Summer is well underway, and from now until October, that means festivals, parade firework shows, music concerts and outdoor gatherings galore.

Event planners and sponsors have plenty of considerations to make when organizing these large-scale gatherings, but they often de-prioritize the installation of a reliable communication system. Most planners know they will need one. They also understand that it’s much cheaper to rent a two-radio system for short term use than it is to buy one.

There are many granular pricing and quality considerations to make when choosing a communication technology provider that, if not taken into account, can inflate costs without actually providing the high-performance and reliability you require.

To help guide event planners as they search for high-quality, cost-effective two-way radio solutions, we’ve highlighted an important aspect of radio communications, repeaters & infrastructure.

Infrastructure: Make radio communication safe, efficient and discreet

Providing event-wide radio coverage is crucial for security reasons. Historically, event planners have left this up to the chosen communications provider. The problem is that there is a right and a wrong way to distribute infrastructure that enables coverage for large areas. It’s ultimately up to event planners to hold their communications provider responsible for doing it the right way.

A large event area (let’s say, several city blocks) needs repeaters to ensure complete coverage, so that event staff – and if needed, emergency responders – can communicate effectively for operational purposes or in a crisis. We often see that repeaters are scattered throughout the event area, which is not ideal for several key reasons:

• It’s incredibly difficult if not impossible to integrate an emergency management or “all-call” system.
• With scattered repeaters, your coverage area varies based on what repeater you are accessing.
• Installation and management is more complex.
• Communication channels need to be manually selected.
• Scattered repeaters are conspicuous and unsightly.

A more effective method is to rack repeaters in a single location and combine them through one antenna system as a digital trunked system. This enables the deployment of an emergency “all call” channel, where any user can hear an emergency broadcast and respond if needed.  They can also coordinate contingency plans if, for example, weather threatens the event.

Furthermore, digital radio trunking automatically directs radio traffic to improve efficiency. As opposed to the user having to select the specific channels, the system automatically directs the call traffic to an open repeater slot. This means you select the group, rather than the channel, and the communication is directed over any open channel. This improves communication availability, making it possible to set up more talk groups (e.g. one for security, one for parking staff, one for on-site medical staff, etc.) using less radio infrastructure.  All MOTOTRBO repeaters deployed by Day’s rental team have digital trunking capability (Capacity Plus).

Premium Hardware and Service on a Budget

The MOTOTRBO radios in Day Wireless rental inventory include top of the line models such as the XPR 7550e, the XPR 7550, and XPR 6550 which all can operate on digital trunking infrastructure.  These radios have excellent battery life, loud and clear transmission, enhanced privacy, and a rugged and durable feel.  All XPR 7000/6000 series radios we rent include intrinsically safe (FM) or (UL) rated battery, making them safe to carry even in hazardous environments.

When renting radios and infrastructure from Day Wireless you also are fully in compliance with FCC regulations as you are operating under our license.

Our experienced rental representatives will make sure you have the appropriate communications gear for each type of event, and make thoughtful suggestions on audio accessories (headsets, earpieces, speaker mics) as well as energy accessories (multi-unit chargers and spare batteries) to make your event run smoothly.

Contact Day Wireless Systems for information about how to get the best quality, performance, reliability and ease-of-use for the price on your rental radio system.