CommUSA’s Two Way Radio Blog

Motorola Two Way Radio news, reviews and tips.

Entries Comments




Category: Accessories


The Year in Review for 2 Way Radios

28 December, 2007 (09:53) | Expert Series, IMPRES Smart Energy, MOTOTRBO, Two Way Radios | By: Adam

Traditionally, the 2 way radio industry isn’t an industry that you need to follow on a daily basis. In fact, if you were an avid 2 way radio user, and happened to get stuck on a deserted island for a couple of years…you didn’t miss much.

It all changed in 2007. Early in the year, Motorola released the MOTOTRBO two way radio series. The MOTOTRBO is the first digital two way radio system that can operate with traditional analog two way radios. This series is jam packed with innovative features, like text messaging, crystal clear digital audio, and it is water proof. Ultimately, the MOTOTRBO is the platform for all future two way radios, in which everything is digital. The MOTOTRBO allows you to make the transition from analog to digital at your own pace.

In June, Motorola released a second water proof 2 way radio, the EX560. This radio falls in the Expert Series, which is comprised of the EX500 and EX600-XLS. The early reviews have been very favorable. It is small, compact, and has the reliability of a Motorola Expert Series radio.

Sporadically throughout the year, Motorola also released several additions to the IMPRES system, which is Motorola’s category for enhanced products. These included batteries and audio accessories.

Looking forward in 2008, I predict that Motorola will continue to build on the MOTOTRBO series with more IMPRES products. What improvements or new products would you like to see in 2008?

Written by Adam Hermsdorfer - Motorola 2 Way Radios from CommUSA

Top 10 reasons to power your 2 way radios with Motorola IMPRES™ batteries:

20 September, 2007 (12:34) | Accessories, IMPRES Smart Energy, Two Way Radios | By: Adam

10. IMPRES™ batteries have a memory chip that stores the batteries usage information. This chip saves radio users time by not requiring them to manually record battery use.

9. The cycle life (number of times the battery is used) is optimized with IMPRES™ batteries, which maximizes talk time.

8. IMPRES™ batteries are “Proven Tough”. This means that they pass Motorola’s rigorious Accelerated Life Testing, which simulates five years of field use in extreme environments.

7. Intelligent charge features: Once a battery is fully charged, it stops charging. Non-IMPRES™ batteries will continue to charge. The main benefit here is that you can store the battery on the charger indefinitely with no fear of over charging.

6. IMPRES™ chargers automatically determine when the battery needs to be reconditioned. No need for expensive reconditioning chargers

5. Reconditioning is based on actual usage of the battery as compared to “guessed” usage.

4. Impres™ 6 bank chargers with display units, show you relevant information; such as:

  • Battery charge status
  • Time remaining to complete charge
  • Serial number and battery chemistry
  • Charge capacity and voltage

3. By seeing how much capacity is left in the battery, you can now make informed decisions on when to replace your batteries.

2. IMPRES™ chargers can also charge non-IMPRES™ batteries. This let’s you migrate your battery fleet over to IMPRES™ batteries at your own pace.

1. IMPRES™ batteries come with an additional 6 month extended warranty when used exclusively with Impres chargers.

For more information, check out our video on IMPRES™ smart energy products.

Written by Adam Hermsdorfer - Motorola 2 Way Radios from CommUSA

Introducing IMPRES Audio

9 August, 2007 (11:58) | Accessories, IMPRES Smart Energy, MOTOTRBO | By: Adam

Motorola has coined the term IMPRES as their exclusive technology for enhanced two way radio products. IMPRES batteries have actually been around for a while now, as they started in 2001 on high tier radios. IMPRES audio accessories, on the other hand, have recently been introduced with the release of the MOTOTRBO two way radio systems. In this post, we will feature on the benefits of IMPRES audio accessories for the MOTOTRBO two way radio systems.

IMPRES audio accessories allow communication between the radio and the audio accessory. This is done through the process of the accessory sending the radio identification, which allows the radio to optimize the output for that specific accessory. The result of this process is that the user has excellent audio performance.

One of the main benefits of IMPRES audio is it doesn’t matter if you are whispering or shouting, you will still have clear audio on both ends of the transmission. This is due to automatic gain control.

Mototrbo audio chart

And, it doesn’t matter how far you are standing away from the microphone. The audio performance will be the same. The microphone actually picks up the voice and adjusts audio levels. This just like Smart Sound or automatic volume control that Magnavox introduced for televisions back in 1992!

Mototrbo audio chart

IMPRES audio accessories also have programmable buttons on the accessory. These include emergency activation, battery status, high/low power, one touch call, squelch, scan, etc. The audio connector also meets IP57 submersibility standards. Submersible accessories are great for wet environments and is one of the best features of the MOTORBO two way radio system

For more information on IMPRES audio accessories, check out these portable accessories:

Written by Adam Hermsdorfer - Motorola 2 Way Radios from CommUSA