Radio Maintenance

[LCFD1]

Hello all,

Is it nessasary for radios these days be taken in for "Annual Maintenance" or something similar?

I work for a volunteer department that runs about 1500 calls per year out of about 11 stations. Some radios at stations get used daily, some get used maybe twice per year. We have about 100 handhelds and about 40 mobils. They are all fairly new; CDM 1250, Radius, Maxtrac/HT1000, HT750.

We havnt been having too many problems so far, its pretty much been "fix it when it breaks" type of a thing. I was just kind of wondering what other people out there do.

Thanks!

-Sonny

[jhooten]

Our policy requires all crystal controlled radios be PMed every year and synthsized radios be PMed once every three years. Other than that it is don't fix it if it ain't broke.

[motisking]

Battery maintenance / conditioning every six months would allow you to see what batteries are losing their punch. It also can add capacity to the batteries. (Diffently in NiCAD cells. Debatable in NiMH and does NOT help Li-ION)

A real helpful tip is to listen during day to day operations for radios that just don't sound right. And due something about it.

[Susan157]

In the great white north (Canada I mean)
Yes the equipment is looked at all the time.

When you need it for every day emergencies
then inspections are VERY Important.

It is no go at a 4 alarm fire and you can not respond
to central for help.

Oh ah 9-11 again??

Look after the radios they are a life line.
Radios can Save Lives.

.

[KitN1MCC]

at the railroad the portables every year and the mobiles is as needed.

[wa2zdy]

90.215 used to require a performance check annually. It doesn't anymore. Maybe it's somewhere else in Part 90, but . . . since the licensee is responsible for legal operation of the transmitters, such a test would be advised anyway.

I know budgets for volunteer outfits are stretched past breaking these days, but as others have said, these radios are your lifeline. They need to be kept up. And you don't want to be the one getting a call from someone official about interfering with someone else, right?

A contact with a local ham club might turn up someone who is qualified to do this stuff and who won't charge you a zillion bucks and hour, especially if he lives in your district. I think it's a sin that volunteer companies often have to choose between this or that, when both are needed.

[Will]

Good sujestion, Chris. Yes the FCC does require the licensee to know all the radios meet (all) the licensed specs. So periodic inspection is a very good idea as Susan mentioned. We usally check radios at 8 month intervals or whenever any repair or programming is done, that includes any programming change(s).

Even reprogramming has sometimes caused a radio to operate out of FCC requirements, and all the person did was to "change a couple of channels". One in paticular had to have his ASIII completely realigned.