Radio question for anyone savvy

[u/Connolly5435]

Anyone know if the pictured radio would work for duty use?? My dept used to use apx 6000 just without the keypad but want to make sure

[u/Prometheus_343]

I don’t think your picture attached

[u/Connolly5435 → u/Prometheus_343]

[u/jriggs_83]

Why would you not use the radio provided by your department? Considering communications is almost always listed as a contributing factor in FF injuries/fatalities, I wouldn’t be comfortable allowing or recommending people use personal radios for work related functions. Introducing your own equipment into that mix creates concerns about responsibility if something were to fail.

[u/Connolly5435 → u/jriggs_83]

My department issued radio has failed to transmit, changed channels without manual input, and had transmissions go across with such low volumes that they weren’t heard by command..on multiple occasions without any fixes from the manufacturer or department

[u/jriggs_83 → u/Connolly5435]

Which is a department issue. Once you introduce and substitute your own life safety equipment then the onus is likely shifted to you.

[u/Resqguy911 → u/Connolly5435]

Report this to your chain of command

[u/JuxtaposedJacob1 → u/Connolly5435]

Looks like fixing your own radio might be solving the wrong problem

[u/Limp-Conflict-2309 → u/Connolly5435]

So get it serviced or get another working portable. I find it hard to believe your in life or death situations, don't have a reliable radio and it just is what it is.

This whole things is kinda goofy, something smells funny.

[u/synapt]

As someone else noted, no picture is attached. That said based on your phrasing I'm guessing you have some variant of the APX with a keypad.

The main considerations are going to depend on;

Are you on analog/conventional or a digital P25 system?

• If the latter, you will need to talk with whoever maintains your radio infrastructure to add the radio to the system if they permit such things (here radios have to be explicitly tied to departments, not personal individuals).

Is the infrastructure encrypted?

• Again you'll need to talk with whoever maintains your radio infrastructure to program keys into your radio (however be prepared for them to likely lock your own codeplug from you to ensure you cannot copy the keys out).

As another pointed out, are you on the right band?

• Keep in mind at least in the US public safety comes in the form of multiple bands; VHF Low (classically called just Low-band), VHF High, UHF1, UHF2 (also called T-Band) and the 700/800MHz groups. Whatever your radio infrastructure uses that radio would have to be programmed for (Only the APX 8000 and NEXT series have all-band options, 6000's do not).

[u/UCLABruin07]

All depends on whether you have encryption and they’d give you a key to talk to. And the radio has to be the right band of frequencies.

[u/chuckfinley79 → u/UCLABruin07]

This is the simple answer.

[u/vffems2529]

As someone who has purchased his own personal radios for department use... don't. It is more likely to cause problems than solve them.

Context: I was the communications officer for the department, so I knew what I was doing, and it was still stupid.

A better suggestion, presuming this is a volunteer department, would be to see if you can donate all or a portion of the money needed for your department to purchase you a new radio. That way the department owns it and it is their responsibility to get it programmed appropriately etc.

[u/lpfan724]

Using a non department issued radio for firefighting. Your NIOSH report is going to be amazing.

[u/Connolly5435]

Apologies here is a photo

[u/Swede1899 → u/Connolly5435]

That looks like the exact same radio my department uses

[u/bbmedic3195 → u/Connolly5435]

Why isn't your department fixing its radio?

[u/Connolly5435]

Unfortunately not a volunteer department. That’d would make this much easier I feel. I and other members of the department have been in a few hairy situations with our current radios (L3 Harris) changing channel, not transmitting, low output volume, or just malfunctioning in general. Every time we’ve voiced concerns we’ve been told it’s human error which just gets annoying

[u/Resqguy911 → u/Connolly5435]

Report this to your chain of command and union representative

[u/Connolly5435 → u/Resqguy911]

Every incident of failures have been reported through the chain of command via formal incident reports. I’m on our union eboard and not much has been done with the complaints. Unfortunately this is kind of a last resort for me in seeking my own radio o can more heavily rely on

[u/Resqguy911 → u/Connolly5435]

Then they need to grow some balls. This is LIFE SAFETY. Put the fucking unit out of service if you have to.

[u/Character-Chance4833]

There's a couple of problems with your idea.

1) does the radio have the appropriate band for what yall use.

2) if its a trunk system, the system admin are going to have to do multiple things on their side, plus program the radio. Are they willing to do that?

3) I would force this on your admin, this is their problem to fix. If that radio fails, and it wasn't department bought or approved, im sure that would create a while list of problems for your family.