Saber submersible question

[bellersley]

Hi guys. I recently picked up an (analog) Saber IIR. What I'm wondering is this. I've seen the Saber R radio that looks like a regular saber (IE, no fancy case and battery) but with the yellow R on the case. What is the difference between the IIR (or IR) with the fancy case and battery and the regular looking "R" Saber?

Edit: By difference, I mean in terms of being submersible/rugged, not in terms of radio operation.

[DJP126]

All of the "ruggedized" model Sabers had to be tested for submersible specs.

[tvsjr]

Ruggedized Sabers (with the fancy cases) were only submersible to some shallow depth (like 3 feet).
A "real" submersible Saber will have "SUBMERSIBLE" on the top escutcheon and appear virtually identical to a regular Saber I. Those are the radios that are truly submersible to real depth. I actually have one (a real, legit, from-the-factory one).

However, I wouldn't try submersing any of them at this point... unless they're maintained, pressure-tested, etc., the submersibility rating is long since expired.

[DJP126]

However, I wouldn't try submersing any of them at this point... unless they're maintained, pressure-tested, etc., the submersibility rating is long since expired.

I agree, I would not trust the ability of a radio this old to be submersible. There are way too many seals that have probably dried out. Also if you have removed the housing since the radio was vacuum tested (we NEVER pressure tested the radios, we made sure they were water tight by removing the air and making sure the radio held the vacuum. IF we had a radio that was extremely difficult to find a leak, then we would apply light pressure while submerged to locate a leak, but that was last resort), you have no idea if it is water tight anymore. At the depot, any submersible radio that was opened for any reason had to be vacuum tested again after reassembly.

[kf4sqb]

I learn something new on here all the time. I always thought they had a low-pressure nitrogen charge added. Just out of curiosity, how many inches of vacuum did ya'll pull on 'em?

[DJP126]

Unfortunately, I don't remember the spec (getting old is a b****). If I had the guage in front of me I would know in an instant. The unit had to hold the vacuum for at least one minute, most of us tested them for two.

[bellersley]

So you mean the regular looking Sabers that are marked submersible are actually more so than the ones with the fancy battery clip and such? I'd have figured it was the other way around. So why the $3500 for just the case if it isn't quite what it's made out to be?

[Grog]

Yeah, but you can take a saber "R" and shoot it out of an elephant's butt at 300mph and it will still survive. Might want to wash it off first....

[DJP126]

TVSJR had to be expressing his opinion, the ruggedized Saber has the same submersible specs as the non-rugged submersible Saber.

[bellersley]

So at the end of the day, the differences lie only in terms of physical durability, with the ruggedized on being able to tolerate more "man-handling" than the other? I do a fair bit of activity where a radio gets dropped and beat up so I'm guessing this is where the IIR would shine over the regular one then. Thanks for the replies and answers!

[tvsjr]

TVSJR had to be expressing his opinion, the ruggedized Saber has the same submersible specs as the non-rugged submersible Saber.

Actually, I was under the impression that the ruggedized Sabers were not submersible to the same depths as the "SUBMERSIBLE" escutcheoned models. A local department has thousands of the analog Saber 2Rs in service and, from what I recall, they were told the units were only submersible to 3 feet or something like that (good enough to withstand a bath in a pool, not good enough to go diving with). However, I don't have the spec sheets in front of me, so I could be wrong.

At this point, regardless of which version it was (rugged vs. non-rugged), I wouldn't trust any of them. I'm not sure I'd even trust an Astro Saber 2R, unless it had detailed paperwork with it where the unit had been retested properly.

As far as the ruggedness question, the R models will win hands-down. My question to bellersley would be - what sort of activity are you doing that requires the radio to get dropped and beat up? My radio lives either on my belt, in a pocket on a tac vest, or in a pocket on my bunker coat. It may get wet and smoky, but it very rarely gets dropped (only if I fumble it while moving it around).