The Motorola HT220 in Ghostbusters II

When you're chasing ghosts through the streets of Manhattan, you need a radio that actual first responders trust. The Ghostbusters use Motorola HT220s — the same handhelds carried by NYPD and FDNY.

The Scene

The Ghostbusters are back in business — operating out of the Hook & Ladder No. 8 firehouse in Tribeca, coordinating paranormal investigations across New York City. When the team splits up to cover more ground (never a great idea when ghosts are involved), they stay connected via Motorola HT220 handheld radios clipped to their jumpsuits.

The HT220s appear throughout Ghostbusters II as the team investigates the river of psychoreactive slime beneath First Avenue, tracks Vigo the Carpathian's influence across the city, and coordinates the final assault on the Manhattan Museum of Art. The radios are visible on belt clips, in chest pockets, and in-hand during the film's action sequences.

The prop choice was deliberate: in 1989 New York, the Motorola HT220 was the handheld radio you'd see on every cop, firefighter, and city worker. By giving the Ghostbusters the same radios as actual first responders, the production grounded the paranormal in the mundane — these guys are doing a job, and they use job equipment.

The Gear

The Motorola HT220 was one of Motorola's most successful handheld radio platforms, manufactured from the early 1970s through the late 1980s. It was the standard-issue portable radio for police departments, fire departments, and emergency services across North America during this period. The NYPD alone deployed thousands of HT220 units across its patrol force.

The HT220 operates on VHF or UHF frequencies with approximately 1.5 watts of output power. Its design is iconic: a tall, rectangular black body with a chrome belt clip, a top-mounted rotary channel selector, and a flexible rubber antenna. The large push-to-talk button on the side is designed for gloved or hurried operation — critical for first responders and, apparently, for paranormal investigators running from class-five full-roaming vapors.

Motorola's HT series evolved through several generations (HT90, HT220, HT440, HT600), each improving on the previous model's size, battery life, and audio quality. The HT220 hit the sweet spot of reliability and availability that made it ubiquitous in the 1980s — which is why it appears not just in Ghostbusters but in numerous films and TV shows set in that era.

We have the tools. We have the talent.

— Peter Venkman, Ghostbusters II

Why It Matters

The Ghostbusters franchise is one of the most beloved in cinema history, and the team's equipment — proton packs, PKE meters, ghost traps, and radios — has inspired one of the most active prop-building communities online. The Motorola HT220, while less flashy than a proton pack, is an essential part of the complete Ghostbusters loadout.

On the collector market, Motorola HT220 handhelds sell for $40–$150 on eBay depending on condition, frequency band, and accessory completeness. They're among the more affordable vintage Motorola radios, making them accessible for prop builders and collectors alike. Complete units with charger and original antenna command the highest prices.

The same HT220 platform appears in George Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978) and dozens of other films set in the 1970s–80s, making it one of the most screen-tested radios in cinema. For anyone building a period-accurate 1980s first-responder or Ghostbusters costume, the HT220 is the correct radio.

The Gear Cards

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