There is a chance that my pre-ordered pair of DTR700s have shipped from Motorola’s factory (in Malaysia?). The expected ship date from the factory was around 15DEC2018.
Motorola has been updating the main page on their site for the DTR series. I’ve been checking the page on a daily basis for the DTR700 and DTR600. The DTR700 and DTR600 weren’t there a few hours ago and still showed the DTR 410/550 models. Now the page shows only the DTR 700/600 models. The individual web pages for the DTR 410 and 550 have been removed. The DTR650 page is still on the site, unknown for how much longer. The old DTR550 image is still there as of this posting. https://www.motorolasolutions.com/en_us/products/two-way-radios/on-site-business-radios/dtr-series.html
I just received email from my dealer that my DTR700 radios have shipped! I bumped the order quantity up to complete my fleet of them. I also ordered a PMPN4465 Multi-Unit Charger (MUC) for them.
I should receive my DTR700 radios and the MUC in a few days. I plan to post first impressions after I receive them and write a thorough review after I’ve had time to play with them for a while.
Motorola’s website is in a state of flux. It is hard to navigate without searching for the exact model you are looking for. The new DTR 700/600 models appear in place of the old models on the main DTR page but the old documents and CPS (R06.00) still appear on the page. The image of the girl holding a DTR550 is still shown.
I picked up my DTR700 radios today. I unpacked two of them and the date of manufacture on them is December 20, 2018. It looks like they shipped from the factory in Malaysia right after they were built. They are barely 2 weeks old.
Below are pics of a lineup of radios and closeup pics of the antenna connector. The DTR700 antenna connector is a stud type, not the SMA type used in the older DTRs. The connector scheme reminds me of the antenna connector in my old GP300 and HT1250 radios I owned years ago. Time will tell how rugged and reliable the connector design is. The DTR700 antenna is a half wave type.
I powered them up and verified that they work. Audio seems identical to the older DTRs. They are insanely easy to set up with a 4 digit Profile ID to secure your channels. The Profile ID is easily set from the keypad.
I just got them out of the box and powered up. I haven’t had time to play with them much yet. Initial out of box first impressions are that the DTR700 is a nice replacement for the DTR 410/550/650.
Here are some initial first impressions from playing with my DTR700 radios and getting them working with my DTR650 fleet and DLR fleet.
Likes:
[ul]
[li]Best audio of the DTRs (and DLRs) goes to the DTR700 due to AGC in the transmitted audio. It doesn’t matter if you talk a few inches away or climb up on it. This is a BIG win in my book and for a lot of people. The older DTRs and the DLRs don’t have AGC in the Tx audio. The DLRs will transmit badly distorted audio if you climb up on them. All testing was done with the mic gain at the default (medium) setting. Best audio goes to the DTR700, worst audio goes to the DLRs, and with the older DTR 410/550/650 somewhere in the middle.
[/li]nr[li]Slim package design like SL300/SL3000/TLK100.
[/li]nr[li]Nice look and feel. Very easy to operate.
[/li]nr[li]PTT button is in the best spot for natural feel and operation.
[/li]nr[li]Uses color display from XPR7550.
[/li]nr[li]Uses keypad from XPR radios.
[/li][/ul]
Dislikes:
[ul]
[li]Antenna connector - small threaded stud instead of an SMA connector.
[/li]nr[li]No talkgroup scan feature like DTR550/650.
[/li][/ul]
Programming:
[ul]
[li]Programs like the DLRs.
[/li]nr[li]Much easier to program than the older DTRs, more intuitive.
[/li]nr[li]The Profile ID features first added in the DLRs are nice added features to the DTR700. The 4-digit Profile ID feature makes it insanely easy to set up new DTRs and secure your channels without needing the CPS. New radios can be added to an existing fleet of radios without needing to reprogram all radios in the fleet. Programming Private Groups with the CPS was the only way to do this in the older DTRs. You can still program public and private groups identical to the older DTRs for 100% backward compatiblity if you want to.
[/li][/ul]
Range & RF performance:
[ul]
[li]Appears to be identical to the older DTR550/650 and DLRs, based on testing from several favorite test locations. I haven’t had a chance to do any serious range testing yet.
[/li]nr[li]DTR700 output power (from FCC grant) = 830 mW (+29.2 dBm)
[/li]nr[li]DTR410/550/650 output power (from FCC) = 890 mW (+29.5 dBm)
[/li]nr[li]DLR output power (from FCC) = 880mW (+29.4 dBm)
[/li][/ul]
Unknown/TBD:
[ul]
[li]Overall ruggedness of radio = ??? The older DTR550 and DTR650 have a more rugged feel to them. The DTR700 is rugged but feels feather light compared to the older DTRs.
