Private Communications

Passing on a private message in the age of Facebook/etc. is more important than ever. Keeping your competitors in the dark, compartmentalising information within your company, being able to talk about your manager without them hearing (probably) - all good things to keep private!

As we're suppliers of radios (it is in our name, after all), we get questions all the time about people & businesses wanting to talk privately, either 1-to-1 or many-to-many. So let's have a look at the options available and some rough costs. And of course, talk to us for more details or for a custom solution for yourself or your business.

Use your mobile phones

• Useful over any distance and in most environments, but can have hidden costs
• Pros:
  • Secure and familiar
  • Access to apps and other forms of communication, not just voice
• Cons:
  • Requires phone tower proximity
  • Requires phone+data plans and payments
  • Hardware can be very $$$
  • More complicated than push-to-talk
  • Not always designed for harsh environmental conditions, or even on the hot dashboard of a car/truck
  • Battery life is often limited, particularly in areas of poor/low signal
  • Talk on one in your car while driving and it gets VERY expensive
• Cost? You tell me, after all, you bought the one that's in your pocket, or your boss did.

Use an analogue UHF CB radio

• Perfect for short-to-medium range communications if you don't care if anyone listens in

• Pros:
  • Simple operation - push, talk and release
  • Long battery life (generally)
  • Prices vary a lot, and plenty of options
  • Can be used while driving
  • Tend to be brand-agnostic
    • Icom talks with GME, GME talks with Uniden, Uniden talks with... and so on.
• Cons:
  • Limited power
    • 5 Watts maximum for everyday use, need a license to use more power
  • Limited range
    • depends on power, line-of-sight, antenna-types, terrain, and whether there are repeater channels available
    • Can be blocked easily by buildings, hills and so on
    • There are commercial repeater channels available 
  • Not secure
    • Technologies like CTCSS/DCS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_Tone-Coded_Squelch_System) allow multiple groups of users to use the same channel within the 40/80ch range, but these are not private channels
  • Channels are open and freely available, so anyone within range can listen in
    • Some light-commercial radios (like the IC41PRO) can be custom-programmed outside of the normal 40/80ch 477MHz range for additional fees ($30-50 per radio, typically), sometimes requiring a new antenna, and only if you have bought a license for those channels from the ACMA - https://www.acma.gov.au/register-radiocommunications-licences
    • Some radios can also have scrambler services built-in, but these are also generally only programmable by dealers and restricted
  • Only one person talks at once, everyone else gets to wait
• Range of prices, starting at very cheap, going up to around $300-400 for a heavy-duty, 5-Watt handheld radio (https://www.radioparts.com.au/category/communications/cb-radios-uhf-vhf/handheld-uhf) and $200-$700 for a vehicle-mounted, 5-Watt radio (https://www.radioparts.com.au/category/communications/cb-radios-uhf-vhf/mobile-uhf)

Use a WiFi/LAN radio system

• Has the simplicity of traditional CB radio and works using WiFi, so no licences are required

• Pros:
  • Secure - only radios within the network can communicate with each other, and WiFi passwords/keys are secured with WPA/WPA2 encryption
  • Radios are generally more compact than traditional CB radios (no need for giant antennas)
  • No month-to-month fees (unless the desktop software requires a licence)
  • Can communicate easily between 1-to-1, 1-to-many or many-to-many 
  • Often have desktop software so an office can communicate with staff anywhere with the network
• Cons:
  • Relies on network infrastructure
    • WiFi access points - need reliable WiFi everywhere communication is required
    • Needs IP addresses and routing
    • Need to talk with the IT Department before playing in their space
  • Useless as soon as you walk far enough from the site
  • Not brand-agnostic - have to buy into the brand

• Something like the Icom IP100H/IP1000C-range (http://www.icom.net.au/networking_ip100h.html) will cost around $550 per radio and $1700 for the controller. Then there are charging options, headset/speaker+mic options, and so on.

Use an LTE/PTToC radio system

• Push-To-Talk-over-Cellular allows for CB-radio-like communication anywhere a mobile signal is found

• Pros:
  • Communication isn't just within a site or line-of-sight range, it works anywhere within range of a mobile phone tower
  • Works well through building materials (generally)
  • Doesn't require expensive repeater networks or complicated infrastructure 
    • Also doesn't require you to get IT Department approval
  • Sometimes available as subscription smartphone/tablet apps, so existing devices can be used
  • Allows for Australia-wide communication networks
    
    • Taxi companies
    • Towing company network - works in tunnels/underground where mobile repeaters work
    • Mobile automotive repair agent network
    • Security guard companies
    • Trucking companies
    • Passenger transport companies
  • Smart functions like:
    • "Man-down" - i.e. no response/movement for some time will trigger an alert
    • "Lone worker" - priority calls and more for workers that need assistance, quickly
    • Emergency buttons - all-calls or targetted calls for assistance fast
    • Priority call functions - allows important calls to override general calls
    • GPS tracking - make sure workers are where they're supposed to be, track progress on a call/trip, and so on
    • Text message facilities
    • Call groups - keep the kitchen staff calls separate from the housekeeping staff and separate from front desk staff
  • Simple radios and simple operation
  • Full-duplex operation provides smooth, telephone-like communication
  • Can have multiple calls/chats going at the same time
  • Secure
    • Most brands will have Australian-based servers for these systems, 
  • No licence fees
• Cons:
  • Ongoing monthly SIM data fees ($30 per device per month, typically) and SIM cards are locked to devices, with no BYO SIM options
    • However, this is a fixed monthly cost. ACMA licences can vary year-by-year.
  • Requires all radios to be within one brand, no inter-communication

• We have options for these from Icom and ToooAir, and the prices vary anywhere from around $400 to over $700 per radio