|
|
| P25 Digital Upgradeable Radios  P25 is a digital radio operating standard developed by the Associated Police Communications Officers (APCO), and organization originally and primarily formed to serve the needs of law enforcement users. The P25 platform has become the operating standard selected by agencies of the Federal Government. It is a work in progress, designed by a committed and overseen by a bureaucracy. Aside from that, it is one of four digital operating systems currently available in the USA and worthy of your consideration.
It is not our intent to promote or reject any particular technology, only to make you aware of the different digital standards available and to assist you in making an intelligent decision as to which is best suited for your individual needs. If you would like to know more about the technical workings of P25, we invite you to visit www.p25.com/wpaper.asp for more detailed information on this technology. Having said that, we will now provide an overview of the Motorola P25 offerings as available from Falcon Direct.
There are actually two (maybe more) P25 standards used in the USA. The original idea was to develop a common operating standard that would allow manufacturers to reduce cost through more competition and increased volume. This is known, at least to us, as conventional P25. There is another version of P25 known as enhanced P25 where some extra features have been added. Unfortunately, these enhanced versions don't work with the other P25 radios. Oh well, the original intent was good. The MAIN question to ask your potential supplier if the radio he or she is offering is compatible with conventional P25 technology.
Until September of 2007, Falcon Direct had nothing to offer in the way of Motorola P25 products - now we do! As you may know, the current technical target is to get all licensees operating on 12.5 kHz channel spacing by 2013. There is no mandatory requirement to switch to digital but your radios will perform much better if you do. So, if you are contemplating new radios, we would suggest that at the least you consider a radio that can be upgraded to digital. The 1500 series by Motorola is such as radio.
 This is the PM1500 mobile with 110 watts of power in VHF or 100 watts in UHF. That's the dask mount remote control head and microphone at the left. There is also a high output remote speaker (not shown) and the radio transceiver (also not shown) that can be mounted beneath or behind seats, in an equipment compartment, or in the trunk of a automobile. Most importantly, the PM1500 can be upgraded to P25 digital when you are ready. The upgrade is simple and affordable. When you are ready for P25 digital, the PM1500 is ready for you! Additional information is available at www.info4u.us/pm1500Specs.pdf.  The PR1500 handheld radio is the companion to the PM1500 mobile. One police official describes it as being something like an HT750 on steroids. It's big, it's bad (in a good way), and it's ugly. The PR1500 is a modern day equivalent of the HT1000 with a few touches of technology. Notably, it has a long life Lithium Ion IMPRES battery and companion smart charger. It's not a wimpy little radio. It weighs in at slightly over 20 ounces (HT1000 users will feel very much at home with this radio). It's got big knobs and the size tells you that you have a real radio (6.00" x 2.30" x 1.50"), but compared to other P25 radios, it's right in there with most of them. The PR1300 has all the features of other top of the line models, like an emergency call button, MDC-1200 digital ID, and up to four programmable buttons. It's not cheap, but it is affordable, in particular for those who contemplate upgrading to P25. If you choose to start out with full P25 capability, the price is very competitive. Additional information on the PR1500 is available at www.info4u.us/pr1500Specs.pdf. If you would like a price quote on either the PM1500, the PR1500, or both, complete and return the on-line form at www.info4u.us/ezquote.dot or if you prefer, just give us a call at 800.489.2611. | |
|
|