COMPLAINT: Zone/Channel names on Astro Spectra

ssybert · Post by **ssybert** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 11:49 am

Is it me or does anyone else think Motorola took a step backward with how they setup the Zone/Channel name display on the Astro Spectra? The old spectras you pressed the zone button and got to see what zone you were in then press it again to change the zone. Every time you changed zones, the new zone name would show on the display. After a second or so with no more zone changing activity, the name would clear replacing it with the current mode in the newly selected zone. Perfect. That worked great. I could have a nice long Zone name and still have my long channel name. With the Astro Spectra I've got to SHARE the single line display with both the zone name and channel name?!?! WTF!? I think you've got like 11 characters for names on the display and when I increase the zone name size, it automatically reduces the characters available for channel name. What a poor step backwards. Now I dont even use zone names. All I can do is change zones and figure out where I am based on the channel. Friggin Motorola. Same goes for the XTS but only the XTS is even worse!!! There is an UNUSED TEST LINE RIGHT BELOW THE CHANNEL NAME!!!! MAKE USE OF IT!! MY GOD!! Force me to cram zone name and channel name on a 12 character line without a space between them. WTF?!!!!

Rant over.

Post by **alex** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 12:01 pm

Well, the Astro line seems to perform the same way across all their portables... the Astro Saber is nice, since it lets you have 14 characters - I think the XTS is only 12.

Regardless, I really like the HT1550 screen's. 4 Line, you can choose the order of which you view what information. That was a really nice feature of the radio. 14 character Zone and then another 14 character channel names. Made for being able to clearly identify everything. I wish they would do that with the Astro stuff, but there isn't the deman for it.

Most the places that buy those radios anyway will buy the 16 channel radios for the peons, and the supervisors don't know any better who have the better radios.

It's been mentioned a couple of times that the XTL's will have a new control head for them, much like the MCS's. I'd wait for that.

-Alex

ssybert · Post by **ssybert** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 12:13 pm

The more you dig into Motorola the more you discover their flops. The XTS3000 has a signal meter. Does it work on conventional channels? No. It's also got a battery meter I've yet to see work other than on a self test. The zone issue, and now the Call issue we're discussing in another topic... Agrivating, thats all.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 4:59 pm

ssybert wrote:The more you dig into Motorola the more you discover their flops. The XTS3000 has a signal meter. Does it work on conventional channels? No. It's also got a battery meter I've yet to see work other than on a self test. The zone issue, and now the Call issue we're discussing in another topic... Agrivating, thats all.

The RSSI indicator is useless.

The battery guage will light up when the battery is low, however it will just flash the battery with all 3 segments, not a depleted battery with 0 "power segments" lit.

The line below the channel/zone name is used for digital ID display.

I like the XTS3000 better than I did the MTX8000- I really wish that Motorola designed their radios with all of the features and end-user programmability like they do in their dang cell-phones. An "on-all-the-time" RSSI meter would be great for trunked radios- then you'd know if you were in range without having the either first hear something, or get the "out of range" beep and display on the radio.

-Josh