Cyber Sunday Super Special - DMR portables for under $300!

Traditionally, Cyber Monday is ranked next to Black Friday for retail store sales. However, in the land of the Internet, the big day is Cyber Sunday where last years Sunday's sales were a half billion dollars and December 1, 2013 is projected to be up to twice that amount!  We want YOU to be a part of that, so we are making a very special offer for 2-way radio purchasers who want to move up to digital!

This is the day that we have chosen to formally introduce our new CS600 and CS700 DMR compatible UHF portables.  The CS600 is a plain and simple, rugged and reliable, portable for people who need to talk where analog radios used to talk, but don't work so well after narrow banding.  With up to 32 channel capability and 4 watts of power, it is compatible with Hytera and MotoTRBO open standard DMR conventional radios. For additional information on what we mean by Open Standard, click here!

The CS700 has an LCD display with a full keypad for administrative use with the ability to selectively call individuals, groups, or all radio equipped personnel at the touch of a button.  The user ID of all radios in the system is displayed as well as text messages and status updates.  Additional information is available by clicking here.

Now for the big news!  You can purchase either the standard CS600 or the full featured CS700 for the incredibly low price of just $285!  And that includes free programming on up to 16 channels of your choice, plus if you purchase on Amazon.com, as a Prime member, or on eBay, you will receive FREE shipping on purchases made after 12 Noon Eastern time on December 2, 2013. If you prefer, you can purchase at our own on-line store, BestPriceRadio.com and receive a free programming kit with your first order!

Save even more if you purchase on Amazon. Apply for an Amazon credit card and get a $30 credit on your first order. Sign up for Prime and get free two day shipping on thousands of items, plus over 41,000 free downloads of movies and TV Series, plus free membership to the Kindle Library. It's just $79 per year and we will reimburse you for your membership when you purchase two or more of the new CS600/700 series radios!

And, if you don't have the funds right now, apply for an Amazon Store card and get 12 month free financing on any purchase of $599 or more, plus you get a $10 gift card just for applying!  Click here for details!  eBay has free 6 month financing for purchases of $99 or more.  Click here for more information!  So what are you waiting for?  NOW is the time to move up to digital and WE are the ones to help you do it!  If you have any questions, please call us at 800.489.2611, or if you are ready to order, please email your desired frequency programming information to ServingU@falcondirect.com.  Happy shopping!

Common sense returns to NY State, winner of our November Bouquet Award!

The State of New York was one the first to confirm that statewide interoperability does NOT serve the needs of EMS, Fire, or local (county/municipal) departments.  Millions of dollars were spent on trying to make a one size fits all communications network before it was recognized that the communications needs of federal and state government is quite different than county and municipal needs.  

A recent article on page 16 of Mission Critical Communications highlighted some of the more obvious reasons of why top down interoperability planning doesn't work.  Notably, EMS has basically no need for communicating  with fire or law enforcement since the primary communications need is between rescue vehicles and trauma centers.  Law enforcement communications is essentially a localized endeavor with little need for communications outside the local jurisdiction.  Rarely is there any need to communicate outside the county, and even then, the need seldom extends beyond adjoining counties.

Volunteer fire departments do not have anywhere near the call volume of either EMS or Law Enforcement although that often rely on mutual aid from other departments within the same county.  So where is the primary need for interoperability?  Within the county!  That is why New York is now focusing on localized interoperability from the bottom up, not top down!  Wonder how long it will take others to figure this out? 

One of the first NY counties to address this issue was Monroe County (Rochester) who now uses a centralized dispatch system that is not dependent on being a part of the tactical communications network.  This technology is efficient and affordable.  You can read more about it by clicking here.

