Rain In The Savings!

Happy May!

There is an exciting event happening here at Delmmar. Your radio and so many others are 15 OFF the whole month. Wow! I can’t believe that there is a 4-pack offer also happening with the BPR40 and CP110.

Your friends here at Delmmar are excited. If your radios need some more  family members, this is the time to bring them home.  Here are a few radios available:

• CP110: up to 20% louder than most models
• BPR40: best basic radio
• CP200: is durable and reliable, also construction grade
• CM300: is your vehicle mobile solution
• DTR650: is license free 900 MHz, not UHF or VHF

There are several more radios in this 15 OFF event. It excludes the VL50. You can call, send an email, or visit us at www.eradiostore.com

May rains in all the savings for you.  Act now! This event ends June 1, 2012.  And don’t forget, you have 7 months left until the Narrowband change.

Don’t forget we have  flat rate radio repair with a 5-7 work day turnaround.
~af

heavy radio use… spring is here…

Many businesses are now in their busiest season, while others are gearing up for their Summer, 2-way radios are getting heavy use. Now is a good time to assess what you have. Check radios, batteries, chargers, etc.

Do you have radios that are in need of battery replacement or maintenance? A quick check of the battery and charging system can save many headaches done the road. You probably don’t need reminded, but something as simple as cleaning your battery contacts with a pencil eraser can improve your chargers’ efficiency.

Swapping a known-good battery into a troubled radio can let you know if you have a battery or charging problem. Another piece of advice is to check your battery date codes.  The life expectancy of a NiCd battery is 18-24 months, NiMH and Li-Ion are around 14-18 months. If you have good charging habits and treat your battery well, you may get up to 3 years. At the end of the battery’s life you will start to experience problems with the radio such as static, short business day, no or intermittent transmit. If you use an old battery long enough, it will eventually begin to harm the radio, resulting in a need for repair. Simply replacing an old battery would be nearly 1/2 the cost of a radio repair. Our advice… don’t ignore battery dates.

Chargers take their share of punishment. It is wise to assess your chargers when you are check your batteries. Look in the charger cup, do you see dirt and debris? If so, clean it out with a soft damp cloth, followed by gently cleaning the charge contacts with a pencil eraser. Check your wall transformer, they are known to burnout much a like a light bulb. When replacing charger transformers keep in mind they are not mix-n-match, you must use the appropriate transformer for the charging tray. Replacement chargers and individual components are usually available for most models. If in question, give us a call, 800-872-2627.

Ever think your radios’ range is getting poorer? Check your antenna. If you can see copper coils when you bend the antenna, or if the top cap is missing, you need to replace the antenna. Use the correct antenna for the radio. The original antenna which came with the radio was designed to work with the radio. Swapping antennas can cause range problems, or result in the need for repair. Some model radios have stubby antennas available, keep in mind these can reduce your range by up to 2/3s. If most of your work is nearby, they may be a good option. However, if you do a lot of work at the edge of your full range, stay away from stubby antennas.

In the event, none of these tips seem to allievate your radio issues, your radio may be in need of repair. You can find the current flat rate repair fees listed at our website www.eradiostore.com.

Happy Spring, hope you have a prosperous season. – cl

 

NFL headset

Want to win a Motorola NFL headset? We’re giving away three on the Monday after the Superbowl. Good news… You are automatically entered in the drawing if you purchase new Motorola product or have a radio repaired between now and then. No worries if you aren’t looking to buy or repair before then, you can still enter by sending us a brief email sales at eradiostore.com  with your name, company name and email address. We’ll toss you in the drawing too!

~cl

2-6-12 NEWS FLASH
And the winners are:
Michelle at Northwest Auto
Leah and staff at Cayo Espanto
Horst at Bryce
Congrats to all!

recycling

RADIOS: Motorola Solutions (the two-way radio company) has established a take-back recycling program to responsibly dispose of used Motorola radio equipment. We participate in this program.  If you do not have a recycling option in your community you can send the radios and/or batteries to our radio repair facility and we will take care of the disposal for you. FYI: Clearly mark it is “FOR RECYCLING”. Otherwise, it might end up in line for radio repair. ☺

CELLPHONES: Motorola Mobility (the cellphone company) offers recycling for old Motorola phones. You can get a free postage paid label at this link.

BATTERIES: RBRC accepts rechargeable radio/cellphone batteries for recycling, check for a RBRC drop-off in your area. Visit their website to find a location near you www.call2recycle.org.

Happy New Year! ~cl

best basic walkietalkie

When upgrading to a newer radio people often ask us “what is the best basic radio?” Our answer remains unchanged… the Motorola BPR40. It is small, easy to use, no excess bells-toots-or-whistles. It has the capability of 1 to 8 channels, and can do low power or high power, as warranted. Plus, the replacement battery pack is affordable, as is the future price of repair. (Currently $69 flat rate repair.)

And FYI: Our end of year special is a 4-pack of the BPR40 radios for only $699. Includes radio, NiMH battery, antenna, drop-in charger. (Save close to $100 on this offer.)

The guys in the radio repair center remain busy as we end 2011. They are still maintaining a 5-7 workday turn around on most models. If you have a time you are slow or close down during the Winter, it might be a good time to get your radios in for service and/or narrowband reprogramming as needed.

Happy Holidays!
~cl

radio parts availability

We are beginning to see certain groups of radio parts become unavailable from the manufacturers. If you have an older Motorola radio in need of repair, it would be better to get it in to the repair center now versus later. Sometimes parts are discontinued due to poor demand, or as in the case of the coming change to narrowband, it might be an anticipated low demand. Then you could just blame it on these economic times. Whatever the reason, if you own a radio which is not a current model, your radio is at risk of having poor parts availability.

