Businesses have significantly benefited from two-way radios. These are simple and affordable ways to improve their communication systems. Productivity is an added benefit as operating expenses continue to fall. Businesses can interact more easily between departments with the help of these tools. These radios play a crucial role in communication between office and field executives.
When picking the best radio, operating environments vary greatly from one customer to another. While they might be expensive, two-way radios are a helpful and cost-effective piece of communication equipment to have.
Things to Consider When Buying Two-Way Radios
Purchasing two-way radios for personal or business use can be a wise investment for anyone searching for a reliable, low-cost communication system. However, deciding which radio is best for you needs careful study. Here are the essential things you should think about before you buy one:
1. Frequency: UHF or VHF?
Knowing the frequency differences offered is necessary for communication to be trusted and as interference-free as possible, depending on the radios’ environments. VHF (Very High Frequency) radios operate on frequencies between 136 and 174 MHz and are best used outside on the open ground or rolling hills with few trees.UHF
UHF (Ultra High Frequencies) operate on frequencies between 450 and 470 MHz and are more popular than VHF since they offer a better range within steel or concrete structures and crowded cities. Learn more about signal booster here.
2. Licensed or Licensed-Free?
Budget, operational environment, and security all play a role in determining whether to purchase licensed or license-free radios. License-free (PMR-446) radios use the same frequencies as conventional PMR-446 radios and operate on 8 general channels.
The only disadvantage is that anyone within range of you who is using a PMR446 radio might listen to your discussion or interfere with your signal. However, license-free radios do not need a license, a network, call fees, or a contract. As a result, they’re great entry-level radios for anyone wanting to operate within line of sight up to a range of about 3 kilometers.
3. Analog or Digital?
The way a radio signal is transmitted and received is determined by whether it is digital or analog. Analog radios are less complicated than digital radios, and they can communicate more effectively when the received signal is weak or loud. However, on each channel, the analog operation only enables one conversation at a time.
Improved speech quality, security, direct calling, channels, higher range, text messaging, and longer battery life benefit digital radios. However, digital radios are more complicated, require the same design and programming to be compatible, and are more pricey. Check out this Panasonic made two-way radio for more information.
4. Required Channels
Each model of two-way radio has a different number of channels. One channel works well if all of your staff need to talk with one another. However, if you own a business like a hotel, you’ll need many channels. Your kitchen, housekeeping, and valet service can then communicate with security and hotel management over one channel. Check out our Motorolas to know more about what two-way radios can do for you.
5. Environment
You need to think about the environment in which the radio will be used. ATEX radios must be considered if radio communication is required in potentially dangerous situations (such as oil refineries, chemical factories, and flour mills), where flammable gases or explosive dust threaten standard radio or electrical equipment. High electric fields, intermittent electrical connections, and other factors can cause sparks, hence ATEX-approved or Intrinsically Safe (IS) radios are created to prevent this.
Conclusion
The best radio for you is determined by a variety of factors. Many features, such as Man Down, GPS, Lone Worker, Voice Activation (VOX), and others, must be addressed in addition to the reasons noted above.
It is really simple to identify the type of radio required, but it is more difficult to pinpoint the most suitable make and model for your needs without testing in the field. Many radio businesses give free on-site demos and testing, and also radios that can be rented.