Our 2017 New Year's Resolutions

After more than three decades of pioneering efforts as developer of one of the first web pages in the wireless communications industry, we have concluded that the web is not the place to build long term customer relationships.  We've tried it all,  multiple web sites for targeted user groups, on-line stores, eNewsletters, Blogs, Social Media, Ad words, you name it - we've done it.

It may work for the "I'll beat the other guys price" guys, but not so much for a small business with innovative ideas that others are always trying to steal.  So, I decided to do something different!  All through the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year holidays, I spent the majority of my time developing a simple business plan for 2017.

The objective was not to "beat" competition, win an Attaboy award, or even to make so much money I couldn't spend it all.  To the contrary, this business plan was one of identifying needs and serving the needs of those who could benefit. The idea is to provide creative applications of wireless technology based on a long term, mutually beneficial relations.  The plan is based on seven points.  Here they are:

1)  Give our customers a choice of better products at lower cost!

2)  Eliminate 2-way radio battery replacement and maintenance cost!

3)  Help you stay out of trouble with government regulatory agencies (EPA, FCC, OSHA, etc.)!

4)  Significantly reduce downtime for radio maintenance!

5)  Help to provide enhanced client services, and enjoy the added profits!

6)  Reduce operational cost by planned equipment replacement! 

7)  Enjoy the value of a collaborative relationship rather than a buyer/seller battle!

Now, having said all that, this is a farewell to copy cat price cutters, big name competitors who can crush free enterprise and user choice through unethical practises, and people who really shouldn't be in business at all.

This is a "Hello" to old and new customers who believe that all business should be conducted on the basis of mutual benefit, fair dealing, and development of long term relationships.  If this makes sense to you, please give me a call, personally, at 205.854.2611 or drop me an email to burch@falcondirect.com.  I would like to tell you how this new business plan works. I can assure you of one thing. You've never seen anything like it, by a dam site. See picture above😉!

  

On a closing note to those who have followed my personal comments, with not so much interest in business; you can continue an exchange of ideas by becoming friends at Facebook.com/Burch.Falkner. All the best to you and yours for 2017 and beyond!

Burch Falkner and all the Falcon Team

We are At your Service!

People at the their best.......

Some of our readers have never been to a City Council meeting.  I attend them on a regular basis as a part of the work I do.  Last night was special.  It started with the Mayor giving thanks to God for the blessings bestowed on the City of Brighton, Alabama.  This was followed by corporate prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance by all attendees.  Brighton is one of many small towns in  Alabama  that has been financially devastated by the closing of steel mills, heavy industry, and coal mines.

I was honored to be in the presence of people mostly forgotten by the rest of the world. The  community is mostly minority, and far below the poverty level.  One of the attendees, who spoke at the time reserved for complaints, was a local resident who sleeps in her truck to be more vigilant against those who would burglarize her home.  She is well educated, articulate, and a survivor of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, AL back in 1963. Some would judge her as being a bit eccentric, but given the freedom to be herself by a community that neither judges nor envies others. 

The City of Brighton was in the news recently.  A call came in and the police department couldn't respond.  The reason?  None of the police cars would run. The County Commissioner representing the Brighton district appeared before the council to inform them that she had reached out to others and found a donor to provide four new police vehicles.  When she made the announcement, there wasn't a dry eye in the room, including mine. 

My reason for being there was to help the city find a way to implement a new program called No Time for Crime. Falcon Community Services developed the program to combine the resources of business institutional, and governmental participants in working together to make cities and counties better places to live, work, and play.  Part of the program involved getting new communications equipment for the city along with an interoperability solution for better communications with neighboring communities as well as improved community service.  

It was a good evening.  It's good to have a job that can help others.  It's WONDERFUL to see and work with people at their best! Better yet, by listening to the needs of the City of Brighton, we were able to develop a brand new program that might be of benefit in YOUR city, county, or regional metro area.  It is called (you guessed it), The Brighton Plan! If you would like to know more about The Brighton Plan, give us a call, anytime, at 205.854.2611.

Noise reduction headsets - Take your pick!

