Cellphone Detectors serve a variety of needs

The cellphone has become a necessary part of our lives, but along with convenience comes intrusion and illegal use.  Our 610 cellphone detector is primarily used in jails, but it is equally effective in churches, schools, and theaters or anywhere else where cellphone use in inappropriate.

The 610 can be used as a standalone device to remind cellphone users to turn off their cellphones or to covertly detect activity and alert response personnel by silent activation.  Additional information is available at www.falcondirect.com/610. 

SiteCommand On-Site Wireless Intercom System

We had an unusual request the other day.  A large wrecker operator wanted a simple and efficient wireless intercom system to allow the driver/operator and his assistant to talk to each other or even between multiple wreckers working the same incident.  He didn't use 2-way radios since all of his people were equipped with SouthernLINC (think Nextel).  

He needed something that worked well in rural areas which ruled out using the SouthernLINC units.  Regular handheld 2-way radios didn't fit the need since he also wanted as close to hands free operation as possible, coupled with noise reducing headsets. We didn't know of any such product, so we came up with our own.  We call it the SiteCommand System!

SiteCommand is a wireless on-site intercom with a range of up to 1000 feet.  The headsets contain internal license free digital radios that provide crystal clear communications that can't be monitored by scanners and require no FCC license.  As it turns out, the SiteCommand system is also ideally suited for incident command, confined space or high angle rescue, traffic control, and a variety of similar applications.  Additional information is available at www.info4u.us/SiteCommand.pdf. 

Coming soon to a city near you!

What do the cities of Biloxi. MS, Boston, MA, and Hampshire, IL have in common?  The answer is that they all have fire communications enhancement ordinances. These ordinances require building owners to provide equipment necessary to provide effective in-building 2-way coverage for public safety radios used on the premises.  The reason is simple. Firefighter radios should work inside buildings, not only for operational efficiency but for the safety of the first responders.

The ordinances enacted by the cities are simple and to the point.  An example is available at www.info4u.us/ordinance.pdf. If first responder radios do not work with 95% efficiency within the building, the building owner (not the taxpayers) is required to install whatever is necessary to provide a solution.  The most common solution, although not the only solution, is known as a bi-directional amplifier.  

In building coverage tends to be most associated with 800 MHz radio systems, and to a lesser extent, UHF radio systems, although VHF is not immune to the problem.

If you are a public safety official, a concerned citizen, or a first responder, and you would like to know more about enhancing in-building coverage, give us a call at 800.489.2611.  We would welcome the opportunity to be of service.  In the meantime, you might want to take a look at the increasing number of cities that are taking the necessary steps to increase safety for their first responders.  A partial listing is available at www.info4u.us/safebuildings.pdf. 

Battery Savers!

We sell a lot of replacement batteries to industrial, retail, and school portable radio users.  When we got to checking, we found several reasons for the high battery failure rates.  Many of the "Economy" radios purchased on line and in retail stores were equipped with Ni-Cd batteries which are easily damaged by overcharging.  Most radios used by schools and retail stores spend the majority of the time in the charger.  To address this issue, we have announced three new affordably priced radios with memory free Lithium-Ion batteries and "smart" chargers.  Additional information is available at www.info4u.us/OSR.pdf. 

The second problem deals with using a portable radio as a fixed office station.  Not only does the battery get burnt up by overcharging, there is an additional problem with people "borrowing" the office radio and forgetting to return it.  A dandy little desktop radio is now available for under $300!  Additional information is available on the link referenced above.  A very informative video is available at www.ritron.com/videos/basestation-video.wmv.  Check it out.  This may be just right for YOU!

P25 Digital Standards Update

As many of our readers know, the communications industry is moving to digital.  Currently, the primary technologies available in the USA are P25 (supported by the Department of Homeland Security), NXDN (a more affordable solution developed in Japan), and MotoTRBO (a proprietary system developed by Motorola).  More recently, users in the USA are beginning to learn about TETRA, an international standard with some very interesting capabilities (full screen video among other things).

In public safety, P25 has been planned from the beginning to be the established standard.  This standard is developing to include a Common Air Interface (CAI) which allows different brands to be able to talk to each other.  More recently, the need for trunked radio systems connected by telephone lines to talk to each other using different brands and models has evolved. This standard, known as ISSI is critical to establishing true wide area interoperability.

