Tom's Tech Talk #17: How to Troubleshoot Mobile Radios

WARNING: This article assumes you have an intermediate understanding of RF and two way radios.

Every so often you may experience a problem with your mobile radio, regardless of its manufacturer. I've heard one of our technicians once say “a radio is a radio; it transmits and it receives. I don’t care if it is Motorola, Johnson, Kenwood or Vertex.” It doesn't matter what type of radio you have because they all need the same basic components to work properly. Because of this, we can point out a few problems that typically occur among all mobile radios.

   In order to address a mobile radio problem you first need to know which part of the radio isn't working properly. Before we get to troubleshooting, let me define the pieces that make up a mobile two way radio:

Technologies in Next Generation Patrol Vehicles

Motorola Solutions has done more than 5 years of focused research, with hundreds of ride-a-longs, focus groups, simulations and usability studies to help understand the need for police cruisers to bring critical information together in an automatic and intuitive way. Research shows users want vehicle controls that are integrated and easy to use so that actions flow quickly and intuitively when responding to an incident.

As always, we are grateful for each and every one of our customers and employees. We are thankful for all of the opportunities we received this year to partner on many significant projects. We encountered some big challenges but all the people at ChiComm stepped up in a short time frame and addressed these challenges head on. It's thanks to our employees that we are able to continually accommodate our customer's needs and meet their expectations.

Last week the ETSB of DuPage County formerly announced the launch of their $30 million interoperable radio system made possible by a statewide radio network, STARCOM21.  STARCOM21 is Illinois’ statewide digital public safety radio system and provides coverage for over 98 percent of the State of Illinois. The network currently provides public safety communications for state and local public safety agencies. The STARCOM21 network is a public-private partnership between Motorola Solutions and the State of Illinois.

We're Proud to Support the RMHC!

Recently I was lucky enough to receive a tour of the new Ronald McDonald House, now the world's largest, which opens officially on June 26 in downtown Chicago. The 14-story, 86-room facility at 211 E Grand includes “nurturing communal areas to provide a home away from home” for families of the patients seeking vital care at The Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.

What we discovered at this year's Motorola Channel Partner Expo

It was a momentous year at the Motorola roadshow in Las Vegas. Our yearly trek to understand products, goals and networking with colleagues really put a vision in our minds. As a follow up to my notes on the Public Safety (Future of the DBlock) aspect of the Motorola Expo this year, we also looked into the future with Digital Mobile Radio (DMR); and for Motorola this means MOTOTRBO. A technology that lends itself to gain two voice paths for one channel, it effectively doubles the ability of a customer’s radio system for voice traffic. In addition with Application Developers who write software to these radio platforms, we had a chance to review the concepts and systems that allow unique platforms such as GPS, Texting, Personal Location systems and Interoperability to be displayed in one location.

"Share the Vision"

This video was made by Motorola Solutions, our premier partner in service, for a piece in the Motorola Road Show earlier this week. Chicago Communications was able to lend advice on the process of guiding customers to a system migration plan and how to implement this plan. As our Sales Director Tom Treichler says, "A lot of customers don't know they have the capability to go to the next level and it's up to us to educate them and tell the story of where they can go and show them the benefits of what they can do."

    Tom's Tech Talk (#3):
What does TEAM mean for your business?

     After returning from the IWCE tradeshow in Las Vegas (earlier this year), it appears that radio platforms are starting to have the ability to merge together. At a seminar held by Motorola, they presented the Motorola TEAM product. This product, although specific in application, allows for disparate systems to link together. The intent is to have one number, one voicemail. The concept links an IP based telephone system in your office with your handheld smartphone and your radio system all together.
    

Product Spotlight: Motorola TEAM

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a simple way to give your employees all the tools they need to do their jobs and stay in touch no matter where they are? Well, now you can! Motorola's new Total Enterprise Access and Mobility (TEAM) product enables businesses to essentially convert their desktop system into a portable, pocket-sized device that their employees can use anytime, anywhere.

 By integrating with your existing wireless LAN (WLAN) and PBX systems, the Motorola TEAM offers a single mobile platform for all of your office's voice and data services, including: