Forget Visar, EX500. The SL300 is the new micro

[RadioSouth]

We've had a bunch of discussions on small footprint radios for those of us that were fans of the Visar, some of us migrated to the EX500 when Visar Slim batteries became non-existent. Just got a SL300 and this is really in a class of it's own. Basically 5"x2" and about 3/4" thick running about 6 oz. with a 2300 MAh battery. 99 Channels with a display.The OEM carry clip and holder make it stick out a lot more than it needs to and I'd limit it to use in a high signal strength area. It has a tiny antenna which apparently isn't very efficient and provides 2W on analog UHF. So if you're in a strong signal area this makes a nice pocket radio if you like to go low key. If you're in a fringe or semi strong area this probably won't fit the bill. Kind of a niche item like the Visar was. This is probably old news to some but probably new to some of us not in the biz, thought it was innovative enough to mention.

[RFguy]

I heard it uses a unique antenna where 1/2 the antenna is in the housing and results in similar coverage to a standard whip. I have no direct experience though.

[sjxts3000]

So if you're in a strong signal area this makes a nice pocket radio if you like to go low key. If you're in a fringe or semi strong area this probably won't fit the bill.

FWIW...for DMR (3 watts) I can reach a repeater 40 miles away with no line of sight. Repeater antenna is at ~1400 feet elevation (give or take a few feet). As for the Range Max antenna, even in analog mode on 2 watts, I can reach most nearby repeaters just as fine as I can on 5 watts. Not sure about the design (if there's any component of the antenna in the housing itself), but this radio is really impressive!

[RadioSouth]

I agree, very impressive radios, surprised at the limited chatter on them. Seem solidly made for their size unlike the Visar. You're running VHF ?

[sjxts3000]

I agree, very impressive radios, surprised at the limited chatter on them. You're running VHF ?

UHF

[MTS2000des]

Glad you like my old SL300...Surprisingly, that radio has a hot front end. I was at an event in the southern most portion of the middle of nowhere last month, and heard this thing burp with the sounds of my little tiny 25 watt repeater 50 miles away. This was with the radio INSIDE my county truck lying on the seat.

It is a great radio despite the low power and limitations TRBO wise (no enhanced privacy, cap plus, etc). It's also nice being able to charge/program with an everyday micro USB cable.

[RadioSouth]

It's definitely cool and I'll be looking for a VHF next. By 'limited chatter' I was referring to not hearing much discussion about these radios, they're very innovative and I started the thread kinda as a heads up for those still using the Visar which may not of heard of these yet. There was a surprising amount of Visar users here when I started a thread a couple years back looking to source an alternative for the NLA OEM slim battery.
Glad to hear that the Range Max antenna is working well. My comparison has only been for a couple days at the house on only 3 UHF frequencies of mixed strength here. When I get my hands on a VHF it will be a lot easier to get a good comparison, those NOAA freq's. are excellent for a receive reference. Hopefully Motorola will keep going with Range Max technology, I'd like to have a VHF mobile antenna on my SUV that clears the garage door, my UHF saltshaker makes it by about 2".

[CircleBat]

the Sl300 is a very good radio.. very good front end and will amplify scratchy RX signals into a clear crisp signal on analog. The only problem with these radios are the antenna snapping off and there are only aftermarket speaker mics for these units... the jack is a unique locking 3.5mm plug. kOODOS for Motorola for bringing out the next generation radio that outperforms the other turbo family of radios.

[n6fnp]

Can someone post some pictures of an SL300 next to a Visar and EX500?

I think it would be great to see a side by side comparison!

[N4KVE]

I owned, & liked the Visar. Jedi guts, & proper whip antenna. Fat battery too, as even the new slim battery was not capable of delivering the current required to TX on hi power. Sadly the new "compromise antennas" limit the range unless the user is close to the repeater. My small DMR radio is the XPR3500, & is actually shorter than the 300. GARY

[n6fnp]

I have an XPR3500 with the standard battery. How does the SL300 compare regarding thickness? I see that there is a slim battery for the XPR3500, how much does this reduce the thickness by?

[n6fnp]

I was able to find the radio thickness measurements, SL300: 0.87" vs XPR 3000: 1.43", so
the XPR 3000 is 0.56" thicker with the thin battery.

BTW, there are after market Li-ion thin batteries for Visar's on eBay. I got one around a year ago and it works great. The only possible issue is that it needs to be charged with a custom wall wart charger that plugs into a jack on the battery and it won't charge from a Visar desk charger.