I’m looking for a solid radio for a church security team. We’ve used the gamut of GMRS and the typical Baofeng-type radios as well as Zello. All have their benefits, but also their limitations. I think UHF radios/frequencies would be the best given the constraints of the buildings within which we work (lots of brick, other signals including WiFi, etc…).
Not everyone on my team is licensed and I don’t expect the majority will get licensed.
I’m looking at the Motorola DTR; should I start with the DTR 700 or is there a solid, less expensive option? I’m open to all suggestions, beyond Motorola.
I’m looking for something that everyone will pick up and turn on when they arrive on duty. So I’ll have cloned, “idiot proof” programming done.
Consider the DLR series. Same as the DTR but smaller and has almost the same range as the DTR. They cannot be monitored by almost anyone and are licence-free, same as the DTR. There are many of us who are huge fans of the DTR/DLR frequency-hopping radios, and if you can afford them, they are an ideal choice.
One thing to remember is that they use Motorola’s proprietary frequency-hopping algorithms and DTR/DLR radios will only work with other DTR/DLR radios.
The DLR is so simple to program, you don’t even need a cable and software. Turn them on, go into programming mode, change from the factory default “channel” and you are good to go. The DLR1060 is great because you can have multiple channels set up for one-to-many or one-to-one conversations.
Chickenhawk is correct on all points. There is one additional thing about the DLR series radios that are worth noting.
A couple of years ago, Motorola took the DLR series to another level with the introduction of the Curve DLR110. it uses the same FHSS algorithms as the DLR and DTR series radios, so it’s fully compatible with them. In addition, it can allow you to expand coverage across a larger church property via wi-fi with the Motorola Curve Portal.
The Curve Portal is a subscription service, but it’s optional, and is not required to use the DLR110 as a regular radio like the other DLR and DTR models.
A lot of our customers are churches and this is one of the areas in which we specialize. If you’d like to find the best fit for your church, give one of our sales reps a call at 1-800-584-1445 from 9 AM to 6 PM weekdays and they can help you determine what you need for your congregation.