Benefits of Two Way Radios to the Hotel Industry

Over the years, hotel communication has had to change and develop, becoming more and more efficient than it was. This is courtesy of the advancement in technology over these years. Passed are the days that 2 way radios were exclusively for police official use. Nowadays, these pieces of technology that have been improved and made even better are used for hotel communications. These state of the art technology have lots of benefits that any of us have been recipients of in one way or the other. Being in the hospitality industry, I can outline with ease some of the major benefits that these Two way radios have brought into hospitality.

First and foremost, the service offered to the customers in the hotels has been improved. When taking orders in the restaurants back in the day, the waiters had to go all the way back to the kitchen to request for the order. Okay, this was not much of a problem for the small establishments. However, as the hotel grew and the number of employees grew, the kitchen area would get so crowded that out was difficult to get the job done. With the new Two-way radio technology however, all the waitress have to do is call out the order through the gadget and it is received on the other end saving on the time.

Also, being in the hotel business, I can testify that just like in any other business, there are major up and downs. However, unlike many other businesses, there is no space for screwing up. A single mishaps can cost you millions. The best way to avoid this from happening, is by communicating with the manager and airing out issues that might be there. Communication is key in this business and the sooner an issue is sorted out the faster you can move on and provide quality service to your customers.

Security. Do we really have to spell out the benefits that Two way radios have with regards to security in the hospitality industry. The hotel industry harbors people of different kinds and who have different intentions. As such, the necessary measures need to be taken to ensure the security of the staff as well as the other peaceable customers. The rate at which the security personnel react to distress calls can be the determining factor to how the security emergency turns out. The 2 way radios have greatly increased the speed in which the security personnel respond to security threats and also ensure that they are on top of every situation as every member in the hotel informs them when there is a security risk.

In addition to the above benefits, the Two way radios are cost effective and are also very easy to use. With the Two way radios, the management does not have to pay any network provider so that they can communicate. This reduces the cost of operation of the hotel by a great margin. To talk through to the other person on the other end of the line, all you have to do is press a button on the front and you will get through. It is as easy as that.

The benefits of the 2-way radios are numerous. This makes them a major asset to any hotel.

City faces decision on radio infrastructure

With very little information on the internet about Radio's, it is very rare when we get a chance to re post, with permission, an article from this industry.

The City of Edmond faces a decision about whether to replace or upgrade public safety radio infrastructure to the tune of about $6 million, said Matt Stillwell, director of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management.



Edmond purchased a 7-channel Motorola MHz SmartNet radio system in 1998. Seven years ago, the system interfaced with a different Motorola system operated by the state, Stillwell said.

“Our technology is going to be 20 years old in four short years,” Stillwell said. “… Think of your cell systems and how they have changed since the 1990s. The same dynamics affect radio systems.”

Changes in technology, governance and an aging infrastructure will inform what system changes the city should choose within seven years, Stillwell said.

The city maintains ownership of its seven channels and the state added 10 more channels to local sites, Stillwell said. All local governments use this system, but not everybody has paid for its maintenance. Only six municipalities help pay for the system.

“The citizens of Edmond are paying for a system of any (yearly) infrastructure maintenance, while other users of the same sites are not,” Stillwell said.

The City of Edmond joined the state’s system in 2007. A lot of other communities join the system through grant dollars, he said. The upgrade was paid for by state dollars and cost the city nothing, he said.

Questions are unanswered as to how many radios for police, fire and emergency management would be impacted by a new system, Stillwell told The Edmond Sun.

“We won’t have to replace all of the hand-held radios that are out in the field,” Stillwell said. “Most of the radios we have been purchasing for the last five years are digital capable and P-25 capable.”

The P-25 is a radio standard that all of the public safety radio vendors use, Stillwell added.

Directors of city departments recently identified $143.6 million worth of unfunded city projects they say the city needs. The Edmond City Council heard presentations about these needs, such as the public safety radio infrastructure, at a public workshop. (For coverage of other capital improvement projects discussed by the city, look at www.edmondsun.com.)

A funding source to pay for these infrastructure improvements is in the first phases of discussion, said Larry Stevens, city manager. There are concerns that the 2000 Capital Improvement 3/4-cent sales tax will not provide adequate funding for major capital projects, Stevens said.

The city welcomes public input by Edmond residents and future recommendations by the Capital Projects and Financing Task Force, Stevens added.

