Should I upgrade to Digital Two Way Radio?
With the advent of Digital Two Way radio a few years ago there was a natural “HMMMM!?” attitude from end users. After all, considering the significant price difference, what is there to actually gain from digital?
Some early adopters embraced the new technology with open arms and great expectations, but what improvements or advantages did they actually see?
In the early days, there was various hype and claims from manufacturers… more range, better clarity, integrated remote GPS tracking, various data capabilities, and so on and so forth.
The bottom line is, what main differences do the end users actually see between Digital and Analogue Two Way Radio?
From our experience here at Radphone, the majority of customer comments have centred around improved clarity and a noticeable increase in transmit range.
Upgraded analogue users usually mention the slightly strange experience of a “disembodied” voice coming from their radio.
A little explanation is probably in order here… without realising it, users of analogue systems get used to accompanying background hiss, pops and clicks. These are usually noticeable during quiet passages, in between speech.
So without realising why, the end user notices “something missing” which they can’t quite put their finger on.
Analogue signals tend to degrade gradually at the edge of radio coverage, introducing the aforementioned hiss, etc. The signal eventually degrades so far, that the majority of the received signal consists of a lot of “noise” and very little “voice”.
Digital reception is very different. It tends to be loud and clear up to the edge of range, then just stops working.
The end result of this effect is improved radio coverage.
So, “Is it time to upgrade to Digital Two Way Radio?”
Our previous thoughts were that Analogue PMR has a number of years left to run and is not likely to disappear soon.
However, a recent development is set to accelerate the abandonment of Analogue Two Way Radio and the uptake of Digital Two Way Radio…
Motorola, arguably the most widely recognised Two Way Radio Brand, have now discontinued their analogue range of equipment. This is a good indicator of their commitment and belief in digital PMR technology.
On the face of it, this seems to immediately exclude Motorola from a huge chunk of the market, but they haven’t completely cut themselves off from the Analogue PMR market. The majority of their Digital portfolio is also capable of analogue transmission, as are some other manufacturers.
This duality offers a gradual upgrade path to existing analogue users. They can gradually replace existing equipment, using the new equipment in analogue mode until they are in a position to switch to digital and see the extra benefits.
Many end users see Motorola products as premium products, along with their premium price tags.
Quality never comes cheap.
One factor which justifies Motorola prices is that their products are designed to be all things to all users.
Trunking abilities, GPS tracking, data capabilities, dual capacity and many other benefits are available across much of their range. Yet, many users will never utilise the full capabilities of their equipment.
Another well known and respected manufacturer is entering the digital arena soon, with a different philosophy.
Entel have decided to leave Motorola and others to chase the complex expensive systems.
They are of the belief that basic, voice only two way radio is still a very big part of the marketplace.
The vast majority of users just need the ability to talk to each other… Plain and simple!
So, Entel are set to produce simple, voice only Digital Two Way Radio, with no bells and whistles.
The same basic digital benefits will be available, increased clarity and coverage, at a reduced cost.
In fact Entel are aiming to produce digital Two Way Radio at the same price point as existing Analogue Two Way Radio.
Entel are currently very tight lipped about their new digital products.
What Next?
If you would like to know when this extremely cost effective range of Digital Two Way Radios are available, just express your interest by filling in the form below and we’ll contact you with all the details.
When we get to know about Entel Digital Two Way Radios…
You’ll get to know about Entel Digital Two Way Radios!
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