We have used Motorola RDV2020 for years at our manufacturing facility. However, they seem to break easily as we’re always having to get them repaired. I currently have a box full of broken ones under my desk now.
Recently, we tried some iCom F3011 with little satisfaction. They don’t seem to be very responsive. Even when not scanning, they don’t seem to pick up communications dependably.
Is there an upgrade to the RDV2020 that will possibly be better for us?
Hi, the Motorola RDV2020 was discontinued about a year ago and was replaced with the new RM Series RMV2080. Both are Mil-Spec radios for business use, but if you are breaking a lot of them in your manufacturing facility, you may need something a little more heavy duty, like a Kenwood TK-2400.
I’m surprised to hear your performance on the Icom F3011 does not meet or exceed the Motorolas, as both the RDV and RMU radios are only 2 watts and the Icom is a 5 watt radio. Is it possible the F3011 radios were programmed to operate on low power? It is also possible the squelch level was not set properly. In other words, it is possible the issue can be fixed through programming. If not, perhaps an antenna upgrade may help.
The F3011 is a solid radio and it should be a decent upgrade to the RDV2020 already. It just may need some tweaking. Based on the radios, it seems you are using VHF business frequencies, unless you have the MURS version of the RDV2020. Is your facility indoors or outdoors? Is it very large? Is it open or are there a lot of obstacles? All of these can affect performance as well.
It suprised me too that the 5 watt iComs aren’t doing the trick. We are in a large open-air manufacturing facility that is about a half-mile corner to corner. We have large metal buildings on our property that may be considered obstacles.
I thought I had already set the iComs to high power but I’ll double check. How should I adjust the squelch? Start at zero and increase until the static stops?
Also, we’re using the scan function on the iComs. We’re using two channels and I have them set to return to the radial selector channel after the timeout. There are a lot of options on the iCom setup that I don’t understand. Does it sound possible that I may the scan setup so it would somehow interfere with the reception?
I don’t want to throw gas on the fire here, but part of your problem is you are on the wrong frequency band. UHF radios work far better indoors than VHF (which is what you are using). I spent 25 years in the two-way radio business, the last 10 as a Motorola Dealer/Agent/Manufactures Rep. I have sold hundred’s of two way radio systems, one specifically to Ozarka Water Bottling Co. with a 1 million square feet of plant. They used 4 watt UHF portable radios and could talk all over the plant. If possible I would start over with UHF 4 watt radios and buy a little better quality unit like the Motorola CP200 which are very durable. You seem to be replacing the cheaper radios so often you could afford to buy better ones and probably save in the long run
Thanks for the replies, guys. I just got the opportunity to respond.
In adjusting my iComs, should I start with the squelch?
Sorry if I didn’t clarify. We are an outdoor plant. We have a couple open buildings over parts of the plant. For the most part, those communicating on the radio are outdoors.
If the old RDV2020 2W radios did the job before they broke, and they work better than the Icom radios at 5W, as long as all of the radios are on the same band, I wouldn’t worry about the band or the coverage.
Are you using itinerate frequencies on the Motorolas? Do you have voice scrambling enabled on those radios?
We don’t have voice scrambling. I’m not sure what itinirate frequencies are. We programmed our own freqs in if that’s what you mean.
I just turned my squelch all the way off and adjusted it just past the static. It seems to be working better for the moment. Maybe that was the problem. It seems to be better so far.