The World's Toughest Radio!

There may be a tougher radio than the TecNet TP-8000BT, but we haven't seen it!   We had to go to Sweden to see it (via the Internet of course).  I speak just enough German to get the drift of what the little lady is saying in her native language, but I think anyone will get the message just by watching the video.  

The test involves the radio known as the TP-8000 in the USA.  In Sweden and Norway, it is called the Zodiac eXtreme. After you see the video, I think you will understand why this radio is well suited for EXTREMELY tough use.  Click here and click on the play arrow in the panel showing the guy with the shotgun,. And Yes, before you ask, he IS going to use it!  After viewing this video, I think you will agree that this is one tough radio, and it may well be the toughest radio in the world!

Are you ready for the price?  Just $325 with a three year warranty, a full 5 watts of power, incredible battery life and you can get a WIRELESS speaker microphone or wireless earpiece/lip microphone combination for just $100 more!  You can read all about it by clicking here.  If you've got an old radio, working or not, we will give you a $45 trade-in for a limited time. 

By the way, if you don't anticipate using a wireless headset or speaker-microphone, we also have the standard TP-8000 without built in Bluetooth for just $258!  You can check out our full line of TecNet radios at www.falcondirect.com/TecNet.  Check them out today. You'll be glad you did!

Which is better? Analog or Digital?

Richard Dawson, best known as a long time host of the  Family Feud TV series, put passion in the words Survey says!  In most cases, the contestants were almost always out of sync with what others said.  The debate on the pros and cons of analog versus digital radios would be a classic with manufacturers on one side and public safety users on the other when asked the question, which is better - analog or digital radios?

We all know the answer by the manufacturers - privacy, longer battery life, and enhanced features to name a few.  Conversely, from the user perspective, the answers are quite different.  Just yesterday I spoke with several MotoTRBO users.  From a police department official -  I hate the damn things.  I no longer know what is going on!  From an officer with a large municipal police department.  If the siren is on, forget about talking on the radio! And, from a fire department user, If it were not for federal funding, we would never have switched, and just between you and me - we don't even operate in the digital mode.  Analog works much better for us!

Well now, isn't that a kick in the head?  Could it be that digital is NOT the answer to everything?  We recently had a poll on our web site that allowed participants to check the answer of their choice (Analog better than digital, MotoTRBO better than analog, NXDN better than analog or P25 better than analog).  When the survey closed, 100% of the participants chose analog.  There was one vote for MotoTRBO, but the user removed their answer before the poll closed. We just never know do we?

Which is better - 50 watts at 100 feet or 100 watts at 50 feet?

As many of our readers know, we have long been opposed to high powered repeaters (i.e. 100 watts or more).  Some have erroneously concluded that this reluctance was because we may be in an unfavorable competitive position (which is understandable). 

The fact is that our objections are founded on doing the best thing for those we serve and those who may be impacted by the capricious use of over powered transmitters.  

We recently received an inquiry from a broadcast engineer who also happened to be an amateur radio operator.  They were planning to add a repeater, and specifically asked for a quote on a VHF 100 watt  Motorola MTR5000.  We responded with our typical answer of we don't want to do that.  There is a better alternative.

We thought you might be interested in the reasons for our position and the surprising and affordable alternatives.  We DO offer 100 watt repeaters, even 110 watts if you prefer, with performance and features undreamed of just a few years ago.  Better yet, we'll give you an option of analog, analog plus DMR digital, analog plus NXDN digital, or even analog with P25 upgradeability.  Complete information is available by clicking here.  Or if you prefer, just drop us an email to ServingU@falcondirect.com or give us a call at 800.489.2611.

Falcon Direct provides portable interoperability solution for Perry E911

Falcon Direct has delivered the nations first Portable Interoperable Command System (PICS) to Perry County E911 in Uniontown, Alabama.  Like many rural E911 centers, need often exceeds budget, but the requirement for 24/7 dispatch capability is not an option.  It is a necessity!

