Setting up a 2 way radio system

[SCPD]

Hi all,
New to the forum and I apologize if I've posted this in the wrong section.
Was hoping you all could give me an idea of what I'll need and possibly a step by step guide to setting up a 2 way radio system with telephone interconnect for a small cab company on an island off the coast of Massachusetts.

System would ideally include 4 mobile vehicle radios and one handheld radio.

Approx. range would be about 20-30 miles.
Relatively flat, rural area with some thickly settled neighborhoods, not many tall buildings.

Would appreciate any help you could give me.
Thanks in advance,
-Josh

 

[captaincab]

Josh I was in the cab business for years. Your best bet these days is to lease time on a local ltr or digital radio system. Call your local icom motorola or Kenwood dealer they can help. Kenwood and icon systems are just as good as motorola these days.

 

[captaincab]

In fact Josh at the bottom of this link it lists a few companies under businesses with existing trunked systems you can lease space on.


Barnstable County, Massachusetts (MA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

 

[Station51]

Spend a bit if you can

Josh I was in the cab business for years. Your best bet these days is to lease time on a local ltr or digital radio system. Call your local icom motorola or Kenwood dealer they can help. Kenwood and icon systems are just as good as motorola these days.

Capt Cab offers good advice.
Radio communication also offers BANDIT cab drivers the ability to jump your calls so you want something that JOE BLOW cannot monitor with a scanner, and perhaps GPS as well if possible,

Personally I would consider smartphones as a cheap and effective alternative. Not as cool, but probably more efficient lol.

Good luck in your endeavor.

 

[mmckenna]

Hi all,
New to the forum and I apologize if I've posted this in the wrong section.
Was hoping you all could give me an idea of what I'll need and possibly a step by step guide to setting up a 2 way radio system with telephone interconnect for a small cab company on an island off the coast of Massachusetts.

System would ideally include 4 mobile vehicle radios and one handheld radio.

Approx. range would be about 20-30 miles.
Relatively flat, rural area with some thickly settled neighborhoods, not many tall buildings.

Would appreciate any help you could give me.
Thanks in advance,
-Josh

I'm happy to provide the information you need, but the others are giving you good advice.
For a total of 5 radios and 20-30 miles of coverage, you will save a ton of money by leasing service from a provider.
To get 20-30 mile range on a "relatively flat" island, you are going to need a tall tower or access to a tall building. Neither of those will be cheap. Rent on a good tower will easily be several hundred bucks a month. Add in the cost of the repeater, duplexers, coaxial cable, antenna, power, all the test equipment needed to set it up correctly, a tower climber, FCC licensing, frequency coordination, maintenance, installation of the mobiles, and a hundred other little things, and you'll quickly drive yourself nuts.

Lots of cheaper options out there. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Now, if you were running 50-100 cabs, then maybe it might be worth it.

 

[W8RMH]

Smartphones are not practical. The radios will be used while driving and will require a phone patch so a driver can answer calls for service from their customers.

 

[SCPD]

Smartphones are not practical. The radios will be used while driving and will require a phone patch so a driver can answer calls for service from their customers.

mmckenna's got the right idea... as we're usually dispatching from the cabs a 2 way system would be easier and safer on the drivers.

 

[amphibian]

Having owned a cab company before, with less than 6 drivers a two-way radio system this time and day is a waste of hard earned and invested monies. Pay your drivers a little money each month for the use of their cell phone or purchase a cell phone for them to use. Laws in most states require a driver of a viehcle to be parked when texting and/or when making cell phone calls... Send their calls by text, then when they drop off the fair, while they are parked, they can call in on their cell phones if they have questions about their next call.

Some insurance companies will charge you more for coverage on cabs if you in fact have a two-way radio or in-car terminal dispatch system. Save yourself the money and (if you only have a few drivers) use cell phones... Make it a requirement to lease the cab vehicle for the driver to provide a cell phone of their own...

 

[N4DES]

The other option is the use of PTT over cellular. Many of the carriers still offer it.

Here is AT&T's offering. https://www.business.att.com/enterprise/Family/mobility-services/enhanced-push-to-talk/

 

[Station51]

Smartphones

Smartphones are not practical. The radios will be used while driving and will require a phone patch so a driver can answer calls for service from their customers.

I have seen CAB companies use smartphones in various locations. Why ?

Hands free Bluetooth
GPS and turn by turn directions
"Dispatch" can "see" where the closest cab to the call is.(Find my Friends etc) and help locate a missing cab/driver
Off hours I've seen them roll the main number to whichever driver would act as the dispatch center.
Don't need to be sitting in your cab waiting for calls.
Your communications cannot be monitored or jammed)
Phone patch quality usually is poor in my experience
You can be UP and running immediately

Just sayin