Radio Resource Inc. Blog

Carrying Options for Two-way Radios

Two-way radios are imperative for team communications and operations. A big question amongst users is, “What are the different carrying options I have?” Depending on use case and job type many radios have standard options that the radio comes with. That standard option is most often a belt clip. This cheap and convenient way to carry your radio works for most, but what if the user is wearing a dress or perhaps a suit that makes it tougher to get to a belt?

Here are a few different options that most radios offer as a carrying solution

1. Belt Clip

• CP series, EVX series, SL series, and XPR series radio packages all come standard with a belt clip

2. Chest Pack

• These are commonly used with the CP series and XPR series radios

3. Swivel Carry Holster

• These come standard with the SL series radios.

4. Nylon Carry Case
5. Hand Strap

• A great option for the SL300 series.

6. Lanyard

• Lanyards have proven to be a great option for the EVX-S24 radios. This is popular amongst users wearing dresses or skirts.

Popular School Radios

Two-way radio communication in schools is key in keeping staff connected and helping manage emergency situations on campus. With that, there are a few radios that come to mind that are popular in schools today.

The EVX-S24 boasts a small form factor and display screen that is easy to read. This 3 watt digital radio is easy to carry and gives clear digital audio. The EVX-S24 offers an IP67 rating and is water submersible for up to 3 feet for 30 minutes. Teachers, administrators, and office staff will appreciate having this small radio at their desk or on their hip. Other advanced scan features, direct call abilities, and text messaging allows private conversation if needed.

The SL300 is another popular radio among schools. This slim radio can easily slide into a coat pocket or fit on your hip in its swivel carry holster. Its display allows you to see what channel you are operating on and provides clear audio. Operating at 3 watts in digital this radio will help your team stay connected from the playground to the front office. When operating in digital multiple emergency options are available and can be programmed into the side programmable button. When looking for a sleek and reliable option, the SL300 gives you advanced features with a professional look. 

One last radio to mention is the Motorola VX-261. This radio is perfect for the entry level user that is looking for a simple push-to-talk solution while maximizing coverage. This 4 watt analog radio has a great price point and still offers different scan features and a solid durability rating.

If your school is looking for a two-way radio solution or is looking to upgrade its radio fleet feel free to contact us at:

https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm

Simple Ways to Enhance Your Radio Communication

Here are a few easy ways to enhance your two-way radio communication:

Upgrade to digital

Are your radio conversations sounding muffled, spotty, or cutting in and out? Upgrading your fleet to digital can help clear up audio quality and enhance coverage within your day-to-day operations. Quite often switching from analog to digital can clear up current problems that are being experienced with your radios. If you are currently using the CP200d analog radio, you can purchase the software upgrade and make it digital!

Use a higher quality accessory

Having an accessory that is reliable and durable can make a huge difference in your teams’ communication. Sometimes cheaper accessories make the audio quality diminish and harder to understand. Purchasing a noise canceling surveillance kit can help clear background noise and give you a better user experience.

Use a longer antenna

If your radio fleet has stubby antennas, using whip antennas can help extend your coverage in-building or outside. Sometimes this quick swapping of antennas can give you about 20% better coverage!

Add a repeater

Adding a repeater can help give you extended coverage and allow your team to connect even further. These are even available in our rental fleet if you are needing them for a short period of time or for a rental event

Do you have questions about upgrading or enhancing your radio communication?

Feel free to give us a call at 303-987-1545 or contact us online at:

https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm

Call Box Solutions

Call box solutions provide a reliable way for employees, visitors, or customers to get in contact with a monitoring station or two-way radio user on property. Quite often, call boxes are found on school campuses, shopping centers, hospitals, and many other businesses. These call boxes can be easily integrated within two-way radio systems and gives users a reliable, affordable, and instant way to communicate. Both analog and digital two-way radio users can deploy this solution to enhance the safety, security, and communication within their businesses. Most call boxes work exactly like a two-way radio: Push to talk and release to listen. Other enhanced features are also available depending on the type of call box.

Some call boxes have built in chips that allow monitoring personnel to identify which call box the notification is coming from. Because of this feature, monitors can respond quickly and go to the area of the call if help is needed. Call boxes can be solar operated as well so parking lots, remote locations on property, and other hard to reach places can stay connected in a time of need. Tamper and vandal resistant features make this solution safe to deploy in any area. Some call boxes available are weatherproof so damage from inclement weather isn't a factor.

These solutions can be either wall mounted or free standing. The variety of call box designs gives users many different options on how and where they can deploy this solution. There are many different high quality call box solutions that can fit your communication needs.

If you are interested in implementing or deploying this solution within your operations today or have any questions on call box solutions, feel free to reach out to us at: https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm

Two-way Radios for Hotels

Team communication in the hospitality industry is vital when it come to operations, guest safety, and guest satisfaction. Two-way radios have proven to be a great one-to-many solution in keeping staff members on the same page. Whether a hotel has 100 rooms or 1000 rooms; keeping management, housekeeping, engineering, and other departments on the same page is critical for daily operations and emergency situations.

Typically, smaller hotels find the Motorola EVX-S24 to be a great fit for their operations. It’s display screen easily tells users which channel they are one, and one to one calling is available as well. Generally smaller hotels will see this radio give them coverage easily throughout their property. Another great option is the Motorola SL300 radio. This slim radio can easily fit into a pocket, and boasts an LED display screen as well. These 3-watt digital radios tend to be favorites due to their size, functionality, and clarity of audio. Other radios such as the XPR7550e and SL7550e offer advanced features for radio users and allows them to improve their communication situation as well.

Larger hotels may need to operate their radios using a repeater system in order to expand their coverage. Quite often, a hotel needing many different repeater channels may choose to operate using Capacity Plus Trunking. Other systems such as IP Site Connect and Capacity Max can all assist larger operations with multiple sites and a large number of workers.