Until now, small rural E911 centers have relied almost completely on high cost radio service contracts to assure the ability to communicate when necessary.  Unfortunately, the providers of these radio service contracts are often small shops that may be unavailable when needed.  With unprecedented hurricane and tornado activity throughout many southern states, the risk of power failure, antenna and/or tower damage, and even the loss of a building is more than just a remote possibility. It is a very real threat. 

The PICS radio controller uses a Thales Liberty multi-band 2-way radio, manufactured in the USA by Thales Communications.  This incredible radio covers VHF, UHF, 700 and 800 MHz with conventional or trunked, analog or P25 digital, standard or encrypted operation.  When you add a speaker microphone and remote antenna adapter, the Liberty radio becomes the perfect back up radio for E911, either at the dispatch center, for remote field operation, or in a temporary location in the event the main dispatch center is disabled.

Now when there is a problem with one of the dispatch control radios, the call takers can quickly switch to PICS, select the channel or channels required and keep communicating when technical help is not readily available.  At Perry E911, all local county frequencies are installed as well as all Department of Homeland Security Interoperable channels for VHF, UHF, and 800 MHz. Since the Liberty radio is rechargeable battery powered, it can be used as a portable for any incident requiring on scene incident command.  Click here for additional information.

And is it reliable?  You can answer that question for yourself by clicking here. You never seen a radio take the punishment you will see in this video!  For a price quote, just give us a call at 800.489.2611 or email us at ServingU@falcondirect.com. 

Want the real facts on Narrow Banding?

Are you getting the true facts about Narrow Banding?

Did you know that you MUST operate only narrow band compliant radios on or before the end of this year?  Do you know what happens if you don’t comply? Do you know exactly what narrow banding means and how you can easily determine if your existing radios can be converted?

Are you required to upgrade to P25 digital?  Or for that matter, are you required to upgrade to any kind of digital radios or a different frequency band than you are now using? Are there other kinds of digital radios that are less expensive than P25? Do you know that your FCC license must be upgraded for proposed upgrades BEFORE you make any major changes?  Has anyone told you that operation with an improper license can cost thousands of dollars in fines and penalties?  Would you like a Free Narrow Band Planning Guide that provides all these answers and more?  Give us a call at 800.489.2611 or drop us an email to ServingU@falcondirect.com. Do it TODAY!

We're traveling down a new road!

In our April eNewsletter, we announced that we would be making some dramatic changes over the coming months in what we do, how we do it, and with whom we do it. It was once said that if you keep doing what you are doing, the result will always be the same. This the beginning of a change that will change the result, not only for us, but for those we serve.

Over the past year, we have noticed some incredible happenings that clearly point to the need for a form of service rarely seen in the communications industry.  The term Program Manager is well known in the Aerospace industry.  There are basically two kinds of Program Managers, on staff for those that can afford them, and contractors for those who do not have a continuing need.  These are the guys and gals who pull things together and make things happen.  There is also a variation of a Program Manager, known as a Program Advisor.  These are the people who review a project with the objective of determining feasibility requirements and provide guidance in the decision pre-purchase process. 

               

For example, there is a large county government entity, well funded, and well staffed who embarked upon a communications upgrade several years ago.  They spend thousands of dollars on studies, site planning, budgeting, interviews with users and ultimately went to bid on a multi-million dollar contract which was awarded but as yet not completed.  Would you like to know why?  They forgot one very important step.  They forgot to check to see if frequencies were available for their project!  A few thousand dollars paid to a Program Advisor could have prevented this unfortunate, and expensive mistake.. 

In another case, a group of rural fire fighters got together, formed a committee, selected a lead department to be responsible for administration of the grant, hired a grant writer, and were awarded a grant over three quarters of a million dollars.  They had a lot of help from a trusted vendor who led them toward purchasing a system that did not meet the Homeland Security grant guidelines. To say that this caused a problem would be a mild understatement.  The fact is that they could have included the cost of retaining a Program Manager and done the job right at no direct cost to them. 