[/li]nr[li]Ruggedness and reliability of antenna connector = ??? Too early to tell.
[/li]nr[li]Time will tell regarding ruggedness and reliability after years of wear and tear from lots of use and abuse.
[/li][/ul]
Regarding ruggedness… The original DTR have a rubber casing which was pretty indestructible and protected the radio even when dropped on hard surfaces most of the time. It looks like the 700 series has a more traditional hard plastic casing that might be more prone to cracking when dropped. Is that the case? Likely they would need to have a protective case around them if the plastic were not soft and/or durable enough to withstand a drop the way the older DTR were. Thoughts?
I assume you don’t like the new antenna connection because it’s non-standard? Does it look more rugged though?
I assume you mean Public TG scanning when you say “no talkgroup scan feature”? On the original DTR any private group you are a member of is always “scanned”, and I assume the new DTRs still work that way?
The DTR700 has the traditional ABS hard plastic case with no rubberizing on it. The radio does have a rugged feel to it but feels a little lighter than the older DTRs. I don’t know if it is more rugged and durable than the older DTRs. It has an SL300/SL3000/TLK100 look and feel to it and they are not rubberized that I know of. Time will tell how durable it is.
I was hoping for an SMA antenna connector like what the older DTRs have. I have no experience with the small stud type connector. It reminds me of the larger stud type connector on my HT1250 and GP300 radios I owned years ago. The large stud type connector was very rugged and reliable. I think the SL300/SL3000/TLK100 radios have the same small stud connector as the DTR700 and it suggests Motorola already has lots of real world experience with it.
Your assumption is correct about no public TG scan feature in the DTR700 like in the older DTRs. A lack of public TG scan is my one complaint in terms of features. I already expected that because the DTR700 programs like the DLRs which don’t have any scan feature. Not having a public TG scan feature is not a showstopper but it is a feature I want.
Thanks for the updates. I think I will be selling off my four DTR550s and one DTR410. They are all upgraded to the last firmware (thanks Andy) and all have the larger capacity battery of the 650 and the 1/2 wave antenna. I also have a programming cable and the (very rare) keyboard accessory.
Does anyone know when I reset them to factory defaults, does it revert to the factory firmware or will it hold the updated firmware?
A factory reset shouldn’t affect the firmware. It should hold the updated firmware. I think after it’s been updated to the latest FW the older FW is no longer in the radio.
I may sell off my fleet of 6 DTR650 radios and the MUC for them. They are 2 years old and in mint condition. I’m currently on the fence. I am keeping my fleet of 6 DLR1060 radios and my fleet of 6 DTR700 radios. I currently have them all working with each other in Public and Private Groups.
Owning some DTR650s and DLRs and now the new DTR700 enabled me to learn a LOT about them. The DLRs and the DTR600/700 are 100% backward compatible with the older DTR 410/550/650 models. I learned how to program Public Groups with the Group ID starting at 1 instead being forced to start at 21. I also learned something about the 4 digit Profile ID affecting what hopset Profile ID mode channels use.
In the DLRs and the DTR 600/700, if you set the 4 digit Profile ID to something other than the 0000 default, the full range of Public Group IDs 1-100 become available for programming public groups. The restriction that Public Groups must start at ID=21 only applies when the Profile ID = 0000 (default). Profile ID channels essentially ARE public group channels when the Profile ID = 0000. If you want to program public groups 100% identical to public groups in older DTRs, set the 4 digit Profile ID to a non-zero value, even if you are not going to use any Profile ID mode channels. Also take note below regarding the effect of the Profile ID on the hopset used.
I found that the last digit (4th digit) of the 4 digit Profile ID determines the hopset that Profile ID mode channels will use. Last digit = 1 means hopset 1 will be used. Last digit = 2 means hopset 2 will be used, etc. Hopset 10 is represented by the last digit = 0. The 4 digit Profile ID determines the group ID and hopset for the first 20 groups. The group ID part (1st 3 digits) of the Profile ID is not compatible with regular public groups. Also note that having Profile ID Number Lock enabled forces public and private groups to use the same hopset as Profile ID mode channels. Be sure to disable Profile ID Number Lock if you want to use a different hopset on public and private groups. I recommend choosing a 4 digit Profile ID carefully so the last digit represents the hopset you want to use so you don’t have to unlock the Profile ID Number Lock.
The DLR1060 channel capacity was increased to 10 channels with CPS R05.01 and newer. The latest CPS on the DLR pages is R06.00. The latest CPS is R07.00 for programming the DTR 600/700 and is on the DTR 600/700 pages on Motorola’s site.
