New Top Quality MURS Radio Now Available!

We continue to get questions about MURS radios.  Frankly, we are not surprised with the amount of information floating around on the forums and even manufacturers who present their material in such a way as to imply that a non-certified product can be used on MURS frequencies.

Let's try again to clarify the situation.  If a radio is Type Accepted by the FCC for Part 95 operation or if the radio was approved under FCC Part 90 prior to November 12, 2002, it can be used on the MURS channels IF the power does not exceed 2 watts and it is operated only in the narrow band mode.  The public safety and business band radios approved for FCC Part 90 currently being produced by Hytera, ICOM, Kenwood, and Motorola  (with the exception of the RDM2020 and RDM2080D) can NOT be used on MURS channels.

There are several notable exceptions.  The Ritron JMX-141D and 146D CAN be used on MURS frequencies.  They do meet the requirements of FCC Part 95.  The price of the JMX-141D is only $199.  It is supplied by Falcon Direct with all five MURS channels installed, as well as all NOAA weather channels, and up to five business or public safety channels. 

You can purchase the JMX-141D on line at our web store by clicking here, or if you need additional information, click here.  If you have been looking for a top quality FCC approved MURS radio, your search is OVER!


And, just in case you are wondering, we DO have a fixed station radio for office use that is approved for MURS use.  It's called the JBS-146D.  Additional information is available by clicking here, or if you are ready to purchase at the incredibly low price of just $299, click here!

P.S.  Before you ask, a radio that is Part 95A approved is NOT approved for MURS.  The Part 95A designation is for GMRS UHF radios.   If you want a top quality license free UHF radio, we offer several products that are suitable for commercial and public safety use.  You will find them on our Amazon.com site by clicking here. 


Thanks for visiting with us. As always, we consider it a privilege to provide clarification when it benefits those we serve.

BeOn - Technology or TechnoToy?

Just read a Press Release by the Harris Corporation announcing an incredible new forward step in combining the power of Push-To-Talk radio with the Android SmartPhone. They call it BeOn and they hope to begin shipping in 2012.  Wow!  Am I impressed!  I guess they didn't know that a little company called Critical RF did the same thing over a decade ago and they have been continually improving their products ever since.

We were quick to recognize the potential of this technology, working with Critical RF to offer this technology for ALL types of SmartPhones, including not only Android, but Blackberry, and iPhone as well.  We even created a separate marketing company called SDR Plus to promote this new technology.  The web site is still on line at www.sdrplus.us, but it has not been updated for quite some time.  The reason?  It wasn't practical.  There were coverage issues which were troublesome, but the real problem was, and is, battery consumption.  When you add a PTT application to a SmartPhone, you reduce the battery life to four hours or less.  That is simply unacceptable!

Let me tell you about a MUCH better solution.  It's called COMMON SENSE!  Until just recently, I was paying over a hundred dollars per month for SmartPhone service through Verizon.  I turned in my Blackberry, got one of those new mobile Wi-Fi hot spot modules (Verizon calls it Mi-Fi), got a teeny little phone with Blue Tooth and put a Netbook in my vehicle.  I can do anything!  I can do live video streaming (click here for an example), I can get directions, allow people to virtually ride along with me.  I have web access with a screen I can see, email, and even airtime free phone minutes.  Here's the really great news!  I CUT MY MONTHLY WIRELESS PHONE BILL IN HALF!  Oh, by the way, I can use my Netbook for PTT operation with any 2-way radio system in the world - not just P25, but DMR, NXDN, and even Analog.  And, I don't have to worry about battery life as my Netbook has a big battery that is being constantly charged in my vehicle.

I am probably not a good prospect for BeOn.  I don't think you are either! If you want to know how to really use technology for YOUR benefit, give us a call at 205.854.2611.  We'll show you how it's done in the real world!

Sign Language

A good outdoor sign or media ad visually tells a story with very few words.  Here is an example.  First, the product.  It appears to be a commercial (actually military) grade radio.  Judging by the size of the antenna, it is apparently designed for VHF or UHF.  Since their is no display, it probably has 16 channels which is the normal limit for a top mounted channel selector.  Actually, this radio can do up to 16 analog channels (wide or narrow band) or up to 32 channels in the digital operating mode (more about that shortly).

The radio is black which means it is designed to appeal to men, actually men who are involved in rigorous activities like construction, manufacturing, or law enforcement.  Now, the question is What do those symbols on the right mean?

Well, the one at the top means this radio is designed is compatible with the Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) standard, the same one used by the MotoTRBO radio by Motorola and the Vertex Standard VXD series, basically a cosmetic variation of MotoTRBO (for those who don't know that Motorola owns Vertex Standard).  Anyway, DMR is well on the way toward becoming the digital radio standard in the USA, and the radio shown in this ad utilizes this standard.

