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April 16, 2014Three years ago this month, we started this blog, the BearCom Bulletin, to keep you updated on the news coming from BearCom, our partners, and the whole wireless world. In my very first post, I said, "Over the coming weeks and months, it is our intention to use this space to inform, educate, advocate, challenge, and salute. We hope to do so in a way that will enlighten and, at least occasionally, entertain you." That was three years, more than 150 posts, and an estimated 15,000 visits ago! To celebrate, we're taking a look back at our most popular posts so far—and the most popular stories of all involve people young and old who show their enthusiasm for wireless communications technology. We told you about Chester Matusek, at 91 years old the oldest Motorola Solutions employee
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April 08, 2014Big news from our partner Teldio! At the recent Motorola Solutions Channel Partner Expo (CPE), Teldio released D3M, the first web application that simplifies the end-to-end process of designing, documenting, delivering, and managing two-way radio networks. TodaysWirelessWorld.com reported from CPE that the response to D3M was overwhelmingly positive. The Teldio booth staff could barely keep up with the demand for live demos. Both technicians and sales reps see extreme value in the application and are already starting to use the tool with new customer opportunities. D3M allows for seamless collaboration among all parties involved in rolling out anything from a small radio deployment to a large, multimillion-dollar statewide communications network. The web app is an intuitive, all-in-one tool that addresses
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February 18, 2014While the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to be the subject of mind-boggling projections, major companies—including our partner Motorola Solutions—are working to develop new mobile technologies that will solve real-world business problems. "The 'Internet of Things'—technologists' vision of a network of billions of connected devices—has attracted the attention of a number of tech giants—including Cisco, Intel, and General Electric—all of whom have internal business units dedicated to building the infrastructure for that network," The Washington Post said this month in a report on the impact IoT will have on the training
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Accessories Analog Apps Batteries Construction CP200 CP200d Digital Effectiveness Efficiency Mobile Radio Motorola MOTOTRBO Noisy Environments Portable Radio Productivity Push-to-Talk Repeater Safety Speaker-Mics Text Messaging Trunking Two-Way Radios Walkie-Talkies Wireless Analog Technologies Motorola Solutions Two-Way Radio AccessoriesFebruary 05, 2014The construction industry is on a roll, according to experts who project construction starts will be up 9% this year, on top of last year's 5% gain. The biggest increases in activity will be in single-family housing, commercial building, and multifamily housing. Getting all that construction work done as efficiently and safely as possible will take top-floor communications capabilities, and that's where two-way radios come in. Two-way radios have long been popular tools on construction sites, and it's easy to see why. The one-to-many communications device makes it possible to alert entire groups of people to situations and facilitate their input on resolutions. Radio communications are immediate, which makes for quicker problem solving. Radios allow workers to be heard in noisy environments, and speaker-microphones keep their hands free
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January 28, 2014All around us, the wireless world is going digital. But organizations have questions about this breakthrough technology. To provide them with answers, BearCom and Motorola Solutions teamed up to create our Analog-to-Digital Migration Guide: "Five Reasons to Migrate to Digital Two-Way Radios." "A 'smart' revolution is transforming two-way radios," the guide begins. "Digital technology is opening the door to a host of useful web-based applications for two-way radios, even as it enhances capacity, coverage, audio quality, and battery life." Available as a free download from BearCom.com, the guide details how digital two-way radios offer additional functionality, greater efficiency, enhanced coverage, improved audio quality, and
