Need a radio for my pov

[MissouriRebel11]

hey guys im new to the forum and i was wondering where a good place is to buy a radio for my truck so i can communicate with dispatch and the other guys on our station i just dont know where to look or what type to even get so any help would be greatly appreciated.

[fire49]

Call whoever supplies your dept

Also is it allowed to have a two way radio. By your dept???

[nlfireguy]

hey guys im new to the forum and i was wondering where a good place is to buy a radio for my truck so i can communicate with dispatch and the other guys on our station i just dont know where to look or what type to even get so any help would be greatly appreciated.

As long as you department allows it and you have the frequencies you are allowed to mointor from a 2 way check out http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalo...roducts_id=211
You have to contact them and specify your department and have a minor mod done to it, they perform the mod no problems there. It is easily programmed from your home pc or laptop with a FREE download program from kenwoods website, however you need to purchase a cable (bought mine from ebay). I use this radio and it is very good for the money. Set up with the proper antenna and programmed properly and you are set. Or skip the cable and field program it. I choose the cable and pc programming so I could play with the programming to suit my need.

[tree68]

As already stated - first and foremost make sure you have permission to have a radio.

Unless you have a radio geek in your department, you'll need the radio programmed, and probably installed. Again, as already stated, your department's radio vendor (or other commercial radio vendors in the area) would be the first stop.

If others in your department already have radios, where did they get theirs? It may be possible to find a used radio, but if it's too old, it may not be capable of meeting the upcoming narrow-banding mandate, depending on what frequency band you're using.

Assuming you get permission to have a radio, and do acquire one, remember the old wisdom regarding small children - they should be seen and not heard, and should speak only when spoken to. There's nothing like the IC trying to give a size up only to be walked on by an eager beaver firefighter reporting to all the world that he's on his way to the fire station...

[LVFD301]

As long as you department allows it and you have the frequencies you are allowed to mointor from a 2 way check out


You have to contact them and specify your department and have a minor mod done to it, they perform the mod no problems there. It is easily programmed from your home pc or laptop with a FREE download program from kenwoods website, however you need to purchase a cable (bought mine from ebay). I use this radio and it is very good for the money. Set up with the proper antenna and programmed properly and you are set. Or skip the cable and field program it. I choose the cable and pc programming so I could play with the programming to suit my needs easily.

First and foremost, don't be the idiot that ends up getting your department admonished and fined by the FCC by using radio equipment that is not legal for use on the public safety commercial bands. Use of HAM radios will get you in trouble on public safety frequencies.

And yes, it happens.

It is interesting that the Antenna farm is doing the modifications for public safety. It is not legal for them to be doing that either. This is easy to deal with - it just takes a quick call to the FCC Enforcement branch to get that rolling.

[KB1OEV]

As long as you department allows it and you have the frequencies you are allowed to mointor from a 2 way check out http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalo...roducts_id=211
You have to contact them and specify your department and have a minor mod done to it, they perform the mod no problems there. It is easily programmed from your home pc or laptop with a FREE download program from kenwoods website, however you need to purchase a cable (bought mine from ebay). I use this radio and it is very good for the money. Set up with the proper antenna and programmed properly and you are set. Or skip the cable and field program it. I choose the cable and pc programming so I could play with the programming to suit my needs easily.

Modifying this radio to transmit outside of the amateur radio band which it is designed for is ILLEGAL. Don't do it or support those who do.

If you want to talk on commercial radio frequencies, buy a commercial radio.

[LaFireEducator]

I have to agree with everyone else that if your department wanted you to have a mobile in your POV they would issue you a mobile.

We had one member suspended for installing a radio in his POV without authorization, and he was forced to remove the radio at his expense.

The reason for this is simple. The member had our standard radio bank which included mutual aid frequencies, which were only allowed to be in department issued portables and mobiles, not POVs.

If you have permission, talk to the vendor that deals with the radios for your agency.

[MissouriRebel11]

yeah were allowed to have them most everybody in our district does but if we want one we have to supply it ourselves. most guys just use them to show themselves in route to station. we had a radio guy but he got himself into trouble i heard so as of right now idk who is in charge of all that and i was talking to my chief and he said something about it all changing to narrowband i believe?

[LaFireEducator]

yeah were allowed to have them most everybody in our district does but if we want one we have to supply it ourselves. most guys just use them to show themselves in route to station. we had a radio guy but he got himself into trouble i heard so as of right now idk who is in charge of all that and i was talking to my chief and he said something about it all changing to narrowband i believe?

Narrowbanding will have an affect on department radio operations. Exactly what the effects are, as I understand it, will vary from department to department.

I'm not a "radio guy" (both my departments have those to worry about that) so i really can't tell ya much more.

Just remember that the addition in your radio of mutual aid frequencies in your POV without their express permission for your vehicle is illegal.

[tree68]

You're on VHF-High, which is subject to the narrowbanding mandate.

If your county fire district comm people are on the ball, they've already started the ball rolling on re-licensing your current frequencies for narrowband. Odds are you'll keep the same frequencies, just change over to narrowband.

