The Evolution of 2-Way Radios

Two-way radios have evolved significantly since Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) made a radio transmission across a few kilometers in 1895.Today’s two-way radio technology has become an indispensable tool for today’s professional Facilities Management industry. From building and grounds maintenance to security, fire safety and cleaning, professional two-way radios continue to be a vital tool to maintain building performance and help plan and supervise day-to-day activities.

Why You Should You Only Select Professional Grade Two-Way Radios?

In the world of two-way radios, there are a couple of distinct categories: “Family Radio Service” (FRS) and Professional Grade Radios.Basically, FRS radios are consumer grade radios that are made of plastic and break easily in even the tamest environments. They are not meant to perform 40 hours a week. However, for serious industries like education, manufacturing, construction, and facilities management, investing in professional grade radios that will withstand day-in-and-day-out abuse will yield the best long-term strategy. In addition, commercial grade two-way radios offer the following benefits over FRS radios:

Durability

Commercial radios are designed to hold up to abuse better than consumer radios. Consumer radios are usually built for infrequent use: weekend hunting trips, multiple car caravans, camping trips, amusement park visits, etc. They are lightweight with a thin plastic casing. Commercial radios are designed to be used for hours every day and are constructed with heavy-duty commercial housing. Many are built to military specifications and are waterproof with significant transmitting power.

Battery Life

Never underestimate the importance of battery life. Most consumer radios include rechargeable batteries that are good for 8 hours or less of use. As is typical of batteries, this life will likely diminish slightly over time. Professional grade radios by comparison will provide 12 hours or more on a single charge and even longer when in digital mode.

Accessories

Business radios typically have a far better selection of accessories than consumer radios. If accessories, such as headsets or earpieces, and speaker mics are important to your business, you should look at what accessories are available before you choose a radio. Things like rapid chargers and multi-unit chargers are only available for business radios.

Facilities Manager for Abel Services Relies on Two-Way Radios

Able Services is the largest family-owned janitorial, engineering, and facilities management firm in the nation, and is considered the “gold standard” for commercial building owners, multifamily apartment investors, and five-star hospitality facility managers. If you add up Able Solution’s entire portfolio, they are responsible for maintaining more than 1 billion square feet of real estate! Obviously, managing that much real estate requires perfect communication solutions that are mobile, easy-to-use, and reliable. That’s why Able Services contacted Discount Two-Way Radio to see how RCA’s line of affordable two-way radios could help maintain not only their real estate assets, but also their reputation as a premier facilities maintenance firm.

The Challenge:

One of Able Service’s high-profile clients is an apartment community called Park La Brea. In fact, Park La Brea is a sprawling apartment community in the Miracle Mile District of Los Angeles, California. With 4,255 units located in eighteen 13-story towers and thirty-one 2-story “garden apartment buildings”, Park La Brea covers more than 160 acres, and is the largest housing development west of the Mississippi River. With such an immense area, more than 90 Able Service engineers and mechanics need to be in constant contact to keep the property in tip-top shape. That’s why Justin Cahn, Human Resources Director for Able Services needed a communication solution that was reliable and effective. They also required responsive company that provided top-of-the-line customer service and fast and knowledgeable technical troubleshooting.

The Solution:

As the nation’s only authorized distributor of RCA radios, Discount Two-Way Radio came to the rescue, and recommended the RDR3500 two-way series as the perfect radio solution for Able Solutions. This radio series, the RDR3500 and the more advanced RDR3600, provided crystal-clear, commercial grade audio quality that ensured accurate, immediate, and convenient communication. And these radios were durable. . . tough enough to survive 30 minutes under water and thrive through the bumps and bruises of daily wear and tear. Plus, with one of the longest guaranteed warranties in the industry and at an affordable price, the RDR3000 Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) series provided tremendous value for Able Services.

“It’s critical that we have radio communications that work when we have a work order or other situation we need to respond to. Discount Two-Way Radio was very responsive to our needs and helped us find a communications solution that was affordable and effective for managing this large multifamily property,” said Cahn.