pandemic

It's the year 2020. Schools are opening soon, but this year things will be different. Every school that is planning to offer classes on campus has adopted considerable changes. Some are restricting students to classrooms only and some are prohibiting visitors from entering their buildings. Others are alternating students between at-home and on-campus classes to reduce class size. No matter the scenario, an instant, reliable and simple means of communication between everyone on school property is vital, and radios are the perfect solution for ensuring safe interaction. Here's how radios and callboxes can enable safe, productive social distancing in schools.

Social distancing guidelines require a minimum of six feet between individuals. Since most classrooms are not built for this sort of distancing, many schools are forced to re-arrange classrooms to space out desks and limit the number of students allowed within a specific area. When each staff member is equipped with a walkie talkie, such partitioning is easier to organize and manage.

One strategy that schools are taking to limit the spread of coronavirus is by restricting movement between classrooms, within the facility and across the campus. Some schools are not allowing students to leave the classroom. Some schools are not allowing parents or visitors to enter the building. In some situations, even the teachers, staff and administrators may all be confined within their designated work areas to minimize the possible spread of a contagion. These are all scenarios in which it may be essential for each staff member to have a radio.

As an educator, you're probably already aware that every school is different, so there's not a one-size-fits-all solution for handling the current coronavirus crisis. Simply put, there are as many solutions for dealing with this pandemic as there are schools. Yet, if there is one thing that we keep hearing from our customers, it's that radios fit into the plan, and we're here to help with that. Here are a few products that are already popular with schools, and can help you meet your goals of providing a quality education in a safe, healthy environment.

Motorola CP200d
The Motorola CP200d is one of Motorola's most popular models and is commonly used by educators. Currently there is an opportunity to save $40 per radio on the CP200d when you buy at least 10. Contact us for a quote, or for more details.

The CP200d is a powerful 16 channel radio with superior audio quality and long battery life for extended periods on campus. The Motorola CP200d is available in either 4 watt UHF or 5 watt VHF models with 16 channels, superior audio and long battery life. Available in analog or analog/digital versions, both with repeater capability, the CP200d provides the coverage needed for reliable communications throughout your school.

The CP200d features Dual Capacity Direct Mode, All Call/Group Call/Selective Call (Digital Mode), Auto-Range Transpond System (ARTS™) Alert, Basic Privacy, Monitor Channel, and Voice Announcement. It is rated IP54 dust and water resistant, with the ruggedness and durability needed in an educational facility or on-campus environment.

Motorola VX-261
The VX-261 is a 16 channel radio with enhanced audio and a battery system that is universally compatible with other models in the VX-Series. It has 2 programmable keys for a custom configuration and a loud 700mW internal speaker so you can hear and be heard in and around the classroom. Features include MDC1200® FleetSync® 2-Tone and 5-Tone encode/decode and DTMF signaling options, multiple scan options, Dual Watch, Emergency Alert, hands-free VOX capability (w/VOX accessory), lone work feature, and Auto-Range Transpond System (ARTS™) Alert.

This is also a rugged radio. The VX-261 is IP55 water/dust resistant and meets MIL-STD 810 C, D, E, F and G for durability. It comes with a 3 year manufacturer warranty to boot.

Icom F4001
If you need a tough walkie talkie that's built for day-to-day use in the classroom or outside around school grounds, the Icom IC-F4001 is one to consider. This radio is a good choice for educational facilities that need rugged, reliable Mil Spec and IP54 radios which are also easy on school budgets.

The IC-F4001 a 4 watt UHF radio with 16 channels, CTCSS/DCS tones filtering, and powerful 800mW audio output for noisy classrooms and physical education activities in schoolyards. It features channel scan, 2-step power save, time-out timer, talk around function, lone worker function and hands-free VOX capability. The F4001 is also repeater capable and PC programmable. It comes with a battery pack that can power the Icom IC-F4001 for up to 20 hours on a single charge.

Icom F1000/F2000 Two Way Radio
If you need a walkie talkie with the power, features and durability of a big radio but in slim, compact shell for easier handling and greater portability in the classroom, you need the Icom F1000/F2000 two way radio. This little transceiver can take the long hours and heavy workloads of the average school day, but is considerably lighter, smaller and easier to carry around the campus. This heavy duty radio is IP67 waterproof, which means it can even take a dunking in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

The F1000 is the 5 watt VHF model and the F2000 is the 4 watt UHF version. Both have 16 channels.