Either Edmond will partner with the state to upgrade with the latest digital technology, or pursue an independent digital upgrade without the cushion of state funding, Stillwell explained.

“The bottom line is we have to move away from that analogue. End-of-life issues are coming up with our technology,” Stillwell said. - See more at: http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x1760083917/City-faces-decision-on-radio-infrastructure#sthash.bqDBsfhK.dpuf

Earplugs crank along the noise while still allowing you to hear

Again a new piece i found interesting on the subject of radio accessory's, what would you need to do if i didn't post this ehh? you’d have to check out the initial content, the chances that you found it could be slim, so deem yourself lucky that i have shared this glorious article with you.

Awhile back, I reviewed the Bean Quiet Sound Amplifier from Etymotic. The Beans are basically hearing aids that amplify sounds so you can hear better.

The difference with the Beans is that you don’t need to consult a doctor.

Etymotic is all about helping people hear better and keep their hearing, so when it offered its Music Pro Earplugs ($299 at etymotic.com), I wanted to try them out.

The Music Pros are the opposite of the Beans. They help your hearing by reducing loud sounds while letting you hear normal volumes.

How does that work? Good question.

The Music Pros look exactly like the Beans. They’re self-contained, use tiny hearing-aid batteries and fit inside your ear.

If you fit them correctly, they don’t show unless you turn your head. The Music Pros have tiny microphones that listen to what you are hearing and process the sound before it gets to your ears.

Each earpiece runs on a tiny No. 10 battery that will last a few weeks if you turn the earplugs off when not in use.

There is no power switch â€" you turn the earplugs off by unsnapping the battery doors and removing the batteries. It’s easier than it sounds.

There are two modes, and you change modes with a tiny switch on each earpiece.

In 9dB mode, quiet sounds are amplified by 6dB, while 9dB protection is used when the outside noise gets louder.

In 15dB mode, natural sounds come though at their normal levels, but the Music Pros provide 15dB of protection when noise exceeds safe levels.

The Music Pros come with seven different types of tips to accommodate different ear canal shapes.

I was easily able to find one that worked well (I like the spongy ones), and they’re easy to change out.

I didn’t see any live music during my testing week, but I did simulate the concert experience with over-the-ear headphones cranked up really loud.

The Music Pros did what they said they’d do â€" they let me hear sounds at a normal volume and definitely kept really loud sounds from getting to my ears.

They’re magical, but for $299 for the pair, I’d expected them to impress.

I’m not entirely sure what the target market is for these â€" people who work regularly at concert venues, maybe, or people in construction jobs.

I suppose if you wear earplugs as part of your daily life, you’d want to take a look at these.



Pros: Easy to use, nice choice of ear tips, good hearing protection

Cons: Expensive

Bottom line: If I had a job in which my hearing were stressed regularly, I’d probably invest in these.

Etymotic MC3 headset + earphones

I’ve been listening to Etymotic earphones for at least a decade. Its MC3 headset + earphones is a worthy member of a great line of audio products.

The MC3 ($79 at etymotic.com) has a lot going for it, but most important it’s comfortable and sounds really good.

Etymotic includes four types of tips, so chances are good that you’ll find one that fits your ears.

Whenever I get a new pair of earphones to try out, I like to see which tips will fit best without any music playing. I just sit and think about how they feel inside my ears for a few minutes.

The MC3s offer great noise isolation if you get the right fit. And they’re not heavy on the bass, which I like.

The three-button remote also worked well with my iPhone, both for clear calls and controlling music playback and volume.

Etymotic has a custom-fit earmold option that lets users get molds made of their ears at an audiologist’s for a custom set of earpieces. Prices vary depending on the audiologist, but Etymotic has a list of audiologists it works with, and according to some online who’ve reviewed the process, the cost is around $100, which is a bargain and worth checking out.

Overall I like MC3s. They’re inexpensive, have a good sound for my ear, fit comfortably and have a microphone so I can use them with my phone.

Pros: Inexpensive, options for a custom fit, nice highs and midtones. Very clear and comfortable.

Cons: Not heavy on bass notes.

Bottom line: A solid choice if you’re not all about the bass.

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/headlines/20141004-earplugs-crank-down-the-noise-while-still-letting-you-hear.ece

Kickstarter campaign launched for an earpiece using biometric sensors

Without giving too much about this radio accessory piece, but I thought it exciting and related to what I’m currently doing.

