From signal range to emergency features, there are several key reasons why two-way radios are the best option for communicating in remote areas. Trying to communicate via cell phone in a remote area is challenging to say the least. From working in remote regions to traveling out at sea, there are many limitations to today’s cell phones and where they can operate effectively.

5 Reasons Two-Way Radios are Superior for Remote Area Communication

Some of the most important and time sensitive messages are transmitted across two-way radios and for good reason, here are 5 of them.

Signal Range

First and foremost, signal range is an important feature when trying to communicate in a remote area. If there is no reception in your area, the device will not work no matter what. You can eliminate dropped calls and avoid signal dead zones in remote areas by using a device that doesn’t require cell towers for reception – that’s the beauty of two-way radios.

Audio Quality

Working in remote areas often involves operating heavy machinery or working in heavy winds- all of these things and more can lead to reduced sound quality on any number of devices. That’s why professional two-way radios are outfitted with special technology that allows clear audio quality no matter what kind of background noise you are dealing with.

This is especially important in an emergency when getting the message across quickly is of utmost importance and repeating the same message several times can lead to error, or worse.

Working with a two-way radio that offers uncompromised audio performance gives your team greater confidence and capabilities to communicate in a wide range of scenarios.

Emergency Features

Emergency features are crucial to staying safe when working in a remote area. At minimum, your device should be equipped with an emergency alert button that allows for instant communication between individuals or groups. This takes away the time-consuming effort of having to dial a number, which takes away precious seconds in an emergency.

Long Battery Life

A dead device is a useless device, which is why two-way radios are made with extended battery life to go all day and night. There are so many scenarios when team members stay overtime or lose track of time, and as long as the person behind the device is still going strong, we believe their radio should keep working too. Select a two-way radio with a long battery life and consider carrying extra batteries on hand to switch out as needed so that you never have to worry about losing a charge.

Durability

From oil rig workers to manufacturing plants located in remote regions, there are many on-site occupations that require a superior level of durability when it comes to their main means of communication.

While today’s smartphones look sleek and pretty, but they are incredibly easy to break. Is there anyone out there who hasn’t cracked their screen? Two-way radios are built to withstand some of the toughest conditions and job sites on the planet, and as a result, they are incredibly durable. Many radios are waterproof, dust proof, and even resistant to high levels of heat, say for instance there is an explosion of some kind.

Shop our complete collection of Motorola and Kenwood radios that are built to last in the toughest conditions, while providing superior communication in remote areas.

The hospitality industry has relied on two-way radios for years to meet the needs of their clientele. Today, people have more choices than ever when it comes to where they want to spend their hard-earned money. Hotels, restaurants, bars, and a variety of other businesses compete to win over customers.

As an establishment in the hospitality sector, your ability to communicate quickly and with ease can make a difference in the experience of your guests. Many businesses have found themselves in a position where their current communications solution interfered with their ability to provide high-quality customer service. You don’t have to let this happen to you.

As the technology behind two-way radios continues to expand, more people are making the change from analog to digital two-way radios. Here’s an overview of the two, highlighting the benefits of switching to digital radios for the hospitality industry instead of using older analog radios.

Key Benefits to Digital Radios Vs. Analog Radios

Digital Radios Provide Better In-Building Coverage

If your hospitality team struggles with communication interreferences it might have to do with the presence of large concrete walls, basements or other structural obstructions within your building. In addition, urban locations blocked in by other tall buildings can greatly impact signal strength.

While analog radios are easy to use with push-to-talk features, they often fall short and can lose signal in ‘dead zones.’ On the other hand, digital two-way radios offer improved audio quality and a wider range than analog radios.

Plus, they are equipped with better resistance to interreference and transmission issues. Thanks to digital correction technology, there is minimal issues with voice communication, even if the signal fails.

A great example of quality digital two-way radios is Motorola’s MOTOTRBO line.

Digital Radios Offer A Wider Area Range

Large resorts and theme parks are just a couple examples of hospitality industries where wide-area range is an important factor.  Analog and digital radios transmit signals over radio channel user carrier frequency waves, either via VHF (Very High Frequency) or UHF (Ultra High Frequency). Analog signals use frequency modulation, which gets weaker and weaker as it nears its maximum range – at which point it will only transmit white noise.

With digital radios, coverage improves by 40% because voice transmissions are automatically converted into simplified computer language so that they can be transmitted more effectively across vaster distances.

Furthermore, Motorola MOTOTRBO digital two-way radios are outfitted with impressive features such as built-in Intelligent Audio technology, which adjusts the volume level based upon the presence of background noise while helping to produce a clearer message at all times.

Digital Radios Offer Longer Battery Life

The hospitality industry never sleeps, which means two-way radio battery life is an important factor to consider. It’s important that batteries can last a full shift so that personnel don’t have to worry about switching out devices all the time.