The F1000 / F2000 may be compact, but don't let its small size fool you. It's loaded with powerful features, such as built-in 2-Tone and 5-Tone, CTCSS and DCS signaling for group communications, selective calling, quiet stand-by, channel announcement and a built-in inversion voice scrambler for safe, secure conversations. It's also MDC 1200 compatible, allowing for additional programmable features such as PTT ID, RX radio check and Stun/Revive.

The Icom F1000 and F2000 are especially designed with workplace safety in mind, so it's equipped with emergency features, such as programmable Lone Worker and Man Down features, an escalating alarm, a surveillance function, a built-in motion sensor to detect its position and state of motion, and an emergency signal that can be sent when there are extreme changes. These can be quite useful in an on-campus environment for both pandemic control and security reasons.

Ritron XT Series Heavy Duty 2-Way Radio Callbox
Ritron is a US manufacturer of solid, dependable callboxes for indoor and outdoor use, and their XT Series Callbox is top of the line. Managing visitor entry is crucial in this pandemic, and the Ritron XT is an excellent choice for any educational institution that needs to safely and securely control, limit or monitor access to school buildings or campus grounds from anyone on the outside.

The Ritron XT Series 2-Way Radio Callbox extends access control and instant, PTT communications to even the most remote locations on campus! It installs virtually anywhere on school property without trenching or expensive installation of wiring. It works seamlessly with your existing two way radio system and is both field and PC programmable with user adjustable settings. It features a built-in relay control for remote control of gates and doors, and remote activation. You can also program custom, pre-recorded voice messages for playback on demand. An optional lighted entry keypad is available for programming features into the callbox, as well as relay control.

The Ritron XT Series Callbox is available in analog models for UHF, VHF or license-free MURS radio systems. It is also available in digital models for NXDN® or DMR systems! Each callbox supports one channel, with a high-gain mic and a built-in speaker with loud audio output for noisy school environments. The XT can be powered by 6 alkaline "D" Cell batteries or an optional external 12VDC adapter, which is sold separately.

The Ritron XT Series Callbox is built for outdoor operation in all-weather environments, with a fiberglass housing and stainless steel faceplate. It comes with tamper-resistant fasteners to discourage vandals. This callbox is built for safety and security, which is a high priority for schools.

Ritron LM-600Analog LoudMouth Wireless Stand-Alone PA System
The LoudMouth is a public address system that allows you to broadcast announcements to a loudspeaker in and around the school property directly from your walkie talkie! it's an extremely flexible, yet cost-effective solution for campus alerts, announcements and notifications without the costly installation of a wired Public Address system.

The Ritron LoudMouth PA is an easy add-on that integrates seamlessly with your existing two-way radio communication system. It can be installed almost anywhere, which means it is perfect for locations where a wired PA is not feasible to install. the LM-600Analog can receive and play emergency weather warnings from the National Weather Service that are broadcast on one of the seven NOAA weather frequencies in the US! It works with your existing two-way radios on UHF, VHF, or VHF MURS. The LoudMouth also supports Canada UHF, VHF and Part 95 GMRS/FRS frequencies. It is also available in a DMR digital version for schools that use digital radios.

The Loudmouth PA consists of an industrial grade, dual band radio receiver connected to a powerful PA horn type speaker capable of —95dB SPL@ 50 ft. The unit is PC and field programmable for one channal with 156 digital and analog Privacy Codes and one of 10 selectable 2-Tone Codes. It also supports DTMF and Selcall Codes. It operates on 110VAC or an optional rechargeable back-up battery that can be purchased separately.

The Loudmouth PA may not be necessary for schools with fancy intercoms and PAs, but may be extremely useful for schools that need to make announcements specific to certain locations if their main intercom isn't capable of that type of flexibility.

Regardless of how your school is handling the pandemic this year, it's clear that radios are more necessary to its operation than ever before. Two-way radios and callboxes enable instant, safe and reliable communication at a distance, which is going to be an essential requirement for administrators, faculty, staff, and especially students this school year. Our staff is standing by if you need any further assistance. Contact us and we will be happy to help.

While we certainly hope this scenario isn't the case for you, it is an important one to address. In the event that someone in your family contracts the virus and needs to be isolated within the home, you will need a way to communicate back and forth and monitor the situation while maintaining the necessary protocols of quarantine. This is a situation in which walkie talkies could prove to be an absolute necessity.

Isolating one or more family members within the confines of a home is not as simple as it sounds. It puts the entire family at risk. Recent studies have shown that a simple cough can eject micro droplets so small and light, they can hang around in a room with little or no cross-ventilation for hours, or even days, as illustrated in this video. Even normal speech can distribute such micro droplets within a short distance from the speaker.

