General

There are a lot of changes going on out there in the world of wireless communications. Some things we wonder about, some we make fun of, and some we think are great. Many people do not realize that emergency responders often can not even communicate with one another. They tend to use "closed" networks and incompatible equipment. They knew this was not an ideal situation, but until recently it was a daunting challenge to even attempt to correct.

With the introduction of digital communication equipment though, it is a bit easier. Now part of this is because if people are going to buy new equipment, you can set some standards that everyone can use. In a prudent move, it was also decided that communications equipment should also be able to be more flexible and work with a large number of frequencies. The new radios are currently referred to as Multi-band Radios (MBR).

I plan to do some more post soon about digital radio communications. It may be a while before we are all using digital radios, but for now I am glad to see that new technology is being so quickly adopted by emergency responder agencies. We are all going to benefit from police, fire and rescue departments being able to work together more effectively.

Besides going after Midland Radio, they are also getting all settled in with a bunch of new people over at the FCC. So besides being all grumpy and giving out fines, the new Federal Communications Commission Chair Julius Genachowski wants to make the FCC more open and efficient. The folks over on ars technica have a good write-up on all of the new people at the FCC.

The new FCC administration now wants to be open, and "smart about technology"? A lot of people feel that it is one agency we should just get rid of. They can be more focused on fines and petty agendas than doing honest regulatory work. One could argue that the FCC has been more of an impediment to implementing new technology than a help. Perhaps they will get rid of GMRS licenses, or even streamline the process for a business radio license. This should be interesting.

I have already talked a bit about some of the Icom radios we now carry. We have two radios that if you are looking for affordable, quality commercial grade radios you will like.

First is the Icom IC-F24-01-RC Two Way Radio. It is a tough, 4 watt 400-470 MHz UHF radio designed for daily use, easy to use, and a radio you can count on to work. The IC-F24 is a mil spec, and very rugged 16 channel radio ready for use in a number of business. The Icom IC-F24 is ideal for hotels, movie theatres, mall, warehouses, and manufacturing.

Next is the Icom IC-F14-01-RC Two Way Radio. This is a 5 watt 136 -174MHz VHF version of the F24. If you need radios with range, clarity, and still stand up to a daily abuse, give this one a look! The F14 is great for everyone that works outdoors, from construction to park services.

We have both radios for $199.99 and we even carry all of the Icom accessories you could ever want. Give us a call to learn more, we look forward to talking with you!

Every now and then someone annoys the FCC. While we may joke a bit about how removing an antenna, or taking off the back of a radio is illegal and the FCC will come and get you! Well, sometimes they do go after people or even companies. This time it is Midland Radios.

As you can read in this document, the FCC has fined Midland for selling radios with voice scrambling. You had no idea that was some kind of violation? Well, it turns out it is a rather gray area. You are not supposed to be able to do this with a GMRS radio it would seem.

Section 95.183(a)(4) of the Rules3 prohibits GMRS operators from transmitting coded messages and messages with hidden meanings. The Enforcement Bureau's Spectrum Enforcement Division ("Division") received information indicating that Midland was marketing GMRS transmitters that have a voice scrambling feature. After its receipt of this information, the Division began an investigation. In pursuance of the investigation, the Division conducted internet research on February 24, 2009, on the website www.midlandradio.com. During the internet research, Division personnel observed that Midland was offering for sale the following GMRS transmitter models described as having a "Voice Privacy Scramble" feature: GXT900VP4 and GXT950VP4.

In simple terms: You may not have voice scrambling on a GMRS radio. Someone turned in Midland to the FCC, they were in a bad mood that day, the FCC decided to punish them.

Now some of you are thinking about all of the radios out there with this feature, and not just Midland's! We could sit here all day and try to figure out why the FCC has targeted Midland. One of the better opinions I have read feels that this is a warning to everyone! Midland got turned in, an investigation was started, so Midland is being used as an example to everyone else. We do not have all of the facts on this. Midland may have even been warned first to stop selling the radios that had voice scrambling.

Midland has been fined a very small amount (from their perspective) and told to stop selling the radios with voice scrambling. Now if other manufacturers follow, or decide to take on the FCC and challenge the ruling... it should be interesting. Kenwood probably has enough lawyers and money to throw at this just for fun.

This all may also be a knee-jerk reaction by the FCC. "Someone is selling radios with voice scrambling, we must stop this now! Civilization may collapse if we do not act!"

