New Taxi Business

eyemkeith · #1 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 04:59 PM

Hi. I'm in need of some help.

I operate a one-man taxi show, which is expanding to two people in separate cars. I know nothing - no thing - about radios, but i know i need to be able to talk to the other driver instantly and over several miles. If someone could help me out on exactly what I'll need to purchase to accomplish this, I"d send you nothing less than my eternal thanks. Put that with $1.50 and you might be able to get a decent cup o' Joe.

At this time I don't believe I need a base station, but rather just a way for two drivers in separate cars to talk with one another.

Please keep in mind that I've started this business on the side as a way to, oh, I dunno, feed my kids who have that irritating habit of eating every, single, day. I'm hoping to accomplish this with used radios and as inexpensively as practical while still meeting my needs.

Huge thanks in advance,

Keith.

C138Kaysone · #2 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyemkeith

Hi. I'm in need of some help.

I operate a one-man taxi show, which is expanding to two people in separate cars. I know nothing - no thing - about radios, but i know i need to be able to talk to the other driver instantly and over several miles. If someone could help me out on exactly what I'll need to purchase to accomplish this, I"d send you nothing less than my eternal thanks. Put that with $1.50 and you might be able to get a decent cup o' Joe.

At this time I don't believe I need a base station, but rather just a way for two drivers in separate cars to talk with one another.

Please keep in mind that I've started this business on the side as a way to, oh, I dunno, feed my kids who have that irritating habit of eating every, single, day. I'm hoping to accomplish this with used radios and as inexpensively as practical while still meeting my needs.

Huge thanks in advance,

Keith.

If your wanting to put radios into your taxi cabs, I would say either of your choice a UHF/VHF system "Ultra high freq, very high freq" if i got those correctly.

You can purchase a mobile unit to be placed in your car but you would also need a repeater to be set on site, lets say if you have a taxi garage, you will place that big antenna tower on top of it or next to it on solid ground with cement

just saying, apply for an FCC license so you wont be transmitting illegally and you'll get yourself a call sign issued to your license, its probably.. what people? around 300 dollars for an FCC license now a days? 80 for GMRS for 5 years?

Once you get your license and a repeater set up on site, you and your partner could be across the city and communicate 7 miles or more from each other.

Base station? its good to have if you want to park at the desk and your buddy is out in the field, call em up and tell em go pick this person up here and take em their but you can always get a portable radio to do the same if you walk around the office alot

spend your money wisely or consult with a local radio shop near where you are and they can help you too, including members of RR

Thats just my way of explaining it

eyemkeith · #3 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 05:48 PM

thanks, mister.

The "taxi garage'' i have is my house, so putting up a big antenna isn't really an option. this is a tiny, tiny operation of two people, run from the suburban bliss that is my home.

Is there another way?

rfradioconsult · #4 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 08:24 PM

Keep it simple; look in the phone book for radio service providers, you should find commercial providers that will lease you radios suitable for your need for a monthly charge. This type of service most likely would be an SMR provider. You do not need any infastructure or license, the provider will hold the license.

fineshot1 · #5 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 08:26 PM

Your biggest challenge is going to be getting licensed for a frequency or pair of.

If you only need to talk to the other taxi over several miles then you will not need
a repeater - a single simplex frequency should be work as long as the local terrain
is generally flat.

A used motorola maxtrac on vhf-hi band makes an excellent taxi cab radio as long
as it is functioning correctly. You could pick up a cheap two channel version, one for
each cab and have an nmo mount vhf-hi band 1/4 wave antenna installed.

There is a radio shop just up the road from you - AR Communications in Eatontown
on RT 35 that should be able to help you out.

eyemkeith · #6 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 09:08 AM

Big thanks to both of you!! Great suggestions, both. I'll post back when I've figured out what do to.

But why do you say that my biggest challenge will be getting a license? is the Fcc difficult to deal with?

thanks again,

keith.

fineshot1 · #7 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyemkeith

But why do you say that my biggest challenge will be getting a license? is the Fcc difficult to deal with? thanks again, keith.

1. There are a general lack of available frequencies to allocate to new prospective licensee's.

2. Yes, the fcc is a PITA to deal with.

CommJunkie · #8 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 01:31 PM

I say go with 2 CB radios.

eyemkeith · #9 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 03:21 PM

that's interesting. but wouldn't i have to share that with anyone who happens also to have a cb in the area, too?

as i said before, though, i know nothing about radio, so I could be completely talking out of my keester.

slicerwizard · #10 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 03:46 PM

No cellphone service in Neptune that offers private calls?

