Radios

[Arff312]

What type of radios do you use. Also are you allowed to use personal radios programmed to your companys frequencies ? Do you use nextels also?

At my company we use kenwood and motorolas. Yes we can use our own radios. I have a mt 2000 radio that i am getting programmed. I do use a nextel but not all of our officers have one.

[N. A. Corbier]

What type of radios do you use. Also are you allowed to use personal radios programmed to your companys frequencies ? Do you use nextels also?

At my company we use kenwood and motorolas. Yes we can use our own radios. I have a mt 2000 radio that i am getting programmed. I do use a nextel but not all of our officers have one.

I'm interested in this, as I'm trying to figure out if I want to use walkie-talkies, or juse issue Nextel radios to everyone. I already know that the patrol laptops will be nextel radio powered, since the data fees are ridicliously cheap, as are the modems.

If I could get an MTX or GP600 to work on Nextel's iDEN, I'd be very happy. You can pick those radios up all day long on ebay for cheap, buy the programming cord, and program them in-agency.

[Arff312]

What i recommend for all security agencies is a traditional radio setup. the reason for this si safety. Yes nextels are cheap BUT the transmissions are generally jus tone on one. I would recommend a business band radio or even professional radio. Because then all your units hear the transmission. If there is trouble all your units here who and wear and help is quicker to be enroute. I recommend the Nextels as a back up. thats just my two cents. If you want more info NA let me know as i dable in radios and can probably help you out a little bit.

[Bill Warnock]

[Arff312]

EMT i did not purchase my own radio just for this job. I purchased it for a company i was working for as an EMT at concerts. I purchased it because one we didnt have enough radios for everyone and i hated people being with out radiso so some of us went and got our own. Secondly i use it with my fire department i work for. So i use it alot i am just having my security info putinto it. Lastly i got it cheap off ebay. I like having my own radio because sometimes at the mall we have radios that are dead or dont work and stuff and i hate worring if i will have the power to talk. So i have my own and once again some others have them too. I like learning about radios and enjoy having my own.

[N. A. Corbier]

What i recommend for all security agencies is a traditional radio setup. the reason for this si safety. Yes nextels are cheap BUT the transmissions are generally jus tone on one. I would recommend a business band radio or even professional radio. Because then all your units hear the transmission. If there is trouble all your units here who and wear and help is quicker to be enroute. I recommend the Nextels as a back up. thats just my two cents. If you want more info NA let me know as i dable in radios and can probably help you out a little bit.

The reason I'm looking into nextel is specifically the group call function. Ie: Traditional iDEN radios. They even make shoulder mikes for the nextel radios. I like the price of the services (Per month), but I do see the benefits of buying or leasing traditional radios, leasing or buying a tower with repeater access, and buying iDEN radio modems for the MDCs.

The MDCs and radio communications tie into one of the selling points - providing professional officers for assignments that the local security guard company (who doubles as a janitoral service) won't take due to liability concerns and your forced to hire off duty police at 50 an hour - and another selling point - its 2005, wouldn't you rather have your reports available digitally so you don't spend 2 hours wondering what the guard wrote?

Bill makes a good point, too. Make sure your system works, is secure, and won't conk out during the first thunderstorm or when someone starts up a microwave in the area. I've seen too many public agencies radios on iDEN die when our old 460 MHzs worked just fine.

[N. A. Corbier]

Why on earth would you purchase your own radio? What a waste of money...

I'd have to say that 'waste of money' is subjective. To some people who dabble in amateur radio, a HT set can get all public safety frequencies, their own 2M and other HAM frequencies, and be a good recreational and work investment.

[wannabedafiveoh]

Well let me tell ya! I swear by Kenwood. Never has and never will fail me. Come rain come snow, no other brand comes close to the range or abilities of the trusty Kenwood! And they're affordable too!

[Arff312]

Wanna be what security company are you with . ur company sounds alot like mine. Do you happen to work for a westfield mall ?

[wannabedafiveoh]

Nawww. Its a small private owned mall WAY WAY WAY WAY down south in IL. I do hear good stuff about Woodfield though!

[Arff312]

The westfield malls are good to work at only one problem. They are too worried about public image. Our mall is in kind of a bad area we have lots of fights and stuff. They want us to stop them and get involved BUT they wont let us carry OC or Batons. They allowed us to carry then took it away then gave it back and took it the same day because some one HAD to use it. It was a justified use. PD even said it was good and Citizens said that we should have had baton or FireArms. PD says all the time we should have batons or OC because of the stuff we deal with. PD likes us because we handle most of the minor stuff with out help and only call them when arrests are made or something big is going on.

[N. A. Corbier]

The westfield malls are good to work at only one problem. They are too worried about public image. Our mall is in kind of a bad area we have lots of fights and stuff. They want us to stop them and get involved BUT they wont let us carry OC or Batons. They allowed us to carry then took it away then gave it back and took it the same day because some one HAD to use it. It was a justified use. PD even said it was good and Citizens said that we should have had baton or FireArms. PD says all the time we should have batons or OC because of the stuff we deal with. PD likes us because we handle most of the minor stuff with out help and only call them when arrests are made or something big is going on.

That's the normal reaction of alot of police departments when they're dealing with a security detachment that seems to know what they're doing. Less physical engagement for them, after all, you've already got them subdued or ejected.

This works because its your job to protect the client, and their job to enforce the law violation. If they have to come down there and do both, then why is security there?

[Arff312]

We have a good relation ship with PD. I think that makes the job more fun. Also several of our officers are prior Explorers or cadets. Also we have several officers in the academy now.

[P68]

Motorola HT 750 for the guards, HT 1250 for the supervisors.
Officers are allowed to purchase their own radios with authorization of the director of security of the facility.

[davido]

radio

Motorola mts 2000, 800mhz trunked