The Motorola CP200D radio is the latest incarnation of one of the most popular Motorola two-way radios ever produced. Evolving from the popular P series of analog radios in the 1990s, the CP200D does something that its predecessors could never do – it operates in both analog and digital modes- often referred to as “dual mode.”

This is important because the dual-mode feature allows a fleet manager to easily incorporate CP200D radios into an existing analog radio system without having to change anything in the current operation.

Once the older analog radios are replaced with the newer “dual-mode” radios, the fleet can be switched to a full-digital operation with simple reprogramming. Moving a fleet to full-digital operation allows a company to gain the many benefits that digital technology provides over the older analog technology.

Is it time to migrate to digital? Analog vs Digital Two Way Radio

Although there are several benefits in upgrading to a digital two-way radio system, some people believe they will remain on an analog system for many years. To accommodate this sector of the market, Motorola offers the CP200D in an “Analog Only” configuration.

This configuration costs slightly less than the dual-mode version because it does not include the software upgrade that allows for digital operation.  To upgrade the Analog Only radio for digital operation, a software upgrade must be purchased and installed into the radio.

It is important to note that purchasing an Analog Only radio and adding a digital software upgrade separately is actually more expensive than purchasing a dual-mode CP200d model that is already digitally capable and requires no additional software upgrade.

For people who believe they will never go digital, the CP200D “Analog Only” costs less money and works great as an analog radio. For people who see the benefit of a digital system, the already enabled CP200D Digital or dual-mode radio is a better choice. See our CP200D two-way radio page for spec sheets and brochures.