Guess who has the answer
        to your GROWING
  communications needs?

There was a time when things were simple, at least from the standpoint of planning an on-site communications system.  You started by getting licensed for a radio channel, generally UHF, to serve the needs of the maintenance department.  Then the security folks jumped on, and you soon determined that a single frequency wouldn't do the job, so you got another one.  Then along came administrative operations, and then transportation.  Before long, you had all these users on dedicated frequencies.  They could talk to each other when necessary, but that involved manual channel selection and sometimes they forgot to go back to their primary channel.  Worse yet, one channel might be busy when needed while other channels were unused.  Suddenly, things weren't simple anymore!

To address the problem, many users turned to public communications systems such as Nextel which appeared to be a solution.  Unfortunately, the per unit cost that started at a minimal cost of $25 per month for walkie talkie service has now escalated to near $50 per month.  Worse yet, what started with a handful of users rapidly escalated to a much larger user group and that small monthly expense had in many cases grown to thousands of dollars per month.  The problem was compounded by problems with in-building coverage and incompatibility with other systems, including the original 2-way radio system!

Now we have a new set of considerations.  The first is to make our airtime free private UHF radio system more efficient while simultaneously reducing our dependency on public communications networks such as Nextel.  The second is to provide some level of interoperability between private radio, public wireless, and traditional telephones.  Let's start with how to improve conventional 2-way radio systems by applying a technology known as trunking.  A little later we will talk about interoperability.

In the most simple terms, trunking technology involves the pooling of all available frequencies and then dynamically assigning channel use based on demand.  Rather than waiting for the channel to become available or manually switching to another channel, the trunking controller does the work for you.  When you need to talk, you simply select the group or even an individual users with whom you wish to talk, then push the button.  If you've ever used a Nextel, you have operated a trunking radio.  You don't know what channel you are using, and you don't care.  All you know is that you can generally talk when desired (unless all frequencies in the trunked pool are in use.  Increasingly, this is becoming a problem in heavily populated areas since there are only so many channels (frequencies) available.

Many of us have been led to believe that trunking is restricted to frequencies above 800 MHz.  The fact is that the technology works equally well at VHF or UHF.  Traditionally, trunking radio systems have first been used by large metropolitan area law enforcement agencies to operate over large geographic areas.  These larger systems use multiple transmitter sites (known as cells) that are linked together by microwave or leased telephone lines.  Until very recently, trunking systems were too expensive for on-site use (hospitals, manufacturing plants, warehouses etc.).  Not only was the infrastructure expensive, so were the individual communicators.  Fortunately, that has now changed.  The links below will tell you how to build your own trunking system with interoperability. It generally starts with a radio that is compatible both with your conventional radio system as well as a trunked system controller.  From there, just follow our lead!

                             36 - 20th Avenue NW- Birmingham, AL 35215 - Phone 205.854.2611 - Toll Free 800.489.2611

Copyright 2005 - Falcon Direct, Inc.
This page was last updated on 09/14/2005