Intro to Two-Way Radio
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What is Two-Way Radio?
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A two way radio is a device that can both receive and transmit radio signals.
Highlights:
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Two-way Radio is still the most reliable form of voice broadcast communication when a call must be received by all users in the group (aka "subscribers").
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It is used for communications between two users, or a group of an unlimited number of users.
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Radios use Push-to-Talk, release to listen (PTT) operation (aka "half-duplex"), unlike cellular (aka "full duplex").
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Used in Radio Dispatch Operation where each subscriber can hear every transmission --- unlike cellular PTT where communication is one-to-one (aka "private")
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Radios communicate on a specific radio frequency (i.e. radio channel within a specific frequency band).
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User can select different frequency channels (frequencies) on a radio, as long as the channels are within the same frequency band.
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Radios are typically only capable of single band coverage — They are either VHF, UHF or 700/800MHz. This sometimes creates interoperability problems between different public safety agencies when they use different bands (e.g. Police Dept. is on VHF and Fire Dept. is on UHF).
