Channels and scanning may not seem like they are the most exciting parts of two way radios, but they are essential to understand in order to effectively communicate in your workplace.
Channels are a way to partition your two-way radio, allowing you to tune in to different frequencies. This means you can decide what subgroup of the active users of radios you are wanting to talk to at a certain time.
Your standard radio usually has four channels that are programmed to set frequencies, meaning you can switch between them in a simple and convenient way. For example, if you are a manager on a work site, you are able to decide what team you are talking to, in order to more effectively communicate in your workplace.
These channels will be set to standard frequencies when you get your radio straight out of the box. These are called factory settings, and to get the best out of your radio, you are going to want to get those changed. The problem with using factory settings is it increases the likelihood of other peoples radios interfering with your communication system, as they may have their radios set to factory settings as well.
Scanning is basically what the name suggests, it's a feature that allows a radio to scan for traffic coming through on specific frequencies. This means if you are wanting to partition your large scale operation into set groups, you can make sure everyone is still able to stay in communication. If for example your setup is: Everyone - Channel 1, Installers - Channel 2, Technicians - Channel 3 and Front Office - Channel 4, you'd want to ensure that all radios are set to channel one, as well as their relevant channels.
This means that if you are wanting to talk to just one group, you could set your radio to that channel and you'd be good to go, or if you wanted to talk to the whole team, you'd set your radio to Channel 1 and everyones radio would pick that up as well. This applies both ways, meaning that if someone wanted to communicate with just the group you are a part of, they would just choose your channel and your radio will receive their communications.
If you want to find out more or upgrade your communication system today, call us at 0800 947 426!