Two-Way Radios for Water Treatment Operations

Two-way radios have become an indispensable tool for many of today’s water treatment plant operators. From operations and maintenance support to security, fire safety and cleaning, reliable two-way radio coverage is critical to maintain plant performance, help plan and supervise day-to-day activities, and be better prepared for the unexpected.

Professional grade two-way radios are essential for water treatment facilities for the following reasons:

• Cost effective. Two-way radios are generally more cost effective than cell phones. For example, cell phones require monthly fees and various usage fees and roaming charges that quickly add up as well. With two-way radios, there’s the cost of the radio and that’s it.

• Ability to communicate from every corner of a plant facility. With so much steel, concrete, and glass, water treatment facilities require radios with enough power and the right frequency to allow workers to communicate from every nook and cranny in any plant or facility. Many water treatment plant operators prefer ultra-high frequency (UHF) radios with at least 4 watts of power for maximum signal penetration.

• Rugged design. Anyone who works in the water treatment industry knows full well that those environments are full of hard surfaces, lots of opportunity for water damage, and challenging environments for any piece of electronic equipment. Professional grade two-way radios are incredibly rugged, often built to exacting military specifications for resistance to shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, dust, and even water.

• Emergency alert features. Sometimes water treatment operators need a way to communicate an emergency in a blink of an eye. Many industrial radios have an emergency alert call button that is clearly marked and easily available when workers are unable to voice transmit via the microphone. This feature also can provide GPS location coordinates for managers or directors. Additionally, two-way radios also have another safety feature referred to as a man down alert option. This feature allows multiple radios to receive an alert when it senses the radio has fallen down and not recovered within a specified period of time. Only professional-grade two-way radios can be certified as intrinsically safe or protected from creating heat or sparks in potentially flammable environments. WW

About the Author: Ben Burns is the founder and chief executive officer of Discount Two-Way Radio, a North American distributor of RCA two-way radio equipment. Learn more at www.discounttwo-wayradio.com.