I currently have my fleet of DTR700 radios programmed as follows:
[ul]
[li]Profile ID = ***1 (Profile ID confidential except for last digit = 1 so hopset 1 is used)[/li]nr[li]Channels 1-18 = Profile ID mode channels (default)[/li]nr[li]Channel 19 = Profile ID mode channel with ID = Page All Available. Only my DTR700s and DLRs will respond.[/li]nr[li]Channel 20 = Profile ID mode channel with ID = Call All Available. Only my DTR700s and DLRs will respond.[/li]nr[li]Channels 21-38 = Public Group mode channels with Group IDs = 1-18. My Profile ID is a non-zero value which allows Public Group IDs to start at 1 instead of 21.[/li]nr[li]Channel 39 = Public Group mode channel with ID = 19. DLRs and DTR 600/700 radios operating at factory default settings will respond to ID = 19 as Page All Available. My radios treat this as a normal public group ID like older DTRs which don’t have Page All Available.[/li]nr[li]Channel 40 = Public Group mode channel with ID = 20. DLRs and DTR 600/700 radios operating at factory default settings will respond to ID = 20 as Call All Available. My radios treat this as a normal public group ID like older DTRs which don’t have Call All Available.[/li]nr[li]Channel 41 = Private Group mode channel which works with my fleet of DTR650s and DLR1060s. Programming Private Groups is identical to Private Groups in the older DTR 550/650 models.[/li][/ul]
I love the audio on the DTR700 thanks to Motorola adding AGC to the transmit audio. I want Motorola to add AGC to DLR transmit audio to eliminate some distortion I’ve noticed when people climb up on the mic on them.
The reset procedure (detailed in the firmware update guide) does not change the firmware version. (It’s also necessary to do that reset AFTER updating the firmware).
I recall you were frustrated by the DLR programming a few years ago when the DLRs first came out. The issue was operating in public group mode instead of profile ID mode. The ID for public groups were forced to start at ID=21 instead of ID=1 like in the older DTRs due to profile id mode channels taking up the first 20 group IDs.
I experimented with my DLR programming and figured out what’s going on and I mentioned it in my post above. It’s very easy. Setting the 4 digit Profile ID to a non-zero value causes the full range of public group IDs (1-100) to become available for programming public groups and works 100% identical to the older DTRs. When the Profile ID = 0000 (default), Profile ID mode is identical to DTR 410/550/650 public groups and that’s why the first 20 group IDs are taken. When the 4 digit Profile ID is non-zero, Profile ID mode uses a different set of IDs and frees up the public group IDs such that the full 1-100 range of IDs becomes available for programming public groups. The bottom line is it is very easy to get DLRs and the DTR 600/700 fully working in public group mode identical to the DTR 410/550/650.
I also learned that the last digit (4th digit) of the 4 digit Profile ID determines the hopset used on Profile ID mode channels. 1=hopset 1, 2=hopset 2, …, 0=hopset 10. With Profile ID Number Lock enabled (on the ADVANCED page), this affects all groups in the radio. Profile ID Number Lock needs to be disabled to use more than one hopset. If only one hopset will be used in the radio, I recommend leaving Profile ID Number Lock enabled and choose a 4 digit Profile ID carefully so the last digit corresponds to the hopset you want to use.
I recommend setting the 4 digit Profile ID to a non-zero value even if you are not going to program any Profile ID mode channels. It will also prevent the radio from getting trolled by other radios outside your group using the Page All Available and Call All Available features which are Profile ID mode features.
I have used a DTR550 1/4 wave on an HT750 and it worked fine. I would guess a 1/4 wave stubby DTR550 would also work on a DTR700. Maybe someone with both could try it out?
The DTR 600/700 antenna uses a smaller version of the threaded stud on the HT750 and older Motorola radios. It is not the same thread as the shell of the recessed male SMA in the DTR 550/650. The shell on a DTR 550/650 antenna connector is GND on the radio. If it were the same size thread and you put a DTR 600/700 antenna on a DTR550/650, the stud would short the DTR’s center pin and GND togeher. The shell on the female SMA on a DTR550/650 antenna floats IIRC since the DTR’s center pin is what actually connects to a DTR 550/650 antenna.
The bottom line is the DTR 600/700 antenna have a different connector than the SMA used on DTR550/650 antennas and are not compatible.
I’m still waiting for my TLK100 antenna order so I can try them out as a stubby antenna option for my DTR700 radios. The TLK100 LTE antenna uses the same stud that the DTR 600/700 uses.
I bumped the order quantity up to complete my fleet of them. I also ordered a PMPN4465 Multi-Unit Charger (MUC) for them.
