• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

Boss wants 6 radios for security use

Status
Not open for further replies.

Stretchman

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
51
Location
South Florida
I have a query for those in the know. Our company is located in South Florida, but we also have people up in Jax area. We are looking at possibly getting some communications capability between posts. We don't have a huge budget for this, but are wondering what the best approach to this would be. I have some comms experience, but nothing on the commercial side of the house. I know how to use a computer and can program radios.

Any pointers on which direction to go would be helpful.
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,618
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
A couple of approaches:

1. Work with one of the FCC approved frequency coordinators to find a suitable frequency you can use. Then get licensed for the frequency from the FCC. Then purchase radios. To cover all that area, you'll need to spend a lot of money on repeater systems, linking, etc. Very expensive approach and a lot of money in upkeep/maintenance, radio sites, etc.

2. Work with a radio shop that already has coverage in the areas you need. Licensing is handled by the shop. You'll pay for radios, plus monthly access fees. Less up front costs, but ongoing monthly fees. You won't be able to add your own radios to their system, you'll need to buy radios from them and have them program to work on their system.

3. Try to cobble together your own system with license by rule services (MURS). Headaches will persist, in the end you'll probably end up buying service from someone else.

4. Try one of the newer LTE radios that will work over the existing cellular networks. Wide area coverage (Nationwide), infrastructure costs are covered by the cellular carriers. You just buy the radios and put in the cell carriers SIM card.

Icom makes some small radios that will do this: LTE Radio Solution - LTE-CONNECT - Icom America

If I was in your shoes, I'd go with the LTE solution. Much cheaper in the long run, much more flexible. Easy to add radios. Much better coverage. Actually would provide some level of security.
 

Stretchman

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
51
Location
South Florida
So others understand you have 2 places 500 miles apart that you want radio communications linked in both places?

Maybe. Depends mostly on the cost. Our local posts are about 15 miles from each other. I could see linking them with a lan style link, but I am not certain how well that would work in the event of a storm. Another consideration would be ptt styled phones. This is one situation where nextel would have worked perfectly, but I haven't heard any good things about the newer ptt phones.

Exploring options at this point, and am looking at what the least expensive and least complex solution might be. We want to be able to maintain communications in the event of something like a hurricane, but even with the best of stuff, it may not be all that possible.
 

Stretchman

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
51
Location
South Florida
A couple of approaches:


Icom makes some small radios that will do this: LTE Radio Solution - LTE-CONNECT - Icom America

If I was in your shoes, I'd go with the LTE solution. Much cheaper in the long run, much more flexible. Easy to add radios. Much better coverage. Actually would provide some level of security.

Tnhat looks really good, but there's no way I can get the 500 dollar price point of those radios around the Boss. We don't necessarily need full duplex voice. Are there radios approved for business use that can do something similar at a budget price point?
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,618
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
Tnhat looks really good, but there's no way I can get the 500 dollar price point of those radios around the Boss. We don't necessarily need full duplex voice. Are there radios approved for business use that can do something similar at a budget price point?

If you cannot afford $500 radios, you are going to have a real hard time making this work.
Any reliable solution that will fit your requirement is going to be very expensive. Frequency coordination alone is going to be serval hundred dollars. FCC licensing will be a few hundred. Decent radios are going to be a few hundred dollars each. Linking equipment and base radios will be several hundreds to thousands.

Simple approach would be to buy a couple of MURS radios and skip the linking between sites. If you need to talk to the other site, pick up a phone.
This is expensive territory you are heading into, and a boss that won't spend money on a few decent radios is going to be very disappointed with any of the solutions that are going to fit your needs.

"Managing Expectations" is a phrase we often use at work. That means making sure the end user knows what he/she is getting and know the full costs, limitations, etc.
Sounds like some expectation management is in order.
 

12dbsinad

Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
1,947
If you have good WiFi and/or cell coverage I'd just try Zello. I use it and it works decent. Nothing I would rely with my life, but for free it certainly has value.
 

MSS-Dave

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
428
Location
Generally Central Florida
When you combine the words wide-area and two-way radio in the same sentence, nothing is cheap anymore. If you want to stick with commercial two way radio, give Highland Wireless a call since you say you are in South Florida. They can get you on a 40 plus site Kenwood NexEdge trunking system that has great coverage the entire South East Coast of Florida up to Jacksonville including Orlando and Tampa area and beyond. They can also get you on the SunTalk Motorola DMR system. I know the NexEdge system very well coverage wise but not so much the Suntalk system. They can provide a demo or two for you to test it then if you decide on that you can probably rent or long-term lease the radios with the coverage you need included in your price.
 

buddrousa

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 5, 2003
Messages
11,224
Location
Retired 40 Year Firefighter NW Tenn
Just from the standpoint you are asking for a sub thousand dollar system that you expect to out perform multi million dollar PUBLIC SERVICE SYSTEMS that fail even during or after a hurricane. Your solution and price is not realistic for what you are wanting. Jacksonville is not in South Florida and not 15 miles.
 