We are very fortunate that some radio parts seem to be universal to many radio models. This helps us keep many older model radios going for our customers. For some components there are after-market parts available. In any given situation we do our best to repair your radio with geniune Motorola parts.

So all this being said… don’t procrastinate…  Happy Fall.

~cl

dog days of summer

Here we are in the Dog Days of Summer. A few years back my daughter coined the phrase “underground dog network”. She would use this phrase whenever a stray would land on our doorstep, and remain only a day or so. She was certain there was some kind of network, and dogs knew which houses were friendly and would give them food, drink and a place of rest. The photo of the English Hound (looks like a Beagle only bigger) is just one of those dogs. He came by, and stayed a day, and then was gone. He left well rested with food in his belly. My daughter feels certain he and others like him eventually find their way back to their families. Somewhat likened to a Disney movie.

 While we haven’t had any dogs visit lately, we are celebrating the Dog Days of Summer. Here at Delmmar Comm we are in the midst of our BPR40 4-pack offer. Buy a 4-pack of BPR40 8 channels with NiMH batteries for $699 and you save nearly $100. We are pleasantly pleased with the performance of this little radio. It easily does the basic walkietalkie tasks of most businesses. With the capability of doing a full 5 watts (4 watts on UHF), this is a full power radio in a small package. Give us a call if you want to know more, or determine if it will work for your business.

FYI: Flat rate repair is available for the BPR40, after its one year warranty, for $69.

And don’t forget to do your part in the “underground dog network”.
~cl

using 2-way radios instead of cellphones

Non-radio users often ask why would someone use a radio instead of a cellphone. Here a few answers:

1) When you need immediate ability to communicate on-site to one or many at the press of a button. Radios are the most reliable.

2) No monthly bill. No minutes.

3) Durability. Business radios are designed to go a 40-hour work week. Many are rated for resistance to moisture, dust, and humidity. They are made to be a workhorse.

4) Using handheld radios for on-site communications can keep workers on task, and prevent the abuses seen with cellphones. (No calling home or surfing the web on a 2-way radio.)

5) Longer life expectancy. Most cellphones last 2-3 years at best. Business two-way radios typically last 5-7 years, or even longer if you have them serviced as needed. 

6) Business radios are typically repairable at a reasonable rate, while cellphones usually require replacement.

Just a few thoughts to ponder. You may be able to add more…

There are situations where cellphones are ideal. But in the situation of public safety, business or on-site communications, radios still give you the best all around solution.

~cl

more tips on getting better range…

Here at the radio repair center we get many questions about range (distance). Typically a handheld business radio will do 2 miles line-of-sight or as far as the radio can see. Several factors interfere with range, including but not limited to: curvature of the Earth, obstacles, height and placement of antenna, position of the radio, and using the correct antenna for the radio.

Range tips:
1) Holding the radio upright with the antenna straight up gives you the best range. Tilting to the side, as if talking on the phone, will reduce the range by up to 2/3s. This will cause transmissions to drop out, or be very staticy. Just remember: Perpendicular to the ground is best!
2) The body fluid of the person wearing the radio can absorb part of the range.  If you’re a little bit round in the middle, your radio will not work as well as your pencil thin co-worker. You can compensate by wearing the radio higher your body. Maybe in a shirt pocket or with a chest pouch. (Height and placement of antenna determines range.)
3) Use a good quality fully charged battery. It takes more energy to transmit than to receive. Using a good battery will do wonders to clear up static, making your transmissions clear.
4) Use the appropriate antenna for your radio. While stubby (short) antennas may be available for your radio model, keep in mind these will significantly reduce range. If you are working in a close proximity, they may work wonderfully. However, if you are expecting to transmit a long distance, go back to the original standard length antenna.
5) Check your antenna for damage. If you can bend the antenna and see the coils or if the top cap is gone, it is time to replace the antenna. This may do wonders for your range.

Hope these tips help. Have a safe and wonderful Summer.
~cl

radio range…

Here at the radio repair center we occasionally get questions about the range of a 2-way radio. Below are some simple answers to basic two-way radio range questions:

Handheld radios generally will talk “radio-to-radio”, “line-of-sight” up to 2 miles. Once you start putting obstacles in between the radios you will shorten your range. Even the body fluid of the person wearing the radio on their hip will absorb some of the range. Higher wattage radios will have a slight increase in range and a significant increase in clarity of transmission on the outer fringes of your range.

Mobile radios, such as those mounted in vehicles, will generally talk “radio-to-radio” 8-10 miles depending upon the obstacles and the terrain.

Base stations will generally talk approx. 8-12 miles. (referencing a simple base station where you use a mobile radio, power supply and outside antenna, aka a control station.)Contrary to popular belief wattage does not determine distance. Antenna height and placement determines distance.

Increasing Range:
1) Hold your radio perpendicular to the ground, not slanted like you would hold a phone. This problem alone could decrease your range 30-50%.
2) Don’t shout CB-style, shouting reduces talk-range on industrial-type radios.
3) Be certain you are using a good, fully-charged battery.
4) Check your antenna. Any exposed copper coil or weather checks which expose the coil when bending are a sign your antenna needs replaced. Also, keep in mind, use of a stubby antenna will reduce your range. The best antenna for a radio is generally the standard antenna it came with.
5) And the guys in the shop will tell you… have your radios serviced every two years to maintain peak performance. 

Looking for even more range? You might be in the market for a repeater, or have need to connect with a local repeater or trunking system which is already in place. But first, try bringing your radios to optimum range by following the above tips.

~cl