You may have been under the impression that your current 2-way radios only work with models from the same brand. In reality, as long as those units can pick up the same frequencies, they should be able to talk with each other. So why do people think the opposite is true? And is there any benefit to going brand agnostic? Here’s the real skinny on two-way radios, and what’s best for your business.

Radio base stations are essential components to a strong communications network. They probably aren’t like the units that come to mind when you conjure up images of two-way radios — those carried around on the belt loops of law enforcement, the military, or construction workers in the field, for instance. Instead, base stations are larger, heavier, and designed to be mounted in fixed locations on tables and walls. If you might think that lack of portability detracts from its use, we’re happy to report that they more than make up for it in other key areas. Here are some of the benefits of adding these to your network.

If you’re wondering why your current two-way radio vendor is taking longer than usual to fulfill your latest order, or they’re telling you they’re out of the units you want, it’s probably due to the semiconductor shortage. This started with the automotive sector as the US emerged from lockdown last year, and has since cascaded into other industries like retail and communications. Here’s the scoop on why this all started, and what you can do to get the radios you need.

Some 2-way radio dealers have been trained to dictate to their customers when it comes to their purchases, just as our major competitors have dictated the market for a long time. So it isn’t surprising if you or your coworkers ever find themselves feeling like this…

Customer Diary #2 – My dealer won’t call me back

I’m getting fed up with my local dealer. They rarely call me back — and when they do, it’s to charge me super high prices, talk over my head, and make it seem like I don’t have any other options than what they’re promoting. My company’s done business with them since forever, so it feels like even thinking about going someplace else will catch flak from management. Still…there’s gotta be better choices out there, right?

Thankfully, there are far easier and simpler ways to go about getting your radios repaired and replaced. Here are four points to keep in mind:

I’ve heard that we need more radios, but what a joke! That stuff is so ancient compared to mobile phones or Nextels, which make more sense to buy just on price alone.

And the lower the costs, the smarter I look. Win-win.

Phone airtime might be the only issue. It’s a few thousand bucks a month, but I could probably sweep that under the rug by paying for it out of the ops budget, which no one sees anyway.

I suppose it’s possible that some guys on the team will probably end up using their phones more for personal business than the actual job, but who cares? If no one sees it, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

Sound familiar? These employees care more about initial costs than they do about long-term benefits. Sure, mobile phones and Nextel devices might seem like a good idea initially. But here are two key areas where they won’t serve you as well as two way radios.

Recently one of the nation's largest water and wastewater treatment utility firms came to Discount Two-Way Radio (DTWR) to help improve their safety and communications. Read how DTWR introduced the RCA Intrinsically Safe RDR4360 to help them improve the overall efficiency for their wastewater treatment operations, and how RCA's RadioSync™ helped integrate RCA equipment into their existing radio models.

Industry: Water Treatment

Customer: Pennsylvania American Water

Product: RCA RDR4360 Intrinsically Safe 2-way radio

Problem: The company needed an affordable but powerful intrinsically safe two-way radios to communicate between crew members who need to inspect, repair or clean sewage storage tanks.

Solution: Exclusive Discount Two-Way Radio Free Demo-Program that allowed the company to “test drive” heavy-duty intrinsically safe two-way radios to determine if they would be powerful enough to penetrate super thick concrete containers.

Discount Two-Way Radio believes that customer service is still the most important element to creating a long-lasting relationship. This is why the two-way radio dealer has established one of the industry's most complete Customer Service Department in the country. This department handles every kind of customer request known to the world of two-way radios. The Department is the front line and first point-of-contact for our customers who need assistance diagnosing radio problems, ordering new radio equipment, or expediting repairs.

Applying for an FCC License for your two-way radio is not difficult, but it does require the applicant to fill out an application and several forms. Being prepared to address six specific areas of concern will not only help the FCC issue the best frequencies, it will also help protect the two-way radio user from cross channel traffic, and ensure a better communications experience.

Unfortunately one of the most confusing aspects of operating two-way radios surrounds the FCC licensing process. In this four-part series on FCC licensing, Discount Two-Way Radio you will find everything you need to know about getting your FCC license, Discount Two-Way Radio will answer important questions like, what industries need an FCC license? How long do FCC licenses last? What exact FCC forms are needed? and How much does an FCC license cost?

More and more school districts across the country are reopening and providing in-person learning as the COVID-19 virus begins to wane. As schools across the country begin to reopen, school safety will be a high priority even though budgets may be tight. Discount Two-Way Radio created a special "School Funding Guide" for school administrators and principals that will help guide them to funding sources for campus safety equipment.