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Posted: 7/20/2017 9:28:43 PM EDT
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I want to add comms to my PC, My local Fire Department is selling there old Radios and I was thinking about buying one, But I have no idea if there good for what I need/what.
Any help would be great! The radio is a Motorola ht1250 with the mic piece for $200 ok Questions: 1. Is that a good radio? 2. Would it work well in SHTF? 3. As far as need go I don't really know?....what would you say is average? 4. my area of OP is flat country land surrounded by mountains 5. What do I need to do to legally have comms? Thanks again, I know this topic has been beaten to death but I would greatly appreciate the help 
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That is a mid-grade public safety radio that's been around a while, I am not sure if Mother Moto still supports it. They are not bad from my limited experience; an agency I worked for had them as radios for second-line emergency response (ie civil defense, public school evacuations, etc) and we used them when we did exercises with those entities.
The cost seems outrageous to me compared to what some dealers will sell you a refurbished radio with an in-house warranty for. Well, some questions to start off... Who do you intend to communicate with and what frequencies to they use? (You can keep this to yourself if you want). Are you covered by any license at all? Do you know someone with the software to program those? To repair them? Always assume used radios will need new batteries immediately. And most aftermarket batteries for Moto radios suck (the major exceptions I have found are Multiplier and WW brands). Are you financially prepared to purchase OEM batteries and a quality charger? |
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That is a mid-grade public safety radio that's been around a while, I am not sure if Mother Moto still supports it. They are not bad from my limited experience; an agency I worked for had them as radios for second-line emergency response (ie civil defense, public school evacuations, etc) and we used them when we did exercises with those entities. The cost seems outrageous to me compared to what some dealers will sell you a refurbished radio with an in-house warranty for. Well, some questions to start off... Who do you intend to communicate with and what frequencies to they use? (You can keep this to yourself if you want). Are you covered by any license at all? Do you know someone with the software to program those? To repair them? Always assume used radios will need new batteries immediately. And most aftermarket batteries for Moto radios suck (the major exceptions I have found are Multiplier and WW brands). Are you financially prepared to purchase OEM batteries and a quality charger? As for frequencies I have no idea what I can use/not use, I'm really brand new to this 
For software and & repair I have a guyÂ
And what would a new battery cost? |
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As for frequencies I have no idea what I can use/not use, I'm really brand new to this And that's before going into all the BS of trying to repurpose old big /\/\ fleet radios.Â
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The above coupled with the fact the radio likely cannot be used legally without and FCC licence of some sort makes me recommend you pass. And that's before going into all the BS of trying to repurpose old big /\/\ fleet radios.
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OK thanks for the help guys, I'm reading a little bit in the HAM section of the site but could you like me some materials to learn about this stuff please Radio Comms: A Basic Primer - By SpanishInquisition (Hey, that's me!) |
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I will try to answer some of your questions...
The HT1250 is absolutely a good radio - personally I am very fond of the HT1250 LS+. It is a very capable radio and reasonably durable. It is still supported by MOTOROLA. To get one radio is no good unless you have other people with radios to talk to. Is this radio VHF or UHF? What band is being used by your buddies? The HT1250 is NOT a dual band radio - it is either built and operates on either VHF or UHF, but not both. It is analog only, not digital. Without a repeater, it will be simplex / line of sight only. I am not encouraging you to violate any laws, but you will need an FCC license for some itinerate or local frequencies. The radio is capable or operation on GMRS / FRS. It is NOT capable of working on HAM frequencies. For value - $200 is not bad depending on condition. The speaker mic alone is worth about $60-70. The weak link will be the battery, it has a life span....so many charge cycles, but it can easily be replaced. Just as a side note - I still use the HT1250s pappy, the HT750. 
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