Summer break is when school districts look to improve their learning environment. Security and efficiency contribute to a productive learning atmosphere by providing a safe and well-maintained setting. Emergencies, disasters, and intruders require preparation and practice so that when they occur, everyone remains safe. Along with safety, efficiency ensures arrival/dismissal, extra-curricular, maintenance, cleanups, busing, and event transportation go as smoothly as possible. These things enable students to thrive and parents, faculty, staff, and the community to take pride in their schools. Read More...

Your team is spread out all over the building, site, or city, and you need to talk to them frequently throughout the work day. Dialing on the phone is time-consuming and isn’t practical when contacting more than one or two people at a time. Push-to-Talk (PTT) devices, such as two-way radios or walkie-talkies, are purpose-built for that application. These devices have continued to evolve with digital radios, LTE radios, WIFI radios, and even Satellite radios. Each of them allows one push for everyone in the group to hear and be able to respond to your call. Read More...

So, you bought a land mobile radio, now what? Icom America has developed a list of best practices for your post-purchase decisions. There are a couple of ways to buy Icom’s products in person, over the phone, or through the internet via Icom authorized dealers.

Depending on the dealer, you may have bought it online through a demo visit and quote or a phone call. Depending on your use case of radios – there may or may not be a point of contact available to help you.

Step One: Identify your Land Mobile Radio

Land mobile radios come in various shapes and sizes. It is essential to determine what kind you have before starting the discussion. Read More...

I have thrown our radios in a river, poured water on the speakers, and tossed ‘em in the mud. I can confidently say they are waterproof, in-fact most of our land mobile radios have a high waterproof rating. A lot of products claim they are waterproof, water resistant, but they may not list any statistic on how waterproof/resistant they are. You may have seen a rating like IP67, but not know what it means. Heck, you’ll find that most high-end smartphones have waterproof ratings too. In this blog, we will explore how to breakdown and determine Icom’s radio waterproof rating. Read More...

So, you’re a manager, technician, or the owner of a business researching mobile radios to buy for the first time, perhaps to replace older radios? When you’re browsing the web, you might notice how oversaturated the market is with products. Do you need a license, do you need all these features, does price really matter?

When I first started out in the radio industry, I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information. With time, radios became easy to understand. With mobile radios its not that complex and can be easily divided into 3 sections. What are radios, types of popular mobile radios for businesses, and how they fit into each industry. Lets dive into it, step by step starting from the basics. Read More...

Types of Popular Walkie Talkies

Have you seen walkie talkies in your favorite department store? It’s probably in the electronics aisle, maybe even the toy aisle. These are classified as personal walkie talkies or radios. Most likely, the walkie talkies you see on these very shelves are one type of radio for personal use. In this blog, we will discuss the differences between the three most popular short-range radio services, FRS, GMRS, and MURS.

Family Radio Service (FRS)

FRS radios, as mentioned in the intro, they are most likely the ones you see on most department store shelves. They are typically inexpensive radios meant for basic operations. FRS radios operate on either 2W or 0.5W of output power depending on the frequency. A max of 2W most likely means it will have a max-range of 2 miles. Read More...

Do I want a hamburger or a chicken sandwich? The biggest question I face when I order at fast food restaurants. Not necessarily fast food, but you may have to choose between VHF and UHF frequencies. In this blog we will explore the differences between VHF and UHF and where it might fit in your operation.

Frequency – Defines the oscillation rate of a radio wave, how fast it goes up and down. This frequency rate is called Hertz.

VHF – Very High Frequencies. Radio waves that oscillate between 30 megahertz (MHz) and 300 megahertz. Read More...

Two-way radios have been around a long time.  There’s a reason for that.  Radios have and continue to provide a useful function for many.  Hobbyists use them for fun.  Boaters use them for safety.  Businesses use them to streamline crew communications.  And radios are a vital piece of the public safety personnel’s communication system.

Before you can talk on a radio, you have to talk about radios to select the right radio for your application.  Yet, some terms may be unfamiliar or confusing to you.  Don’t let terminology get in the way. Read More...