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

 

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

here it is the holidays…

Lots of little tidbits we need to share with you as we end the year:
1) All Motorola radios are $20 off our already discounted price during December. (except VL50) It is likely your last chance to purchase additional wideband radios to match your existing radios, for those of you who haven’t made the switch. (FYI: For online orders, the discount will be subtracted from your final invoice included in your shipment.)
2) Time to get serious about making your radios match the FCC narrowband mandate. Your FCC license needs to be modified before Jan. 1, 2011, to allow you to transition to narrowband.
3) All replacement batteries are on sale $5 off during December with a paid radio repair, or a purchase of a new radio. No quantity limits.
4) The radio repair center is still running a fast 5-7 day turnaround on most units. If your business is slower this time of year, it would be a good time to send your radios needing repair or reprogramming in.
5) Narrowband reprogramming is available on many radios. $30 for the initial radio of a model type, and $6 ea. for those able to be cloned.

Hope you and your family have a safe and wonderful holiday season. Many blessings from your friends at Delmmar (aka eradiostore.com)
~cl

oktober happenings

It’s the time of year when leaves are changing, there seems to be a pumpkin vendor on every street corner and we spell Oktober with a K  just to be a little bit German for the month. Good things happening hear at Delmmar include: BATTERIES are $5 off with a paid radio repair or new radio purchase all the month of Oktober.  (No quantity limits. This includes all replacement radio batteries, both brand name and generic.)  Plus, we were able to hold the BPR40 8 channel radio pricing to $199 ea. Hurrah! And last but not least the radio repair center is doing a fast 3-5 day turnaround on most models. (If you’re needing to have a radio repaired, now is a great time to send it in. And you could save on spare batteries at the same time.)

~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

Jack’s radio

If your radio could talk………

My user, Jack takes me off the shelf in the garage and gently plugs the charger into my charge jack. I can feel the juice surging into my power source and I begin to perk-up a bit. As I gain some strength I take a look around the garage, I see familiar items. A tent and sleeping bags lay on the floor, as well as a cooler and a dark green duffle bag. Looks like we’re going HUNTING!

Jack & I love to go hunting – being out in the wild with our buddies, just doesn’t get any better than that. I can’t wait!

As I sit patiently on the shelf I begin to feel that my battery is not taking the charge like it did when we were younger. I really need a fresh battery pack every 18 to 24 months to work my best and keep Jack in contact with our buddies. I sure hope he has a new, fully charged battery to take along on our trip, for I fear this one is “not going to do the job” and Jack will be disappointed in me. I really don’t like it when he shakes me and pounds me into the palm of his hand. I like being crisp and clear for Jack, but I can’t do it with a tired old battery pack. What if Jack doesn’t have a new battery for me – what will I do?

Please, Jack, call the girls at Delmmar Communications and order me a new battery, they will ship it out to us PDQ and we’ll have a wonderful hunting trip. Just doesn’t get any better than that!
~JMc