Considering this, the international recommendation for social distancing at a minimum of six feet or more makes perfect sense when in a public space. The problem is, the practice isn't always practical in a home environment. Since it is common for someone with an illness to be confined to bed in a room inside their apartment or home, the air in that room will fill with those micro droplets quickly, and unless there is plenty of cross-ventilation, those particles won't go away for a long, long awhile. While you should obviously provide care for the afflicted individual, it is also important to minimize unnecessary contact at the same time. You really don't want to go in there just to chat.

Staying at home to distance yourself from the rest of the world is one thing. Isolating someone from the rest of the household is a more complicated matter. Obviously, the less direct contact you have with this person, the better, but how can you do this and still communicate with one another?

The simple solution is to use radios. Using walkie talkies to communicate with an isolated individual can help everyone cope with the situation. Here are five ways walkie talkies can help when you're quarantined with an illness.

Radios can help the quarantined patient communicate with you.
The first and most obvious way to use these walkie talkies is to simply set one at the bedside of the patient in quarantine, and keep the other one for use by the caregiver(s) outside the quarantined area. When one party wants to talk with the other, just press the Push-To-Talk (PTT) button and, well, talk. Pretty simple stuff. And you can expand your communications from there. You can provide radios to everyone in every area of the home, so they can all practice proper social distancing and assist with the home quarantine operations as needed.

Radios such as the Midland T31VP and Cobra ACXT145 have a Call Alert or Call Tone feature that allows the patient to signal when he or she wants to talk. When the call button is pressed, the radio sends an audible alert tone to the other radios within range, much like when a phone rings to indicate a call is received and is waiting to be answered. Some radios have a single tone, while other models such as the Midland LXT633 may have 5 or more. The Midland X-Talker T75 has 10 selectable call tones, five of which are animal sounds. The Motorola T265 has as many as 20!

Models like the Midland GXT1000 even have a whisper feature, which can give the quarantined patient the ability to call for assistance without having to raise their voice. This could be crucial, and can make deliveries of their food, water, and medical needs more efficient.

Walkie Talkies can assist with monitoring the quarantined patient.
If the patient is too sick or weak to physically operate a transceiver on their own, that patient will need to be monitored. This is anther area where walkie talkies may be able to help. The Midland T51VP3, Motorola Talkabout T402, Cobra ACXT345 and many other radios include a feature called Voice Activated Transmit, or VOX. When VOX is activated, the radio will be in a "listen mode" and automatically transmit any sound picked up by the microphone to the other radios. For instance, if the patient calls out for assistance, it can activate the radio to transmit. In this way the radio can be used hands-free.

There are some caveats to this. VOX doesn't just activate by voice. It can be activated by any noise it picks up, any noise at all. If the patient is in a very quiet room, it may not be an issue. However, if there is anything else in the room that can generate noise, such as a TV, cell phone, or fan, it could be problematic, as the noise generated by any of those devices could also trigger the radio to transmit. This can sometimes be mitigated by adjusting the sensitivity settings for VOX in the radio, but will require quite a bit of trial and error.

Also, there is usually a delay between the moment the sound is emitted and the time it takes for the radio to hear the sound and begin to transmit. This could be up to several seconds, depending on the radio, the VOX circuitry, and its setting. The delay can result in the first part of a transmission being clipped and not heard by the recipient. This is normal and can sometimes be minimized somewhat by playing around with the VOX sensitivity settings, but not entirely eliminated. It's not a perfect science, but it is possible to use VOX to monitor the audio in a room in certain circumstances and under the right conditions.

Radios can help you communicate with everyone else inside and outside the quarantined area.
Walkie Talkies allow everyone in the home to be separated and keep it all together at the same time, both figuratively and literally speaking. When one person or group is required to remain separated from another, walkie talkies keep everyone in both groups communicating in order to co-ordinate and maintain the necessary parameters for distancing within the domicile. This is especially important, as it can help to avoid cross contamination between the assigned spaces of those who are ill and those who are not.

Radios can transmit fast, instant alerts to the entire household.
Need to send an urgent message or alert to others in the home while avoiding direct contact with them? Walkie talkies can do that, too. The Motorola T480  and T600 are equipped with an emergency alert feature that allows you to signal everyone within range of an urgent matter or situation that requires their immediate attention. This can be especially useful if the quarantined patient takes a turn for the worse and needs medical attention or a trip to the hospital. It is important to understand that the emergency alert feature is not a substitute for calling 9-1-1 and it should not be misconstrued as such. It is not connected to any emergency system. It is merely intended for sending an alert to other family members in the household who are monitoring the patient that he or she may be in some distress or in urgent need of assistance.

