Fourth of five parts
Two-way radio manufacturers usually provide a basic clip to attach their radios to a belt, but users often find they need more options: clips that attach in different ways and holsters or carry cases to provide extra protection and make the
radio more comfortable to hold in the user’s hand.
Let’s take a look at each of these kinds of accessories:
Belt clips
There’s more variety
to clips than you might expect. The most basic belt clips consist of a strap of leather with snaps on either end to wrap around the user’s belt. They usually include a swivel attachment
point, so the radio is not fixed in one position while the user wears.
The one limitation of a belt clip is that it assumes the user will be wearing a belt. That’s why manufacturers offer spring-action belt clips, which offer more attachment options and are easier to remove than a belt-loop clip. A potential downside of spring-action clips is they consist of hard plastic or metal and can be less comfortable to wear than a belt-loop clip.
The key here is if your users are finding one the belt-loop variety isn’t getting the job done, they can switch to the spring-action to see if it provides a better solution.
Holsters and carry cases
Some radio users move around a lot — and bang around a lot — like construction workers and oilfield roughnecks. Their radios would benefit from an extra layer of padding for inevitable on-the-job collisions.
Other users are picking up their radios fairly often and might find a carry case made of leather or nylon makes the
radio more comfortable to hold in their hand.
Carry cases and holsters also come in hard-sided and soft-sided leather. While soft leather is more pleasant to the touch, hard leather offers more support and protection for the radio.
Note that accessory cases typically are not designed to offer weather protection. If
your people work outdoors in all weather, you need a weatherproof radio. You shouldn’t assume carry case will protect a radio designed for indoor use.
Factory or aftermarket?
Most manufacturers build specific clips, holsters and cases to meet the exact dimensions of individual radios.
Aftermarket companies try to match their products to a wider range of radios, but there might be some sacrifice in fit.
You may also find that manufacturers make highly specialized accessories that you can special order. For instance, Motorola Solutions makes a
Universal Chest Pack that holds a radio and offers a measure of protection.
A handy way to match radios and accessories
BearCom developed a convenient web tool to
find the accessories available for a specific radio model. You start with the type of wireless product you need to rent, then click on the brand and the individual model, and click “Go.” That takes you to a product page for the radio model that includes links to all of its available accessories.
The
reverse lookup operates the other way around: If you know the name of the accessory, it can
shows all the radios that are compatible with it.
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Fourth of five parts
Two-way radio manufacturers usually provide a basic clip to attach their radios to a belt, but users often find they need more options: clips that attach in different ways and holsters or carry cases to provide extra protection and make the radio more comfortable to hold in the user’s hand.
Let’s take a look at each of these kinds of accessories:
Belt clips
There’s more variety to clips than you might expect. The most basic belt clips consist of a strap of leather with snaps on either end to wrap around the user’s belt. They usually include a swivel attachment point, so the radio is not fixed in one position while the user wears.
The one limitation of a belt clip is that it assumes the user will be wearing a belt. That’s why manufacturers offer spring-action belt clips, which offer more attachment options and are easier to remove than a belt-loop clip. A potential downside of spring-action clips is they consist of hard plastic or metal and can be less comfortable to wear than a belt-loop clip.
The key here is if your users are finding one the belt-loop variety isn’t getting the job done, they can switch to the spring-action to see if it provides a better solution.
Holsters and carry cases
Some radio users move around a lot — and bang around a lot — like construction workers and oilfield roughnecks. Their radios would benefit from an extra layer of padding for inevitable on-the-job collisions.
Other users are picking up their radios fairly often and might find a carry case made of leather or nylon makes the radio more comfortable to hold in their hand.
Carry cases and holsters also come in hard-sided and soft-sided leather. While soft leather is more pleasant to the touch, hard leather offers more support and protection for the radio.
Note that accessory cases typically are not designed to offer weather protection. If your people work outdoors in all weather, you need a weatherproof radio. You shouldn’t assume carry case will protect a radio designed for indoor use.
Factory or aftermarket?
Most manufacturers build specific clips, holsters and cases to meet the exact dimensions of individual radios. Aftermarket companies try to match their products to a wider range of radios, but there might be some sacrifice in fit.
You may also find that manufacturers make highly specialized accessories that you can special order. For instance, Motorola Solutions makes a Universal Chest Pack that holds a radio and offers a measure of protection.
A handy way to match radios and accessories
BearCom developed a convenient web tool to find the accessories available for a specific radio model. You start with the type of wireless product you need to rent, then click on the brand and the individual model, and click “Go.” That takes you to a product page for the radio model that includes links to all of its available accessories.
The reverse lookup operates the other way around: If you know the name of the accessory, it can shows all the radios that are compatible with it.
