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

water resistant radios and remote mics

We often hear the question, “Is this radio waterproof?” Truth is most radios are about as waterproof as your television. Electronic components and water just don’t mix. Then along comes a group of water resistant models. These radios are not waterproof, but are far superior in water resistance, and worth of mentioning.

Motorola CP110 is rated IP55 for moisture protection. Unlike other two-way radios, the back half of this radio is the battery pack. There are no openings to get inside the radio or see the component board. Being more of a sealed unit is what gives this radio the advantage over moisture. The IP55 rating tells us this radio has been successfully tested for exposure to sprayed or misted water, and passed the test. In the basic business radio category, this radio is rated better than the others for this type of moisture resistance. Additionally this radio is much better at keeping dust, dirt, and humidity out.

And yet a step better in water resistance… the Motorola EX560 is rated IP67 submersible. This radio, when used with the appropriate IP67 rated battery, passed tests submersing it in one meter of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. While we don’t recommend trying this at home, this radio is the closest to waterproof you will find in the Motorola line. If you work in extreme conditions, this radio may be the one for you. Click this link to see the EX560 brochure, which describes more about the radio.

Depending on your radio model there may also be an IP57 rated remote speaker mic available. These are also rated to be moisture and/or water resistant. If you have lost radios or accessories to moisture, you should consider getting IP55, IP57 or IP67 rated radios/accessories with your next purchase.

And we would be amiss if we did not mention some basic information on what to do if your radio encounters water:

1. Remove the battery. (Do not turn on or try to use the wet radio, as this could cause further damage.)
2. Thoroughly dry the radio. You can use a towel on the exterior and battery compartment. If you feel the water has intruded further, use a blow dryer on a low setting to air dry the radio.
3. Get the radio to a radio repair facility ASAP. The longer you wait, the more likely the radio will grow corrosion, and be deemed non-repairable. 

We’re here to help, and do our best to bring your radio back to good working condition. Give us a call if you have questions or need more info, 800-872-2627.

~cl

are you ready?

NARROWBAND: Radio manufacturers are quickly making changes as we head toward the deadlines for Narrowband. We have several tools to assist you in the transition. Some things you need to know:
1) There is a quick FAQ sheet at our website, along with a worksheet for you to fill out and send in with your radios to be reprogrammed.
2) Reminder: You must have any existing FCC license modified for your transition to narrowband. You need to do this by January 1, 2011. This modification can add narrowband to your existing wideband license, which will make the change seamless.
3) Get your radios reprogrammed and retire the radios which cannot make the change. See the narrowband worksheet and FAQs for reprogramming prices.
4) If you’re staying wideband for a while longer, now is the time to get replacement or add-on radios, while wideband radios are still available. It won’t be long until the only radios available are all narrowband. All the month of Dec. 2010 all radios capable of both wide- and narrowband are on sale $20 off. (offer not good in conjunction with other offers.)

REPAIR CENTER: Don’t forget Winter is a good time to send your radios in for service. We have a remarkable 5-7 day turnaround on most units. Flat rate repair fees are listed on our website.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

~cl

battery sale

Annual battery sale – all the month of August.
Call us this week and we’ll let you in on the sale a week early!

We do this offer every year about this time, buying in bulk from Motorola to get everyone a better price. Hope we can help you save some $$$.

Need help figuring out your battery date code? Give us a call, we’ll show you how to read it.

~cl

mobile radio: most common failure part

Every radio type seems to have their own weakness. For a mobile radio it is the coiled cord to the hand mic. It gets used and abused over time simply by frequent use. The connection to the plug gets stressed, the cord is stretched beyond its limit, you name it.

There are two possible solutions to this problem, repair or replacement: hand mic replacement or having your current hand mic repaired. For current mobile radios such as the CM300 a new hand mic can run around $48.55 ea. Or if you’re looking at repair, it starts around $30. If you send it in to our repair facility, our techs will assess the hand mic and provide you with the best option.