Research and development firm Sensogram Technologies announced it has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $250,000 to supplement the manufacturing and refine its wearable health and fitness device, SensoTRACK.

SensoTRACK is able to simultaneously measure and monitor heart rate, respiration rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure in real time, as well as many other parameters including calories burnt, step count and geophysical location.

Launched on October 14, the Kickstarter campaign is set to run for 60 days through December 12.

Available in six different colors, SensoTRACK will initially be offered in limited availability by February 2015, then expand to full-scale production in the second quarter of 2015.

Though the suggested list price is $245 per device, it is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter for $199.

Operating either as a stand-alone device or a tablet to upload data to a secure cloud server, SensoTRACK can be worn on the ear to wirelessly sense, monitor and track a user’s performance.

SensoTRACK’s algorithms analyze, interpret and present the data in a dashboard display, while the platform allows users to share fitness routines with other users via the cloud platform.

“Whether you are an elite athlete or someone who wishes to chart progress toward greater health, fitness, or just well-being, the feedback SensoTRACK provides can help motivate the owner of the device to reach her/his goal,” said Dr. Vahram Mouradian, founder and chief technical officer of Sensogram Technologies. “Information is power, and SensoTRACK offers users the power to sense, track and manage personal fitness and activities, motivated by the improving health results.”

After four years of development, testing and refinement, SensoTRACK will be manufactured by development partners in Plano, Texas who are in compliance with ISO Standards in both electronics and medical manufacturing.

http://www.biometricupdate.com/201410/kickstarter-campaign-launched-for-earpiece-with-biometric-sensors

Mars Rover Spots UFO...Or Does It?

After much global speculation, NASA has at last put out an official statement regarding the true identity of the ‘white spot’ or ‘UFO’ seen on Mars by the Curiosity Rover on June 20th.

...Sadly, the UFO in question turned out to be only as extraterrestrial as a camera glitch.

Interviewed by The Huffington Post, Justin Maki, the main camera operator for the rover, said, "This is a hot pixel that has been around since we started using the Right Navcam (...) In the thousands of images we've received from Curiosity, we see ones with bright spots nearly every week, these can be caused by cosmic-ray hits or sunlight glinting from rock surfaces, as the most likely explanations."

As any photographer will tell you, ‘hot pixels’ sometimes occur during long exposure shots. Such glitches are usually caused by the camera’s sensors momentarily overheating (although they pose no danger to the camera equipment itself).

Amateur photographers occasionally mistake hot pixels for paranormal phenomena as well. In fact, the ghost website ‘Photographing The Paranormal.com’ actually has a section on these little buggers. It warns potential ghost hunters that,

“A perfectly symmetric small red dot in your picture is probably nothing paranormal, especially if it is at the same spot in most of your pictures. That’s actually called a hot pixel, if you spot one, don’t call the press!”

Older astronomy enthusiasts will no doubt be reminded of the discovery of the ‘Martian face’, a famous image captured by NASA’s Viking 1 orbiter in 1976.



Various theorists hurried to suggest that the ‘face’ was evidence of a long-lost Martian civilization (complete with ‘pyramids’ and everything), but it was actually just a large formation, captured by the relatively low-resolution cameras of the 1970’s, that looked a bit like a face.

Modern images, of course, reveal nothing so grand. The ‘Martian Face’ fiasco is now seen as an example of paraeidolia, a psychological phenomenon that sees people finding recognizable patterns in otherwise random sounds and images, examples of which include The Man in the Moon, Rorschach tests and those times when people see the faces of religious figures in ordinary household objects.



So it seems that there was no reason for us to get excited after all (except that pictures of Mars are unassailably cool).

...Of course, the conspiracy nutters are never going to buy it, but hey, what can you do?

What Is a Covert Earpiece?

Can not get over how inexpensive the earpiece is, a tremendous deal for any top-end product!

A covert earpiece is a miniature earpiece worn by an individual while being effectively hidden from plain view. It operates as a radio accessory in times when a user does not want other people to know she or he is communicating with others using radio earbuds. Also known as an invisible earpiece or a surveillance earpiece, a covert earpiece is often worn by government agents, corporate security personnel, undercover law enforcement officers and corporate as well as government spies.

covert earpiece

While many occupations require the use of a radio headset for communication, a covert earpiece is primarily used in instances where communication is of an extremely private and sensitive nature. This is common in cases of private security details and surveillance projects. Sometimes people also use a covert earpiece to defraud businesses and others. Examples of such instances would include someone using an invisible earpiece to cheat on an exam or to defraud a casino by receiving remote information while playing a game.