Traditionally, our role has been one of serving as an equipment provider, an endeavor at which we still excel; but we recognize there are times when our talent and capabilities might be best applied as a Program Advisor or Manager, or both.  It you are planning a major communications system upgrade or need a hand in separating the wheat from the chaff, give us a call at 800.489.2611.The call could save you a lot of time and money, not to mention helping you succeed in your planned objectives.

An introduction to the Future - Part One!

The radio at the left looks pretty much like a lot of other VHF and UHF 5/4 watt radios, but that is where difference begins.  THIS radio is about the same size and weight of a Minitor V pager yet it costs a WHOLE lot less even though it is IP67 rated for full submersion operation, along with being MIL-SPEC 810F and it covers the entire 136-174 or 400-470 MHz range!  

In addition to paging, it can transmit on up to 512 channels and it is covered by a three year factory warranty.  Now, we invite you to compare some other features with whatever radio your may be purchasing now.  Does your radio have 1 full watt of audio?  A 2600 mAH battery with over 15 hours of operation between charges?  A dual slot rapid rate charger?  Does your radio have a channel select knob on the top of the radio?  Can your radio be stunned or killed over the air?  Does your channel display show both the Channel Number AND the Channel Name? And, if you want to talk about toughness, we invite you to view a short video by clicking here.  After seeing this video, you WILL know that this is one tough radio!  And, if you would like to know more about the features and functions, click here!

We could go on and on, but you should be getting the idea by now. Our little radio has a built in inversion scrambler, and we program and ship it for free!  Want to know what all this costs?  Just $258 complete!  Get a speaker-mic or an ear microphone with lapel mic for just $100 more in our special combination package.  Does that sound expensive?  Maybe that's because we forgot to mention that this is for a WIRELESS audio accessory with a 30 foot range away from the radio!  Want to know more?  Give us a call at 800-489-2611 or drop us an email to ServingU@falcondirect.com for more information on URNX portable.  The future is here - TODAY!   

One last comment - There are other TecNet products that may be of interest, including a mobile with a wireless speaker microphone controller with a range of over 300 feet away from the vehicle!  If you need the full power of a mobile from your portable radio, check out our vehicular repeater priced at well under $1,000 at www.falcondirect.com/tecnet.  You'll be glad you did!
      

An introduction to the Future - Part Two

If you think our new portable is something, wait until you see URNX mobile!  One of the biggest needs for public safety and utility users is to extend the range of a portable to equal that of a mobile radio. All kinds of lame solutions have been tried with none of them proving to be practical.

And then, along comes URNX mobile radio equipped with extended Blue Tooth capability with an operating range of up to 328 feet!  With this incredible mobile, you don't need a vehicle repeater, receiver voting systems, or additional repeaters.  The micro sized BT Companion ELIMINATES the need for a portable radio.  It is about half the size and weight of even the smallest portable radios and it can talk through the associated mobile radio at distances exceeding 300 feet!

A law enforcement officer now can communicate when out of the vehicle at full mobile operating range with no portable radio required!  A fire chief can communicate from the fireground without returning to the vehicle and a utility worker can communicate from a bucket extension just like they were sitting in the vehicle cab!  Are you ready for the price? Just $695 for the complete package including a 50 watt VHF or 40 watt UHF radio.  All you add is an antenna and installation.  If you wish, you can purchase the TP-8000 series mobile without the wireless microphone for just $365 and add the wireless microphone extender system later. Additional information is available at http://www.info4u.us/tm8000.pdf. Want more information?    Give us a call at 800-489-2611 or drop us an email to ServingU@falcondirect.com for more information on URNX mobile.  The future is here - TODAY!   

We've got some other great products by TecNet.  Check them out at www.falcondirect.com/TecNet.