I own and operate a drive-in movie theatre in Tennessee, and for the last 5 years we have been using the little cheapo two-way radios (Uniden) that we can pick up at Walmart, Office Max, etc. Our needs are changing for two-way communication between the various employees at the theatre, and we’re wanting to “move-up” to a better quality commercial radio.
We have 6 different stations around the theatre that need radios, 2 parking attendants (outside), box-office attendant (inside metal ticket booth), auxillary concessions sales (inside a mobile trailer), and the owners (usually inside a concrete block concessions / projection building).
I’ve looked at various web sites, read thru some forums, and even spoke with other theatre owners, but am still challenged by which format (VHF or UHF) would be better for our application.
Occasionally we have employees off-site (about 1- 1 1/2 miles away) and need to be able to communicate with them as well.
I’ve looked at the Motorola XTN XU2600 - and it seems to do what I need, but the Motorola RDX RDU2020 would probably do just as well.
I think UHF is the right type of radio for your needs. You may be able to get better range out of VHF for an exclusive outdoor application, but I’m worried that VHF signals would have trouble penetrating your metal ticket booth, trailer, and especially the concrete building.
I think you’re on the right track with the Motorola RDU2020. The XU2600 would work as well, but it has been discontinued. We still have stock of this model, but if you needed replacement radios down the road you’d have to get a different type. Probably best to start with the RDX’s now.
Would the UHF radios cover a distance of 1 1/2 miles or more?
While we’re confident that the UHF would be sufficient for use on the theatre grounds, we just don’t want to “short-change” ourselves with something that won’t be able to communicate with our other employees “off-site”. Anything we get (VHF or UHF) will be significantly better than what we have now.
When testing the RDU2020, we typically get between 1 1/2 to 2 miles. All environments are different, however. If you will commonly need communications at distances greater than 1 1/2 miles, you may want to consider going with a 4 watt radio, like the Motorola RDU4100.
hi, check this HYT two-way Radio TC-610, both VHF and UHF (i also recomment UHF), this model has RF 6W, cover 6Km distance. ps: i work for the HYT company. currently i have TC-610 at eBay
