Motorola has announced the cancellation of the MOTOTRBO DP4000e series and replacing it with the MOTOTRBO R7 series.

If you are familiar with the two-way radio industry you may already be aware of the massive production line problems that have occurred over the last few years due to the global semiconductor shortage. With the cancellation announcement of the DP4000e series Motorola has said they hope to see improvements within the supply chain moving forward with the R7 series.

The DP4000e was the best device of its time , which is why it was so quickly into industries needing mission critical communications. The DP4000 was the predecessor to the GP professional series two-way radio.

The release of the MOTOTRBO DP4000e series marked the golden moment when the two-way radio market finally started to get interesting! The DP4000 was introduced as part of Motorola’s first DMR digital-based radio system called MOTOTRBO.

MOTOTRBO is a range of products (mainly digital two-way radios) and communication solutions such as Capacity plus, IP site connect and capacity MAX.

As previously mentioned, the DP4000 quickly became a Rockstar device within the two-way radio market as a result of its robust design, reliable connection and great audio quality.

However, as with all things, the two-way radio industry has continued to grow, develop and evolve. Que the MOTOTRBO R7 series: the latest evolution of the digital two-way radio.

If you are currently using the DP4000e series or are interested in learning more on the R7 series, this blog post will compare the devices to help give some insight into the similarities and differences between the two.

Size

The DP device is much squarer in size whereas the R7 device is noticeably rounder.
The R7 is also slimmer, which is much easier to hold in one hand.

The accessory connector on the DP device obtrudes out the side of the device. While the accessory connector on the R7 is more integrated into the side of the radio.

The accessory connector

Motorola has introduced a new accessory connector design with the R7 series. The accessory connectors are corrosion proof. This will increase the longevity of the radio as often radios need to be repaired or rehoused due to damage on the accessory port leaving the devices unreadable and unprogrammable.

With previous devices from Motorola and other manufactures, removing the dust cover from the device leads to the IP rating of the device being compromised. However, with the R7 series newly designed accessory connector removing the dust cover had no effect on the IP rating.

IP rating

Both the DP4000e series and the R7 series have an IP68 rating. This means that the devices are dust tight and waterproof. Motorola claims that these devices can be submerged in 2 metres of water for up to 2 hours.

The R7 series is also IP66 rated, which means it has been tested to withstand direct impact from a highly pressurised water source such as a jet.

Emergency Button

When pressed the emergency button sends out a distress call to the other devices on the system within range. This is one of the main reasons two-way radios have been widely adopted in industries such as security, manufacturing and frontline workers.

On the DP series and the R7 series the actual emergency button is in the same place. The button on the R7 device is noticeably larger. The bigger the button the easier it should be to press especially if you have gloves on.

LED indicator light

The LED light indicates activity on the device, such as transmission issues and active receiving.

On the DP4000e series device, the LED light is easy to see from the aerial view however it is hardly visible from the front facing view as it is hidden by the bulk of the speaker.

However, on the R7 series device the LED indicator light is wrapped around the front of the device. This small change makes it much easier to see the radio status when looking at it from any angle.

Display

The first obvious difference between the two devices is the size of the displays. The DP series has a 1.8 inch low-pixel display and the R7 series device has a 2.4 high-pixel display.

The bigger screen on the R7 means that notifications and information is more visible at a glance.

If you have a text message for example – this would save you having to click through the menu to go to the inbox to read the message. This shows Motorola has put a focus on improved user experience by eliminating unneeded steps.

Speaker

The reason that the screen is able to be much bigger on the R7 series devices is that the front-facing speaker has been hidden behind the keypad.

I think that this is a really creative decision from Motorola to improve user experience. It also makes the radio look very neat from an aesthetic viewpoint.

In terms of the keypads themselves, they are very similar.
The R7s buttons are slightly bigger and more rugged feeling. This small tweak to the keypad makes the buttons  slightly larger and easier to operate with gloves on. Again, this shows that the Motorola has kept their main users in mind to make the user experience best for them

Audio Capabilities

The main thing that sets the R7 series apart from the DP series is the audio capabilities. The main focal point of the R7 series launch campaign was to ‘hear and be heard’

The R7 series devices have dual microphone noise suppression. The mic located on the front of the device picks up the user’s voice as they speak into it. The mic on the back samples background noise. The dual mics use intelligent audio technology to adjust the volume from the sources.  This means the user’s voice is the main thing being transmitted.

The DP series operated at a maximum of 99 phons (volume level). Whereas the R7 series operates at 104 phons straight out the box. It can be programmed to operate all the way up to 107 phons.

This means the R7 series will perform extremely well in  loud environments such as warehouses , football stadiums or an airport runway.

Although, it’s sad to say goodbye to the DP series, the R7 series has shown its more than deserving

Watch our YouTube video comparison below!

Here at 2WayradioShop we stock all variations of the new MOTOTRBO R7 series two-way radios!