There is no doubt that 2-way radio technology is an incredibly valuable tool for schools of any size. After all, wireless technology has been a cornerstone component of school district’s emergency planning for decades. Along the way, thousands of schools have turned to Discount Two-Way Radio has provided school districts affordable, reliable, and durable RCA two-way radio equipment since 1997. In fact, there is no better equipment for locating a missing student or immediately informing security of an unauthorized campus breach than two-way radios - whether RCA 2-way radios, Motorola 2-way radios or Icom 2-way radios.

According to a recent article in Campus Safety Magazine, school safety experts Brian Armes and Guy Bliesner explain that they are huge fans of two-way radio technology for all K-12 schools. The two explain that a well-designed two-way radio network can meet both the daily and emergency operational needs of a school and school district.

“Depending on the incident, a large number of people will all need the same information, and delivery of that information is time sensitive. Additionally, these situations are generally very fluid, and changes occur rapidly. Two-way radios allow for a rapid two-way flow of information shared among a large number of people. The use of a one-to-many 2-way radio network will keep everyone involved in the response up to date and working under a common operational picture,” explained Armes.

Do Not Let Your School District Overpay for Two-Way Radios

While it is true that two-way radios are important tools for any school district, it is also true that many schools spend way too much money purchasing two-way radio equipment when they do not have to. A recent article in The Messenger newspaper describes how a local sheriff is leading the charge to add two-way radios for 15 schools in Webster County, Iowa and a couple of more for neighboring Calhoun County. According to the article, each radio will cost about $3,000 for a total price of more than $51,000!

Similarly, a school district in Brighton, Colorado purchased 359 two-way radios for more than $600 apiece.

Discount Two-Way Radio is the industry’s leading supplier of professional grade two-way radios and can do it at nearly 30 percent less money than other major brands like Motorola two-way radios, Kenwood radios, and Icom radios. In addition, Discount Two-Way Radio is an approved vendor for most school districts, so not only can we offer your school equipment at a fraction of the price of other brands, we also have a complete assortment of wireless equipment that improve the safety of any school or campus. Plus, we have every possible communication solution your school could use including:

• Portable two-way radios to make sure your school’s communications and budget requirements are met.
• Mobile two-way radios that are ideal for anyone who operates security vehicles, work trucks, or school buses.
• Two-way call boxes to extend safety in remote areas of a school campus
• Wireless Public Address Systems to deliver “live” announcements through portable, mobile, or base station transmitters.
• Megaphones that are perfect for when you need to communicate with large crowds, sporting events, or bus stops.

Five Ways RCA Two-Way Radios Can Benefit Any School District

Discount Two-Way Radio is an approved vendor for most school districts across the country and understands that two-way radio technology is great for responding to emergency situations because they can reduce the impact of a potentially dangerous situation, and even help avoid dangerous situations all together. In addition, two-way radios can help school districts accomplish the following:

• Streamline daily operations of any school
• Help administrators communicate with multiple parties at one time
• Improve overall bus safety for kids and drivers
• Assist in addressing large groups at one time
• Reduce expenses by not having monthly service fees or data charges

Free Guide for How to Keep Your School Safe with 2-Way Radios

To help you learn more about how two-way radios can help keep your schools safer, we've created an informative guide that will help school administrators with answers to questions about radios, two-way radio tips, and product recommendations.

This free guide covers:

• Why Two-Way Radios are Essential Tools for Schools
• Desert View Academy Case Study
• 5 Important Reasons Two-Way Radios are Better Than Cell Phones on Campus
• Two-Way Radio Recommendations for your Campus
• Emergency Alert Feature
• How to Use Your Radios In Emergency Situations
• Improve School Bus Safety with Two-Way Radios

You can download the guide here:

Believe it or not, some of the most essential workers to be called upon during the recent COVID-19 pandemic were cleaning professionals, and one of the most valuable tools they relied upon were two-way radio. According to a recent report, the janitorial and custodial industry represents a $78 billion industry, and when the need for extra cleaning and sanitation became a big issue for American businesses, the custodial industry responded with millions of professional cleaners reporting to work at hospitals, schools, and office buildings. Considered essential employees, cleaning crews continue to be in high demand as the nation obsesses over the invisible virus.

According to the online job board ZipRecruiter, the COVID-19 virus has led to a 75 percent increase in listings for professional cleaners. Unfortunately, as demand for cleaning services increases, so too does the potential risk for cleaning professionals. One of the tools professional custodians should be leveraging to help mitigate these risks is two-way radios. Two-way radios not only help cleaning crews stay safer, they also help get the job done faster and better. In fact, many professional cleaning companies consider two-way radios indispensable tools as mops, buckets, or brooms. More and more janitorial firms are incorporating two-way radio technology into their operations.

