Motorola MotoTRBO SL300 First Impressions

1. Motorola MotoTRBO SL300
First Impressions
10/22/2014 © twowaydigitalradio.com 1

2. SL300 Open Box Contents
Radio
Antenna (Stubby)
Battery
Battery Back Cover
Wall Charger (Micro‐
USB)
Manual
Can upgrade to Drop In
Charger with spare
battery slot ($25)
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3. SL300 (Front)
 Premium look and feel
 Modern styling
 Light weight
 Durable
 Good build quality
 Solid PTT
 Top power button and channel selector switch are
high grade construction
 Remarkably when the LED is not lit one can not
tell there is an Active View Display which is
beneath the case material
 Most people don’t realize the display will show
channel aliases and it scrolls long text
 Top left attachment point next to antenna for
nylon wrist strap
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4. Battery Door and Compartment
 Battery door has attachment
points at top and bottom and
battery latch has metal
mechanism, closes solidly
 Height of the radio appears
to be more related to the
internal patented antenna
long range max technology
than with the BT type battery
form factor at 2300mah
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5. Antenna
Small diameter
threaded post
No center feed pin
New design appears to
be related to patented
antenna long range
max technology
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6. SL300 (Bottom)
Recessed metal bar is for bottom
attachment point for the Flexible
Hand Strap
Installed hand strap does not
interfere with the charger or
carry holder
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7. Flexible Hand Strap
Several carry options as accessories
Besides the traditional nylon thin
wrist strap, there is a heavy duty
belt clip that attaches directly to
the back of the radio
There is also an innovative Flexible
Hand Strap made of wide nylon
stretch material, user inserts hand
between the back of the radio and
the hand strap
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8. Carry Holder (Front)
 Typical Motorola carry holder
engineering, very slick and well
thought out
 Strong
 Durable
 Light weight Composite material
 Radio is inserted at the bottom and
with tension the top of the radio is
snapped in
 To remove the radio, release either
one or both of the dog ears at the
top
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9. Carry Holder (Rear)
Belt Clip attached to carry
holder
Belt clip has swivel positions
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10. Radio in Carry Holder (Front)
Slim molded form factor adds
minimal size and weight to the
radio
Radio can be inserted face in or
face out
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11. Carry Holder (Back)
Note the top rear attachment
point above the belt clip
Note the top and rear center of
the carry holder which appears to
allow the Flexible Hand Strap to
remain installed while in the carry
holder
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12. SL300 (Back)
Note the attachment point
top center for the heavy duty
belt clip
Note battery latch middle of
the radio
Note the texture on the back
of the radio
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13. SL Comparison (Top)
SL300 has thickness of
0.87”
SL7550 has thickness of
0.68” at battery
compartment area
SL300 thickness is uniform
the length of the radio
Both SLs have same width
at 2.17”
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14. SL Comparison (Up)
SL300 height is 4.95”
SL7550 height is 4.75”
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15. SL Comparison (Down)
SL300 has weight of 5.84 oz
SL7550 has weight of 5.39 oz
SL7550 thickness narrows above
the battery compartment
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16. SL 300/XPR Gen 2 Comparison
Dimensions SL300 XPR3500
Weight 5.84 oz 10 oz
Thickness 0.87” 1.43”
Height 4.95” 4.80”
Width 2.17” 2.20”
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17. Overall Observations
 Initially, before I got the radios in, I was concerned because of the price point
some of the features would be less than standard quality of the professional
series, that does not appear to be the case, it is as good as anything else in the
MotoTRBO line and this despite being in the commercial series portfolio
(although the ear jack and charging/programming port have individual rubber
seal flaps instead of a sealed side accessory connector)
 The option to carry this radio is for someone looking for smaller and lighter (than
say the XPR3000 series)
 This radio does not replace the SL7550 with greater features but offers a good
compromise in a very similar form factor at a much lower price point AND IT WILL
ALSO DO ANALOG
 Performance is said to be same or better than Gen 2 (Audio output, sensitivity)
 As a rule of thumb, engineers have stated that because of the patented antenna
long range max technology the performance of this radio with a stubby at 2 watts
Analog or 3 watts Digital is about 90% of the 4 watt models with the full whip
antenna
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18. Thanks for your interest!
Ken Bryant, K1DMR (Formerly KF4CZB)
www.twowaydigitalradio.com
706‐896‐0000
email@kenbryant.net
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