On-air television personalities may also use a covert earpiece, which is not distracting to viewers, but allows the person to hear relevant feedback from producers and engineers in order to make sure a taping or live appearance flows smoothly. Individuals may also wear a covert earpiece when making a public speech. By doing so, the speaker can receive important cues or changes in a speech without the audience even being aware that communication is taking place between someone located behind the scenes and the individual delivering the speech.

Some covert earpieces are accompanied by a discreet microphone, which enables two-way communication. These are commonly used by security forces with a need for such communication, particularly during surveillance operations. These types of accessories are not only convenient because they feature hands-free operation, but also because they allow undercover security forces to blend in with crowds without having to use a visible walkie-talkie system of communication.



A covert earpiece does not contain any visible wires and is designed to fit inside the ear without being noticeable to the general public. Some devices are even designed to fit on a pair of eyeglasses while amplifying sound inside a person’s ear. An inductive wire is sometimes worn around the person’s neck, but is covered by clothing so as not to be discovered by onlookers. This wire is not connected to the covert earpiece, but connects to a separate radio device that helps modulate sound.

Do All Walkie Talkies Work Together

Mobile technology has greatly improved over the past years. However, cell phones have some inadequacy at some point. They are reliably dependent on network coverage and tend to fail in areas with poor or limited coverage. On the other hand, walkie talkies beat them to this. Do all walkie talkies work together? This is a question being asked by many users or those planning to acquire such devices. To answer this question, one will have to understand how the device works. You have to know the basics involved in operating the device. They are wireless radios that can be easily carried around. One has to understand the technology and the modalities associated with the workings of the walkie talkies. This is the best way to answer the question.

These are battery powered transceivers (it can send and receive a radio message). They operate on half-duplex channels. This implies that one device, on a single channel can transmit one signal at a time though many devices will be able to receive that signal. The radios are primarily designed for short-range communication and transmit signals directly to each other.

All walkie talkies have similar basic components that include a microphone, speaker, antenna, battery and the PTT button. All these features combine to make communication successful. These devices are designed to operate on particular radio frequencies. The United States has designated different frequencies to meet users’ needs. The public are allowed to use the Family Radio Service (FRS) and the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). The GMRS or FRS radios operate on the 460MHz range. The government has also set a side frequencies (the Business Band) that corporates can use (it ranges from 450 to 470MHz). Law enforcing agencies such as the police also have their own frequency so that there is no interference from public users. This is helps the agency to prevent their channels from overlapping with those of public users.

As already discussed above, the GMRS and FRS, frequencies are designated for public use. These channels overlap at particular frequencies even though radios that use such channels have several distinct differences.



The FRS radios have a fixed antenna. They are not quite powerful as their power is limited to about 0.5 watts. These features make their use limited to a small area. They are better suited to personal use as they only operate on the FRS bands.

The GMRS radios are more powerful and have a power of about 5 watts. They can also use repeaters to enhance their radio signals and thus boost their range.

There are many hybrid radios now that can be able to operate on both channels. However, only licensed operators are allowed to use the GMRS channel. This is because the GMRS walkie talkies are powerful enough to cause more interference.

Europe has restricted walkie talkies to PMR446 frequencies or those at just around 440MHz. It is illegal to use a radio operating on the PMR466 frequency on the GMRS or FRS channel. Therefore, if you are travelling from Europe to America, it is very important to make sure that your radio operates on the required frequency to avoid getting in trouble with the law.

From the discussion above, it is clear to see that their operation is restricted only by the frequency of the signal and not the brand. When one uses walkie talkies of the same brand, they are least likely to experience problems in signal transmission and reception as they are more similar in operation. However, this does not mean those using different brands will not communicate.

These radios are all about sending and receiving signals. Therefore, signals sent from one radio at a certain frequency can be received by another radio in that range.

What makes these gadgets stand out from cell phones is their simplicity. One does not need to dial any number to call, all you need to do is to push the PTT button when either reaching out to transmit or receiving a transmission. This applies regardless of the brand one has as they all have similar features as discussed earlier.

In conclusion, in more than one word, the evidence suggests that type of brand does not matter. Therefore, do all walkie talkies work together? Yes, they do.