Motorola VX-261 5 Watt Portable Analog Radio

The VX-261 is a straightforward 5 watt analog radio, and straightforward is the reason to buy it. Sixteen channels in one group, two programmable buttons, and nothing on it that needs explaining to a new starter.

Motorola specifies 5 watts on high power and 1 watt on low, across VHF 136 to 174 MHz or UHF 403 to 470 MHz depending on model, with 25, 20 or 12.5 kHz channel spacing and frequency stability of plus or minus 2.5 ppm. Five watts is double what most small-business radios transmit, which is the specification that matters on a large or obstructed site.

Battery choice changes the radio more than anything else on the sheet. With the FNB-V133LI-UNI Motorola publishes 10.8 hours with the battery saver on and 8.8 without; with the higher-capacity FNB-V134LI-UNI it is 19 hours and 15.5. The weight moves with it, from 281 g (9.9 oz) to 330 g (11.6 oz) including antenna and belt clip. A site running twelve-hour shifts should be looking at the larger pack rather than at a mid-shift swap.

Sealing is IP55, the power supply is 7.4 V DC nominal, and programming is through Motorola's CE150 software.