Batboard

Does anyone know any rumblings about Motorola's plans to replace the ASTRO product line? The Quantar repeater and ASTRO Spectra mobile are starting to feel like it did in the Micor days of the early 1980s. The ASTRO Saber is dead, but even the XTS is no Spring chicken. Seems like their off-shore competitors at least try to get their competitve junk somewhat current with technology. Look at the ancient vacuum fluroscent display (W9 and A9) and the lackluster LCD junk on the MTS mobiles. Time for a new design that can be read in the sunlight, like EFIS LCD systems on avionics. They don't washout. And, don't say they cost a fortune. The new sun-resistant LCD disaplays are getting really cheap, and ever better.

Don't get me wrong---I'd take a Micor, what with its mechanical filters, over a rice rocket any day of the week, but I thought Motorola had re-invented itself and was trying to keep at least a little abreast of new technology.

Any scoops or KEWL rumors will surely be appreciated by all!

Larry

i had heard in the summer that a new astro-capable MCS series radio was on the horizon.

(i believe the MCS is called the RENEGADE chassis - used for the GM900/MCS/Iden et al mobiles)

there were some growning pains with the display board of the MCS since it's so complicated and really high density, but i think that's mostly overcome by now.

i agree - the old VFD spectra display has gotta go. My VHF W9 is absolutely worthless in the sunlight, while the MCS's are even easier to read in the bright sun.

you would have thought the "astro spectra plus" would have at least had an LCD instead of the VFD... but i guess old habits (and tooling, parts etc) die a long hard death.


looks like even the "astro spectra plus" won't have full 3600 baud functionality until sometime in 2003 anyway.

my question --- is this a firmware upgrade to a regular AS vocon? or maybe a little more memory (8 meg i think in an XTS 5000).... ??

could there be some "field upgrades"?? to dual format - 9600/3600?

doug

What about the W3 head? That looks like it is half way decent if you don’t mind a hand held controller.

batdude wrote:i had heard in the summer that a new astro-capable MCS series radio was on the horizon.

(i believe the MCS is called the RENEGADE chassis - used for the GM900/MCS/Iden et al mobiles)

It's called "Renaissance".