Introduction

Due to the inability of certain people to communicate properly and understand all the aspects of site testing this page was created to read, compare notes and build on for the benefit of all. Human communication, comprehension and understanding problems is beyond the scope of this document, however the reader should keep these problems in mind when dealing with site issues and interfacing with other companies and government Agencies. Misunderstandings, bogus readings, log entries, technician and management diagnostics and plan of actions for problem solving are commonly mis-directed with considerable time and expense wasted in the wrong direction of efforts. This can lead to the general desensitation (pun intended) and poor attitude of the workforce in most any private company or government in the technical (repair) field around this country. Fortunately, there still is a handful of technicians that care to understand what the problem is and the proper way to solve, or at least, reduce the symptoms to an acceptable figure. If you are reading this it's most like you are in one of the latter. This is a good thing.

Newsflash: The world is going digital! I know, I know, this is not really a revelation. We all carry around a smartphone, tablet or PC that communicates over digital LTE or Wifi. The two way radio is not much different...

Radio

Radio technology – traditionally understood as the wireless broadcasting of audio signals like music and speech – has had a fresh lease of life in recent years.

In simple terms, radio technology leverages the electromagnetic radiations (EMR), which can be oscillate at desired frequency and allow trans-reception of data when attuned to the correct value. EMR waves travel at the speed of light, through any media (or even vacuum!), and may be used for either near-field or far-field communication based on the frequency specifications. In short, radio waves are just low-frequency versions of what we call “light”. Range of these EMR wave frequencies comprise a particular ‘channel’, which is precisely what the radio stations adhere to.

Commercially, the need for transmitting information over geographical distances has skyrocketed in recent years, as has the demand for radio to meet those needs. From radar, sonar, GPS navigation systems, wireless networking, and cellular data plans at industrial scale to Bluetooth technology and near-field communication (NFC) for your hand-held devices, radio is omnipresent.