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3M Peltor Accessories Analog Apps BearCom BridgeWave Call Boxes Cambium Networks Cell Phones David Clark Digital Eventide Extranets Facebook Firetide Icom America IMPACT Radio Accessories IP Kent Huffman LDV LinkedIn Mesh Networks Mobile Broadband Mobile Command Centers Motorola MOTOTRBO NeoTerra Systems NOC OTTO Panasonic Point-to-Point Bridges Preventive Maintenance Pryme Push-to-Talk Pyramid Rent Repairs Social Media Sonetics Sony Sprint Nextel TABLETmedia Today's Wireless World TurboVUi Twisted Pair Twitter Two-Way Radio Rentals Two-Way Radios Ubiquiti Verizon Vertex Standard Video Surveillance Walkie-Talkies Wireless WLAN YouTube Analog Technologies Motorola Solutions Two-Way Radio AccessoriesJanuary 07, 2014Some companies publish catalogs filled with little more than pretty pictures and glowing product descriptions. Not BearCom. Our 2014 Wireless Products, Services & Solutions Guide, which is headed to customers early next week, is filled with detailed information about BearCom's capabilities and scope, as well as updates on the latest innovations in wireless technology. "In this issue, we explore how digital technology is transforming two-way radios," said BearCom's Chief Marketing Officer, Kent Huffman, who oversees the annual project. "That section includes information on the benefits of switching to digital and how backward-compatible equipment makes an analog-to-digital migration smoother." Huffman added, "The guide also serves as a reminder of how BearCom's strong partner relationships and our 26 branch offices nationwide keep us positioned to offer wireless communications solutions of
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November 26, 2013Last year at this time, we told you how wireless technology saved the first Thanksgiving, improving communications and making for a festive celebration for the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians in 1621. Historians are just now learning about the struggles the new settlers faced in their second year in the New World, and how they were solved by digital two-way radios. Around turkey-laden tables across the nation, many families each year recall the now-familiar tale of the first Thanksgiving. They remember the leadership of Governor William Bradford, who had moved quickly to get two-way radios from BearCom. They will recall how he handed out the Motorola XPR6550, Motorola/BearCom BC130, and Motorola CP200 to the colonists based on their specific communications needs. As every child learns in school, Bradford used his Motorola MOTOTRBO radio to reach Squanto, who was in turn able to locate other Wampanoag tribesmen not yet
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August 07, 2013Part Three Almost any discussion of cell phones eventually turns to apps. This smartphone platform has these cool applications and that platform has these others. Many people don't realize that two-way radios have apps as well, and their growth is being fueled by the same third-party ingenuity that gave us Angry Birds. In this final installment of our comparison of cell phones and two-way radios, we'll look at applications and that most paramount of concerns: cost. Applications came to two-way radios as they went digital. Just as in smartphones, software developers saw an opportunity to design apps for the most popular platform, and in digital two-way radios, that's Motorola Solutions' MOTOTRBO line. Motorola MOTOBRBO has grown from a single radio in 2007 to a line of more than 20 models
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May 07, 2013BearCom is out with the latest edition of Today's Wireless World, our award-winning magazine that focuses on the latest innovations in wireless technology. This issue is all about solutions for manufacturers. Available in digital and print formats, the Special Manufacturing Issue of Today's Wireless World focuses on how manufacturers are using wireless technology to solve problems and increase productivity. It discusses how, with two-way radios, analog technology has given way to advanced digital systems, like the MOTOTRBO line from industry leader Motorola Solutions. "Today's Wireless World provides a wealth of information on the ongoing improvements in wireless technology," BearCom President & CEO Jerry Denham said in a
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4G Analog Apps BearCom Colleges and Universities Construction Data Applications Digital Education FCC Federal Communications Commission Government GPS IP K-12 Schools Land Mobile Radio LMR LTE M2M Motorola Narrowbanding Public Safety Retail Safety Security Text Messaging Two-Way Radios Video Surveillance Walkie-Talkies Wireless Analog Technologies K-12 Schools and Universities Motorola SolutionsJanuary 15, 2013
Analyzing Wireless Trends
Again this year, I asked Jerry Denham, BearCom's President & CEO, for his thoughts about the coming year in wireless communications. And while some of his predictions reflect those he made a year ago, there are several new ones worthy of discussion as 2013 shifts into high gear: 1. Narrowbanding will continue to be an issue, despite the passing of the January 1, 2013 deadline set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The massive effort to convert users of the private land mobile radio spectrum to 12.5 kHz narrowband technology is not yet complete. Thousands of two-way radio users clearly missed the deadline set by the FCC to obtain new licenses. And though many have filed applications that now are being processed and others were granted waivers, there are still thousands of users nationwide who failed to act. While there are indications that strict enforcement may be some months off, we know it will come. We're already working