Radio Resource Inc. Blog

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

FCC Licensing and the Importance of Filing Correctly

Business/Commercial radio systems are a critical piece to many different operations. Manufacturing, education, construction, and many other industries have seen the benefit of how radios can increase productivity, cut down time, and improve staff communication. Besides having the right radio that will do the job it's important to make sure the radios are being operated within FCC rules and regulations. If the radios you are using require an FCC license it's very important that your license is filed correctly. Losing your license, steep fines, and delay of implementing your communication systems can all be a consequence of not complying with FCC rules and regulations. These licenses can be tied to the specific area of your business, can be used statewide, or used nationwide. Before filing, it is important to plan out how your business will be using these radios. 

Be aware of third-party solicitations from private licensing companies. FCC license information is available to the public for free, so don’t be surprised if these third-party firms are reaching out to your business. Once common question is if you need to purchase a copy of FCC rules and regulations. Radio users only need to have “access” to this information. This information is free to the public and is easy to find online.

These rules and regulations are available on the FCC’s website at:

US Government Printing Office (GPO) Website

To view an FCC license:

FCC Website

If you have any questions, please reach out to us 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 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/

Motorola EVX S24

The Motorola EVX S24 is compact, discreet, and lightweight. This radio is commonly seen in schools, small hotels, and other operations looking for a smaller two-way radio that is easy to use. This radio gives off great audio quality and can operate in analog or digital. Another great feature of this radio is that it's water submersible up to 3 feet for 30 seconds. EVX S24 users also have multiple scan options available and an emergency/lone worker feature as well.

Its 8-character alphanumeric display allows users to see what channel they are on and how much battery life they have. This radio can easily fit into a coat pocket or be clipped onto a belt. Operating in digital, users can send text messages and utilize private or group call. Users can choose between black or yellow casing on the radio as well.

Previously this radio was know as the Vertex EVX S24 and has recently been rebranded to Motorola in January 2018.

To find out more about this radio, contact us at: https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm

Two-way Radio vs. Cell Phone

 Two-way radios offer a great advantage over cell phones when it comes to keeping your work team connected, efficient, and on task. Often times it easy to lose reception on a cell phone or not connect instantly with the person you are attempting to call. Two-way radios from MOTOTRBO can connect you instantly with one person or all of your work force. With MOTOTRBO, you are able to send texts, emergency alerts, work order tickets, and much more.

Take for example a manufacturing plant. When a piece of machinery malfunctions in the plant, production comes to a halt. With a MOTOTRBO Digital radio the production manager can quickly send out an alert to ALL of the employees on the floor letting them know there is an issue. In this situation the production manager can quickly put in a work order ticket and request an order for new parts all over their MOTOTRBO digital two-way radio. MOTOTRBO allows you to easily transmit voice and data in an instant, allowing radio users to take care of the situation on hand with one device. Not to mention, two-way radios are far more durable than cell phones. With noise cancelling accessories and technology, two-way radios can help users communicate clearer in tough environments. Users can have more piece of mind knowing their radio is durable and can get the job done. Cell phones, especially in the manufacturing setting have proven to be less efficient, less durable, and more distracting. Quite often cell phones can lose service, are slow to turn on, and are not reliable in noisy situations.

Digital two-way radios from Motorola have been proven to withstand tough environments for long hours. There are even intrinsically safe options for two-way radios for those working in hazardous environments.

To find a walkie talkie solution that works for you, feel free to reach out to us at https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm

Tips for Deploying Two-way Radios Within an Operation

Two-way radios can be a great addition to many different types of businesses. From manufacturing warehouses to community centers, two-way radios can help increase productivity, safety, and efficiency. Walkie talkies have proven to be an effective one-to-one and one-to-many way form of communication. When implementing two-way radios into your business, there are a few important tips for businesses when first deploying two-way radios. 

