Business

Do you need to reset your Motorola RDX Series two way radio back to its original settings? In this episode of Radio 101, Anthony from Buy Two Way Radios will show you how. This method works for both display and non-display models in the RDX series, including the Motorola RDX RDU2020, RDV2020, RDU2080d, RDV2080d, RDU4100, RDU4160d and RDV5100 business two way radios.

Charging a consumer walkie talkie used to be limited to just a couple of options. Today there are many different options available for charging Cobra, Midland, Motorola, Uniden and other brands of FRS and GMRS two way radios. In this episode of Radio 101, Anthony from Buy Two Way Radios will tell you what your options are.

Are you narrowband compliant? If not, the FCC deadline for narrowbanding is almost upon us and you are almost out of time.

What is the narrowband requirement? The FCC mandated that all manufacturers of business two way radios must cease the manufacture and import of radios that include a 25 kHz mode and all VHF/UHF industrial, business and Public Safety Radio Pool licensees must operate on 12.5 kHz (11.25 kHz occupied bandwidth) or narrower channels By January 1, 2013. At that time, all business land mobile radios and licensees operating in the 150-174 MHz VHF and 421-512 MHz UHF bands must be at 12.5 KHz or narrower.

The good news is that most business class radios sold in the United States within the last eight to ten years are already narrowband capable or compliant. If you are currently operating on wideband, you may simply need to re-program your radios for narrowband. However, if your radios are older, they may need to be upgraded. Fortunately, Kenwood and Motorola are both offering special rebate offers on new UHF and VHF business radios that are narrowband ready. Motorola is currently offering a trade-in promotion as well, in which you can trade in your old wideband radios for newer narroband-compliant models. These promotions end December 31, 2012, so if you need to upgrade, now is the time.

In addition to the radios themselves, business operators must also be licensed for narrowband frequencies. If you are already licensed for narrowband, you're all set. If your license covers wideband only you will need to update your license by December 31, 2012. If you need assistance, give us a call. We can help.

For more information about the new FCC narrowband requirements there are several resources available at Buy Two Way Radios.

The final countdown to narrowband compliance has begun - are you ready?
The Two Way Radio Show TWRS-12 - The Migration to Narrowband
Existing License Narrowband Update
FCC Public Notice DA 12-12

You can also give us a call at 1-800-584-1445 or enter our live chat weekdays from 10 AM to 6 PM ET.

UPDATE - The FCC reformed the Part 95 rules in 2017 and the rule mentioned in the article below that provided the uncertainty was removed. The rules clearly indicate that only a Part 95E approved radio can be used on the GMRS. The current rule is as follows:

§ 95.1761 GMRS transmitter certification.
(a) Each GMRS transmitter (a transmitter that operates or is intended to operate in the GMRS) must be certified in accordance with this subpart and part 2 of this chapter.

The original article is below.

It's no big secret that most two way radios that are built specifically for the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) are not of the same quality as typical business radios. There's a good reason for this. Most people who are shopping for GMRS radios need a radio for occasional use, such as a camping trip, and simply prefer a lower priced radio that will get the job done. Occasionally, however, we have customers who need a business quality radio for use on GMRS.

Who Needs A Business Quality Radio For GMRS
These customers typically use their radios often - not just for an occasional hike with the family. They are sometimes looking to become members of a local radio or repeater club, or are radio enthusiasts in general. Perhaps they've purchased "bubble pack" GMRS radios (as typical 2-pack consumer grade radios are sometimes called) in the past and are just looking for better range, better audio quality, or more durability.

There is a reason that business quality radios sell for 6-10 times more than consumer grade radios - they're better. Whatever the reason, we often hear from a potential customer who is looking for a high quality GMRS radio.

Business Radios That Work On GMRS
Most all programmable UHF business radios can be setup to work on the GMRS. This includes practically all 4 and 5 watt business radios that we sell, including models by Icom, Kenwood, Motorola, Olympia, and Vertex Standard. Business radios that are two watts and less typically wouldn't work, as they have a built-in list of frequencies that do not include GMRS.

Is It Legal To Use A Business Radio For GMRS?
It is not entirely clear if it is legal to use a business radio for GMRS. Business radios that would be programmable to GMRS are going to be Part 90 type accepted (certified). This basically means that the FCC has found them to conform to the "Part 90" rules, which relate to land mobile or business radios.

The rules that apply to GMRS are in Part 95, and this is what "bubble pack" radios are type accepted for. While it is possible for business radio manufacturers to have their Part 90 radios also type accepted for Part 95, most do not. (Kenwood is the exception here and the TK3302 and TK3230 are certified for parts 90 and 95.)

The following is the specific section of the law that applies to GMRS equipment:

§ 95.129 Station equipment.
Every station in a GMRS system must use transmitters the FCC has certificated for use in the GMRS. Write to any FCC Field Office to find out if a particular transmitter has been certificated for the GMRS. All station equipment in a GMRS system must comply with the technical rules in part 95.

Many interpret that last sentence (our emphasis) to mean that as long as the radio is technically compliant with part 95, it is OK to use even if it wasn't specifically type accepted for it. Under this interpretation, Part 90 accepted UHF business radios would be allowed. (One caveat is scrambling. Some business radios support it but it cannot legally be used on GMRS.)

For an in-depth discussion on this topic, listen to The Two Way Radio Show TWRS-38 - Using Business Radios on the GMRS.

We discuss how two way radios are used for farming. We also review the Icom IC-F5021 and IC-F6021 Base Station Radios.

Intro :00
Billboard 1:17

Topic Discussion 1:32
We talk about two way radios for farmers. We'll learn how two way radios are used on farms, some of the advantages of using two way radios over cell phones, and recommend some radios for farms. Radios discussed include the Motorola RDU2020 and Motorola RDV2020, Icom IC-F50V and Icom IC-F60V, and Vertex Standard Business Radios.

Commercial Break 16:04
buytwowayradios.com 1:00

Product Review 17:03
Today we review the Icom IC-F5021 and Icom IC-F6021 Base Station radios.

Questions and Answers 22:01
Questions from readers of our Two Way Radio Blog and members of the Two Way Radio Forum.

Wrap up and Close 29:02
Send in your comments and questions for Danny, Anthony and Rick to show(at)buytwowayradios.com. Feedback on this and other topics will be read by the hosts and included in future episodes of the show. Visit us at www.twowayradioshow.com!

© 2012 Cricket Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Looking for ways to use two-way radio communication in your educational setting? Equipping your faculty with two-way radios can make your school much more efficient in a number of ways.

Effective communication between administrators, teachers, security and custodial staff is very important to keep your school running smoothly. Two-way radios are an excellent alternative to cell phones, loud speaker systems, or trying to track down an individual in such a large building.

Here are a number of ways that two-way radio communication can help you be effective:

1. Two-way radios will ensure good communication between the front office and teachers within the classroom, or administrators within the school.

2. Two-way radios can be used to help security and/or administrators communicate during the arrival and dismissal process. This can be one of the most hectic parts of the day for any school. Late buses, parents looking for their children, or any emergencies can be quickly and effectively communicated.

3. Two-way radios can be used to alert custodial staff of any spills or maintenance issues so that they can be taken care of immediately.

4. Two-way radios can be used to alert school security officers in case of any emergency situations, keeping the students and rest of the faculty safe.

Typically, a high powered UHF radio will be ideal in a school setting. Since most schools are fairly large buildings made up of brick, steel and concrete, UHF frequencies will be your best bet because they will penetrate through these solid objects much better than VHF frequencies.

The radios that we usually suggest to our customers looking for radio communication in a school setting are:

The Kenwood ProTalk XLS (TK-3230) (UHF) - Offers 1.5 watts of power, which would be ideal for a smaller campus. A very small, very lightweight business grade radio. This radio comes standard with a lithium-ion battery, and a 2 year manufacturer warranty from Kenwood. Gives you a nice professional look without being very big and bulky. Also comes with the capability to use accessories such as an earpiece or speaker microphone for hands-free use.

The Icom IC-F4011-41-RC (UHF)- Offers 4 watts of output power, which will equal great range within the building, as well as outside around the campus. This radio is also built to military specs for shock, dust and water resistance, and will be able withstand a pretty good beating without breaking. It also comes with a 2 year manufacturer warranty from Icom. This radio comes standard with a lithium-ion battery that should make it thru a school day on a single charge with no problems. This radio has the capability to use accessories such as an earpiece or speaker microphone for hands-free use. Also gives you that professional radio look.

The Vertex VX-231-AG7B (UHF) - Offers 5 watts of output power, which might be the better option if you have an exceptionally large campus that you need to cover. Built to the same military specs as the Icom model for shock, dust and water resistance. It also comes with a 3 year manufacturer warranty from Vertex. This radio has the capability to use accessories such as an earpiece or speaker microphone for hands-free use. Also comes standard with the lithium-ion battery and nice professional look to it.

Any and every school can benefit by having better communication within their staff, and there is no better way to do that than with a two-way radio system. If you have any questions about these radios, or any of our other products, please feel free to contact our sales staff and they will be glad to help you!

Still using your two way radios on wideband? If so, you need to prepare your migration to narrowband as soon as possible, before the end of this year.

The FCC issued a public notice January 5 to remind everyone that the deadline to transition to narrowband is January 1, 2013. This includes private business class land mobile radios and licensees in the 150-174 MHz VHF and 421-512 MHz UHF bands. After January 1, all business radios that operate within these bands must do so using narrowband technology at 12.5 KHz or narrower.

According to the FCC, all VHF/UHF industrial, business and Public Safety Radio Pool licensees must operate on 12.5 kHz (11.25 kHz occupied bandwidth) or narrower channels and all two way radio manufacturers must cease the manufacture and import of radios that include a 25 kHz mode. This applies to all radios purchased after December 31, 2012.

