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    Your two-way radios are a real time saver when they work! That is, when they work the way they are supposed to. What is it that keeps a radio from working up to its potential? The list is fairly short; dropping it, moisture, power surges, and operating out of specifications. Let’s look at these one by one.

Dropping (or any blow to) a radio can cause serious damage. It can:

·         Break controls, such as volume or channel select;

·         Crack cases, allowing dirt & moisture to seep in;

·         Break internal components and solder connections.

A great number of shocks, drops and bangs a portable radio gets can be eliminated by using a leather holster. It helps cushion the radio in the event it may take accidental abuse. If your people have expressed negative feelings for holsters, let them try a holster with a swivel connection which will conform to their movements. Holsters are a great piece of insurance, compared to the cost of repairing a radio after it has been dropped. A holster will also help you avoid water damage. It is pretty hard to drop a radio in a puddle, or to spill a beverage into it when it’s on your belt.

    Next let’s look at power surges.  When you put your radio in the charger, it must be turned off. To properly charge a battery, chargers deliver more voltage and current than the radio uses when in operation. If your radio is “on” when you put it in the charger, a spike of voltage or current greater than the operating tolerances of the radio are fed through the circuits. This can result in the loss of programming or damage to the various components in the radio.

      Operating out of specifications; Components are made to operate within specific tolerances. When they are operated outside these ranges, it weakens or stops them from functioning altogether. If for reasons of normal wear, power surges, or shock, a component of a radio is not processing or passing the proper signal, current or voltage, the next component in line can also be damaged. This domino effect is the cause for most radio malfunction.

      One last cause of malfunction is bending your radio. You say, “How could you bend a radio”? It’s real easy, sit down with the radio in your back pocket. Modern radios are smaller than the chunky “bricks” that were common 10 years ago. One of the main reasons of decreasing size in equipment is the arrival of integrated circuit boards. These boards, only 3/32” thick have 3 layers of components and wiring (about one half as thick as a human hair) and are screwed directly to the radio chassis. When you sit on your radio, you flex these boards and the circuits or components break.

Sooner or later all radios need repair. You can minimize your service bills by observing a couple of basic standards. Make sure that all your radio users understand the proper care of their equipment. If a radio starts to fail send it to be repaired. Waiting will only allow for further deterioration of components. When you send a radio in for service attach a note to the radio stating how the radio is malfunctioning, with a phone number in case of questions or clarifications. Repairs incorporate parts & labor, the quicker the technician determines the problem, the more efficiently it can be repaired.

The FCC requires that whenever a radio is serviced that it be realigned to factory specifications. Even if the radio is sent in because the case is cracked your radio must be realigned. Aligning a radio determines components that are not functioning to factory specifications or are out of industry tolerance and will start the dominos falling. This procedure will also save costly repairs and radio problems in the future.