Make sure everyone is properly trained

Before distributing radios to employees, it is important that employees know how to properly use their radio. Having a demo session before, or a quick meeting can allow for time for employees to ask questions and get comfortable with their new effective mode of communication. When working with Radio Resource, our representatives are more than happy to talk to employees and demonstrate proper radio etiquette. 

Knowing the different functions of the radio, like programmable buttons

Having a grip on radio functionality can allow employees to more effectively use their radios. If functions like an emergency all call or scan are programmed into the radio, it is important for employees to know so they can use these functions when needed.

Make sure employees know who is their go-to person for their radio issues

It is important that employees report any damaged or stolen equipment to the designated radio manager(s) within their operation. The sooner the problem is reported, the quicker it can be taken care of. Some radios are able to be remotely stunned, which means that it can be shut down and will be inoperable. This is effective for radios that have been lost, or possibly stolen from a former employee.

Overall, it's important that staff members of any operation are prepared when it comes to properly using their two-way radios. Having a deployment plan in place when implementing new radios into any operation help your team be more prepared for the day ahead!

Questions? Contact us at:  https://www.radioresource.com/contact-us.htm

SL Series Radios from Motorola Solutions-Where Function and Style Meet

Keeping your work team connected can be a challenge if there aren’t the proper communication systems in place. The MOTOTRBO SL Series radios allows users to stay more connected by utilizing different business applications. A main part of two-way radio is obviously push-to-talk communication, but the SL Series radios can do so much more.

The SL Series radios are exceptionally slim in size, making the radio easy to use and comfortable to carry. Embedded Bluetooth is also available for wireless audio and multiple earpiece and accessory options are available as well.

Utilizing the SL Series radio to its full capability allows you to see the power of team connection and makes your team more efficient. There are numerous business applications that can enhance many different parts of your operations and make your team more efficient.

Work order tickets allows you to have quicker customer response and allows you to take care of an issue going on within your operations. In hospitality work order tickets can be used to direct employees to complete tasks such as bringing more chairs to the pool area or taking care of a leak in a specific room. The ticket can be accepted and then marked complete all using the SL Series radio.

Manager’s and staff members are all able to connect to their email directly from their SL Series two-way radio. The ability to see important emails through the two-way radios gives staff members yet another tool to help them manage their day and take care of important emails that may arise as they go throughout their day. To go along with email, the SL Series radios can text to each other, letting users connect with ease. Users can utilize telephony as well, connecting radios and landlines to their mobile two-way radios.

Overall, the SL Series digital radios give your team a stylish look but most of all effective team communication. To find out more about the SL Series radios or data applications, please contact us at:

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

UHF or VHF...What's the Difference?

So, what is the major difference between UHF and VHF two-way radios? Most VHF business radios operate within 136-174 MHz, and UHF business radios operate within the 450-512 MHz range. This being said, we can see that VHF operates on a narrower spectrum and consists of less channels than UHF.

UHF stands for Ultra High Frequency and UHF radios can more easily penetrate through steel and concrete structures. Today, UHF radios are far more popular than VHF radios when looking at what different businesses are using for their daily operations. Because these radios can penetrate steel and concrete, most businesses like manufacturing plants, retail stores, and schools choose to use UHF radios within their building. UHF two-way radios typically have shorter antennas compared to VHF radios. One good tip for expanding coverage with your two-way radios is to add a longer whip antenna to your radio. In doing this, you may be able to avoid needing a higher powered radio at your facility.

VHF stands for Very High Frequency and VHF radios sit on the lower end of the spectrum. Because of this, it has longer wavelength which allows the signal to travel further. VHF radios are most commonly used in outdoor areas and open field operations. Aviation, Marine, and farming environments have all seen the benefits of using VHF two-way radios. Typically, these radios are not ideal for use in places like cities with high-rise buildings or indoor use. Depending on the type of radio being used, it is more likely that VHF will be cheaper compared to UHF. 

If you are unsure of which radio would best fit your needs and operations, feel free to reach out to us at 303-987-1545, or visit:

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