The Road To A New Radio System
The Background
In mid-June this year, we were approached by a secondary school in Birmingham, UK. The school had been operating on an old analogue radio system for some time now, but had been struggling with interference and the general reliability of the radios. So following a recommendation from their neighbouring school – a longstanding customer of ours -, they approached Maximon Solutions for a new radio system.
The Information Gathering
To ensure that we were going to be able to give the best advice and provide a radio system that would meet their requirements, we conducted an in-depth consultation with the school. Establishing factors such as the size of their school site, their current coverage dead-zones, how they use their radios and additional features they would like such as emergency alarms. Their budget was also discussed as this is a common restraint we have noticed recently that schools are under pressure for.
We often find the easiest way to establish current coverage areas and desired coverage areas is to use a google satellite view of site and set the boundaries out.
The Trial
Once we had all the information relevant to this Birmingham school, we suggested a radio system made up of the Pronto P-9500Dv2, with an Ofcom 5 year Simple UK License, would be a suitable radio to meet all their requirements and budgets.
As with any of our customers who are looking to change their radios, or up-grade their system, we offer a free demo of the radios. This allows for them to re-affirm that it is the right option and functions as expected in their environment.
This Birmingham School took up the offer of a free demo for the Pronto P-9500Dv2’s. They were able to use the radios at their school site for a full week. Testing the coverage over the whole site, ensuring the features of the radios worked in conjunction with their operating procedures, and that overall the staff like the radios.
About The P-9500Dv2
The Pronto P-9500Dv2 is an impressive digital licensed radio, designed for robustness, easy use, and excellent sound quality. This digital radio is equipped with a comprehensive set of features to meet diverse communication needs. Follow the links to read more about this impressive radio.
Ofcom
To allow for the school to have full radio coverage, and communication over the dead-spots they were previously experiencing, Maximon Solutions suggested having a Simple UK License. Licensed radios have a higher power out-put than their license free counterparts, with power being upped from the 0.5w restriction to 4w.
When the school had confirmed that the Pronto P-9500D2 radios were the right fit for their school, we started the process of obtained their license. The application process can be confusing and Ofcom often want quite a lot of information, that teachers or staff often don’t have the spare time to find out.
That’s why we always offer to apply for and manage Ofcom Licenses for our customers. This ensure that the license is applied for correctly and our customers can be secure in knowing they have the right frequencies. When the renewal date comes around, we will ensure that everything is sorted in time so you remain Ofcom compliant.
For more information on the differences between licensed radios and license free radios, click here.
The New System
Just one-month after the Schools initial enquiry, we supplied 27 P-9500Dv2 units, all programmed with their new Simple UK frequencies, and shipped out to the customer the day after ordering.
If you are struggling with your current radio coverage, please contact us for a no-commitment consultation and radio demo, and join the group of schools across the country that we have helped fit new radio communication systems into.