Digital and analog radios tend to use around the same power supply when in standby mode, but as soon as they start transmitting messages, digital radios offer far more efficiency. In fact, battery life improves by around 40% with digital radio systems. Some MOTOTRBO radios can operate for 24 hours before they need to be charged.

Additional Benefits to Digital Two-Way Radios for the Hospitality Industry:

• Most come with built-in Bluetooth so that you can pair a variety of wireless accessories, such as headsets and speakers
• Call capacity is doubled thanks to the fact digital two-way radios divide single-call channels. As a result, they can support up to 4 times as many users as an analog radio system.
• Digital radios can support more than one conversation at a time – improving efficiency, response times, and your ability to act in an emergency.

Ready to Upgrade to Digital Two-Way Radios? Contact Highland Wireless today!

Two-way radios are helping the healthcare industry improve overall safety and effectiveness. This is crucial in an industry that is responsible for serving hundreds of patients at one time. It is not uncommon for hospitals to experience delayed communication when dealing with an emergency response situation – this can lead to serious complication and even death.

In an industry where every second counts, it’s adamant that the proper communication systems are in place for healthcare professionals to relay messages to the appropriate department in real time.

In the US and Canada, 90% of hospitals report experiencing an increase in violent events. Thus, causing healthcare professionals to seek out additional ways to improve the safety and wellbeing of their staff and patients. Perhaps the issue relates to an aggressive patient who needs to be calmed down and subdued, or maybe there is an intruder in the hospital that needs to be removed. No matter what it may be, it needs to be resolved as quickly as possible to prevent worsening the situation. This is where two-way radios can be of use.

Single Channel vs. Multi-Channel Radios

While single-channel radios may be effective for smaller hospital or doctor office settings, multi-channel models are useful for larger hospital settings.

If there are several groups of people that require different lines of communication, a multi-channel radio is highly recommended. That way, people can come together and communicate as needed. In addition, they can communicate amongst their own department without distracting or interfering with other departments. This also allows for greater security when discussing confidential matters across the line.

Improving Connectivity & Service Range

Are certain parts of your hospital or medical office a dead zone where communication fails to thrive? This is a common issue with a practical solution.

For smaller hospitals in suburban settings, service may not be an issue. If it is difficult to get service in certain parts of the building, but luckily there are ways to improve this issue. For instance, a building can be outfitted with radio enhancement systems that provide reliable coverage to all areas of the building. This is especially useful in hospitals located in urban areas where you are surrounded by many other tall buildings that block signal strength.

For the most part, in-building radio enhancement systems contain three core parts: a Donor Antenna System, Bi-Directional Amplifier, and Distributed Antenna System. 

A system can be installed to improve cellular connectivity as well.

The Rise of Interoperable Communications

An up and coming way that some hospitals are improving communication is through the use of interoperable communications – a system that allows different devices to communicate across the same channel. For instance, a two-way radio can connect to a cell phone, which can connect to someone’s Bluetooth headpiece. This allows personnel to communicate across different devices.

Improve Communication & Overall Safety with Highland Wireless

At Highland Wireless, we have everything you need to set up your hospital for success. From a variety of two-way radio models (available for rent and sale), as well as expertise in the design and installation of radio enhancement systems, we are your go-to Premier radio communications solution provider.

Contact us today with questions or to set up a consultation.

Looking for ways to improve the effectiveness of two-way radio communication? Using the phonetic alphabet is a common trick that two-way radio users employ to improve communication and prevent miscommunication that results in an error or technical issue.

Have you ever found yourself talking over your two-way radio, and constantly repeating what you’re trying to say? “Did you say Victor’s near?” “No! Nick’s here.”

Instead of going back and forth all day, the phonetic alphabet comes in handy by employing code words that signify each letter of the English alphabet. Some words are just easier to understand when spelled using the phonetic alphabet. As a result, you can ensure that messages make it clear across the line and appropriate action is taken.

The key to using the phonetic alphabet with complete accuracy is to use the same word to represent each letter of the alphabet every time you communicate in this manner. There is a standard phonetic alphabet that employs the easiest to understand words to represent each letter of the alphabet.

If you change up the words you use to represent each letter, things can get a little complicated and people may think you are referencing a different letter – which completely defeats the purpose of this system.

The Phonetic Alphabet

1. Alpha
2. Bravo
3. Charlie
4. Delta
5. Echo
6. Foxtrot
7. Golf
8. Hotel
9. India
10. Juliet
11. Kilo
12. Lima
13. Mike
14. November
15. Oscar
16. Papa
17. Quebec
18. Romeo
19. Sierra
20. Tango
21. Uniform
22. Victor
23. Whisky
24. X-Ray
25. Yankee
26. Zulu

So, let’s say you’re trying to communicate the name “Nick” across your two-way radio – you would say N (as in November), I (as in India), C (as in Charlie), K (as in Kilo).

The Benefits of Using the Phonetic Alphabet to Communicate

Using the phonetic alphabet comes in handy in so many different scenarios, from talking to tech support to giving orders in an emergency situation. This system is so effective that it is used among medical professionals when communicating the appropriate message across the line is a matter of life and death.