The bottom line is the common need is for a unified dispatch system that benefits all concerned.  That is why we have encouraged our fire department readers to consider applying for an AFG grant to implement this technology in their communities.  The bad news is that most will miss out on this opportunity as the current 2013 application period closes on December 6th.  The good news is that there is still time to apply for those that get moving NOW! Additional information is available at http://ourlibrary.us/13.html or just give us a call at 205.854.2611

Congratulations to John Grebert, executive director of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, and Mark Hoppe of Blue Wing Consulting Services who have taken the high road in honestly identifying real problems and presenting common sense solutions.  These are the winners of our November 2013 Bouquet Award!  The November Brickbat award goes to Calhoun County Alabama, and the Cities of Anniston, Jacksonville, and  Oxford  for the multi-million dollar sole source award to Motorola Solutions to update an antiquated 800 MHz system without even looking at what could have been done for far less money.  Shame on you!  We can only hope that the voters will remember next November!.

Quote for today - If you are not a liberal at twenty, you have no heart and if you are not conservative at thirty, you have no brain. - Winston Churchill

Pay by American Express and get a new pager radio for $89 only on November 30!

American Express is supporting the businesses owned by our friends and neighbors  on Saturday November 30, 2013 for it’s 4rd annual Small Business Saturday. American Express cardholders can register their card to receive a $10 statement credit for spending at least $10 at an independent small business (I LOB). 

Falcon Direct is a long time American Express authorized merchant, which means that AMEX card holders can save an additional $10 in addition to our already low prices!    

American Express cardholders can register their card anytime through November 30th to receive a $10 statement credit for spending at least $10 at an independent small business (like us) on Small Business Saturday (November 30th). This means you can purchase any one of our three most popular VHF or UHF pager radios for as low as $89 after your AMEX credit.   For those of you who do not have an AMEX card, we will extend a $10 credit on any purchase of TWO radios or more,

We still have a fair stock of the popular Maxon SP 1000/4000 series portables (both VHF and UHF)  priced at only $99 while supplies last.  Click here for more information and be sure to get your order in on Saturday, November 30th, 2013 for a really great Christmas present from American Express and Falcon Direct!

Photo courtesy of American Express

Black Friday at Falcon Direct

Is this the way you picture Black Friday?

That may be fun for some, but not for us.  We are all about great wireless products at the best prices around, but the shopping experience should be fun, rewarding, and with just a touch of excitement.  

That is why we have our Black Friday. We call it Countdown to Christmas!  Here's how it works.......

As you may know, we have a eBay Store along with an Amazon.com store and our own on-line shopping store.  EZ-Shop is a site where you just tell us what you want and what you are willing to pay.  It's as simple as completing a form and emailing to us, but we've got an even bigger story to share.  It's called Countdown to Christmas.  You'll find the available products at our eBay store.

If you are new to eBay, let us provide a brief overview.  Depending on which door you enter, the view will be different.  The first thing we want to do is to get you to right place quickly.  When the store opens, you will see a drop down menu at the upper right hand side of the page.  You want to be sure that the Time: newly listed selection is display.  If not, click on the arrow on the right of the box and make this selection.  This will take you to our most recent offerings which are available at auction for a specific period of time, generally 10 days or less.

You have three options.  You can bid at any price above the opening bid, or you immediately purchase at the Buy it now price, or you can wait till the very last minute and try to submit a bit just a little higher than other bidders.  In most cases, our Buy it now price will be lower than you might be able to purchase the product for elsewhere.  Many purchasers will simply make their purchase and be assured delivery. Experienced buyers will put in the minimum accepted low bid price.  This is a good strategy and the seller will simply accept that price in order to get the product out of inventory.  That means you could get a SUPER deal if you need the product and are ready to purchase.   We are not saying that we will always accept the initial bid, but we might. One thing is for sure.  You can win the game unless you get into the game!

The HYT TR-50 is one of our more interesting offerings.  These are lightweight repeater stations that are great for temporary use, in in particular for restoring service in the event of an analog repeater failure. Two models are currently available, one with an internal duplexer an one without. The Motorola RKR1225 is available in the standard 50 watt configuration or with an optional 100 watt amplifier at terrific prices. Keep you eye on our eBay store throughout the Christmas holidays as other items will be added on a daily basis.

Are analog radios "old fashioned"?