EF Johnson, M/A-COM, Motorola, Tait, and Technisonics (Canada) have demonstrated a willingness to meet the CAI and ISSI standards.  Others will likely follow before testing is scheduled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  Additional information is available at www.motorola.com/Business/US-EN/Business+Solutions/Technologies/Public+Safety+Project+25+Standards.

We thought it would be worthwhile to keep you up to date on these developments if you haven't yet decided on which digital technology is best for you.  For what it's worth, Falcon Direct offers the lowest prices on full capability and P25 upgradeable equipment available through special pricing offered nationwide on the Alabama State Contract.  Additional information is available at http://falconinfo.blogspot.com/2008/10/alabama-state-contract-news.html.

Fire Station Monitor Receiver

Our 2TR9 is the ideal fire station alerting receiver! Many fire department users are using a voice a voice monitor pager for station alerting purposes.  Not only are pagers more expensive, but the audio output is limited, and constant charging is hard on batteries.

The 2TR9 is built specifically for fire station use with affordable pricing, high audio output, designed for AC operation, and adaptable for connection to a station PA system with multiple speakers.  We even offer a relay output option to automatically turn on lights or open doors when the receiver is activated.  Want to know more?  Check it out at www.falcondirect.com/2tr9.  You're going to like this product!

New PerVu Personal Video System Announced!

Not all police work is done in cars!  What about warrant serving, domestic disputes, traffic control, bike patrols, investigations or other out of the vehicle activities?  Don't these people also need the benefit of a video recording system? We think they do!  That's why we offer the PerVu Personal Video system!

Nearly everything that the officer sees and hears will be documented leaving nothing up for debate when wearing this body worn patrol camera system. Great for on the spot interviews, reading Miranda rights, SWAT and bike patrol... and invaluable when foot chases ensue and officers are out of range of in car camera systems.  Want to know more?  Go to http://falcondirect.web.officelive.com/PerVu.aspx. 

 

RoadVu Camera system now available!

In late 2008, we announced the development of a new vehicle camera system to provide an alternative to the DriveCam.  That product, known as the RoadVu system, is now available for UNDER $1,000 with continuous recording of up to 6 hours of driving time with monitoring of all light activity (emergency, headlights, overhead, and brake lights).

This incredible new system is available with a micro-sized forward facing camera that mounts behind the rear view mirror and a professional grade DVR.  A second camera for monitoring the driver and GPS location reporting is optionally available.  Best of all, there are no monthly monitoring or annual licensing fees.  Every county and municipal vehicle needs a RoadVu.  It will quickly pay for itself in better driver administration and reduced insurance deductible costs!  Additional information is available at www.info4u.us/RoadVu.pdf or call us at 800.489.2611 for a demonstration.

A special message to Mayors!

The commitment to serve…….

as a Mayor, or in any capacity as an elected public servant, is commendable!  You couldn’t have chosen a more interesting time for continued service to your community!  Municipal governments are facing declining revenues, increased demand for services, litigation at the drop of a hat, and a growing lack of confidence by the general public.  Add to that the divisiveness of party politics and you have a marvelous opportunity to step up to the plate and take a swing at making things right! 

We have developed a new program called Vision Plus to assist Mayors throughout the USA in doing their jobs more productively.  It is based on our understanding of the three basic tenants of public service. In essence, the responsibilities of a government leader, at least as we see it, are as follows:

To protect and serve

To administrate efficiently

To build trust and confidence

We would like to offer our assistance in addressing these objectives.  We have identified some specific areas of service with a brief overview of how we might be of assistance in accomplishing your goals at www.info4u.us/VisionOverview.pdf. 

If you would like to know more, just drop me an email to burch@falcondirect.com or call 800.489.2611.  We’ll be glad to send detailed information on the Vision Plus program without cost or obligation.

Thank you for your willingness to serve!

Burch H. Falkner

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing is to do nothing  -   Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the USA.