Learning the phonetic alphabet is very useful, but the most important thing of all is to recall how each letter is represented. This concept is useful when working with people who use different forms of the phonetic alphabet, such as NATO or the LAPD radio alphabet. That’s because almost all of the alphabets rely on the same principle.

The NATO alphabet is the universal standard for phonetic alphabets around the world, that means that you’ll encounter it in many professional settings. Each word in the alphabet was chosen based on a host of tests that prove each word is understandable between speakers from unique linguistic backgrounds, and that each word is easy to pronounce and recognize.

Phonetic Alphabet for Numbers

There is a specific way to pronounce each number in instances where the message is not getting across clearly; it goes as follows:

1. Zee-ro
2. Wun
3. Too
4. Tree
5. Fow-er
6. Fife
7. Six
8. Sev-even
9. Ait
10. Nin-er

1. Hun-dred

1,000- Tou-sand

Communicating Punctuation

In most cases, punctuation marks are referred to using their standard terms, but there are several exceptions.

Hyphen (-) – dash

Period (.) – stop

Decimal point – point or a decimal

Tips for Effectively Using the NATO Alphabet

• Sometimes it helps to say the entire word you are spelling out before you spell it out, this helps the person on the other end of the line figure out what you are trying to communicate.
• Make it clear that you are using the phonetic alphabet before you begin using it just so that everyone is on the same page. Some people will say, “O as in Oscar, R as in Romeo,” which makes it pretty clear that you are using the phonetic alphabet.
• Have your team practice it – it shouldn’t take too much practice to get it down.

Intrinsically Safe radios are the standard for many industries and applications, although over the past few years there has been a transition from FM to UL compliance testing. Intrinsically safe radios remain capable of withstanding high heat, water submersion, and heavy levels of dust. They remain operable in proximity to flammable or explosive gases and vapors. Since two-way radios are often the go-to line of communication during an emergency, it’s easy to understand why this is so important.

If you operate in an environment that is exposed to explosive or flammable gases, as well as vapors or heavy levels of dust, you’re likely considering the need for equipment that is certified for use in Hazardous Location – also known as “HazLoc”.

The New Standard for Intrinsically Safe Radios

Back in 2012, the established Factory Mutual standard FM3610_88 expired. By 2015, all radios certified to this standard were phased out of production. At this time, Motorola adapted a new TIA-4950 two-way radio standard for Hazardous Location certification. This is comparable to the FM3610_88 standard, but it differs in several fundamental ways.

Compliance testing was conducted by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Prior to this, the certification lab listed on radios was FM Approval (FM).

Since 2015, ASTRO 25^TM and MOTOTRBO^TM radios have been available for purchase. These radios include clear labels that distinguish them via UL markings.

What Action Must You Take?

It is paramount that your facility documents and defines Hazardous Location requirements in regard to Division, Group and Class, as opposed to the old standard of simply “FM Approved” or “Intrinsically Safe”.

There are different classes of Hazardous Locations and it is important to know these differences and in what category you fall within to ensure you have the proper radios that are approved for use in your environment.

Hazardous locations are defined as a variety of industries including fuel storage plants, chemical plants, plastics processing plants, and refineries. According to the National Electrical Code (NEC) NFPA there are 70 unique hazardous locations “where fire or explosive hazards may exist due to flammable gases or vapors, flammable liquids, combustible dust, or ignitable fibers or flyings.”

It is not up to equipment manufacturers to decide if they require “HazLoc” radios. It is also not their duty to assess the environment in which radios are to be used. Instead, the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) determine the Hazardous Location classification of a given facility. Examples include the fire marshal, facility safety expert, and insurance provider.

What Are the Different Classifications?

There are three different classes:

Class I: Flammable gases, liquids, or vapors

Class II: Combustible dust

Class III: Ignitable fibers and flyings

There are 2 different divisions or area classifications

Division 1: Any location where there are ignitable gases, vapors, liquids or dust present some of the time or all of the time during normal operating circumstances.

Division 2: This classifies a location where under normal operating circumstances it is not likely for any ignitable gas, vapor, liquid or dust to exist in the area.

Class 1 Groups of Gasses

Group A: Acetylene and corresponding gas groups

Group B: Hydrogen and corresponding gas groups

Group C: Ethylene and corresponding gas groups

Group D: Methane and corresponding gas groups

Class II Groups of Dust

Group E: Conductive dust, produced via mechanical means such as in factories or through the recycling process

Group F: Combustible carbon dust, this applies to above-ground applications only and examples include coke dust and charcoal

Group G: Grain dust

There are no sub-groups listed for Class III fibers.

Get Up to Date with the Latest Radio Standards, We Can Help!

At Highland Wireless, we offer the latest two-way radio equipment for rent and sale. Need help determining requirements for your specific industry? We are more than happy to help. Contact us today to learn more.