How-To-Radio: Caring For Your Radios

Daily Use

A key way to ensure your radios all work effectively and have a long life is knowing how to properly look after your radios. While many of these are tough devices and are made to last in fairly unfriendly conditions, it's still best practice to look after them as best as you can. This is particularly true when dealing with rental radios, as it is important to bring them back in the same condition as when you were given them.

Even though many radios are made to be durable, it’s not a good idea to be reckless with your radio or throw it around; doing this will increase the chances of you having to replace or repair your radio.

Radios are made with an ergonomic design that fits the human hand well and should be comfortable to hold. It’s important that you aren’t grabbing your radio by its antenna instead of the body, as this could impact your radios ability to transmit and receive when you need it to. At Mobicomm, we offer many styles of cases and harnesses that mean that your radio is where you need it, when you need it, meaning there will be no reason to have to grab it by the antenna.

Many of the cables that are used with radios are have a coiled design. This is an intentional design that improves audio quality, and they should not be stretched out completely.

Using accessories with your radio that are not compatible with your model can damage your radio or cause problems with how it operates. Our team of expert technicians and installers can help you choose the right accessories for your specific radio.

Unless your radio is safe to be in water as is the case with certain models, such as those designed for use on boats, water could seriously damage your radio. Check your radios IP rating and make smart decisions about where you are using it.

Charging

If you’d like to learn more about charging your radios batteries see this previous How-To-Radio post. Here we’ll go over a few best practices.

Only use batteries and chargers that you know are compatible with the model of your radio. Using incorrect batteries or chargers could damage both devices. If you are unsure of what is compatible with your radio, our team of expert technicians and installers can help guide you in the right direction and keep your radio safe.

Ensure that you are not charging a battery that is wet, as this can cause serious damage such as rust forming inside the charger or water damage.

At Mobicomm, we can tag and test all of your cables to ensure that they are safe to use, so always keep these up to date to avoid damaging your radio or batteries.

Storing

You may not always need to use your radio, and in those cases it’s important that they are stored in a way that keeps them safe and ready to use next time. 

Ensure that they are put in a cool, dry place at about room temperature to avoid any dampness forming. It’s also important that you do not leave your radio in extremely hot temperatures or in direct sunlight. 

Remember to take the batteries out of you radio if they are not being used, as this could have an impact on their charging ability.

Cleaning

There is no need to use heavy chemicals or sprays to clean your radio, as it could actually end up damaging it. Wiping them down with a cloth after you are finished using them for the day will ensure that your radio is ready to use and there is no build up over time. 

If you know that the environment you work in is particularly dirty, we offer a variety of radios that are made to stand up to those environments specifically, and our team of expert technicians and installers can help you to get the best radio for your specific needs.

At Mobicomm, we also offer a variety of protective cases to ensure your radio can remain in the best condition possible.

Prev Maint.

Ensure you have your radio serviced regularly by one of the expert technicians here at Mobicomm. This will ensure that your radio remains in working condition, and minimises your chance of something going seriously wrong.

If you’d like to know more about preventative maintenance, see this previous How-To-Radio post.