Danny37

Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Messages
1,315
Location
New York City
Zello would probably be your best bet since everyone pretty much has a smartphone. You can buy speaker mics to attach to them and use them that way. Ofcourse keep in mind the battery might be drained (so battery cases?) and data usage which should be provided by the company.

What you're looking for at the moment will cost tens of thousands of dollars.
 

N4GIX

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 27, 2015
Messages
2,124
Location
Hot Springs, AR
Zello would probably be your best bet since everyone pretty much has a smartphone. You can buy speaker mics to attach to them and use them that way. Ofcourse keep in mind the battery might be drained (so battery cases?) and data usage which should be provided by the company.
Better still to use dedicated 3G or 4G network "radios."
Phone Radio Archives - Walkie Talkie Two Way Radio PTT Phone

For example, an "HT". There are quite a few that may be used as a base or mobile "radio."
CNJCL.png
 

TampaTyron

Beep Boop, Beep Boop
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
1,091
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Moto has their own PTT cellular devices now, which are the TLK-100 series. They are Verizon based and can have the device and airtime wrapped up in a single monthly or you could buy the device and just pay monthly.

It sounds like you are some sort of medical transport organization who has offices in South FL and Jax. It sounds like you need local coverage (15 mile radius around the offices in each city). Plus, you want the ability to talk between offices as well as inter-office comms.

Ballpark figure would be:
700 licensing (2 repeater sites)
12-15k for 2 repeaters
2000 per month for 2 wide area tower sites
150 a month for 2 internet connections (1at each tower site)
200 for VPN routers at each site
About 600-1000 per radio (depends on durability)

This would be Mototrbo IP site connect with 1 time slot wide area and the other slot local area. You would be buying the repeaters, frequencies, and subscribers. You would get licensing (good luck getting clean frequencies in these areas). You would connect them over the internet.

Not sure this is what you are looking for. TT
 

Firebuff880

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2006
Messages
651
Location
Boynton Beach, FL
Home Sun Talk network. Think they are $35 a month per subscriber

As mentioned Motorola Tlk-1000 on Verizon.

Or Motorola IP SITE connect system with one or more repeated at either end of an IP Tunnel.
 

Project25_MASTR

Millennial Graying OBT Guy
Joined
Jun 16, 2013
Messages
4,164
Location
Texas
Home Sun Talk network. Think they are $35 a month per subscriber

As mentioned Motorola Tlk-1000 on Verizon.

Or Motorola IP SITE connect system with one or more repeated at either end of an IP Tunnel.

Yea...Motorola kinda dealt a death blow to the traditional SMR with the TLK-100. 2 year contract, $35 a month (including the cost of the handset) on what is honestly the best coverage area LTE network in the country. Downside is only 10 vendors got access to the TLK nationwide.
 

domes

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Messages
75
Have any of you actually tried an LTE handset? We played with some and they work well indoors were there is good wifi service but don't work well in a moving vehicle. Might work better with diversity antennas on a vehicle.

I would go with the FL Nexedge system. It is ideal for this customer. Just buy the portable & mobiles and pay airtime. Could be dispatched from one or more locations with either simple desktop control station or use inexpensive KAS-20 DISPATCH software in a pc with IP connection. $35 airtime seems hi but that is also what the big mid-west network charges as well but may be less for smaller zones. Typical Nexedge airtime is about $20.
 

SlyFerret

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
68
Location
Delaware, Ohio
Moto has their own PTT cellular devices now, which are the TLK-100 series. They are Verizon based and can have the device and airtime wrapped up in a single monthly or you could buy the device and just pay monthly.

It sounds like you are some sort of medical transport organization who has offices in South FL and Jax. It sounds like you need local coverage (15 mile radius around the offices in each city). Plus, you want the ability to talk between offices as well as inter-office comms.

Ballpark figure would be:
700 licensing (2 repeater sites)
12-15k for 2 repeaters
2000 per month for 2 wide area tower sites
150 a month for 2 internet connections (1at each tower site)
200 for VPN routers at each site
About 600-1000 per radio (depends on durability)

This would be Mototrbo IP site connect with 1 time slot wide area and the other slot local area. You would be buying the repeaters, frequencies, and subscribers. You would get licensing (good luck getting clean frequencies in these areas). You would connect them over the internet.

Not sure this is what you are looking for. TT

I was going to suggest some sort of DMR based setup, but I didn’t have any of those other numbers to reference.

-SF



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top