Forts · #11 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 11:00 PM

Nextel or some other PTT service would seem to be the simple solution.

vzfarms · #12 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 11:43 PM

As others have said you can find cheap radios out there... I just set up a simplex system (one channel, no repeater) for my farm. I am licensed for 100 mobile (in vehicle) radios and 3 base stations. Out in the country I can get 20+ miles from my base to my trucks or about 10-15 truck to truck. The license on VHF cost me $510. If you were to go the radio route, just make sure you plan for the future when you set up your license, incase you become the next taxicab monopoly. You could expect to equip your cabs with some decent used mobiles (ie kenwood 762/862) and quarter wave antennas for about 100-150 each if you find the right places to buy. I can give you some links to radios if you want.
Just keep in mind radios are more fun and more reliable than cell phones.

bryan_herbert · #13 (**permalink**) 04-19-2009, 12:24 AM

I would go with Nextel (if available). You can get the phones for free with a new contract and unlimited direct connect for $80 a month.

CommJunkie · #14 (**permalink**) 04-19-2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyemkeith

that's interesting. but wouldn't i have to share that with anyone who happens also to have a cb in the area, too?

Yes, but CB is a dying radio system. You're bound to find plenty of open channels that no one uses.

Even on the Nextel idea, you can go with Boost Mobile, which is the same thing but pre-paid, and spend less than $80/month. There are plenty of ways to do it, but it all comes down to your budget and what you're willing to spend.

Ghstwolf62 · #15 (**permalink**) 04-19-2009, 12:42 PM

I did this several years ago and I would say the easiest is to go to a local radio dealer and get on his channels which is what I did. I paid $10 per month per radio and had three radios, 2 in the vehicles and 1 in the house. Due to the terrain I had to have repeater channels for east county and west county plus simplex. These were on UHF. No mess with the FCC as I was operating under the radio shop's authority. I also purchased some cheap mobile and handheld radios. The mobiles were dual band which allowed me 50 watts on VHF and could easily cover about 10 plus miles on simplex frequencies and even the 35 available on UHF worked locally in town. I would say that's probably the easiest way to go about it and cheapest too. No hassle, no FCC and no headaches.

Good luck with it

SuperTex · #16 (**permalink**) 04-20-2009, 05:44 AM

I drove taxi for about 12 years, 7 years full time, 5 years part time, and about 6 of that as a broker / owner. Two and a half years as the weekend night dispatcher, a year and a half driving the wheelchair accessible van. At my peak I had two cabs running 24 / 7 with drivers on a local fleet of about 35 cars. I know a thing or two about taxi

I had used (evilbay) Motorola M1225 VHF mobiles with Antenex hi gain whips, I always believed that my / my drivers safety was well worth the $60 for the good antennas. We were required by city bylaw to have mobile radios. The radio systems in the cell phone (they call them "Mike" phones here in Canada) were illegal to use according to the taxi bylaws. Check your bylaws and ensure you can use those kind of phones. If you can it will save you some $$$ and give you pretty decent coverage. If you have to set up a radio system it will cost you. If you have to have radios, check with a local radio shop. Sometimes they will rent you the radios and include you on their tower. I know one local company was on a trunked system with some other businesses, through a radio shop.

I wish you a lot of luck. The taxi business is a rough go. I made money though, for a lot of years before the market in my city became saturated. We went from 50 cabs in the city when I started to about 250 when I got out of it. I miss it sometimes, but not too often.

If you have any other questions about taxi, just drop me a line.

MPSCS · #17 (**permalink**) 04-20-2009, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bryan_herbert

I would go with Nextel (if available). You can get the phones for free with a new contract and unlimited direct connect for $80 a month.

I'm only paying $54/month.

eyemkeith · #18 (**permalink**) 04-20-2009, 11:28 AM

But those prices, for the cellphones, are for each phone, yes?

So for two, you're talking more than $100 a month (for two) for the privilege of using them. In other words, a radio set up, with fcc license, and all the crap that goes along with it is likely cheaper in the long run because at least at the end of six, seven months, its paid off and never costs more. Where the cellphones keep costing money month after month.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but it doesn't seem to me the cellphone walkie-talkie is really worth it.

BaLa · #19 (**permalink**) 04-20-2009, 12:54 PM

Boost has some cheap phones.

Boost Mobile walkie-talkie Overview
http://plans.boostmobile.com/images/...Philly_WEB.gif

fineshot1 · #20 (**permalink**) 04-20-2009, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyemkeith

In other words, a radio set up, with fcc license, and all the crap that goes along with it is likely cheaper in the long run because at least at the end of six, seven months, its paid off and never costs more. Where the cellphones keep costing money month after month.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but it doesn't seem to me the cellphone walkie-talkie is really worth it.

If you are using a radio shop service providers radios and frequency you will probably have an initial outlay of $ and then a monthly fee.