If you've been thinking.......

about equipping your firefighters with noise protection headsets, you need to be thinking about us!  We give you a choice of the headset SYSTEM best suited for your individual needs.  You can choose from Firecom, Sensear, or our own BlueBox system.  All systems comply with NFPA and OSHA safety standards.  That's a good thing for ISO ratings, firefighter hearing protection, and litigation avoidance!

The difference is how they work and what they do. Firecom is a well known brand, reliable and affordable, but it lacks the ability to detect life threatening background sounds (such as a cracking rafter in a burning building), and the wireless range between the mobile radio equipped vehicle and associated portables isn't all that great.

Sensear uniquely offers a patented technology that DOES allow you to be aware of noises around you that could be beneficial to your safety and operational efficiency  It's called situation awareness. Other headsets are basically just noise reducing ear muffs with a microphone.  Sensear is the only one with electronic noise reduction (both in the ear muffs, and the lip microphone).  This means louder and clear communications both receiving and transmitting!

The Sensear Smart Muff system also has an internal VOX circuit that permits better hands free operation.  In short, it is the best headset available from the viewpoint of audio clarity and situation awareness plus superior noise reduction capability.

Our own BlueBox system is based on the use of the Sensear Smart Muff headset plus a personal 2-way radio (Choice of VHF or UHF) coupled through a BlueBox controller and an associated 2-way radio.  This allows us to provide some amazing capabilities!  For instance, portables have the same communications range as the associated mobile (a great benefit for those who have lost portable range as a result of narrow banding).

Another benefit is cross-banding capability.  A UHF BlueBox connected to a VHF mobile allows UHF radio users to talk directly to VHF radio users.  When connected to a 700 or 800 MHz trunked mobile radio, the BlueBox allows VHF or UHF radios to talk directly to 700/800 MHz users.  See info4u.us/DavidKnows to learn how this works.  The bottom line is that Falcon Wireless gives you the opportunity to choose the system that is best suited to your individual needs.

For more information, pricing, or a demonstration, just give us a call at 800.489.2611 or drop us an email to ServingU@The-Communicators.net for your free copy. We'll be looking forward to hearing from you!

Have you heard about our BlueBox?

 

Let John tell you more about BlueBox!

Just click on the picture above.  If you like what you hear, please visit.......

http://info4u.us/bluebox4u

New Try Before You Buy Program!

Falcon Wireless is ready to PROVE to you
 that Hytera is your best 2-way radio value!

Anybody can say they have the best 2-way radio!  We are ready to PROVE that Hytera is your best value in VHF and UHF radios!  For a limited time, you can try ANY Hytera DMR radio with both analog and digital capability. Select the model of your choice from the list available by clicking here. 

Don't worry about the price - just pick the radio that you think best fits your needs, then give us a call at 800.489.2611.  We'll help you get the best radio at the best price and allow you to try it at no cost or obligation, PLUS we will introduce you to some incredible products available nowhere else.  If you do decide to keep (and pay) for your demo radio, we will extend a 30% discount on any of the special products available by clicking here! That's just one of the things that makes us a little different from any other 2-way radio supplier.  We give you the best products at the best price, the best reasons to purchase from us, and the best customer service in the industry!

Special Products for Special People - Sensear Smart Headsets!

What kind of fire truck is this?

Actually, it's a dive and rescue boat, but not your average boat.  It's an AIR boat with a noise level of around 98 dB. It's fast and it can go just about anywhere, but it's a noisy piece of apparatus!  So, that's why the crew needs hearing protection, just like firefighters do with conventional pumpers. Sirens and pumps are noisy. Fact is that they are so noisy that they violate NFPA and OSHA safety standards. Hence the reason for headsets, but there is also an issue of surrounding area awareness. That is why these guys are using Smart Muffs, offering the ultimate in communications, awareness, and protection by Sensear; and now available from Falcon Wireless  Click here for a short video that could be of interest.

Can you suffer hearing loss from being around fire trucks, or boats?  You betcha! This is evidenced by a pending case against fire engine manufacturers and a major siren manufacturer. Click here for details. If your department doesn't yet provide hearing protection for cab crews and pump operators, you may want to consider the fact that a department and/or an associated municipality can be charged with negligence for not providing hearing protection. A little money spent now could save much more later on!

