Motorola SL1600 Two-way Radio Review

This radio's features make it ideal for a variety of environments, such as retail, hospitality, education, and military. In height, width and depth, the SL1600 stands at 126mm and weighs just 169g. With dimensions of 126mm tall, 55mm wide and 22mm deep, the SL1600 is an easy radio to carry. This coupled with the lightweight design of the SL1600, means the radio barely feels noticeable when worn around the waist or wrist.

Modern in design, the SL1600 looks great but there is far more to this handset than just looks! This radio has an active view display on the face and in both brightly lit and low-lit environments it displays current channel information clearly.

Should you be unable to see the display of the SL1600 for example if in your jacket or in a low light environment, the radio will announce the channel when you select the channel using the knob on the top.

Find out all the features and benefits about this great SL1600 handset in our hands on close up review below from LRS UK

 

 

The Full review of the Motorola SL1600 Two-way Radio by LRS UK

Today we're looking at the MOTOTRBO SL1600 portable radio, what you receive in the box and all its features and benefits.

In the Box: there is an antenna, a battery, a portable radio accessory sheet and the main motorola solutions manual. There is also a radio cradle, a battery cover and the radio itself; there is a single charger that can be used for the radio through the USB port but there's also a standalone charger that is an optional extra which is PMLN7110 or PMLN7163.

Features: So, here is the MOTOTRBO SL1600 portable two-way radio; it's a very slim profile and it can easily be charged through a USB and the headphones fit in side connector; it's quite a robust handset but it's not designed to be as rugged as maybe some of the other Motorola radios. On the topm of the radios there is the usual on and off and info and channel up and channel down; there is a plus and minus button which is for the volume and there's a little connector that's for when charging in a charger which you can buy as an optional extra and - that will charge the radio nicely. The radio feels quite nice in your hand; this radio handset is slim enough to fit in a in a pocket but also a very very nice looking radio; While the radio looks like there is no display, in fact when you turn it on the user will see an embedded display area that is easy to read.

This radio has reliable push-to-talk communication for the mobile everyday user in an ultra-slim and rugged profile whether coordinating stewards at an event or managing workers in the field; the SL1600 is boldly designed to keep you efficiently connected; it's really nice and the latest technology works to make operation of the SL1600 simple and straightforward; the ergonomic design allows one-handed radio operation and a versatile accessory portfolio gives you the freedom to focus on the job at hand rather than worrying about the radio and how it works.

On this radio a transmission can be interrupted to prioritize critical communications; additionally the SL1600 supports both digital and analog radio technology. It fits seamlessly into your existing communication system if you already have one but if you don't have an analog system this radio works brilliantly in digital mode in any case. The ultra slim profile is only 22 millimeters thick the SL1600 is ultra portable, stubby antenna, curved edges, and a rugged frame make the SL1600 the perfect work partner - it can be easily carried in pockets or bags without any snagging.

The LRS UK Review of the Motorola SL1600 in Video

This Motorola radio has the latest technology for performance and ease of use and that shatterproof active view display uses a matrix of leads behind the radio housing to communicate the status information and shuts off when not in use to conserve battery life. The SL1600 also features range max technology - an advanced radio design and patented antenna which delivers enhanced radio range while maintaining a simple profile on long battery life but importantly the SL1600 is designed for easy intuitive use.

This is a simple to use radio; the side volume control is simple to use and the dedicated power button, prominent push to talk button and top toggle channel switch have all been designed for quick one-handed access channel and the fast toggle allows users to scroll through 10 channels at a time and although the radio isn't hyper rugged it's still a pretty robust product.

The radio handset is built to last with an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance - it can be used even in harsh environments; this radio can survive many drops and tumbles and it's been proven tough in Motorola's grueling accelerated life test where the radio is tested against a simulated five years of hard service before it is accepted for sale.

Tthis radio comes in VHF or UHF modes and the output is variable with range max technology between 3 watt 2 watt or 1 watt. The display channel capacity is 99 channels and the weight of this unit with the battery is 169 grams for VHF and 166 grams for UHF; channel spacing can be 12.5 kilohertz 20 kilohertz or 25 kilohertz and the analog sensitivity on this radio is 0.3 micro volts.

Importantly, the rated audio is a half a watt so it's reasonably loud but not as loud as some of the other radios that LRS UK sells but do bear in mind that Long Range Systems UK have been selling Motorola radios for years; we've sold tens of thousands of these radios and Motorola brand is a tried and trusted brand for our company and we only supply our customers with what we know are good products, reliable products, robust products.

Accessories: Motorola have a great range of accessories, some of which include carrying accessories they have a versatile portfolio including flexible hand strap, rotating heavy duty belt clip, and swivel carry holster, a nylon wrist strap can also be attached to the top of the radio through an eyelet.

  There are a number of antennas that fit the SL1600. There are high efficiency stubby antennas, colored antenna id bands available for easy customization identification also now Motorola has quite an incredible audio accessory range. The MOTOTRBO audio accessories for this SL1600 wireless radio are designed for lasting comfort and improved device performance. There are some in-line microphones and prominent push-to-talk features provided for easy hands-free communication.

Acessories continue for this model too: there are a number of devices such as a MAG-1 earbud with in-line microphone and push-to-talk, an adjustable D-style earpiece with inline microphone and push-to-talk which is black, a swivel earpiece with in-line microphone and push-to-talk, a one-wire surveillance kit with inline microphone and push-to-talk and there's also a two-wire surveillance kit with translucent tube.

Charging: As mentioned above there is a standalone charger for this SL1600 unit and while that's okay if you're using the radio perhaps for non commercial use you probably want to get a proper charger whether it be a single charger or a multi-charger which is available for these units because when you use those type of chargers there's no damage going to ever happen with the USB connector being in and out all the time; so we prefer to recommend the desktop chargers then you will have excellent service from this radio; the essentials charges your lithium ion batteries in MOTOTRBO single or multi-unit charging docks we recommend them!; there are a number of batteries available and the lithium-ion batteries for this unit are 2300 milliampere per hour batteries; the replacement covers single chargers, six radio chargers, and a micro USB programming cable so you can program if you want to.

Warranty: when we're looking at radio equipment; Motorola radios come with a two year warranty and if you do get any problems LRS UK is here to help; you can pass the radios back to us and we'll get them serviced and repaired under warranty if it's a warranty problem; if it's not a warranty problem we'll offer you a very competitive quotation probably better than most of the other dealers out there for you to get your radios brought back into perfect condition at a great price. Long Range Systems UK employs Motorola experts on Motorola radios and you can visit motorolaradio.co.uk which is a site operated by LRS UK. That is really just an introductory website to Motorola equipment.

Our experts are very friendly and they know all there is to know about the Motorola brand and products that are available. Please do speak to them on 01782 537000 where they are waiting for your call; if you need any more information whatsoever please do call us and we're happy to help.