Portable two-way radios can be a costly investment. From FCC Licensing to radio accessories and overall maintenance, radios can sure be expensive. We’re going to show you everything that goes into a professional two-way radio so you can know what to expect before you shop around. You can contact Viking Communications to get a quote!
When we talk about professional two-way radios, we’re talking about radios used often by police, firefighters, paramedics, TSA, security, and more. These radios are often more expensive due to the build and technology included.
Most professional two-way radios can go for $1000 to a couple thousand with everything public safety needs to operate daily.
There are a lot of factors that can contribute to how much your two-way radio is going to cost, including:
Manufacture of two-way radios
The most widely known brands of professional two-way radios are Motorola, Kenwood, and L3Harris. Other manufacturers include BK Technologies, Vertex, and ICOM. The price you pay for a professional radio will depend on which manufacture you purchase from.
Radio Models
The model of a two-way radio also determines how much you’re going to be spending. It depends if the two-way radios are going to be used by fire departments, hospitality staff or business’ teams.
Two-Way Radio Technology
Professional two-way radios are equipped with technology that helps public safety in their day-to-day life. This technology includes:
- Encryption: keep unwanted listeners from tuning in and hearing important conversations. An encryption key is used to enable coded and decoded voice signals on each radio. Each radio must have the same encryption key to receive transmissions.
- Single vs Multiband: A single band radio only works with one frequency while a multiband receives several frequency bands. Single-band radios are less expensive than multi-band radios.
- FCC Licensing: Having an FCC License gives you your specific frequencies to operate on so you’re not interfering with other businesses, organizations, or agencies.
- Digital or Analog: The difference between Digital and Analog is the price and advancements. Analog has been around from the start but with the innovations in technology digital radios have surpassed analog. Digital two-way radios are more expensive than analog because of their better voice quality, range, coverage, and other advanced features.
Durability of Two-Way Radios
A reason why professional two-way radios are more expensive is that they’re built to withstand any environment. Radios are often MIL-STD certified which means they go through rigorous testing to see if they’ll withstand any type of environment or accidental drops. They also can have waterproof ratings which help protect the radio in case it’s exposed to rain or high-water levels.
Training to use Two-Way Radios
Two-way radios are complicated to understand, especially for beginners. While training someone on how to use a radio may not cost you money, it’s still costing you time. It’s going to take time for users to understand how to use, proper etiquette, and what everything means on their professional two-way radio.
How Much Will My Two-Way Radios Cost?
For a professional mission-critical two-way radio, with the features talked about above, you’re looking at around $1500 to a couple of thousand dollars. But you can contact a professional company to find the perfect two-way radios and deals for your business that allow you to have the best equipment at fair prices.
Contact Viking Communications!
Now that you know about two-way radios cost, it’s time to contact Viking Communications. We have been in the business since 1964, always maintaining the consistent goal of helping our clients to communicate more effectively and efficiently. We are locally owned and operated, this allows us to provide professional service in two-way communications systems, with a personal approach for each client.