Two Way Radio Buyers Guide

How To Buy A Two-Way Radio

Before making a decision to buy a two way radio, it's always wise to learn as much as possible in order to find the right two way radio for you

How a Two Way Radio Works

A transmitter is used to produce, and amplify a radio signal, which is combined, or modulated, with a voice signal from a microphone. The modulated radio signal is sent to an antenna which radiates the signal into space.

The radiated signal is picked up by a receiving antenna, and sent to a receiver. Here the radio signal is processed back into the original audio signal, which is fed into a speaker so that the original voice message can be heard.

The primary function of virtually all radio systems is to communicate with people on the move. The two main reasons people do this are for economic reasons and for safety reasons.

Economic reasons include ways in which two-way radios can be used to:

Cut operational and business costs
Increase profitability
Improve customer service
Gain a competitive edge

Safety reasons for using two-way radios include:

Quickly response to emergency situations
Keep in touch with people in potentially dangerous situations
Provide backup support when needed

The common denominator to both economic and safety reasons is that radio users have improved control over the resources they manage.

Benefits of Two-Way Radio

INSTANT ACCESS TO ALL FIELD PERSONNEL

Two way radios can be unobtrusively with field personnel at all times. This will allow all radio users to talk to any other radio user within the area limits at any time without delay.

IMPROVED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Unexpected or emergency customer requests can be effectively and efficiently handled with a minimum of disruption to your daily work load. Field personnel will not disrupt customers business by using their phone to exchange information with your office. This provides your customers with better service, insures their satisfaction and increases the probability of future business.

FASTER SERVICE

Your customers situations are always of paramount importance from both their point of view and yours. Radio communications assists you in serving your customers as quickly as possible. Prompt service on your part will keep your customers satisfied and builds the grounds for future business.

INCREASED BUSINESS ACTIVITY

Two way radio makes your operation more efficient and lets you move more quickly to take advantage of unexpected opportunities.

IMPROVED SCHEDULING

Two way radio will provide you with the ability to keep your staff informed of your scheduling alterations. If your operation requires a change your personnel can be notified of the change and their work load can be rescheduled without wasting time and effort.

MORE CALLS PER DAY

Staff will be more promptly and efficiently dispatched to respond to incoming customer inquiries and requests. Time won't be wasted locating personnel resulting in more efficient scheduling and increased daily productivity.

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

Two way radio enables you to reassign projects to field personnel as they occur. Backtracking is substantially reduced. Time won't be wasted locating personnel resulting in more efficient scheduling and increased daily productivity. Radio systems have proven to make available staff more productive resulting in a lower cost per project.

Two Way Radio Buying Tips

Today's business radios operate on one of three bands. Choices are the very high frequency (VHF) band, the ultra high frequency (UHF) band, or the new super high frequency (SFH) Digital band. Which band you chose is dependent on how exactly you will use the radios.

Generally speaking UHF is more effective when transmitting and receiving within buildings or to and from buildings from outside. VHF frequencies offer a range improvement when radios are mainly used outdoors. The new DTR Digital radios using the SHF band have amazing coverage both inside, outside or a combination of settings. Digital radios excel in high-rises, hotels and schools and most difficult environments.

Did You Know ...

The distance you can talk out-of-doors is not dependent on how much a radio costs, its size, or even its features or style. Actual range is determined by five things and five things alone: Antenna height, Transmit mode (analog or narrow band digital), Transmit power, Receiver sensitivity and ...Terrain.

Theoretically, if you are holding your radio at an altitude of five feet six inches above an absolutely flat dry lake bed and someone else is doing likewise, your communications will be overcome by the curvature of the earth at a distance of approximately six miles. However, speaking from a hill 5000 feet high you could probably speak to your partner on the plains below at a distance of 50 miles or more.

Two Way Radio Features

Two-way radios come with as few as 2 to as many as 14 channels, with prices higher for those offering more channels

If you are in a congested area, you'll need the extra channels to ensure you find one that's open

Many models offer codes or sub-channels. This allows you to find numerous other channels for communicating with your partner or perhaps even others out in the woods with you.

A two-way radio with 14 easy access channels and 38 sub-channels per channel, really gives you 532 available addresses to use

Since anyone can pick up your channel, provided their equipment has the same number of channels as yours, manufacturers have designed some models with a privacy code or private call feature

While others can still tune in on your channel, the private call feature scrambles your voice so your conversation won't be understood by outside parties