Factors to Consider While Buying a Portable Two Way Radio
Looking for the right two-way radio can be a tough task, especially if you are looking at it online. In this article, we will give you a better idea on how to purchase the portable two way radio out of the mammoth of options available in the market.
Evaluate the situation
Before you start off, remember that each business have their own unique needs. Sadly, there happens to be no such generic communications solutions. Hence, it is essential to choose a system that is as per your business needs and requirements. If you take the right step, your communication systems will run smoothly and it will integrate into your day-to-day business activities in a seamless fashion. You must ensure that a proper engineering is installed as a poor designed system can lead to more problems than a solution.
Coverage size
The first and foremost question that you have to ask yourself is how large an area will you cover. Once you have an answer to this question you will be able to decide the kind communication system that you require. There are two kinds of system. The first one makes use of portable two way radio only and is mostly utilized for a short-range communication. The second one deals with a larger coverage area like huge building which require indoor coverage.
Portable radios come in both the high power and low power versions. In addition to this famous analog version, they also come in digital and trunking a version that enables the facility to increase versatility by letting communication between several separate “talk groups”. This enables communication between setup of different groups without the need for them to be involved in the radio conversation.
Hence, it is important to know how big is the area you need to cover. It is very essential to buy a system, which runs effectively for you and not something, which pumps out maximum power. Engineering support is given to ensure maximum coverage in the required areas.
The other important thing to be kept in mind is the range. Range is more important than wattage. If the communication happens outside then the terrain has to be taken into account. Radio signal strengths are affected by the tall buildings and mountains. The building construction affects the indoor coverage and the frequency of the radios. Hence, this makes coverage size very important.
Where will the radio be used?
The location where you will be using the portable two way radio also determines whether you want to go for a very high frequency or an ultra high frequency radio.
In case the radio is being used outside a lot more often then going for a very high frequency radio will make sense. It gives a much better coverage when you are outdoors while the ultra high frequency radio is more suitable for indoor use. This is the reason why business organizations prefer the ultra high frequency radios to VHF.
Also the a very high frequency radio will give you a wider coverage area while the ultra high frequency radios provides a seamless area only inside the range you are in. the basic point is that a ultra high frequency radios is more appropriate for an indoor setting than the VHF.