If they haven't, they need to. Soon.

[LVFD301]

I have to agree with everyone else that if your department wanted you to have a mobile in your POV they would issue you a mobile.

You really have such little clue about how departments operate in the rest of the US.

The guy is with a small rural district in Missouri. Many times departments in Missouri are fine with people buying their own radios, as they simply can't afford to equip all who can use them.

Now, yes, he needs to make sure he has permission, which he says he has already done. But just because a department wants him to have a mobile does not mean the department can afford to give him one.

It is not just Missouri either.

Rebel, drop me an email at bbowers@mozarks.com. I will help you out.

[MissouriRebel11]

ok email sent thanks

[EGregory]

The best advice you could follow is to forget everything else you've been told here and ask your department and the person or company who handles the radios for them.

The suggestion to buy a kenwood TM271 A is not only bad advice but buying a modded ham radio and using it on public service frequencies is downright illegal and could subject you to an FCC fine of up to 10,000 dollars. You can get second hand public service radios on Ebay relatively cheap and then have them reprogrammed to the appropriate frequencies. This is completely legal to use the radio as long as you have permission from the licensee for the frequencies you transmit on.

You do not legally have to have permission from anyone to have a frequency programmed in if you do not transmit on it. The only time you are required to have their permission is to transmit so if you want to plug in the mutual aid freqs to listen only it's no big deal. Just don't transmit without the licensees express permission.

[sfd1992]

When I was early in my Volunteering days, a fair number of guys had CB's for the purpose of communicating with each other, "Hey, this is so-and-so, I'm on my way to the station", "Me too, I'm 2 out"...etc. It was an easy way to know who was enroute. Could that could be an easier, less expensive option?

Unless you're the Chief, or another command officer, do you REALLY need to talk to dispatch from your POV?

[EGregory]

Unless you're the Chief, or another command officer, do you REALLY need to talk to dispatch from your POV?

Yes, the Chief and Command officers don't necessarily make every scene on my volunteer department and even if they do they may not be first on scene. Luckily in my department pretty much every one is issued a hand held radio and we get coverage of perhaps 95% or more of our service area with that radio.

Usually the way things happen is that when a call drops units will call in service, the first or closest units to the station will head there to pick up the trucks and the rest will respond POV to the scene. The first units on scene will start a size up and report back to the trucks, the other units and dispatch what the real situation is. I'd hate to do it any other way.

[LVFD301]

When I was early in my Volunteering days, a fair number of guys had CB's for the purpose of communicating with each other, "Hey, this is so-and-so, I'm on my way to the station", "Me too, I'm 2 out"...etc. It was an easy way to know who was enroute. Could that could be an easier, less expensive option?

Unless you're the Chief, or another command officer, do you REALLY need to talk to dispatch from your POV?

I encourage my people to have mobiles, espicially those that are also first responder trained.

First responding person lets dispatch know - this lets them know the page was successful and we are enroute. No one else checks enroute unless they are driving a BRT. (Well, BBT in our area)

ALL other traffic than the first responding, apparatus, and a Chief goes on our private repeater. Lots of info exchanged. Updates to responding EMS units goes on the primary dispatch channel, many times a mobile is the only way to get through.

With nearly 200 square miles, and 26 people, it is not uncommon for people to respond directly to the scene, and in medical calls normal. That much area, I like the mobiles for their capabilities in fringe areas.

I provide portables to most all people, with page function.

[tree68]

No one else checks enroute unless they are driving a BRT.

Don't I wish. Around here a structure fire call with three departments dispatched will sometimes result in nine chiefs/assistant chiefs all calling enroute (and insisting that dispatch acknowledge them). Add to that the johnny-on-the-spot apparatus responses (personnel already in the station), and it can be danged hard to get on the air with legitimate traffic (like a size-up).

We keep tellin' 'em to shut up, but they're too busy talkin' to listen.

[KB1OEV]

nine chiefs/assistant chiefs all calling enroute (and insisting that dispatch acknowledge them).

We get that a lot too. To make it worse, for some reason one dispatcher feels the need to put out a 2nd or even a 3rd page or a simple call after 5 officers and 2 pieces are responding.

[LVFD301]

Don't I wish. Around here a structure fire call with three departments dispatched will sometimes result in nine chiefs/assistant chiefs all calling enroute (and insisting that dispatch acknowledge them). Add to that the johnny-on-the-spot apparatus responses (personnel already in the station), and it can be danged hard to get on the air with legitimate traffic (like a size-up).

We keep tellin' 'em to shut up, but they're too busy talkin' to listen.

LOL... I never said it worked perfectly....

When people around here complain about congestion on the channel, I point out that it is a training issue, and if the entire borough of Manhattan can dispatch on one channel, why can't we?

[voyager9]

I can understand why the department cannot pay for everyone to get a radio that wants one. At the same time, they should at least provide a suggested make/model and maybe even a vendor to go through.

On our county system all radios have to have their ID entered into the system to be able to transmit. If Central hasn't authorized it, then you only get to listen.