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Motorola Astro Saber III

A digital radio with 120 channels, P25 capable (as in fully interoperable with most North American public safety digital two-way radios), DES-XL encryption, mdc-1200 or singletone repeater access, over-the-air channel reassignment, and the only more-recent radio to incorporate the old Motorola modat (5 tone) format. It can transmit and receive unencrypted analog signals with many older  public safety radios. Output about 3 to 6 watts. First portable radio capable of decoding mdc-1200 on screen. Produced (as the Saber III) from 1992 to 2004 and very widely used still (2008) in the US (most notably by the NYPD and LAPD), even though Motorola is ending maintenance support. Cost new was about $4500, but was only available directly to government agencies -- though surplus sets are showing up in private hands now. Weight about 1.2 kg, most of which is the battery.

The 7.5 volt rechargeable NiCad battery holds 1800 mA-hr of power, is good for 10 to 12 hours of use -- less if you're transmitting a lot.

Changing channel assignments and encryption keys requires specialized equipment. To "zeroize" (purge) the encryption settings, remove the battery from the radio while it's switched on. It can still be used afterwards as a non-secure radio. The radio is fairly vulnerable to simple techniques of jamming, encryption key recovery, and traffic analysis -- "simple" if you know what you are up to.

Some channels in use in the early 2000s by the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety: