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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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April 30, 2013Businesses are always looking for options, and a once-important wireless communications option is going away on June 30, 2013. That's the date the Nextel National Network is being officially decommissioned. With just two months left, plenty of businesses are considering their options to replace their push-to-talk communications systems; and BearCom has them.
Nextel Network Shut Down
To highlight the choices available, BearCom this week published a white paper, Considering All the Options for Replacing Nextel Push-to-Talk Communications Services. In it, BearCom reminds organizations impacted by the shutdown that they have choices from among push-to-talk phone systems but can consider two-way -
April 24, 2013
Which one is Right for your Business Two-Way Radios or Cell Phones?
As companies evaluate their wireless communications needs, the discussion often turns to the relative merits of cell phones and two-way radios. Today, we're continuing our own review of the points of comparison generally used when evaluating the two technologies. The first post in this series explored overall communications philosophy and urgency. As we turn to questions of coverage, reliability, and security, we see again that frequently it's not a question of which technology is better, but which is better suited to a specific situation. You've heard the commercials. There's a reason that a major cellular phone company uses the catchphrase, "Can you hear me now?" Cell phone networks are notorious for dead spots, dropped calls, and service-level issues. Ever tried sending a text message from a crowded -
April 17, 2013Motorola Solutions makes some of the toughest two-way radios on the market, and this fall, a couple of them will be put to the ultimate test during an amazing expedition being sponsored in part by BearCom.
BearCom's Involvement with Expedition Outreach
Expedition Outreach, a charitable organization based in Boston, will be traveling to Iceland in August to try and set the Guinness Book World Record for the fastest alpine face-first luge. Team leader Michael Coyne, who already holds the world record for the highest-altitude luge run, will attempt to be the fastest person on Earth using an alpine skeleton-style sled. -
April 02, 2013The latest public notice from the Federal Communications (FCC) on its narrowbanding mandate confirms two points that should be of interest to organizations that depend on two-way radio communication. First, the FCC intends to go ahead with plans to verify compliance with the mandate, and second, users who have yet to make the technology switch can still avoid the promised penalties. The FCC said the purpose of its March 14 Public Notice was to "provide guidance" to various stakeholders about the conversion from 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz technology, the deadline for which was January 1. Despite years of reminders, many licensees pushed the deadline or missed it entirely, leaving the FCC with a backlog of waivers and waiver requests with which to deal. Statistics kept by the Department of Homeland Security indicate that nearly 22% of
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March 27, 2013BearCom has announced that Paul Moore is the company's new Eastern Regional Director and that Rick Watson will replace Paul as General Manager of our branch office in Atlanta. I met Paul last June, when he spoke to me for our article on the Atlanta branch. In his new role, Paul will be responsible for all the branches in BearCom's Eastern Region, which stretches from New England to South Florida. Based in Atlanta, he will report to BearCom's President & CEO, Jerry Denham.
New Regional Director and General Manager
Paul joined BearCom as the Atlanta branch office General Manager in 2012, following seven years at Motorola, where he was a Senior National Accounts Manager. Moore has previously played leading roles with several category leaders, including Dannon, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble—and now, BearCom. "Paul Moore has been an agent for change for some of the most recognized names in American business," Jerry Denham said in announcing Paul's new role. -
March 19, 2013BearCom rents two-way radios used at some of the highest-profile events in America—events like the Super Bowl, World Series, and New York Marathon, as well as gatherings like South by Southwest, Burning Man, and the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. BearCom has provided radios used at the Olympic Games, World Cup competitions for both soccer and cricket, and World Youth Day. BearCom once assisted with the NBA All-Star Game and the Academy Awards on the same day!
Using Two-Way Radios for large Events
So how is BearCom able to support these often-massive events? A key reason is inventory. BearCom has more than 22,000 Motorola two-way radios in its rental inventory—an inventory managed from the Rental Operations Center (ROC) inside the company's 92,000-square-foot fulfillment and support center in Dallas. "We call it the fishbowl," Dennis Gonzalez said of the -
March 13, 2013Read part one... As we look back on BearCom and its history as a company, we see it had its first successes in two-way radio rentals. But it became a true power in wireless communications with the 1995 business merger of Bear Communications and PageCom that combined the industry's largest field office distribution dealer and its largest catalog dealer.
The Business Merger
PageCom had been founded in Dallas in 1981 and acquired a decade later by a group led by Texas businessman John Watson. PageCom's IT infrastructure, warehouse capabilities, and financial department depth meant the combined company would call Dallas home. It would call itself BearCom, Watson would be its Chairman, and it would become the largest Motorola dealership in the world. The company wasted little time, judging by what it accomplished in 1996, the year after the business merger. It supplied more than 3,000 radios -
March 05, 2013BearCom's wireless communications recent recognition as Motorola Solutions' top-volume dealer worldwide highlights again the amazing growth the company has enjoyed on its way to becoming the only nationwide dealer and integrator of wireless communications equipment. BearCom has been shaped by entrepreneurial leadership, a timely merger, and its association with some of the biggest events in the world. It's an amazing story, so let's take a look back. It's almost hard to believe, but a company that now ships more than 115,000 two-way radios a year and has more than 350 employees got its start in 1981 with the purchase of 40 Motorola HT90 two-way radios by Jerry Denham and Alyxzander Bear. The two young men had attended California State University at Long Beach and worked at Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC), the industry leader in crowd management. Its employees are easy to spot at events wearing their yellow windbreakers.
Founders Focus on Building a Company
At CSC, Bear had been responsible for renting the walkie-talkies used by employees at the concerts, games, and other events where staffers worked. After college, he had stayed on part-time, sub-renting radios and earning a small profit for his work. No doubt intrigued by the opportunities in two-way radio rentals, Denham and Bear founded Bear Communications in 1981 with that first purchase of 40 Motorola HT90s. By 1983, with CSC as one of their biggest customers, the two were able to quit their other jobs and focus solely on building Bear Communications. That year they provided radios and staffing for the Long Beach Grand Prix auto race, the first major event for a company that has become associated with scores of them. By the late 1980s, Bear Communications was itself picking up speed. Brent Bisnar—who had worked with Denham and Bear at CSC during their college days—joined the company in 1986 as its first sales representative, primarily promoting rental services, as well as selling EF Johnson, Maxon, and Yasau radios. By then, the company owned a small fleet of 150 Motorola HT90 and HT440 radios. That same year saw the opening of new BearCom offices in San Francisco, Seattle, and Fort Lauderdale, and in 1987, Bisnar opened an office in the San Diego area.National Scope and International Events
Motorola opened indirect distribution in 1988, and Bear Communications was named a dealer. Growth and expansion continued with the addition of branch offices around the country. Later in 1988, the company handled its first international event, the Toronto Grand Prix. In 1989, Bear left the company, but a short six years later, Bear Communications would provide more than 5,500 radios to all nine venues of soccer's biggest international event, the World Cup. It was an amazing rise for a company that traced its beginnings back to Cal State, but even greater growth and change were coming. We'll tell that story next time. Read part two...