Contrary to what some sales people and even what some misguided public safety officials may try to tell you, MotoTRBO was NOT designed for public safety use. Here’s why! For starters, consider the fact that Motorola has never said it was for public safety (i.e. mission critical) applications. Don't take our word for it - do your own research and see where it takes you. Do NOT ask your sales representative. Your sales representative is paid to sell, not to do your research for you.
MotoTRBO was NOT originally designed for migration from analog to digital communications. Only in the third quarter of 2009 were mobiles and portables announced that were capable of being upgraded from analog to digital. Currently mobiles and portables with upgrade capability are available. The original, and affordable MotoTRBO XPR8300 repeaters would only operate in either an analog or digital mode – Not both! (An upgrade kit is now available to allow mixed mode operation) P25 was designed for mixed mode operation from the beginning (as was NXDN).
MotoTRBO is NOT approved for funding by the Department of Homeland Security. Only P25 is approved for Federal Funding including DOJ, FEMA and the Department of Interior. This is not to say that MotoTRBO systems have not been sold to public safety agencies. One can only hope that these agencies did not apply for P25 equipment and change to another standard without authorization.
MotoTRBO did not originally offer 2-tone paging commonly used by fire and rescue users. This capability is currently available however.
MotoTRBO can NOT be upgraded to single channel ultra narrow band (6.25 kHz) channel spacing which which was originally proposed by the FCC to be implemented by 2018. If you are a public safety user considering upgrading to narrow band, digital, or both; PLEASE get all the facts before making a decision. A good place to start is on this web page. Just type in the words MotoTRBO, Narrow Banding, FCC, or Digital Radios in the Search box at the upper right hand side of this page for other posts on this topic.
Don’t be misled; P25 is the RIGHT technology for Public Safety! Click here for more information from Motorola. Falcon Direct offers all three technologies - MotoTRBO, NXDN, and P25. Our objective is not to confuse you, but to make sure that you have all the facts before committing to a technology that may not be the best for YOU! Speaking of confusion, click here for our comments on those who willfully distribute misinformation and our special Doofus Awards for their disservice.