We sometimes wonder if firefighters would be using $3,000 digital portables without the massive infusion of federal grant funds, in particular, when we know that analog works better on the fire scene! We had an unusual request the other day.  An EDACS equipped Fire Department was at a cross roads.  The old EDACS (GE, Ericsson, MA/COM, Harris) system was getting very expensive to maintain and an upgrade was going to be very costly.  

The department was looking at a choice of upgrading to 700 MHz P25 system or simply purchasing batteries and repairing their old radios. There was some resistance on the part of fire department operations personnel to switch to “another” digital radio system or pouring good money after bad for maintaining expensive and obsolete radios. Neither of the alternatives appeared to be a good solution.

They had learned through experience that all digital radio systems are based on the use of a converter (Vocoder) to translate analog voice to digital.  In that process, the Vocoder cannot adequately distinguish the difference between a human voice, a siren, the noise of an air pack, or a pump.  In reality, analog works better for firefighters on the scene and the fact is they don’t need a two or three thousand dollar radio for fire ground communications.

The bottom line is that our firefighter friends had a third option!  They chose to purchase brand new portable radios that work very well for about the same price as a BATTERY for their “mission critical dispatch radios”!  We suspect that may be the case with other fire departments as well – maybe YOU!

To make our point, we have prepared a new report on three of our top selling analog radios priced at UNDER $150.  You might find this to be of interest.  It’s easy enough to find out if this would be a good solution for you, just click here!

BTW, for all you folks that have been looking at affordable alternatives for upgrading to digital, we thought you might like to know that we now offer a MotoTRBO/Analog compatible portable for LESS than $300!  For more information, just click here!

Photo courtesy of the Verona NJ Fire Department

Great Idea for Fire Grant closing on December 6, 2013

As many of our readers know, the funding for the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant has been significantly reduced for 2013.  We also know that a new category called a micro grant appears to be in a favorable position for approval.  Why?  Because more grants can be given to a greater number of grant applicants.

We know that narrow banding of existing 2-way radios has hurt MANY volunteer fire departments.  We know that there are two basic issues – Diminished coverage from dispatch resulting in missed pages, and an inability to communicate within the fire district and back to dispatch.  We know how to fix BOTH problems and we can do it for less than ten thousand dollars!  We do it with a remarkable device known as the BlueBox!  You can learn more about the BlueBox by clicking here.

Additionally, we can provide a truly interoperable P25 Phase 2 radio at the fire station as well as extending dispatch calls through the fire station radio and we can provide the ability to make the Rescue truck into a “mobile repeater” to provide better field communications with dispatch as well a communications between users at the scene.  And, if you prefer, we can alternately supply a P25 Phase 1 radio, a DMR or NXDN digital radio, or an analog only radio at your fire station!

We can provide ten of your key people with a powerful pager/radio plus program ten existing radios for use with the new system.  We can even include the necessary FCC licensing to do all this, and we can do it for UNDER ten thousand dollars (See budgetary cost estimate available by clicking here).

You've still got time to get an application in for the 2013 AFG program which closes on December 6, 2013 at 5 PM Eastern Time.  Don't miss out.  You CAN do big things and solve big problems and it doesn't take a lot of money!  Call us at 205.854.2611 if we can be of assistance in any way!

West Virginia Correctional Facilities Chooses TecNet

We have received several inquiries on why we are offering the Maxon portables at such low prices.  First, let me assure you that these radios are tough, reliable, and affordable, even at the regular price of $209.  At $99 there is no reason for anyone not to take advantage of this outstanding radio.  So why are we offering these ultra low prices?

The answer is simple.  We are upgrading to a more state of the art product.  As some of our readers know, Tecnet International offers both Maxon and their own branded products.  Both products are of Korean origin and noted for high performance and low cost of operation.  As it turns out, we can now offer the Tecnet TP-5000 (the one selected by the West Virginia Department of Corrections for less than the original Maxon pricing.  So, we are selling the Maxon radios at closeout prices as we focus on the TP-5000 and TP-8000 series.