Personally, I think the FCC had little idea about any of this until Midland was turned in. They are now being used as a warning by the current FCC administration as to who is in charge. No more Mr. Nice Government Agency. So stop taking those radios apart and fiddling with the antennas you crazy kids! And don't walk on the grass!

Feel free to talk about this on our two way radio forums or just post a quick comment here on our two way radio blog. Tin foil hat optional!

Recently here at the office we were talking about the development of two way radios, and how they used to always be called Walkie Talkies. I mentioned that the correct term was Handie-Talkie from radios used in World War 2. I thought it would be fun to blog a bit on what we turned up as we talked about this (though I know a lot of you probably know all about their history and development!)

The first two way radios were called Walkie-Talkies and were made by Gavin Manufacturing Company (They later became Motorola) in 1940. They were backpack radios made for the allied forces in World War 2. Also, Alfred J.Gross developed a lot of the same ideas in 1934 through 1941, and created a small two way radio for the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. Another inventor working in radios at the same time named Donald Hings developed several portable two way radios he called packsets.

What most people would call a Walkie Talkie was developed at about the same time as its larger backpack cousin. They were portable, handheld units called Handie-Talkies. Motorola eventually trademarked Handie-Talkie and "HT". This is where the term "HT" for portable radios came from.

After the war, surplus radios made their way into the civilian market. The common civilian term for hand held two way radios term changed to Walkie Talkie. Check back in a few days for another look at the development and history of the Walkie-Talkie!

(Updated 6/24: Read the rest of the article on the development of the walkie-talkie!)

That is correct, truck. Not a radio for your boat. This time we are going to talk about a radio for your truck (or car). For many of us, a hand held two way radio meets most of our needs, but a CB radio is what we want in our vehicle. CB radios are usually capable of connecting to external antennas, which dramatically increase outdoor range. They are also useful if you like the idea of communicating with other travelers outside of your immediate group. Here at Buy Two Way Radios we carry a nice selection of CB radios for serious drivers and mobile radio enthusiast.

If you are looking for a classic CB radio with modern updates, give the Cobra 148 GTL SSB CB Radio a look. It may look like an old CB on the exterior, but inside it is a very modern radio. This one is popular with professional drivers for a reason, great performance and features in a functional design.

Looking for a CB with the same classic styling and modern updates but don't quite need all of the features of the 148? Then check out the Cobra 25 LTD Classic CB Radio.

Want a handheld CB radio? You will want to look at the Cobra HH-Roadtrip CB Radio. It even has a detachable antenna for longer range.

So go and give our CB Radio Section a look.

A vast majority of the two way radios that we sell come standard with rechargeable batteries. These rechargeable batteries fall into three categories (NiCd, NiMH, Lithium), and we are often asked to explain the difference.

I recently found some information on Motorola's web site that does a great job of explaining the difference. This page also provides links to material safety data sheets (MSDSs) for Motorola batteries, and battery recycling and safety information.

Here's an excerpt that discusses the differences:

Motorola makes many different models of batteries, with the majority of them falling into three major types: Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH), and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion).

Motorola Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries are currently one of the most cost effective chemistries on the market. NiCd batteries give you more watt-hours of operation per shift than other battery chemistries. They are ideal for a user who needs a high-performance battery and who communicates under extreme conditions of cold and heat (-30C to +50C) Historically, a NiCd battery's major drawback has been its susceptibility to memory effect, or its propensity to "forget" and not utilize its full capacity. Today, this remains to be a serious tradeoff, but can be minimized with proper charging/reconditioning practices.

Motorola Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries can offer superior operation life between charges. This battery chemistry provides 30-40% longer operation time than NiCd, but does not operate as efficiently in extreme temperatures. In addition, NiMH is less susceptible to "memory effect" compared to NiCd batteries.

One of the major advantages of Motorola Lithium Ion (Li Ion) batteries is their power to weight ratio, which easily exceeds that of NiMH for a lighter, smaller power supply. These batteries tend to be the industry's most expensive chemistry, and they offer a major advantage of not experiencing "memory effect".

Hi, this is Danny Feemster, owner of BuyTwoWayRadios.com. Thanks for checking out our new weblog!

There's several reasons that we decided to start this blog. Most importantly, there's tons of  great information and advice that we provide to our customers on a daily basis via the telephone and email that simply doesn't exist on our web site. A blog will provide us with an easy way to make this information available. It's also going to give us a great place to make new product announcements and post other industry news.

Over the next few days I hope to provide a few posts to address some of our more frequently asked questions, and to talk about some of our more popular products. Check back soon!