Batboard

Has anybody compared the expensive XPR5550 vs the cheaper XPR2500?

I like the look of the XPR2500!!! It appears thinner and appears to have a bigger front speaker. It also uses CDM mics and programming cable, I think.

Why do I need a color display? I think I prefer old fashioned "green" LCD's like on the XPR2500.

Do both radios have identical RF performance? I guess the PCB's are more or less identical.

Is it like the XTL1500 vs XTL5000 - identical radios with different control heads and flashcodes but the XTL5000 costs 3x more !!!

Can I convert an XPR2500 into an XPR5550 by changing the control head and flashcodes?

What can an XPR5550 do which an XPR2500 cannot do which is relevant for basic simplex and DMR repeater operation?

Any thoughts?

Off the top of my head I know the 5550 will do 1000 channels and the 2500 will only do 128 and the 5550 supports Connect Plus trunking and I don't think that the 2500 will. Like the XTLs it was probably meant for users that don't need all the fancy features.

I don't think the XPR2500 has GPS capability and it also has no option board available..

g8tzl2004 wrote:Has anybody compared the expensive XPR5550 vs the cheaper XPR2500?

Yes, Motorola has. They have a product feature matrix.

I like the look of the XPR2500!!! It appears thinner and appears to have a bigger front speaker. It also uses CDM mics and programming cable, I think.

It is a physically smaller radio, with less substantial heatsink. It does not use CDM programming accessories.

Why do I need a color display? I think I prefer old fashioned "green" LCD's like on the XPR2500.

I don't know. Why do you need a color display? Opinions are like rectums...

Do both radios have identical RF performance? I guess the PCB's are more or less identical.

Specs are comparable. The PCBs are absolutely not identical.

Is it like the XTL1500 vs XTL5000 - identical radios with different control heads and flashcodes but the XTL5000 costs 3x more !!!

No

Can I convert an XPR2500 into an XPR5550 by changing the control head and flashcodes?

No

What can an XPR5550 do which an XPR2500 cannot do which is relevant for basic simplex and DMR repeater operation?

The spec sheets will cover this for you.

Any thoughts?

Google.com

Is both the front USB and rear programmming cable just a straight thru cable with no level conversion circuit?

The actual moto price for the programming cable looks cheap so I'm thinking you can build a homebrew cable for basically free..use an old USB cable and an RJ45 from an old ethernet cable...use DB9 inline male/female to patch both cables?

I've built a rear cable and it works just fine (just like previous mobiles). I haven't been able to find a pinout yet though for the mic port.

I'm happy with my 2500 so far. Had Enhanced Privacy and IPSC added to it and everything works great. My biggest beef? During a call the icons stay in place on the top line, which seems to truncate the alias of the transmitting radio down to about 6 characters (unlike the 4500 etc where the alias uses the entire top line). Why the 2500 doesn't work the same it totally beyond me as it seems stupid as hell to chop off all the aliases. For now I've gone thru my contacts and have shortened them up, but I'm hoping that this is maybe something that will get changed in a future firmware update (not holding my breath though).