As long as you are licensed for narrowband and your radios support narrowbanding (most radios sold within the last decade do) they should be in compliance. All you may need to do is simply re-program your radios for narrowband if you are still using wideband frequencies. However, if you are licensed for wideband only you will need to update your license for narrowband. In addition, if you are still using older radios that operate in wideband mode only, you will need to upgrade them to support narrowband as well - and you will need to do this by December 31, 2012.

Although a bill has been introduced to delay the transition, our sources have told us that the chances of it actually passing are very low. As such, waiting until the eleventh hour for a possible extension of the deadline may be a risky proposition.

For more information, read the FCC Public Notice DA 12-12 or visit the FCC for full details.

If you need to upgrade your licenses and/or business two way radios, we can help. Give us a call at 1-800-584-1445 today. Don't wait until the last minute to become narrowband compliant. The time to prepare is now.

If you spend a lot of time shopping around for two way radios, at some point you may have come across the term "intrinsically safe". If you're somewhat new to the world of walkie-talkies, you probably have a few questions. What is an intrinsically safe radio? What does it do? What makes an "intrinsically safe" radio different from any other radio? Why would I want one? Why would I need one? Why would I even care?

The word intrinsic refers to the essential or real nature or value of something. In electronics it refers to the very nature of an electronic device as being electrical; an item that operates using electricity. Any electronic device, by its very nature, carries and electrical current or charge, therefore the chance of an electrical spark or heat eminating from the device is inherently present or a possibility at all times.

Intrinsically Safe means the device is safe to use in hazardous environments where the presence of a potential spark, heat or flame could potentially create a safety hazard. In the case of two way radios, this is especially important. Since radios are electrical, they do have the potential to generate sparks and heat, and there are many situations in which a radio may need to be used in potentially hazardous or explosive environments.

Such environments include oil rigs and refineries, gas mains, coal mines, engine rooms of seafaring vessels, chemical plants, factories, emergency scenes involving First Responders, and other environments where there are potentially explosive or hazardous materials.

Hazardous environments fall into different divisions and classifications. The details are outside the scope of this discussion, but essentially they fall into three basic classifications:

• Class 1: flammable vapors and gases
• Class 2: flammable dust
• Class 3: flammable fibers

In such environments, two way radio communication can be very important and even critical to operations, yet standard two way radios should not be used because they can make a potentially hazardous situation even more dangerous.

These situations require the use of Intrinsically Safe radios.

In order to be designated Intrinsically Safe, radios must be designed and housed in such a way as to prevent or eliminate the possibility of generating even the tiniest little spark. They must also limit the amount of heat produced by the radio. The batteries used in the radios must also be specially designed to prevent sparks and eliminate short circuiting. Even the radio housing itself must be designed and constructed of materials to prevent or eliminate friction, which can create static electricity and generate sparks.

In addition to the radios, any accessories used, such as microphones and headsets, need to be intrinsically safe.

Intrinsically safe two way radios are manufactured according to strict codes and regulations set by the National Fire Protection Association. The manufacturing facilities and processes are supervised by Factory Mutual, an insurance and loss prevention company approved by the US government to oversee enforcement of the NFPA codes.

Due to these more stringent manufacturing requirements, Intrinsically Safe radios are considerably more expensive than their standard counterparts. However, the safety considerations built into these radios are worth far more than that. After all, you can't put a price on safety.

Radios manufactured as Intrinsically Safe carry the FM (Factory Mutual) Approved certification mark. Icom, Motorola, and Vertex are major brands with one or more models of intrinsically safe two way radios.

This chart lists popular makes and models of intrinsically safe radios currently available from Buy Two Way Radios.

Questions? Leave us a comment below. You can also give us a call, e-mail us or enter our live chat from 8 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday!

In this episode we discuss the types of batteries used in handheld two way radios. We also review the Impact AC/DC Universal Rapid Multi-Chargers.

Intro :00
Billboard 1:15

Topic Discussion 1:29
We talk about batteries for two way radios. We learn about the types of batteries available, the differences between them and how the important it is to consider the right battery when choosing the right radio. For more information about the types of batteries available and the differences between them, read Battery Type Differences: NiCd vs. NiMH vs. Li-Ion. For more information on the care and maintenance of batteries for two way radios, listen to Episode TWRS-14 - Care and Maintenance of Two Way Radios. Download our FREE Two Way Radio Care and Maintenance Guide. A durable, laminated version of our Care and Maintenance Guide is also available for purchase.

Commercial Break 15:31
buytwowayradios.com 1:00

Product Review 16:29
Today we will review the the Impact AC/DC Universal Rapid Multi-Chargers.

Questions and Answers 22:34
Questions from readers of our Two Way Radio Blog and members of the Two Way Radio Forum.

Wrap up and Close 28:06
Send in your comments and questions for Danny, Anthony and Rick to show(at)buytwowayradios.com. Feedback on this and other topics will be read by the hosts and included in future episodes of the show. Visit us at www.twowayradioshow.com!

© 2011 Cricket Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved.

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