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Looking for walkie-talkies for a school

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WIlburtoV05

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Greetings, I am looking for budget UHF walkie-talkies for my school. We have our FCC license for eight frequencies, and I have been programming these into Baofeng 888s radios for a few years now, but have started to experience significant quality issues, affecting our ability to rely on these.

Any suggestions for alternative budget transceivers? I have about 60 of the 888s, but only 10-15 are in use at any given time.

Alternatively, is there any methodology to improving the reliability of our existing 888s?

Thanks in advance!
 

Whiskey3JMC

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I have been programming these into Baofeng 888s radios for a few years now, but have started to experience significant quality issues, affecting our ability to rely on these.
Par for the course for CCRs (Cheap Chinese radios). Pay a shop to do it right with quality portables. Welcome to the RR forums
 

R8000

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Radio manufactures are tripping over each other to get radio systems in schools with safety being a hot topic. There's no excuse for a school system to need to rely on the internet to get advice. I wouldn't be shocked if there's funding grants available.
Go through your chain of command, and have a reputable and local radio shop assist you.
It may be wise to ask the shop that currently maintains your local public safety system. They will be the ones you will be talking to anyway when the principal wants a radio to talk to the 911 center, so might as well involve them from day one.
 

wtp

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i was at a school today to pick up the grand kids and watched as a teacher was carrying her radio by the antenna and swinging it.
you really want stuff that is tuff.
 

jaspence

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I went through the same pain with my church. We were totally legal but the $20 CCRs only lasted about 2 years. I had volunteered to do the research (40+ years as a ham) but they already had someone picked for the CCR radios. This time I got the job. Our coverage was smaller than yours, so a repeater or high power was not an issue. We settled on Motorola DLR series frequency hopping. No license, no worries about outside monitoring, and great coverage even in our new enlarged building. We have 12, and are considering purchasing several more. Stick with a reputable brand and dealer as R8000 suggested.
 

Wauk620

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A list of federal financial assistance programs funding emergency communications can be found at www.cisa.gov. There are different agencies with different grants available. You should also check your local state for e-comm and/or educational grants for funding options. Prior to applying to any funding, take the advice of the above posts and get several professional radio shops to give you estimates, including initial costs, e.g., radios, chargers, spare batteries, etc., out-of-warranty repair costs, etc. You’ll need this information to get an idea of your grant needs. Good luck. - John KD9PQM
 

mmckenna

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Any suggestions for alternative budget transceivers? I have about 60 of the 888s, but only 10-15 are in use at any given time.

Baofeng 888's are TWO for $28 on Amazon. So your question about "budget transceivers" makes us scratch our head. We'd need to know what your actual budget is for radios.

You will not get good radios for $14 each off Amazon. You'll get cheap Chinese toys.

If your school is using these radios for the care and handling of children, then they really need to be putting some more money into this. No one should be relying on a $14 radio any time safety or security is involved.

A good reliable radio from a reputable manufacturer that will meet FCC specifications (-required- by your FCC license) is going to run you in the $200 each range.



Alternatively, is there any methodology to improving the reliability of our existing 888s?

Throw them in the trash where they belong. "Reliability" and Baofeng $14 Chinese radios should not be used in the same sentence.
 
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i was at a school today to pick up the grand kids and watched as a teacher was carrying her radio by the antenna and swinging it.
you really want stuff that is tuff.
Doesn’t surprise me. When handing out the radio equipment to employees where most haven’t held a radio b4, there should be lessons on how to use a radio correctly. Not to just press the PTT and talk, but how to correctly handle the device and some radio ethics wouldn’t hurt.

IMG_1985.jpeg
Even Homer uses quality Collins equipment and knows how to hold the microphone correctly. But he is a little bedazzled why he can hear his voice on his TV when he transmits on his Collins.
 
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Baofeng 888's are TWO for $28 on Amazon. So your question about "budget transceivers" makes us scratch our head. We'd need to know what your actual budget is for radios.

You will not get good radios for $14 each off Amazon. You'll get cheap Chinese toys.

If your school is using these radios for the care and handling of children, then they really need to be putting some more money into this. No one should be relying on a $14 radio any time safety or security is involved.

A good reliable radio from a reputable manufacturer that will meet FCC specifications (-required- by your FCC license) is going to run you in the $200 each range.





Throw them in the trash where they belong. "Reliability" and Baofeng $14 Chinese radios should not be used in the same sentence.
How do they pass FCC equipment approval Or they don’t.
After Googling it:

IMG_1986.jpeg
 
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mmckenna

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How do they pass FCC equipment approval Or they don’t.
After Googling it:

View attachment 142401

He said he had 888's, not UV-5r's


However, I'm skeptical. The Chinese have been known to cheat the FCC OET system in the past. Also, looking at the emission designators, there is something very, very wrong with that.

But, yes, quality radios won't have that issue, and they'll keep the licensee from getting in potential trouble with the FCC.
There's more involved in setting up a radio system that just buying components off Amazon.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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Greetings, I am looking for budget UHF walkie-talkies for my school. We have our FCC license for eight frequencies, and I have been programming these into Baofeng 888s radios for a few years now, but have started to experience significant quality issues, affecting our ability to rely on these.

Any suggestions for alternative budget transceivers? I have about 60 of the 888s, but only 10-15 are in use at any given time.

Alternatively, is there any methodology to improving the reliability of our existing 888s?

Thanks in advance!
Maxon has budget radios that are engineered to industry standards. They also sell repeaters. They target the education market so you should be able to get someone to help you.

