Hello, I have a limo business in NYC and my question is as to what product you’d recommend.
The environment is very urban, I guess lots of interference, and to communicate among cars for as large an area as possible.
Also, there might be communication between security guards and drivers so it would have to go through tall buildings to street level and sometimes basements.
Would I be able to get a radio to go for at least a mile?
Is UHF better than VHF for this purpose?
Thanks, !
Nobody???
Hi,
Sorry for the delayed response, I have been on vacation for the last week and had limited access to the internet.
Typically I would recommend VHF radios for short range communications needs between vehicles, because VHF signals travel farther than UHF outdoors. However, if you are in New York City where you will always be surrounded by tall steel buildings a UHF model would probably be a better choice. VHF signals are poor at penetrating steel/concrete structures.
To get the most range possible, I would recommend you look at the Motorola AXU4100 or the BlackBox UHF radio. These are 4 watt radios and typically deliver 2-3 miles in our tests. I would not expect nearly this much range in an urban area such as NYC, but would expect you to get close to a mile.
Both of these models that I am suggesting are fully programmable radios, so if you decided in the future to go with a repeater system for better range we could re-program them for you to match the repeater frequencies.
Hope this was helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Danny
Thanks for your answer, hope you enjoyed ur vacation
Other than the obvious price difference, are there any insights that you can give me on the two models? I like Motorola, but I like the Blackbox’s price even better! …
As far as programmable, how many channels do you think I would need? It would probably be two receivers so I dont think I need many channels, but I could be wrong. DO you do the programming there?
Thanks, my vacation was great!
Range is very similar between the BlackBox UHF and the Motorola AXU4100. The primary difference is that the Motorola has better voice clarity and will support hands-free use (with a vox capable headset).
I don’t think you’re going need many channels. Channels provide a way for you to divide your users up into groups. For example, a hotel may have housekeeping on one channel and maintenance on another. That would allow a manager to monitor all communications, but housekeeping wouldn’t have to be interrupted listening to maintenance’s transmissions. The BlackBox supports 16 channels and the Motorola supports 10.
Yes, we do the programming here. We also offer free programming for the life of the radio, provided you cover the shipping charges. That means if you ever need to switch to different frequencies (such as to use a repeater), you don’t have to worry about the cost of reprogramming your radios.
Danny
Yeah, sounds like the blackbox is for me, I was surprised that your prices are very good even compared to ebay;; Ill be buying from you soon.
Thanks!
Just got my radios yesterday. very good packaging and it came with all that I need.
Inmediately plugged them in and was really surprised at the clarity and loudness of the units. They come in crystal clear!
I decided to take it around my neighborhood and I found perfect reception in a 1/2 mile radius. After that I needed to press the squelch button. I wish it was a variable squelch knob, but I think the range is mostly enough. I can’t wait to test it in a harsher environment.
Very satisfied with the product!
I love the radio, but how do I know whether I’m using the full 4 watts or Im just using 2 watts!_???
I’m pressing the “mon” switch below the talk button but I hear no beeps, Does it come by default 4 or 2 watts??
Does the Motorola state that clearly? I wish I bought that one if it does 'cos that’s a major issue for me.
Eddieb,
With the BlackBox, the standard power output can only be changed through the programming software. Unless you specifically asked us to set them to low power (2 watts), they would have been programmed for high power.
Danny
Ok then, in the instructions it says that they can be switched from the “mon” switch. Full power is what I wanted, thanks.
The Motorola AXU4100 Radio offers a power down button with a visual notification on the LCD. This allows you to conserve battery life when you’re working close together. See additonal features for the AXU4100 here, http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/motorola/motorola-ax-axu4100.aspx