Grant Information

From time to time we advise our readers when we learn about grant opportunities of interest.  Now, we find out that our Congressional Office does a much better job with resources far beyond our own. Specifically, Carolyn Powell, working with Congressman Artur Davis of the 7th Congressional District of Alabama does an incredible job of keeping us posted on available grants.

While Carolyn's job is that of taking care of those residing in the 7th District, much of the information if applicable nationwide.  If you would like to receive weekly updates from Carolyn, drop her an email to Carolyn.Powell@mail.house.gov and ask her to add you to the list to receive her weekly funding alerts.  She does an astounding job of compiling grant information, not only for products that we sell, but for a wide range of community service grants.  

A sample of a recent grants available newsletter is available at www.info4u.us/funding011209.pdf. For most of us, Section 5 would be the main area of interest although you will find good information throughout this very informative newsletter.  A tip of the hat and a word of thanks to Congressman Davis and to Carolyn!

 

Super Sunday Special for Churches

As our population grows older, special needs develop for churches.  In particular, many of the elderly members are hearing impaired.  For less than $90 each, you can provide wireless hearing assistance for four of your members.  Additional members can be served for HALF this cost.  This is all made possible by an Assistive Listening System from Falcon Direct.  You can connect it directly to your sound system - it's a whole lot less expensive than wiring pews and it works well at distances of 300 to 500 feet.  Additional information is available at www.falcondirect.com/ALDs/prices.

Power Mobile!

The number one complaint we hear about mobile radios is they don't talk out, closely followed by I can't hear it (mainly by Firemen driving older apparatus).  For certain, power is essential to good communications as is a good speaker system, but few people give any thought to the antenna system or the problems caused by background noise (applicable to both transmitting and receiving).  That's why we thought it was time to introduce you to The Power Mobile!  This is the mobile that we guarantee to perform equal to or better than anything within two hundred dollars of it's price range!

The basic power mobile is just $289 complete.  The $64 SuperTenna puts the frosting on the cake, and it you want the ultimate communications system for use in a high noise vehicle, add the SP-1 noise reduction system.  Additional information is available at www.info4u.us/PowerMobiles.pdf.

Everything you always wanted to know about NXDN™

Rarely does a day go by that someone doesn't have a question about NXDN™. Why does ICOM call it one thing and Kenwood another?  Who invented NXDN™ and why did they do it?  Does it talk as far as analog?  Farther?  Not as far? 

We received a call the other day asking if the F3161 NXDN™ compatible radio by ICOM was capable of operating in the mixed mode (i.e. analog and digital on the same channel) with the analog setting offering a choice of 25 or 12.5 kHz.  Apparently another NXDN™ compatible radio will not operate in the mixed mode at 25 kHz analog, only 12.5 kHz.  

We can’t speak for other brands, but we can say that ICOM gives you the flexibility you need in being able to select either 25 or 12.5 kHz analog plus 6.25 kHz digital on the same channel.  That’s just one more way of measuring value!

If you have questions like these, we are delighted to announce the availability of a 55 page presentation that will answer most of your questions, and maybe a few that you haven't thought of yet.  You can view this information, even download and print if you wish by going to www.info4u.us/NXDN_Background.pdf.  

Hope you find it interesting!

NXDN™ is a trademark of Icom Incorporated and Kenwood Corporation

New Year's Resolution

As many of our readers know, we frequently point out the need for compliance with FCC Rules.  We think this is important as governmental agencies are suffering from budgetary cutbacks resulting from declining tax revenues.  The State of New York reacted by passing over 80 new taxes in the month of December!

The FCC can't levy taxes.  They make their money by fees and fines. The auctions are pretty much over, and the fees for issuance of licenses is minimal, so what does that leave to produce revenue? If you guessed FINES, we think you might have guessed correctly. We think this is a pretty good reason for getting licensed if you are operating 2-way radios without a license or operating out of compliance with the terms of your current license.

Anybody can tell you what is wrong.  What is needed is a SOLUTION to the problem. We concluded that it was time to go to the war room (that's where we do all our planning). We came up with a revolutionary new program to provide a level of assistance in obtaining proper licensing, both for now, and for the future.  We are delighted to announce the results which we call the  FCC Licensing Assistance Program (LAP).  You can learn all about LAP by clicking here. Check it out. You'll be glad you did!