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June 04, 2013At BearCom, we know all about how two-way radios make large events easier to manage, more enjoyable to attend, and safer for all. We've helped some truly high-profile events with two-way radio rentals. So it's with that experience that we tip our hats today to our partners at Vertex Standard.
Vertex Standard's New Digital Radios
A new case study from Vertex Standard details how its eVerge EVX-531 portable digital radios were used by Red Cross Disaster Relief -
May 22, 2013Nearly five months after the FCC's narrowbanding deadline, people are still talking about the mandate for users of two way radios to convert to 12.5 kHz technology. Among them is Al Ittner, Senior Manager of Spectrum Strategy for Motorola Solutions. Ittner was in Houston last week to speak at the Utilities Telecom Council's annual conference. His topic was "Narrowbanding: I Missed the Deadline. Now What?" The narrowbanding mandate from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is familiar to most everyone who works with two way radios. After all, the FCC began the narrowbanding initiative way back in 1992 in order to increase capacity and efficiency for the industrial/business and public safety radio pools in the private land mobile radio services category. In its simplest form, the mandate requires public agencies and companies that use two way radios to upgrade their technology. The FCC set the deadline of January 1, 2013,
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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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January 22, 2013Across the business spectrum, there is intense focus these days on mobility. Companies want to arm employees with the tools needed to do more things from more places—and to do it all faster. Smartphones are getting smarter. And two-way radios are getting smaller and more sophisticated. In fact, cell phones and two-way radios now can be hard to tell apart. With the convergence of the two technologies, it's natural to ask: Which is right for my business, cell phones or two-way radios? A discussion of cell phones and two-way radios naturally will explore the advantages of each technology over various points of comparison. But in most cases, the two technologies are not direct competitors. Instead, cell phones and two-way radios are wireless mobile communications devices that have specific advantages, depending on the user's requirements. So, weighing the two options is really an exercise in needs analysis. That evaluation
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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 -
January 09, 2013After a fire this week at the Archer Daniels Midland ethanol distillery plant in Illinois, a local fire chief had this to say about the blaze his crews battled for nearly 11 hours: "The biggest problem that we had was the background noise," said Peoria Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Morgan. "Radio communication was tough." The fire caused more than $1 million in damages, but no one was hurt. A company spokesman was quoted as saying the cause was under investigation.
The importance of Noise Reduction
Background noise is an issue for many users of two-way radios, and it's being addressed through education about best practices, new technologies, and new accessories. The International Association of Fire Chiefs started an investigation into the problem after it began receiving reports in 2006 about communications problems with digital two-way radios in close proximity to noise sources like self-contained breathing