Radios can provide a measure of comfort and security for the patient.
Let's face it, when someone is sick, they aren't just physically ill. The effects of quarantine and confinement is also an emotional and mental strain. The isolation can bring on feelings of loneliness and depression, which only adds to the physical discomfort or pain. Simply having a radio by the bedside can actually be psychologically beneficial, because they know can can call instantly, at the mere push of a button, and someone else in the household is likely to respond in kind. It symbolizes that even though no one can be in the same room, next to them, someone is nearby, monitoring them, and they are not truly alone. That is a very powerful and positive message, transmitted by the mere presence of a radio, without even pushing a button.

It is our hope that this pandemic ends soon for everyone's sake, and everyone currently stuck at home or quarantined with the virus recovers completely and quickly so we can all resume our normal activities of life. However, if you do find yourself or your family in isolation, there are ways to help ease the stress of confinement, improve the quality of caregiving, and mitigate the risk to others by using reliable and efficient two way radio communications. Buy Two Way Radios can provide you with the guidance and recommendations needed to do this safely, effectively and at minimal cost.

There are many different ways you can use two-way radios or walkie talkies to make life easier and less stressful, especially during an emergency such as the 2020 pandemic. With much of the country under a stay-at-home order, we would like to share some of the ways you can use two-way radios to make your quarantine safer, more efficient, and maybe even a little bit more enjoyable. Here are three ways walkie talkies can help when you're stuck at home.

Two-way radios can provide quick and easy communication between family members throughout the house. Maybe you are WFH or working from home in a secluded area of your domicile for privacy, and your spouse wants to let you know that lunch will be ready in a few minutes. A pair of handheld FRS radios such as the Midland X-Talker T31VP can quickly and easily accomplish this feat with minimal interruption, and without having to take anyone's eyes off the kids. Perhaps mom and dad need a break, so they send the kids outside to play in the yard to enjoy a day of no school and beautiful spring weather. When play time is over, calling them back inside for their studies or for a meal is a breeze with a small walkie talkie like the Cobra ACXT145 or Motorola T100 in tow!

Walkie talkies can be used as a source of entertainment for both children and parents alike! For most kids right now, the quarantine life is getting really old, and cabin fever is setting in. Many are missing their neighborhood pals and play dates. With social distancing regulations and stay-at-home orders still active for most states, a set of FRS radios such as the Midland T20 may help kids stay in touch with their friends nearby. The T20 radios are also available in a convenient and economical four pack, each with a different color, so each kid can be assigned their own color coded radio. We realize that there are many different technologies out there to keep kids connected, but one of the advantages of using such a radio system is that it won't bog down the bandwidth while mom and dad are working remotely. Plus, the radio airwaves are free to use! Ultimately, it's a win/win for both sides!

Even though FRS radios may be license-free, easy to use, and cost-effective, they aren't mere toys, and they aren't just for kids. Take the Motorola TALKABOUT T280, for instance. This general purpose radio is also designed for emergency use, with 11 weather channels and NOAA weather alerts. The ease of instant push-to-talk communications over free airwaves make these and other FRS walkie talkies very efficient and cost effective for entire families to communicate with neighbors down the street at anytime, for just about anything. And it does all of this while maintaining the mandated protocol of proper social distancing!

Buy Two Way Radios is here to help with your quarantine needs, and even though our sales staff is also working remotely, our warehouse is still up and running with no delays on shipments. Please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-584-1445, and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks, and stay safe!

We discuss the current national emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it relates to two way radios. We also tell you how to properly disinfect your radios and take some of your comments and questions from our blog and our forum.

Intro :00
Billboard 1:23

How we're dealing the COVID-19 pandemic 1:43
We discuss the current national emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic and how we’re dealing with it at Buy Two Way Radios.

Using radios for social distancing 18:57
We discuss the importance of having radios during this national emergency and some ways they can be used to assist both small businesses and families with instant, effective communications for social distancing.

Radios with antimicrobial properties 32:03
We tell you which radios have antimicrobial properties that can be useful during the current situation and what the term antimicrobial really means. For more information, read Motorola radios with antimicrobial protection.

How to clean and disinfect two way radios 43:46
We explain how to properly clean and disinfect your radios for maximum personal protection.

Questions and Answers 51:32
Comments and questions from readers of our Two Way Radio Blog and members of the Two Way Radio Forum. Check out and join the new and improved forum! It's free!

Wrap up and Close 1:01:06
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. If we read your comment about this episode on a future episode, we may send you a free Two Way Radio Show t-shirt! Visit us at www.twowayradioshow.com!

© 2020 Cricket Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved.

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