If you didn't receive the special offer on the Maxon SP1000 series portable, click here!  If you are looking for a great value at a VERY affordable price, place your order TODAY.  Or, if you would rather move up to the top rated TP-5000, click here for more information.  Either way, YOU will be the winner!  Call us at 800.489.2611 for additional information or to order.  Prices on both radios INCLUDE free programming and shipping through the end of November! 

Thanksgiving Special - Professional grade portable radio - Just $99!

Here’s our way of saying Happy Thanksgiving! Through the end of November, we are offering the incredible Maxon SP1000 series portable radios for just $99!

Your choice of VHF (5W) or UHF (4W) 16 channel model with all the features and performance you would expect from radios costing hundreds of dollars more! Click here for specifications.

Now, here’s some more good news.  We will do the programming and ship your radio(s) for FREE, and we’ll make you some incredible offers on accessories. Take your choice of a discrete ear speaker with in-line PTT microphone, or an  Ear Hook speaker with in-line PTT microphone, or a standard speaker-microphone for just $15!  Want a leather carrying case?  The price is the same- just $15.  And we have a heavy duty speaker-microphone for just $20!

These are GREAT radios.  We have a good inventory, but it’s going fast. Order what you need TODAY!  When they’re gone, they’re gone!  Don’t miss out! Call Candice or Joy today at 800.489.2611.  BTW, if you are not 100% satisfied, you can return within 15 days for a full refund (in undamaged condition in original box with paperwork), or, if you prefer, we will give you a full trade in allowance on any radio of your choosing!  See our mini-catalog by clicking here!

We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope to make you even happier by offering you the best radio ever offered at anywhere near these low prices!

Introducing the X10DR - The power of a mobile in the palm of your hand!

Long ago, like pre-2013, it was customary for EMS, Fire, and Law Enforcement 2-way radio users to have both a mobile radio (for long range) and a portable (for use when outside the vehicle).  Not a bad idea, except it is costly (VERY costly in the case of P25 radios) and there is the problem of the portable not having the transmitting range of the mobile.  And then…….

Along came the X10DR, a highly secure speaker microphone that allows the user communicate to dispatch and other users at full mobile power at distances of up to a thousand feet away from the vehicle.  The X10DR is no larger that most speaker-microphones, but that’s where the similarity ends. With the X10DR, there are no wires, and inside the microphone is a powerful license free transceiver that links it to an associated mobile radio.

The X10DR works will most brands and models of 2-way radios including BK/Relm, Hytera, ICOM, Kenwood, Motorola, and Tait.  It comes compete with a vehicle charger, antenna and accessory connector cable for most radio models including MotoTRBO.

The price is right – about half the cost of a MotoTRBO or good quality analog radio such as the HT1250.  For those that are using Tier 3 P25 radios, such as the BK/Relm KNG Series, the Motorola APX series, or any other P25 radios, the cost savings are HUGE!  Even with the lowest priced P25 Tier 3 portable radio, the X10DR will come in a less than a fourth the cost of a typical portable radio. Want to know more?  Call us at 800.489.2611 or drop us an email to ServingU@falcondirect.com.  You’re going to love the X10DR!

And, for a little more, we offer the incredible Blue Box, designed, built and serviced right here in Birmingham, Alabama.  The Blue Box can operate at distances of up to several MILES from the mobile. You can use your current VHF or UHF analog portables even though your are connected to a P25 DIGITAL radio operating in the 700/800 MHz bands!  Call us for more information.  You’ll be glad you did!

The scene no one wants to see can be prevented!

This might have been prevented if your fire department had applied for a FEMA AFG grant to obtain funding for a SPARKGAP system.  The church could have purchased a low cost alarm notification unit that could have notified first responders in the event on unauthorized entry, smoke detection, even tampering with the air conditioner.  Within 5 seconds or less, this system can alert church leaders, the local fire department, police department, or all three as applicable.  

The entire system would cost the church, school, or business LESS than the cost of the typical deductible for those who have insurance! The good news is that it's not too late to apply for a FEMA grant to pay for the SPARKGAP system.  Click here for more information!