Radio Resource Inc. Blog

Walkie Talkie Rentals and the Importance of Team Communication at Large and Small Events

 Walkie talkie rentals can be important for events to help coordinate team members and volunteers. Whether it is a small 5k or a large festival, team communication is an important aspect of running a successful event. Also, many others can benefit from renting radios as well. Sports tournaments can greatly benefit from using radios in coordinating multiple games going on in different locations, or reporting injuries and game scores from each field. Industries like construction, scaffolding, and many others may rent radios when working on a certain project for a set amount of time. If you already own a radio fleet, but perhaps need a few extra for an event or project, renting can be a good option for you.

Trying to rely on cell phones to help team members communicate in loud and busy areas is not ideal when instant and clear communication is needed. With two-way radios, quick push-to-talk allows team members can communicate in seconds. Not to mention, by having two-way radios at your events you will be able to manage emergencies, announcements, and event schedules with ease. Some radio rental users opt to use earpieces and headsets to allow them to be hands-free when communicating. There are many different options when it comes to renting radios and Radio Resource offers a wide variety of options for both radios and earpieces. We can help find a rental solution that works for you at a cost-effective price.

Radio Resource has one of the largest rental fleets in the United States, and has experience renting radios to many different special events, both big and small alike. When it comes to enhancing communication among team members, Radio Resource can help you. For 30 years we have served many events in Colorado and events nationwide.

If you are looking to rent radios for an event or have any questions, please visit:

 Features of Digital Radios Enhance Team Communication

With digital radios, a whole new set of features is available at your fingertips. Many people may have heard that “going digital” is not worth the time to retrain your staff on. The migration from analog to digital is quite simple and smooth process. Digital radios bring not only many advantages, but enhanced features. These features can help increase efficiency, improve crisis management, and give you a more personalized communication experience.

With digital, the ability to use text messaging with two-way radios is on the rise and many healthcare, hospitality, and warehouses are using this feature to effectively communicate. Orders can be filled, work tickets can be satisfied, and businesses can thrive through the use of text messaging on two-way radios.

Direct call is another popular feature of digital that allows teams to communicate more effectively. Instead of transmitting a message to your entire team over a channel, directly call a person on your work team without interrupting others from their task at hand. Along with individual call is group call, which allows a user to make a call to a set group within the entire group. And of course, all call is still available, where all users in the group are called.

Talking party identification is another great feature of digital because it allows you to see which user is transmitting over your channel. For ease of identification, these radio ID’s can be programmed to be certain names of staff members, or perhaps job titles.

Digital opens up a variety of options for its users and it offers a more quality experience for users. Today, there are many different radios available that are both digital and analog capable .

To see more benefits of digital and DMR, check out this whitepaper:

http://dmrassociation.org/downloads/documents/DMR-Association-White-Paper_Benefits-and-Features-of-DMR_160512.pdf

Is NXDN the Right Digital Technology for you?

NXDN is a type of digital technology that is FDMA based. This is a difference between NXDN and DMR, seeing that DMR uses TDMA.

Industries like construction, transportation, public safety, and many more all seeing the benefits of using NXDN. NXDN is a type of digital technology like DMR that can enhance operations and provide clearer and more efficient communication between users. NXDN brings many positives to its users, and we will go over a few of them in this article.

When looking at features of NXDN, two types of trunking are offered. These two types of trunking are called NXDN Type-C and NXDN Type-D. Type-C uses a centralized control channel whereas Type-D does not use a control channel. Most of these trunking system feature automatic roaming, individual group and call capability, short text, GPS, and many other features. NXDN could be the right digital technology for you if you are looking for these key features in your digital technology.

One positive that NXDN has used from the start is the use of the vocoder from DVSI. The vocoder that is used in NXDN is widely recognized as the leading vocoder technology. Other two-way radio standards like P25 and DMR use this as well. This vocoder allows for enhanced clarity between radio users and clearer digital voice.

When it comes to coverage and audio quality with NXDN, it is found that it does supply a better footprint than traditional analog FM. With audio quality, it has been noted that many uses feel that NXDN provides clearer and better digital voice compared to DMR. Because NXDN uses FDMA, there is a narrower channel width, which would allow for better coverage. From a personal experience, I have found that a good portion of radio users feel that NXDN gives them better coverage and clearer voice when communicating. This is however personal preference, and I have found that a good portion of users prefer DMR over NXDN.

One radio that uses NXDN digital technology is the NX-5200 from Kenwood. The NX-5000 series radios have proven to be effective and efficient for team communications across many different industries. To see the full set of features and what these Kenwood radios can do for you and your team, check out this whitepaper:

Advantages of DMR Digital Technology

DMR boasts many advantages and may be the best solution for you.

DMR is a type of digital technology for radios that utilizes TDMA. In utilizing TDMA, it doubles its capacity and allows a single channel to support two calls coming in simultaneously.

Here are 4 of the many advantages that come with using DMR:

Using DMR can help you make a more efficient use of your infrastructure equipment. Because DMR uses TDMA, one repeater can support two channels simultaneously. This will save you money in the long run and will give you the chance to spend less on equipment while having better audio quality. Utilizing your infrastructure to its fullest capability is ideal when spending money on any type of system.

Utilizing DMR will also give you longer battery life with your mobile devices. This is because only one of the time slots is being used when a single call comes in. Another positive of utilizing less battery life is that it is greener and more beneficial for the environment.

DMR also allows an easier implementation of data applications. Applications such as GPS tracking and text messaging are possible thanks to DMR. Having these different applications will allow you to communicate in a more efficient way and give your team better direction. These applications can take your team communications to the next level.

Compared to analog, using DMR will give you enhanced audio quality. In using DMR, you will have clearer and better audio communication, especially when you are toward the furthest points of transmission with your radios.

Allowing your team to communicate effectively through DMR digital technology can help you boost communication within your organization. 

If considering DMR, one radio to look at (depending on which industry you are in) is the Vertex Standard EVX-S24. This small and durable radio is easy to handle and lighter compared to many other radios.

For more information on DMR and radio options visit: https://www.radioresource.com/

Sources:

http://dmrassociation.org/downloads/documents/DMR-Association-White-Paper_Benefits-and-Features-of-DMR_160512.pdf

“Key Benefits of DMR Technology.” Digital Mobile Radio Association | Privacy Policy, dmrassociation.org/dmr-key-benefits.html. Accessed 20 Sept. 2017.

Children are back to school in the Colorado area, and one item will remain at the top of the list for administration and staff in this upcoming school year: School Safety.

Administration and school security alike are constantly looking for ways to improve the safety of not only the facilities, but more importantly the students. One item that should be important to them in school emergencies are their two-way radios. 

With radios, administration can easily coordinate orders from the top down. Whether there is an active shooter, fire, or natural disaster, messages can be passed from the administration office to each classroom in an effective way. 

Also, teachers have a way of reporting emergencies from the classroom to the administration office. Two-way radios have proven to be the most effective form of communication in school buildings when an emergency occurs. 

Motorola Solutions provides many great options for the education industry when it comes to school safety. Their durable radios have been tested and proven in an industry where safety is the top priority. One great radio for schools has been the Motorola SL300. This sleek radio is under an inch thick and is a favorite among many school personnel. 

Overall, school safety and two-way radios go hand-in-hand. Schools can rely on radio communications to keep their staff connected and be prepared for whatever situation may arise.