Communications?

Hello again-

I am looking for a "proffesional opinion" on communications. I am looking to purchase a two-way radio setup and was curious as to what would be the most appropiate type to purchase for team communications in a fugitive recovery situation or a Private investigator situation. I have done some research at Radio Shack and some other communications retailers in my area and I have an idea of what I want. However, before I make a purchase I wanted to run it by the people on this forum. I am doing this because I have heard mixed reviews on all of the communications I looked at. I am hoping that someone here has experience in using a reliable set-up. I am also hoping to incorporate these radios into the driving school that I work at for alll the cars on the road. Thanks again for your opinions and suggestions.

Here are some of the criteria that we are looking for:

1. Privacy
2. can be utilized with an earpiece
3. non-camo or colered....preferably black.
4. Range of around 25 miles.
5. rechargeable and Long Lasting life.

_________________
Nate Crotteau
Twin Ports Watch
Licensed By The MN Dept. of Commerce
Resident Insurance Producer: Bail Bonds
License #: 40199019

**I am licensed to work in the field of Bail Bond recovery. However, I do not work in the field nor have I ever. I added my license in my signature only to show others the achievement I have made in getting one step closer to establishing a business. **

Unless things have changed since I was in the "communications business" most hand helds do not have the range of 25 miles without going through a mobile base in a car, fixed base station or mountain top repeater.

So,you will need mobile units and a base station at your office, or rent space on a comm tower and use their repeater.

Either way you are talking big bucks here to equip all the vehicles and have hand helds for your bail recovery.

Motorola use to be the best. Don't know if they still are.

I have used both Motorola and ICOM UHF radios and found they each work equally well. Both brands are able to utilize earpieces. Battery life depends on how much they are used to communicate (the more they are used, the shorter the battery life). If you are looking for something with privacy codes, you can expect to add on an extra $200 to $ 300 to the cost of the radios. In order to have a range of 25 miles, you will need to purchase or rent space on a repeater located on the tallest building or mountain top in your area (keeping in mind that if you leave the operational area of the repeater, you will only have about a 2 mile range depending on your surroundings,i.e.; buildings, hills, high power lines, atmospheric interferance, etc.). In addition, you will also need to obtain an FCC operator's license to utilize the business band frequencies. A good quality radio will run you around $200.00 to $300.00 each.

Stay away from the FRS and GMRS radios. They have a very limited range. Even if they say they have a 25 mile range, that is only if one of you is standing on top of a mountain and the other person is sitting on a boat in the middle of the lake and there is absolutely nothing between you (additionally, GMRS radios require that you obtain an FCC license, about $85.00, although most people never do).

_________________
Randall Crew
Randall Crew & Associates
641-289-0136

We roll with MTS 2000 motolorla radios. UHF They run off the repeaters in the area. Rechargable durable. They work very well for us. Cost about 200 used in good condition.
Mike

_________________
Mike
Norcal Bail Enforcement
San Jose Ca.
360 237 1721 efax
408 402 2710 work cell
DOI Bail Agent Lic 1844214
BSIS G1533544

Go hug a Tree

Our local LE use Motorola. (have been for ages) Our EMS and fire department switched to Kenwood. One of our paramedics is a ham radio authority. He is in charge of running our big mobile command unit for catastrophes. He's also in charge of radio operations for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Emergency Services. From what we've been told, the Kenwoods have better range and clarity. Like everything else, alot of companies make a quality radio. It depends on how much a person wants to spend.

As everyone has said to have a range of 25 miles is a very costly item but it is attainable should you need this type communications. Push to talk phones & phone plans work good and can be set to work off voice activations, short range radios that will work in three story buildings and a plant environments would be what most Teams will need. Radio purchase is like buying a car the more you want added the more it will cost. I have one set of Motorola's and a set of Kenwoods which work very well for us should i need radio communications

_________________
The Rose Investigations LLC
Collection Agency
Security & Investigations Consultant
Retired Private Investigator & Bail Enforcement
NAM VET 1969- 1975 US Army (RECON)
Office 260-220-3877
1-888-631-5520
Fax 260-456-6062

The up front expenditure of a good communications can be costly for a new business, and there are a lot of salesmen out here yearning for a commission and will tell you anything to get it. You need to read the fine print and consult with a radio communications expert before you lay out big money on a system that may not met your needs in the long run.

I concur with the advice that David gave you as it relates to a push to talk telephone system. I have used the Nextel System since its inception and never had and issue with it. The system can be used for direct connect, group connect, and as a regular cellular telephone. I have used the radio to communicate with people all over the country. If you take nothing else from the advice provided by the experienced members here, take this, spend your money judiciously.

_________________
Domestic Security Investigations
P.O. Box 4462
Rockville, MD 20849
Tel: 1-800-387-0787
Anti-Moral Majority Club President
"Fear not the unknown, Fear the person who controls the unknown" Gene 7:14

Thanks guys. This is all good advice. I have done a little more research since yesterday and I also made some phone calls. The impression that I am getting is that a lot of these two-way radio's claim to be able to able to reach a distance of 25 miles. However the guy at radio shack said that only pertains to flat area like South Dakota.

_________________
Nate Crotteau
Twin Ports Watch
Licensed By The MN Dept. of Commerce
Resident Insurance Producer: Bail Bonds
License #: 40199019

**I am licensed to work in the field of Bail Bond recovery. However, I do not work in the field nor have I ever. I added my license in my signature only to show others the achievement I have made in getting one step closer to establishing a business. **

Nate
That range would be referred to as "Line of sight" meaning without obstruction. What DSI )Gene) said is the cheapest route for you. I have successfully used Nextel right up until the merger with Sprint and then got rid of them because places I had coverage, I didn't after the merger. Even Verizon has the talk about feature now.
Remember to think about your ROI before you spend a dime in this business.

Scott

_________________
R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

I have some UHF radios for sale in the "For Sale" section of this forum if you're interested.

_________________
After all is said and done, more is said than done.



-X-
St. Louis, MO
FRN#2
Member of The C.B.C