~cl

knob dilemma: motorola cp100 and xtn

We periodically receive calls regarding loss of the the Motorola CP100 and XTN series radio Volume/On/Off Knob. Users, for whatever reason, seem to pull off and/or lose the knob on this style radio. Replacement knobs are available from eradiostore (aka Delmmar Comm). To get the new knob to seat properly you must be certain the D-shaped retainer clip from the original knob is no longer on the shaft. Because of this we include an instruction sheet with the new knob.  Need a knob, give us a call, 800-872-2627.

Note: eradiostore is set up to ship by UPS, however, if you give us a phone call we can send your knob more economically by US Mail.

~cl

erase the grime

What do erasers have to do with... 2-way radios?

You want to help keep your 2-way radio working problem free and out of the repair department? SIMPLE:  Clean your battery contacts, both on the radio and charger, with a pencil eraser. This will clean off the day-to-day grime and film, allowing your battery to make better contact with the radio and charger. (Refrain from using any alcohol or cleaners, which may cause a film to develop.) Try this simple tip, and enjoy a fully charged battery and possible added battery life.

Poorly charging battery

It’s a common phone call, “my battery won’t hold a charge” or “my battery won’t take a charge”. One fast and easy tip: Clean your battery contacts, both on the radio and charger, with a pencil eraser. This will clean off the day to day grime and film, allowing your radio to make better contact with the charger. Refrain from using any alcohol or cleaners, which may cause a film to develop.

If you are still having difficulties, check your battery’s age. There should be an easy to read date code on the label. For Motorola brand batteries this will consist of a 3- or 4-digit number.  On the 3-digit date code the first number represents the year and the next two numbers are the week of the year of manufacture. On the 4-digit codes the first two numbers are the year, followed by the week of the year. Example: 0912 would be 2009, the 12th week.

Battery life depends on the chemistry and how you treat it. A typical NiCD battery will last 18-24 months before needing replaced. (NiMH 14-18 months, Li-Ion 12-14 months) If you have conditioning chargers you can typically get an additional year out of most batteries. Charging your battery only when it is nearly depleted is a good habit. Users who only put their radio on the charger once a day have better results. Placing your radio on a charge periodically throughout the day will age your battery quickly.

The technicians in the repair department will tell you many radio repairs could be avoided if the radio user would simply have replaced the battery when it was needed. Once the radio is allowed to operate with a bad battery for a while, soon that radio is needing repair. Why? The radio may have components damaged by a shorted out battery, the radio may operate in a brown-out of sorts slowly damaging components, or corrosion from the battery may eat at the charge contacts internally and eventual cause charging and power problems.

What are the signs of a bad battery, aside from checking the date code? You may experience problems with static and intermittent transmit, along with the battery not going a full day on a charge. Simple test to see if it is your battery or the radio having the problem, try a known good battery from another radio. If this clears up the problem, you need to replace your battery.

Motorola batteries have a one year warranty. If you have a battery less than one year old which is having problems. Send it to us, along with a note, and we will run the battery on the reconditioner/analyzer. If it tests bad, we will replace it under warranty.

Hope these tips help. Let us know if you have questions.
~cl

What’s new in 2-way?

Here are a few brief comments about “what’s new”:

• MotoTrbo radios: the beginning of the digital narrowband radios (using TDMA technology). This radio offers a stepping stone to becoming fully digital. It can be programmed to match your existing units, then later when you are ready to make the digital change it can be reprogrammed for digital.  As with any new technology, they are a little pricey at $843-$960 (retail) for the basic model. We look for this type of radio to become more common and more affordable in the future.
• CP200 now has a new cousin, the CP200-XLS. It comes with an 8-character alpha-numeric display, and can be ordered with a full or limited keypad. Pricing on the limited keypad model is the same as the regular 16 channel CP200 pricing. Same construction-grade durability as the CP200. (This one is so new, we don’t have the photos up on the website yet.)
• CP110, not necessarily “new”, but still new to many, is capable of being 20% louder than the CP100 and is more water resistant too.  Sadly, the replacement battery is higher priced than most (probably due to being more of a sealed unit). When adding to a fleet of CP100s you’d have to consider either the CP110 or the more powerful BPR40 as a replacement radio. They are priced about the same as one another, around $189-$199.

There’s a lot of talk about digital everything these days. Radios are slowly starting to follow suit. For now, your current type of radio is still the most efficient and economical route to go.
~cl