JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

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Pinback
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JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by Pinback » July 18th, 2016, 7:45 pm

Well, I finally managed to pretty much finish my replica JP Motorola Saber II radio. I've got a little finish work to do on the slight over spray of the paint but otherwise it's done and ready for Comic-Con this weekend.

It is Screen accurate and FULLY FUNCTIONAL as a 120 channel UHF radio (it works and I programmed it with various ham radio, commercial and GMRS channels).

It doesn't have the mods for plugging in a headset on the side of the head as seen in the movie since that is actually done via the back connector on the REAL radios. And yes, headsets were an option that Motorola offered, along with the waist pack that Ellie wore in the movie.

I also have a speaker mic for easier use while wearing it on my belt.

I have painted two extra batteries for spares and also managed to find a holster just in case my wife wants to go as Ellie (or I don't want to use the belt clip).

In a couple of the pix, I turned on the display backlight and took the pic with the red LED on as well.

I also have four other Saber radios, 2-VHF Saber III's (a model with more features) and 2-UHF Saber III's, but those are strictly for ham radio/commercial use.

Here are a few pix.

The collection:
NCM_0022.JPG

Speaker mic:
NCM_0052.JPG
NCM_0051.JPG

Various angles:
NCM_0042.JPG
NCM_0043.JPG
NCM_0044.JPG
NCM_0046.JPG
NCM_0047.JPG
NCM_0048.JPG
NCM_0049.JPG

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scoodidabop
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Re: JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by scoodidabop » July 19th, 2016, 10:08 am

Looks nice! I was just thinking - it might be fun to have a Saber shell with a microcontroller inside that plays back clips of Hammond and Sattler from the film when you press the talk button.

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Pinback
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Re: JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by Pinback » July 19th, 2016, 8:56 pm

Thanks. I followed Cyrix's suggestions on prepping the radio for painting and it worked pretty well. The Krylon Fusion paint worked very well.


That wouldn't be hard to do. I'm already working on modding a Motorola HT-200 to use am mp3 player inside to loop LA Co FD audio clips from EMERGENCY! for when I go to Squad 51 events.

shadeone
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Re: JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by shadeone » July 20th, 2016, 3:18 pm

If you ever come across another UHF Saber II, I am desperately looking for one. Doesnt have to be functional at all, just needs to have all exterior components.
Yours is friggin awesome by the way! Excellent job!

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Pinback
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Re: JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by Pinback » July 20th, 2016, 6:22 pm

Thanks, shadeone.

I found all of my Sabers, as well as parts for repair, on eBay. Just do a search for 'Motorola Saber' and save the search to check back periodically. That's what I did. I was looking for functional ones since I'm a ham radio operator and I figured that I could put it to dual purpose.

When you look on eBay, be aware that there is Motorola SYSTEMS SABER which looks similar but the SYSTEMS Saber II has two rows of blue buttons. Also when you look for a regular Saber II, make sure that you get the shorter case body which is screen accurate. The longer body, with about 3/4" below the speaker grill, is for the units that can have ecryption modules installed. And the Saber I has no display and the Saber IIIhas a full keypad.

ambulanceartist
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Re: JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by ambulanceartist » July 24th, 2016, 6:46 pm

Can you post a pic of the paint you used and any tips on painting them? I recently bought a few and am still getting the rest of the parts and will be painting them soon. Yours look great!

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Pinback
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Re: JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by Pinback » July 26th, 2016, 5:35 am

Sure. I'll try to do it later today.

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Pinback
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Re: JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by Pinback » July 26th, 2016, 8:08 pm

OK, Ambulanceartist, here goes:

Things that you'll need:
1--Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sponges (The PLAIN kind-no additive)
2--Slotted spanner bits for taking the radio apart (Harbor Freight has a complete screwdriver bit kit with a hard red plastic case for about $13 or so. It will have the correct sized slotted spanner bit. Don't worry about getting the Motorola "Rototorq bit", the Harbor Freight one works fine)
3--Paint and matte spray as seen in the attached pix. Depending on store availability, you may have to special order the Krylon Fusion paint.
4--Blue painter's tape.

First, Take the radio apart. It's not as hard as it seems, BUT, you still need to be careful. Follow these instructions:
NCM_0006.JPG
NCM_0007.JPG
NCM_0008.JPG
NCM_0009.JPG
The last part of the sentence in this last picture says "slotted-spanner nuts to lift the frame assembly."