If you would like to know more about headset systems that do more and cost less, you need to be talking to us! Call us at 800.489.2611 for additional information or to schedule a demonstration at your convenience.  You'll be glad you did!

Our New Look for 2016

We're Going Mobile!

Most everyone makes New Years resolutions.  Ours is to serve you better by making it easier to get faster, easier access to information on our products and services!  That means going MOBILE for our Smartphone and Tablet users plus adding video messages on our regular web pages. And, that's not all!

We are also forming alliances with key partners to combine capabilities to provide you with products, and services like you will find nowhere else!  The first of these alliances is with Birmingham Two Way, one of the oldest and  most experienced communications companies in the USA.  

The picture at the left is the mobile version for our SouthComm.us web site. We are doing some very unusual things as you will discover when you visit our mobile site by clicking here. If you prefer a web page optimized for desktop or laptop PC's, you are only a click away from the standard SouthComm.us web site. On this web site, as well as our regular Falcon Wireless and related web sites, you will be greeted by a short one minute video to give you an overview of what we do, how we do it, and why that may be of benefit to anyone seeking the best value in airtime free wireless communications.

Later this month, we will be "mobilizing" our Falcon Wireless web site as well as several other web sites which will be available shortly.  New products developed by key channel partners as well as a complete family of products of our own manufacture will be available to enhance the benefits of private wireless communications.  We believe 2016 is going to a great year.  All of us here at Falcon Wireless, and those who are working with us, wish you a very Happy New Year with our pledge to to do our best to help make 2016 YOUR best year ever!

Want an example of our commitment? One of our 911 customers called at 10.30 AM on New Years eve advising that a police repeater was down.  They are 100 miles away.  By 5:00 PM, they were back on the air and I still got home in time to see the Cotton Bowl, which unfortunately was not that good a game (at least for Michigan.....).

New CS Series Radios from Falcon Wireless

 We're guessing that you have NEVER seen 2-way radios as flexible, reliable, and affordable as our new CS Series radios.  Three great radios to fit the needs and the budget of every user.  The VERY affordable CS-STD (shown above) can speak for itself at the push of a button, talk on 800 MHz trunked radio systems (with an assist from our optional BlueBox), activate alarms and sirens, identify itself, and even duplicate the paging alert tone of Motorola Minitor pagers!  And it can do all these things for under $200, and that's just for starters!  Additional information is available by clicking here.

Motorola and Minitor and registered trademarks of Motorola Solutions

A special message for Fire Department, Hospital, Law Enforcement and School 800 MHz radio users

700 and 800 MHz trunked radio systems generally provide great coverage and a lot of user benefits. As for interoperability, it's pretty good for open standard P25.  For ASTROÒ 25, EDACSÒ, and SMARTNETÒ, not so good. As for cost?  Trunked 700/800 MHz radio systems are expensive to buy, expensive to operate, expensive to maintain, expensive to upgrade, and even the accessories like batteries and speaker-microphones are expensive! That's why we developed the BlueBox!

BlueBox is basically a thousand dollar gadget that links 700/800 MHz radio systems to low cost VHF or UHF radios. Want a couple of examples of how this can benefit your department?  We'll give you SIX examples in our free BlueBox Primer for Law Enforcement.  We also have primers for fire departments, hospitals, and schools. You owe it to yourself to learn more about BlueBox!  For additional information, just give us a call at 800.489.2611 or email ServingU@The-Communicators.net and request your free copy of our BlueBox Primer.  Just let us know which edition would best fit your needs - Fire Department, Hospital, Law Enforcement, or Schools. There is no charge or obligation.Get ready to be AMAZED!

AstroÒ 25 and SMARTNETÒ are registered trademarks of Motorola Solutions.  EDACSÒ is a registered trademark of Ericsson, Inc.

One of Alabama's largest Motorola 2-way dealers closes doors

After 70 years in business, McCord Communications of Anniston and Gadsden, Alabama is no more.  How did that happen?

We call it the buggy builder syndrome, a condition that reflects an inability to adapt to changing conditions.  The Internet, consolidation, foreign competition, and diminishing profits have changed the way business in a way unequaled in history.  

