Advice on part 90 license and radio selection

[StevenVanderbilt]

Afternoon everyone,

I’m a store manager at an auto parts store and am thinking it would be a great idea to get radios to use in the store and for my delivery drivers that would cover a 5-10 mile range.

Can anyone provide some insight to the licensing process and some advice on radio selection that’s budget friendly.

Ps. We may as a company already have a license but can’t search database due to shutdown it seems.

 

[buddrousa]

Budget Friendly and Commerical Radio is like asking for NHRA Racing Parts that are Budget Friendly. Simplex would require a tower you got room for a 100 foot plus tower? Your other option would be Radio Rental and that is a cost per radio per year price depends on your area and what Radio Shops are charging. Something like Rapid Radio is 2 Radios for $399 with the first year of use covered then its $50 per radio per year this works on cellphone towers.

 

[StevenVanderbilt]

Oh no, I get that. I’m just not trying to have a base station or repeater in the store. I would like to stick to handheld. I don’t mind paying a couple hundred bucks apiece. I guess when I say budget friendly I don’t mean 20 or $30 radios I don’t mind spending a little bit on some Motorola or Kenwood’s or something. I just don’t want a bunch of costs that keep coming back but at the same time with it being employees at the store, there’s a high chance that they get lost or stolen or broke or left places, etc.

 

[MTS2000des]

Honestly, a PTToC solution using something like Rapid Radios would be much more cost effective than going the part 90 route. Quality infrastructure=huge capital outlay and long term costs would exceed what you'd pay for service on a PTToC device 10 times over.

 

[K9KLC]

I would like to stick to handheld.

Without some other sort of infrastructure, you're not going to get 5-10 miles of HT's.

 

[nd5y]

Ps. We may as a company already have a license but can’t search database due to shutdown it seems.

Did you ask your company HQ if they can provide you with radios?

 

[TampaTyron]

I second PTToC...... rapid radios is $200 per radio and $100 per year of Service.

I use Global-PTT off of Amazon and they are $100 per radio and $50 per year of Service (first year is included in price of radio).

I have about 20 radios in my family that I admin (for my family in FL, AZ, CO, LA, GA NC, etc). They work really well.

They are not for end of the world comms, but the radios will work over 3 separate cell carriers. So, it will really take a major event to knock them offline.

TT

 

[mmckenna]

Can anyone provide some insight to the licensing process and some advice on radio selection that’s budget friendly.

First step is hiring a frequency coordinator to identify usable frequencies in your area and file the necessary FCC license application. That's going to be a few hundred bucks.

Then you need the tower site. To get 10 miles of range reliably over flat ground, you'll need at least a 75 foot tower. That'll require permitting, a substantial foundation, engineering work, tower erectors, based on location you may need obstruction lighting. If terrain isn't flat, you'll need a substantially higher tower. Figure at least $50K if the neighbors don't fight back.

Then you need the repeaters, duplexer, power, lightning protection, coaxial cable, antenna, installation, alignment, tower monkeys. $15,000 might get you the most basic setup.

Periodic maintenance will be required. Figure a few hundred bucks a year if nothing breaks.

Decent hand held radios are going to cost you around $500 - $600 each.

Ps. We may as a company already have a license but can’t search database due to shutdown it seems.

Won't matter if they do. Repeaters are site licensed and to install a repeater it'll need a specific license for your location.


Been doing this stuff professionally for almost 30 years. If you want some walkie talkies to use around the store, get some FRS or MURS radios. You won't get 5 or 10 miles range, but it'll prevent yelling across the store.

If you want more coverage than that, the economical solutions are:

Find a local radio shop in your area. They'll likely have a radio system that covers the region. They'll charge you for radios and a monthly charge per to access the system. That'll save you money and give you reliable radio coverage and they'll take care of all the licensing, equipment, installation, maintenance, etc.

-or-

Push to talk over cellular service. Use the cell phone network that is already built out. It'll be way cheaper in the long run, and give you better coverage than you'll ever get with your own repeater.