Set the radio internals aside. You won't be doing anything to them.

Assembly is just the reverse, making sure not to pinch or break anything.

Next, CAREFULLY remove the PTT (Push to talk) lever/cover (the large black button on the side of the radio) following these instructions to the letter:

"The PTT lever can be replaced/removed by prying out the
part with a soft plastic tool. The plastic housing
around the lever may be damaged if a harder tool
is used."

You want to pry out the PTT cover from the center of the vertical axis. The ends are where the PTT lever is anchored to the case. If you pry too hard or too quickly, you'll probably break the PTT cover.
Next, cut some plastic pieces to size from a ziplock bag and use them to cover the "monitor" and "function" buttons. The plastic needs to be large enough to cover the rubber buttons to protect them from paint but still fit between the rubber button and the plastic case of the radio. Here's a side cutaway view:
Covering radio buttons.JPG
Covering radio buttons.JPG (24.19 KiB) Viewed 18639 times
Ideally, the plastic should be stout enough to partially keep the rubber buttons depressed below the radio case. You may need a couple of layers. But just do the best that you can. Believe me, you do NOT want to get paint on those rubber buttons or in those wells.

Now, stuff some paper towels into the radio case interior. This is to catch any errant water that seeps from the Magic Eraser sponge. Almost fill the case, but not completely. Leave some room for your fingers.

NOW, it's time to clean the case. Dampen the Magic Eraser sponge just enough for it to work. Lightly scrub the case , especially where the paint is going to be applied. If there is dirt or grime where the painter's tape is going to be, make sure it's cleaned off otherwise the tape won't stick. Same goes for the soon-to-be painted areas.

Using the pictures of my completed radio as a guide as to where to apply the blue painter's tape ONCE THE CASE HAS COMPLETELY DRIED! Very important. If you have a belt clip on your, remove it. This is how you remove the belt clip:
NCM_0011.JPG
You also want to put blue tape inside the area where the paper towels are lining the inside of the case and remove any excess. This is where your fingers are going while you are holding the case during painting.
Make sure the tape is very secure in all of the nooks and crannies. Also, make sure that the bottom of the radio, as well as the top of the battery is covered by tape to protect those areas from overspray. It will also help you to be able to remove the battery should you need to.

NOW, it's time to paint. Use even LIGHT coats. It will turn out better and the texture of the radio case will show through which makes it look better. I used three light coats of paint and two of the matte clearcoat. Follow the instructions on the paint/clear coat cans to the letter. You will end up with better results.

Here are the paint can pix:
NCM_0001.JPG
NCM_0004.JPG
NCM_0005.JPG
Once the paint is completely dry, I'd give it 2-3 days to be sure, you can remove the tape and paper towels and reassemble the radio.

The instructions for radio assembly/disassembly are the instructions that Motorola supplied. If you feel the least bit uncomfortable about taking the radio apart, do the best that you can. Every time I disassemble a radio that I'm about to work on, I always think things out several times before doing so.

Now for the disclaimer:
These instructions are provided as a guide and you are on your own if you decide to take the radio apart and/or paint it.

Cyrix suggested using the Magic Eraser and Krylon Fusion paint.

ambulanceartist
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Re: JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by ambulanceartist » July 26th, 2016, 10:33 pm

Wow what a write up! Thanks a lot. I have 4 radios (all model II sabers but two with secure net) so I can practice on the one in the worst shape first.

One more question, do you know how to mod it so the lights turn on (and stay on) with the power switch?

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Pinback
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Re: JP Motorola Saber II radio ready

Post by Pinback » July 27th, 2016, 7:35 pm

I don't know how the prop dept. did it. The display backlight only stays on for about 20 seconds before turning off and the red LED can be programmed with the radio programming software to turn on with a received signal but it will blink. It will turn on when transmitting and stay constantly lit until the PTT button is released. Given the power hungry LEDs that were used in the late 80s/early 90s, constant lighting would drain the battery in short order, especially the NiCd batteries that were used back then.

I suspect that the prop dept. either jumpered something (not likely) OR just shot the radio as quickly as possible while the actor(s) held down the PTT button. Given the very short screen time that the radios were in closeup, I suspect that is how they accomplished it. I saw a closeup of the display and it looked liked a legit display message, so they probably quickly shot the closeups.

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