Four Specific Areas Where Two-Way Radios Improve Safety, Performance, and Customer Satisfaction

Safety – Safety is the number one concern for any professional cleaner or janitorial firm. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, custodians and cleaners suffer an average of 50,000 injuries a year that require days off work. Even more staggering, this industry is considered the 16^th most hazardous occupations behind logging, professional fishing, and roofing. Injuries can range from accidental exposure to hazardous chemicals to slips, trips, and falls. Today’s two-way radios are incredibly valuable tools for anyone who works in an isolated or remote area as janitors often do. Unlike cell phones which may not be able to receive a signal and can be hard to operate in the heat of an emergency, two-way radios are equipped with unique features that keep workers safe while providing immediate and reliable communication. For example, most professional grade two-way radios have a programmable Emergency Alert Button located on the top of the radio.In the event of an emergency, a worker can just push the orange button and the radio immediately sends out an alert to either the entire network or a specific user. The signal can also announce exactly which radio sent the alert. Finally, in the age of deadly and highly contagious corona viruses, two-way radios also help create personal separation while never losing the ability to instantly communication.

Efficiency – Two-way radios are the perfect tool for maximizing efficiency in any custodial setting. Imagine this: a cleaning crew is dispatched to a large office building with multiple floors. A co-worker encounters a problem on the 7^th floor and requires an additional set of eyes or supervisorial instruction. With a professional grade two-way radio, they can instantly and notify another person or supervisor to receive additional support they need to get the job done. Not having to separate someone from one job just to travel to another location saves time and money.

Productivity – Never before have cleaning firms had to work so hard and do more in less time. Margins are always under pressure and many crew managers have to do more with less. Using two-way radios as a communications tool allows workers to instantly communicate with other team members which helps crews complete jobs not only faster but also better. If another worker requires a special tool or supplies, a cell phone only lets you communicate with one person at a time. Two-way radios allow workers to put out a request to an entire team with one push of a button. Plus, because two-way radios can be programmed to have isolated channels, different employee groups can communicate on their own channels (supervising janitors, cleaning crews on specific floors of a building, floating cleaners, etc.) to keep communication organized while avoiding distracting cross talk noise.

Durability – Commercial grade two-way radios are designed to hold up to abuse better than “consumer” radios often called Family Radio Service (FRS) or General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). These consumer grade radios are built for infrequent use like weekend camping trips, multiple care caravans, amusement park visits etc. They are lightweight with a thin plastic casing. Similarly, cell phones are notoriously fragile and prone to breakage when dropped or exposed to water. Commercial grade two-radios however are designed to be used for hours every day are constructed with a heavy-duty commercial housing that make them incredibly rugged. Many are built to exacting military specifications for resistance to shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, dust and even water.

ThunderPower megaphones are one of the most popular megaphone suppliers to Hollywood, the military and everyone from the Pop Warner coach to the school principal.

For more than 20 years, Discount Two-Way Radio (DTWR) has been the authority of two-way radio communications systems and experts at solving radio problems for more than 60,000 customers. As the nation’s only authorized distributor of RCA two-way radios, every aspect of our business is designed to make our customer’s journey easier, and the experience painless. Nothing is left to chance, and each one of our two-way radio specialists plays a specific role in making the entire customer experience a positive one. Since its inception, DTWR has focused on building the most thorough infrastructure and back-end systems in the two-way radio industry in order to provide the best end-to-end customer experience in the entire industry.

Discount Two-Way Radio today announced the renewal of its partnership with the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Olympic Team (USABS) for 4 more years. This new agreement extends the partnership that started in 2016 through to the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Discount Two-Way Radio will continue to serve as an official sponsor and the Official Radio Supplier to the USABS.

RCA Communications Systems is proud to announce that it has appointed Allcan Distributors from Alberta, Canada as a new distributor for RCA DMR two-way radios. This new partnership expands RCA products and services to the region.

RCA is disrupting the two-way radio industry today by introducing a new line of digital radios through its North American distributor, Discount Two-Way Radio, based in Los Angeles and serving all 50 states.

Discount Two-Way Radio today announced a four-year partnership with the USA Bobsled and Skeleton (USABS), and will support the USABS teams through the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Effective immediately, Discount Two-Way Radio will serve as an official sponsor and the Official Radio Supplier to the USABS.

Original source of article: Miami Herald Markets

The FCC is serious about the 2013 FCC narrowband mandate. In an article by Urgent Communications, the deputy chief of the FCC’s public safety and homeland security bureau says, “Let me reiterate what the commission has said all along: We are not moving the narrowbanding deadline. It is, and will be, Jan. 1, 2013.” Once January rolls around the FCC plans to aggressively enforce the narrowband mandate.

Most likely, your current radios are completely compliant with the narrowband requirements and replacing them with new radios will not be necessary. They just need to be re-programmed.

Discount Two-Way Radio will re-program all of your radios absolutely FREE, just pay for shipping both ways. Fill out our 2013 narrowband form or call 800-895-5122 to get started.