At the same time, change creates new opportunities for those who can recognize and adapt to new ways of doing business. Some adapt by consolidation, others by controlling access to critical infrastructure and technology.  

We think the right way is to capitalize on experience and adapt to the new business opportunities brought about by change.  You can learn more about our thoughts on this subject with an explanation of the buggy builder syndrome by clicking here.  For additional information on the closing of McCord Communications, click here.
Photo courtesy of the Anniston Star

Join us in doing something really good for your community!

Teamwork is a good thing.  That is why we are offering the opportunity for others to work with us in making our communities better places to live, work, and play! There is room on this team for everybody - other dealers looking for new opportunities, small broadcast stations, retirees, municipalities, neighborhood associations, even volunteer groups (as in volunteer fire and rescue departments)!  Click here for more information.  Who knows? This could be the next big thing in your life!

Here's your next radio, the TP8000R Pager-Recorder-Radio!

Introducing.......

The TP8000R, the personal 2-way radio that puts incident command right in your pocket.  Available in VHF or UHF, the TP8000R has all the quality, features and reliability you would expect in radios costing hundreds of dollars more.

The thing that sets the TP8000R apart from all the rest is an internal message recorder/playback system.  This system literally has the power of a 911 message recording system costing thousands of dollars, right in your pocket! 

This little 9 ounce radio can record up to 100 hours of non-erasable messages available for instant playback.  You can even transfer your time and date stamped messages to your PC for archiving and retrieval.

And that's not all!  You can dunk it, drop it, freeze it, and shoot it.  It just keeps on working! It can tell you who is talking.  It can keep quiet until called or monitor everything. It can talk loud and clear with minimal operating cost in either clear text or scrambled speech modes.  Want to know more? Give us a call at 205.854.2611.  We would love to hear from you!

How to have Interoperable communications AND low cost!

Chief David Jayne,
of the McCalla Alabama Fire District had a question and it was this...

How can I be interoperable capable with a 700/800 MHz trunked radio network using two thousand dollar radios when all I really need on the fire ground is a perfectly adequate two HUNDRED dollar radio?  If you have the same question, click here!

Introducing the new ComFit Pro Audio Boom Microphone

Over the years, we have seen the prices of radios and audio accessories continue to decrease which is a good thing, UNLESS the quality, performance, and durability degrade at a similar pace.  The so called "surveillance headsets"(earpiece with lip microphone) are very popular with our church, gaming, hospitality, hospital, logistics, school, and retail store users.  Most are priced in the $30 to $50 range.

We have a new ultra lightweight headset that is priced in the SEVENTY dollar range (actually $69 for the popular 2-pin connector), and it's worth every nickel of the difference! It's called a ComFit Pro Audio Boom Microphone. We've got a short little video that will tell you more.  It only takes a few minutes to watch, and after viewing, we think you will agree, that cheaper is not always better.  Click here for the video. After viewing, give us a call at 800.489.2611. After you use the ComFit, we think you'll never go back to whatever you were using before! Models are available for most 2-way radios.  Give it a try - you'll see!

New Code Adam Controller Console Now Available!

Code Adam, as many of our readers know, is a missing child alert program named after Adam Walsh, son of the John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted TV program following Adam's disappearance from a Florida shopping mall.  

Following that tragic event, the Code Adam Alert program was developed, which is based on rapid mass notification.  Hospitals are at high risk of kidnapping of children.  In the event a child comes up missing, there is a need to broadcast an alert bulletin to all hospital personnel, simultaneously, over different types of radio systems.

The Code Adam Controller Console was developed to specifically address this need as well as the need for an affordable and efficient mini-console for use by small municipalities, secondary 911 dispatch centers and others operating multiple radios desiring to improve efficiency and reduce work space clutter.

The Code Adam Controller can simultaneously transmit an emergency message through multiple transmitters ranging from just two, up to eight.  The Code Adam Controller is compatible with most radio brands and models, but was specifically designed for HYT/Hytera radios such as the MD782.  Custom connector cables are optionally available for other radios as well.  The eight channel model CAC-HY8 is currently being used by the Perry County Alabama E911 center for control of HYT Model TM610 radios.  At the push of a single button, all repeaters used in the county (both fire and law enforcement) can be activated simultaneously.