What makes this radio different are the two icons below the DMR logo, starting with the IP67 circle.  So what does that mean?  It means this radio (actually a Hytera model PD702) is super sealed against dust and moisture.  How secure, you may ask? Let's put it like this.  You can drop it in three feet of water and leave there for a half hour with no damage or degradation of performance.  There is a neat little video available by clicking here that demonstrates our point!

The next icon is self explanatory.  The standard warranty for this radio is 5 full years including both parts and labor.  And, when you buy your PD702 from Falcon Direct, you get free shipping, free programming, and free use of an exchange unit it you ever need service during the warranty period.  You just pay the shipping.  We take care of everything else!

And, What about the price?  The answer is clear, just $499.  That is no more (actually less) than a good quality analog only radio.  So what do you think of our ad?  Did it do it's job?  Do you want more information?  Click here.  Are you ready to buy?, Click here, or just give us a call at 205.854.2611.

What Makes Falcon Direct a Little Different?

A large corporate customer recently gave us the opportunity to provide equipment and services.  After going through all the normal introductions and exchange of questions, a senior executive asked  our least experienced member What is it that makes Falcon Direct a good choice as a vendor? 

We have to admit that this is a good question.  It is the type of question that has been the downfall for more than one politician and/or Miss America candidate.  It is not the kind of question that should be answered without some thought or a real understanding of what it is that makes Falcon Direct a little different from all the rest. The answer to this all important question is available at www.info4u.us/Different.pdf. 

Fleet Safety Simplified!

A friend of mine, a transportation supervisor for a large fleet of school buses, shared a problem and asked if I had a solution.  He had been receiving reports of school buses speeding in rural areas on narrow two lane roads - a very serious issue for someone charged with the responsibility of safety transporting children.

It seems he had been going out with a donated portable radar and making random speed checks.  The problem is there is only one of him and over 50 buses.  There was no additional manpower for assignment of the task, and it just wasn't working.  That is when he recalled that I had mentioned some work we do for law enforcement users in tracking suspects and monitoring patrol activity.

He asked me to give him a quick overview and what I would recommend.  After a 30 minute dialog, we both concluded that I did not have (or at least didn't offer a solution), so we changed the emphasis from my "educating" him on GPS tracking to one of asking what he wanted to accomplish and at what price, under what terms.  Boy, did I learn a lesson!

What he told me was he simply wanted some kind of battery powered device that could be covertly attached to random buses to monitor their activity for a few days.  He didn't have much money in the budget (like many others of us these days), and he wanted something easy to use that would consume as little of his time as possible. 

I asked him if I could provide a device that could be rented for a period of as little as one month with an option to purchase at any time if that would be a good start.  He said yes.  Then I asked him if a little weather proof box that could be magnetically attached to a hidden area of a bus would meet his needs.  It would operate from internal rechargeable batteries and be operational  for up to a week before charging was required.  He agreed that this should work.

I then asked we could program it to send a message to his cell phone anytime that a bus exceeded a specific speed (programmable as desired).  He said that sounded good but he wanted to know if there was some way he could "tune in" on the violator to determine the location of the bus.  My answer was yes.

The last thing he wanted to know was what it cost and when he could have one.  The answer I gave him is located at www.info4u.us/pttracker.pdf. The answer may apply for you as well!  The concept works on all kinds of fleet vehicles and it is exclusively available from Falcon Direct!

New Smart Talkers making choosing the right 2-way radio easy!

Two facts worth knowing! (1) Choosing the right 2-way radio doesn't have to be complicated, and (2) The best value is not necessarily the "deal" on eBay or the lowest price you can find by doing a search on Google.

Here's another fact.  The majority of all commercial grade 2-way radios sold are rarely used at distances of more than one mile,  Almost all of these radios are portable or worn by a person, and range in price from thirty dollars to over five thousand dollars.

The reason for the wide variance in pricing deals primarily with the function of the radio, quality, range, performance, operating band, reliability, cost of service and the list goes on.  For now, let me just say that we understand the difference and we have your answer for personal on-site or short range communications.

We've got the best of consumer, commercial, and mission critical radios with your choice of Push-To-Talk or hands free operation.  We've got models designed for use inside a noisy industrial plant, outside in a bucket trunk, in churches, hospitals, schools, or wherever you may be.  We got unlicensed models and we have models that can be licensed for both commercial and governmental use.  Best of all, we put it all on just one page!

Want to see how we did it?  Go to www.info4u.us/Smart_Talkers.pdf.  If you still have questions, call us anytime, 24/7 at 205.202.1269 or drop us an email to ServingU@falcondirect.com.  Life doesn't have to be complicated!