To find out more about two-way radio systems for hotels, please visit us at https://www.radioresource.com/

Two-way Radios are more than just a “Box Solution”...It’s About Customer Service

Investing in two-way radios is a big step for any business, school, or facility. It’s important that as an end user, you know which two-way radios, features, licensing options, and systems are available to you. Too often businesses looking to buy radios are emailed a price list and a spec sheet from a vendor and expected to make a decision without handling the product. Or, they are pushed towards a certain radio model even though it may not be the best fit for their operation. 

Buying FCC licensed two-way radios for your team is more than just being sold a box with a radio in it and having to figure it out on your own. Factors like location, building size, industry, and user preference all come into play when finding the right radio for your team. Depending on the type of radio, there are many different features that can enhance your operations.

Having a go-to partner that is willing to come on site, test radios with you, and be your communications consultant is important to make sure your two-way radios or radio system operates correctly throughout your day-to-day operations. The relationship shouldn’t end after the sale either. Your communications partner should be there handling warranty repairs, reprogramming, and assist you when you are looking to expand your radio fleet and make adjustments in the future.

Here at Radio Resource, we offer more than just "box solutions", we offer personal communication solutions fit for your specific operations.

If you are interested in having one of our representatives come on site in the Denver Metro area, we would be more than happy to help you find the right solution.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please reach out to us at: https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm

Radio Rental for Winter Events

Winter is coming and many different cities throughout the United States will be holding annual parades, festivals, and events. During these special events hundreds or even thousands of employees need to be on the same page to make sure operations are running smoothly. Two-way radios give you the ability to have a line of communication to multiple people at a time.

No matter the location, two-way radios can be deployed and trusting in tough communication environments. Some events may be large enough were a repeater may be needed. This repeater will give you extended communication with your two-way radios. Whether you are in need of communication in a hotel, main street, or event center two-way radios can give you connectivity on the go.

If your event staff or team is not equipped with two-way radios and only needs them for a short amount of time, renting radios can be the way to go. At Radio Resource, we have a large rental fleet full of durable, compact, and reliable radios. Radios can be rented for a day, weeks, or even months. Within our fleet we have a variety of options, and would love to assist you with your event. Radios like the CP200d and EVX-S24 are among some of the favorites in our rental fleet. We serve special events around the United States year round and we would love the opportunity to assist you.

If you have any questions or are interested in renting radios for your winter event, feel free to reach out to us at: https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm

Two-way Radios within Assisted Living Communities

Assisted living communities are responsible for the well-being, health, and safety of its community members. Creating a welcoming, organized, and safe environment is important to any type of community. One important piece of organization and safety is instant communication between staff, medical, and facility managers.

Motorola Solutions offers many different two-way radio solutions that can enhance team connectivity and help create a safer environment for all types of assisted living communities. A radio like the EVX-S24 is a smaller radio that is a great push-to-talk solution that is lightweight. This radio offers emergency features, scanning, text messaging, and has a great IP rating. A radio like the XPR7550e gives users advanced features such as GPS tracking, text messaging, and the ability to do multiple types of trunking. Quite often, larger communities will need a repeater for their building to enhance the coverage of their two-way radios.

When it comes to emergency features and advanced solutions, Motorola Solutions two-way radios and applications offers a wide range of options to fit any assisted living community.

To see more two-way radio solutions for your facility, visit us at https://www.radioresource.com/

Government Grants for Education

Investment in technology throughout schools today is rapidly growing. Tablets, computers, projectors, and walkie talkies are all common pieces of technology seen in schools today. Two-way radios in particular are one piece of technology that helps keep schools safe around the United States and adds another security measure for schools. Funding is available to help outfit your school with the latest technologies and keep your school ahead of the curve with the latest communication technology.

There are government grants available for Education that can go towards investing in emergency communications equipment for staff and students. Two-way radios have proven to be an effective way to communicate from one to many. This form of reliable communication helps keep administration, teachers, and other staff on the same page. Motorola Solutions partners with GovGrantsHelp to provide schools with free grant research and application assistance.

Two sources that are available for information on grants for Education are educationgrantshelp.com and GovGrantsHelp.com. These websites can help schools see which grants are available and how to apply.

If you are looking for two-way radios for your school, feel free to reach out to us at https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm

Two-way Radios and Radio Infrastructure for Schools

Administration, teachers, and students are all preparing for the upcoming Fall semester. Before school starts, it’s important to ensure quality communication systems are in place. Let’s take a look at some common infrastructure and two-way radios that we see in many different schools today.

SLR5700 Repeater

This SLR5000 series repeater has a sleek form factor with a low power consumption. This MOTOTRBO repeater allows you to have one analog channel and two digital channels. There are ways to expand the capacity of your repeater with Capacity Plus or Capacity Max from Motorola. This repeater can be tucked away in an IT closet or mounted to a wall. This repeater has proven to be durable and a solid piece of two-way radio infrastructure for many school communication systems.

EVX S24

The Motorola EVX S24 is a favorite handheld radio among administration and staff. This radio is small, light, and compact and is easy to carry to the playground or walk around the halls with. This radio provides clear digital voice and is easy to use, and there are many accessory and carry options available as well.

SL 300

The SL300 is a slim radio from Motorola is another favorite among administration and teachers. Due to its form factor, it can be easily fit into a coat or pants pocket. The bright LED display screen allows you to easily see what channel you are on. The SL300 is similar to the EVX S24 in that there are numerous accessory and carry options.

When it comes to school two-way radio communication, it’s imperative that the systems in place are reliable and provide clear communication. If you're looking for solutions for your school or school district, feel free to reach out to us at: https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm