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Why Change from a Perfectly Good Analogue Two Way Radio?

Announcement posted by Mining Telecommunications of Australia 14 Aug 2017

Digital Communications is it Really that Good?

Analog has been around for a long time, during which time innovation has reached its peak with this form of technology. When there was nothing left to add to analog, digital radio systems were invented in order to allow for the feature-rich options today’s advancing society demands.

Digital two-way communications started revolutionizing the way mobile professionals communicate back around 2008. Digital radio offers many advantages over analog, including improved voice quality with greater coverage, better privacy, better battery life and more. That’s why it’s important to consider migrating to digital communications every time you review your two-way fleet – so when you’re ready to upgrade, you’ll choose a system with the greatest benefits for the long term. Here are a few of the “pros” in a bit more detail:

Better Voice Quality – Because a digital radio has automatic error correction, it rebuilds voice sounds and maintains the clarity of the voice, even if a signal is badly corrupted. And since speech is digitally-encoded, you benefit from smarter capabilities, such as advanced software algorithms that can deliver clear voice in the most extreme conditions. Machine clatter, the crowd noise around you, or radio interference have little or no impact on your transmission, so your message gets through.

Better Capacity – Digital technology has much greater spectrum efficiency so that it can, for example, accommodate two completely separate “channels” in one 12.5 kHz channel. As well as making more efficient use of radio spectrum, this also minimizes your licensing costs. With digital two-way radio communications, you can immediately double the capacity of your existing 12.5 kHz channel and enable many more people to communicate without worrying about privacy or interference.

Better Coverage – Digital radios have built-in error correction to eliminate static and make sure voice calls are heard clearly over a greater range. That’s why at the far edge of coverage, even with similar signal strength, digital radio will be clear while analog voice will be garbled and masked by static. There’s no interference, background noise or distortion.

Better Battery Life

Shift-long battery life is a challenge for mobile devices. Digital technology is much more energy-efficient than analog, though, which means it reduces battery drain and improves talk time. A two-way radio battery will last up to 40% longer when you use a digital radio. While both analog and digital radios consume about the same power in standby mode, once you start transmitting, digital radios are much more efficient. This is critical for frequent and heavy users who depend on their radios to last the entire shift and can’t stop to replace batteries or recharge radios.

Misconceptions about the migration include:

Making the Switch is Costly. Not so. Systems like MotoTRBO is a cost-effective way to reduce your expenses, while providing more features to your employees, making them more effective. Additionally, digital radios double the capacity of your existing 12.5 kHz channel which minimizes license costs and increases the flexibility of your currently licensed spectrum.

Two-Way radios are a Fading Technology. Not so. Digital technology  brings interoperability to two-way radios, with instant unified communications across locations, networks and devices including smartphones, landlines, and PCs. Combine that with better voice quality, capacity, coverage, and battery life, and you realize you’re not talking about a fading technology.

Transitioning to Digital is Complex. Not so. Moving from analog to digital is easy. Once you decide to make the switch, you don’t have to rip and replace. Make the move in stages and use your analog and digital radios simultaneously. It’s your choice whether and when you move one person, a business unit, or your entire organization.

For Australia wide sales goto (https://miningtelecoms.com). With over 14 years of experience, with all the leading manufacturers, you’ll get the information you need to help make a great choice for your organization.