An answering radio will trigger illumination of a corresponding green button indicating the identify and location of the associated repeater.  The operator can answer over an individual repeater by using the illuminated green control select button, or broadcast to all units by using the red button (See photo above).

A choice of microphones is available (goose neck shown) as well as operator headsets. Price varies on number of radios to be controlled.  Special pricing is available on Hytera control station radios or custom cables are available for Harris, ICOM, Kenwood, Motorola, Relm/BK, and Vertex radios.  The Code Adam Controller works with both analog and digital radios in the VHF, UHF, or 700/800 MHz range.

A wide variety of options is available, including 2-tone page encode, MDC decode, Message record, playback, and search (Monitor and keyboard required). Networking capability for use with PC's is also available.  Call us at 800.489.2611 for additional information or a quote.  

Special Message for 2-way, Paging, and Security Dealers

Many of our readers are involved in the 2-way communications, paging, and security business - all of which are suffering from intense competition, diminishing profits, and changing technology.  I received a quote from a Chinese manufacturer the other day who offered Android TABLET devices for $30 each including shipping to the US.  How much cheaper can electronics get?

Several years ago, we started looking for something else to do that could be based on our experience in wireless communications. We are now ready to share our findings with others seeking a better business model in wireless products and services.  Additional information is available by clicking here.

We will continue to use this Blog page for unscheduled updates on what we are doing but if you want the latest updates on what is happening in the wireless messaging industry, we invite you to sign up for Brad Dye's Wireless Messaging Newsletter.  It's published weekly, sent by email, and there is no charge.  Click here to sign up.

A Special Message to those interested in improved courthouse security.......

This is a special message to those who are responsible for the security of others, whether in a a church, a courthouse, a municipal office or a school. If you would like to know more, just go to http://info4u.us/MattieKnows.  You'll be glad you did!

Question of the month.......

Can you name the largest single user on the MSWIN radio network, excluding the State of Mississippi? 

No, it is not the Jackson Fire Department, or Tallahatchie County, or even the National Guard.  MSWIN (Mississippi State Wireless Information Network) is one of the most advanced and extensive P25 radio networks in the USA. 

You might expect the largest single user to be a Motorola, Harris, or Tait customer. Not so!  So who is this user and what brand of radio are they using?  Well the answer is Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS with over 200 radios on the MSWIN system.  And the brand of those radios?  Relm Wireless, the KNG of all radios!  Want to know more about Relm P25 radios and why they might be the best choice for you?  Click here! Want to see what's new from Relm? Drop by and visit the Falcon/Relm Booth at the MS Police Chiefs Summer Conference, June 16-19, at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi, MS.  

Here is your quiz question for May 2015

Answer the question, solve a problem! What can a fire department purchase for under $2,000 that will help them potentially reduce insurance rates in their community? Reduce cost of radio maintenance while simultaneously getting malfunctioning VHF or UHF repeater stations back on the air quicker? Improve system reliability and enhance response capability? AND, significantly reduce the cost of potential  litigation defense?  If you would like to know more, click here!  BTW, it offers similar benefits for law enforcement agencies!

Got a pager problem since narrow banding? We've got your solution!

We just developed a nifty new product. 

We call it a a VoiceTXTR (pronounced voice texter).  In essence, the VoiceTXTR picks up 2-tone voice pager calls and immediately re-sends them as a text message to regular cell phones or an email message with an attached audio file of the message to smart phones.

If your voice pager doesn't get the call, your cell phone will (well, assuming you have cellular coverage), anywhere you cell phone works.  The heart of the system is the box shown at the left.  It can be mounted anywhere your paging calls can be picked up (911 or the local fire station would be a good choice).  You'll need AC power and an Internet connection plus a list of phone numbers of the people who will be using the system (we also need to know the company providing cellular service for each user).

The complete system is just $1,249 for the first 25 users.  Additional user groups of 25 are $75 each.  There are NO monthly service charges. See info4u.us/VoiceTXTR.pdf for additional information, or just give us a call at 800.489.2611 or email ServingU@the-communicators.net.  You'll be glad you did!