 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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He said he had 888's, not UV-5r's


However, I'm skeptical. The Chinese have been known to cheat the FCC OET system in the past. Also, looking at the emission designators, there is something very, very wrong with that.

But, yes, quality radios won't have that issue, and they'll keep the licensee from getting in potential trouble with the FCC.
There's more involved in setting up a radio system that just buying components off Amazon.
Yeah that is pretty pathetic: 3K81F3E. Ultra narrow band. No wonder reliability sucks. How does CTCSS or DCS even work properly.
 

PACNWDude

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I have several school's near me that asked for radio support years ago. The had been using Motorola CP200D handhelds, but their UHF license had expired and the FEMA Camp/Army Guard base nearby had warned them to stop using radios as their license was expired. they monitor local comms with software defined receivers (AN/PRC-117F radios attached to a Raytheon ACU-1000). The school was going to look at a lawsuit if they continued using UHF.

I put that school onto 900 MHz ISM band Motorola DTR410's, as they mentioned that they also wanted something that could not be listened to with a "cheap $100 Radio Shack scanner". They understood that it would not be cheap and they spent about $250 per radio and I made a special "hopset" TalkGroup for them. As people moved around the district, they are now three schools using DTR series Motorola radios......which have held up well to the use and abuse of teachers and employees, have the range to reach all around campus, and has been credited with being secure so people do not listen in to local area communications and then watch/creep the surrounding areas of the school (I am told that was a serious problem as people would monitor FEMA and the school and then hover around the playground).

Go big or go home, for secure comms, spend the money......after all "it is for the children" (I wish this was taken more seriously by many). Motorola DTR or DLR series radios would work well, and do not require a license in the United States. Having a license is better than not, but you could also check second hand companies like Sunny Communications which will sell slightly used Motorola for cheap and will include some programming as well. Spend the money and do it right.
 

daugherh

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I'll second @PACNWDude with the Motorola DTR series. Our school district is one of the largest in our state. Our buses, security team, admin department, weather team and 1 radio at each site is part of the district's 800 MHz MotoTRBO DMR system for cross-district communications.

Then, each site (with a few exceptions for really large schools that are just too big for the DTRs) use DTR650 or DTR700 radios for intra-school communications. Each site using the DTR radios have a handful of site-related talk groups programmed in such as administration, custodial, food service, and an all-call group for that site so that all radios (including teachers/aides/etc.) can hear important announcements without always hearing about the cleanup in the cafeteria the custodians hear all day. We have some school campuses that neighbor other schools, such as a high school backed up to an elementary school. With each site having different TGs programmed, the elementary school doesn't hear the high school and vice-versa. However, that being said, every DTR in the district also has 3-5 programmed district wide talk groups so that in the event of an emergency where relocation is necessary, anyone who shows up with a DTR to a relocation site can switch to one of the district "TAC" channels and be able to communicate with everyone on site.

Before implementing the DTR series, each school was using a various mix of either UHF or VHF handhelds with some larger schools having on site repeaters. By switching, most of the schools have better coverage with the DTR radios and the district is saving money by not having to maintain FCC licenses for each school and not having to maintain repeaters/towers/antennas/etc.
 

Ensnared

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What is the cost of a child's life? Buying low budget radios tends to have poor quality in some cases. Uvalde law enforcement is a good example of how radio systems and interop are difficult, particularly if they cannot communicate with one another.

If the schools need to buy these, ask the parents to fork up the money.

I don't have many recommendations, but GMRS might be possible with the right setup, provided the sub tones are used.
 

mmckenna

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I don't have many recommendations, but GMRS might be possible with the right setup, provided the sub tones are used.

Each individual user would need to be licensed (unless they were related) to use GMRS. While it's cheap, we all know they won't. The OP already said they had a valid FCC license. GMRS isn't the right place for this.

A quality name brand LMR radio programmed to use the frequencies they are licensed for, with the basic/included encryption/scrambling, would be the correct tool for the job.
 
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He said he had 888's, not UV-5r's


However, I'm skeptical. The Chinese have been known to cheat the FCC OET system in the past. Also, looking at the emission designators, there is something very, very wrong with that.

But, yes, quality radios won't have that issue, and they'll keep the licensee from getting in potential trouble with the FCC.
There's more involved in setting up a radio system that just buying components off Amazon.
I’m a little impulsive when I comment sometimes. And that was the first thing that came up when I googled Baofeng FCC certification. I don’t know the difference between the 888S, UV-5R and what ever else they have in their line up’s.
 
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What is the cost of a child's life? Buying low budget radios tends to have poor quality in some cases. Uvalde law enforcement is a good example of how radio systems and interop are difficult, particularly if they cannot communicate with one another.

If the schools need to buy these, ask the parents to fork up the money.

I don't have many recommendations, but GMRS might be possible with the right setup, provided the sub tones are used.
I know a lot of public schools are just scraping it through with their finances. A solution could be a fund raising raffle. I’m sure they could raise enough money to get quality equipment and service. You could name the raffle, ‘’What’s the cost of a child’s life.’’
 

natedawg1604

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For a while I've been running a 100% lifetime guarantee Baofeng repair program. It starts with collecting them all up, and visiting the nearest long-distance rifle range. And when I tell people this I emphasize NO, I am NOT joking; .223 or .556 is a guaranteed way to fix your Baofeng troubles quick, fast and in a hurry ‼️
 
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