Basic Trouble Shooting
Are your radios driving you crazy? Causing drawn-out frustration? Losing productivity?
National Wireless has collected a list of common Q&As regarding two-way radio trouble shooting. Before sending away the radio for repair have a look here and see if we can solve your issues instantaneously.
We also recommend you read the best practice recommendations – to ensure you are using and maintaining your radios for maximum performance and longevity.
Drawing from decades of experience, here are some common troubleshooting tips for two-way radios:
It can be helpful to try a battery swap: take a battery from a functioning radio of the same type, insert it into the malfunctioning radio. If the radio does work then you have isolated the problem, your battery is probably faulty. Check your batteries. Batteries have a limited life span of a few years depending on usage; each battery is marked with a date code (see picture below to locate the date code on the battery). This is an example of a Hytera radio battery’s serial number which includes the manufactured date. It’s the first 3 numbers. Eg159 is 2015/September. If there is an O, N or D. This represents October, November and December.0 The four-digit code, highlighted in a red box above, is an example of a Motorola radio battery’s date of manufacture code. The code above translates to 2017 / Week 15. If your battery is less than two years old and you believe it is faulty, please visit our Equipment Repair Centre or call us on 02 4964 1533 to organise a warranty assessment. Please note batteries are considered dangerous good by freight companies and restrictions apply.
You must immediately remove batteries with any signs of physical damage. This damage can include:
Radios can malfunction if the antenna is loose or installed incorrectly. Using the incorrect antenna can result is poor coverage. Start by removing the antenna by turning in a counterclockwise direction. Look to ensure you have the correct antenna type for your radio — the standard whip antenna, which is long and thin, or the stubby antenna, which is much shorter. The antenna will have either a pin or a flat connector; look at the connector base on the radio and make sure it’s the correct shape to fit the connector, pin or flat. Also look at the antenna and see whether it has a frequency or colour band on it. Look at the model number on the radio label and check the documentation for that radio to see if you should be using it on the UHF or VHF frequency band; make sure you have the appropriate type of antenna for that frequency band. If you appear to have the correct type of antenna, reinstall it by turning it in a clockwise direction and turn the radio back on.
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Best Practices for Using Two Way Radios Let’s face it: Sometimes the problems that folks are having with two-way radios aren’t being caused by the devices. In two words: User error. Using radios correctly will solve a whole host of problems. Radios are meant to be intuitive, but they do require training, not just once but on an ongoing basis. Pass along these radio best practices and see how many radio “problems” disappear:
Best Practice for Maintenance and Storage Proper maintenance and storage can reduce the chances of damage to two-way radios, making them last as long as possible. Daily maintenance of the handset as well as good battery practices can also indirectly help with sound quality. With these tips for two-way radio maintenance, your communication will continue seamlessly for the estimated four to seven years that your radios are expected to last. Storage best practices:
Radio won’t turn on
Battery / Batteries aren’t charging
Battery Safety
Antenna
Safe Radio Use
Poor Audio quality
Is it your Radio or your System?
Best Practices for Using Two-Way Radios
Best Practice for Maintenance and Storage