Introspective View of Two Way Radio Use in Farming

Farmers have a lot on their plate trying to run a profitable, diverse, safe operation, normally covering a very large land area to bring in livestock or tend crops. They also face other issues affecting their business, including theft of high-value machinery, livestock rustling, vandalism and fly-tipping.

A good way to deal with these issues is to improve efficiency and health and safety in the business. The solution is to have an effective two-way radio system. Various radio systems are available, including analogue and digital. Still, we find that a system incorporating a standard 5 Watt licenced hand portable and 25 Watt mobile of either variety normally does the job. Other features may be required, such as dust/waterproof protection, long battery life and rugged build, which Icom UK can supply.

If the coverage area is large, a farm will have buildings in place to attach masts/antennas or hide a repeater away to give optimum height for any coverage they may want to gain.

Ian Lockyer, Marketing Manager of Icom UK, said, 'We do see some farmers moving away from two-way radio to mobile phones. They then realise the coverage isn't as good as they need and return it. You don't have the facility for an 'All Call' on phones, so if there is an emergency, you cannot call everyone simultaneously, which is vitally important.'

He added, 'Icom UK are finding that the farming sector is choosing both analogue and digital radios for their businesses. Farmers need something that works and may normally choose the simplest option available, with priority being simple two-way communication and no-frills. Now the difference in price between analogue and digital isn't that great, and you see some customers opting for the extra features that digital offer such as noise-cancelling.'

Radio technology isn't just voice. Icom's 'data transceiver', called the IC-F5122DD offers more than just being able to talk to each other. Farms may have reservoirs which are used to irrigate crops. They will be monitoring these facilities with a system which will report back water level low for instance. They might want to monitor this and other machinery remotely. The radio data modem allows telemetry and low-speed supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA). The solution doesn't tie into two way radio but shows another solution that the radio industry can supply farmers.

Radio systems have developed over the years, and there is a lot more choice in technology, and Icom has kept up with this demand. As mentioned earlier, farmers have gone to mobile phones instead of using a two-way radio. They may have good coverage where they are based, but only being able to talk to one person at a time can cause problems. Icoms' LTE Two Way Radio System works over a cellular network and the IP501H Radio Handset works like a conventional radio. With the ability to perform 'Group Call', 'Priority Call' and full-duplex & hands-free communications with no need for repeaters or antenna installations, it can be a cheaper and more efficient alternative.

To check out our latest range of two-way commercial products, visit our website www.icomuk.co.uk . Alternatively, give our team a call on 01227 741741.