:05 pm

Almost every Visar I've had and personally own has really crackily audio on TX and just feels kinda cheap sometimes. Basically it is a folded-over HT1000 in a smaller housing.

Agreed that they are excellent when they work, though. DTMF-Housing ones are just nicer to have as well, for the fact that you get the capability of it. They are more water 'resistant' than proof, if that. But most are problimatic. If you're in the market for one, I would highly suggest looking for a CN or DN revision, those typically have less problems.

jmr3865 · Post by **jmr3865** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:28 pm

The ex600 replaced them (I think). I have a kenwood 2170. I like it much better. I have had my hands on all 3.

Bruce1807 · Post by **Bruce1807** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 3:08 am

There great for your handbag if your that way inclined
(not that theres anything wrong with that)

Nah, they are good for people who never use a radio and keep it on the desk as a paperweight

MikeOxlong · Post by **MikeOxlong** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:51 am

Gave one to my wife (with the slim battery) as a cheap alternative to getting a hold of me by cellphone. Small enough to carry in her purse and she doesn't look that geeky using it to get a hold of me.

N4DES · Post by **N4DES** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 8:58 am

I have 3 of them, one in each band to include a Type II 800.
They are my "weekend" radios when I don't want to carry a
full size radio hanging off my belt or stuck in the center console of my truck.

I agree they aren't the most rugged but they are very ergonomic and with the thin battery can slip into a pocket easily.

jmr3865 · Post by **jmr3865** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 9:05 am

like I said, i have my kenwood 2170, maybe smaller than the visar, more, more featueres, better quality. My squad has 2 visar's. I don't even want them on the rig!

wa2zdy · Post by **wa2zdy** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 10:28 am

I have a UHF Visar here I bought from Woody99. From the size of it I don't imagine it would tolerate the abuse a Jedi or Genesis would take.

But there's nothing wrong with my Visar. I got it for the wife's handbag but usually it ends up in my pocket if I go out.

If you intend to drop your radio for kicks, this isn't the radio to buy. But if it's for your personal use and you're not a total spaz, there's nothing wrong with a Visar.

poser · Post by **poser** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:54 am

Thanks!

muggsy09 · Post by **muggsy09** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:28 pm

I have one, the only think I would change about it is adding another side button, to use more of the options, but other than that I like it and have had no problems.

D Brown · Post by **D Brown** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:31 pm

Hold on to it. A\L board is flimsey.

AEC · Post by **AEC** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:52 pm

Visar: Good radio, compact size and easy to program as well, but a BEAR to replace the PA on it if it fries.

The LCD is cheezy, but at least you can invert it, like the MT1000, so you can read it properly when it's on your belt or in your pocket facing a different direction.

One thing I never cared about the radio, was the THIN frame, it has no heat sinking capacity and gets hot during long winded conversations, as I've been known to have.

The standard battery also does not last long if you transmit often, even with short chats, the battery dies fast.

Those NiMh flat cells don't have the capacity a 5 watt radio needs, but it is sufficient for a 5-5-90 duty cycle.

And yes, the controller board is too flimsy and the flex interconnects are too light as well, they will not stand up to repeated case openings.

Watch out for the tiny LCD, it's not very securely held onto the carrier, and it can be popped off quite easily.