So what exactly is the upside to a 20 lb cast aluminum transceiver with limited versatility? Try the 150 to 175 Watts or so of output, beautiful audio, and a rig you can hit with a water hose while backing over it with a truck, and still keep talking on it. Motorola keeps it reliable, potent and simple. And this simplicity is just exactly what is called for in real emergency communications applications. Several times I've heard hams over the air say that they'd like to go simplex with their fancy little Japanese 2-way rigs, but unfortunately they didn't know what buttons to push! And this is coming from guys with one by two callsigns! That's nuts. So there is a real place in the ham world for a powerful, reliable, no frills transceiver that anyone can use in a crisis without reading a 90 page owner's manual.

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