We need 6 radios for the church safety team that meet the following criteria:

Have a belt clip
Have a comfortable ear piece of some kind
Able to reach all over the property, part of which is a basement
Ability to add radios in the future

I’m researching these things but there are a million different types so I don’t know what to buy. We bought a cheap set off amazon when we started and they have all crapped out so we are looking at something a little better now, maybe low end Motorola. While we want to upgrade I can’t spend too much. Thanks in advance for the help.

Define “too much”


Lots of “Catch-22” issues in this....

The easiest answer is FRS radios, no license required. Business use OK. Radios are cheap but low power with crap antennas and your layout may cause a problem. They use UHF frequencies but the low power makes it hard to punch through concrete or earth to a basement area.

GMRS radios lets you use more power, but there is a license required and using it for a business would be an FCC violation.


If you want to be a renegade, you could by Baofeng Ham radios which offer 5 watts (or more) of power and TX/RX on FRS and GMRS frequencies (in addition to the amateur VHF/UHF range). The higher UHF freqs tend to do better inside compared to VHF given the same power output. Of course there are a couple of problems here...

While the Baofengs will TX/RX on FRS/GMRS freqs, they are not type accepted by the FCC for those radio services and you would be in violation of the FCC rules if you did so. Also, as I said above GMRS is not ok for business use.


Given all of that, my suggestion would be to go with MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) radios. They are VHF which usually isn’t first choice for indoors, but generally run with higher power which will help to make up for that and improve range.

MURS radios are generally going to be a higher build quality vs FRS or GMRS as well given the assumed commercial application. No license is needed and the FCC approves of them for business use. They are going to cost more than toy radios, simple because they are not toys.


Are you or someone at the Church an Amazon Prime subscriber? I’d suggest getting two of the Baofengs MURS-V1 radios to give a try at $55/each. If they work, order some more. If not, return them and try something else. While I am not familiar with this particular radio, it seems to be a member of the UV-82 radio family which is a pretty good build and well received radio for the price. Uses the same batteries and accessories so no problem getting those items.


While they come with earpieces, I haven’t been impressed with the one that came with my Baofeng ham radio. However they use one of the two “standards” and there are a variety of options for speakermics, earbuds, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-M...ywords=murs+v1&psc=1

Contact All Charged Up in SC. They handle commercial Motorola radios and often they will have great deals on packages, and they can advise you on what is best for your application. I have 4 radios from them for close protection work, including discreet surveillance kits and I am pleased with the quality of the equipment and customer service from this company. Here is their email

sales@allchargedup.biz

you can buy cheap radios, but you can also buy Hi-Point 9mm's for everyone and claim to have armed security.

A reliable system for 6 guys that is not a mere toy will cost about $3k to $15k, depending on the specifics of your building. Seems expensive, but it probably cost more to get the building painted.

You can spend less, but then you will always have those one or two guys who never heard what was said, at an important time.

Buy a couple of FRS/GMRS walkie talkies at a sporting goods store and try them out. Wander around the areas you want to cover. It is hard to say whether those will be satisfactory in your configuration.

I would avoid the Baofengs. Too complicated for a unfamiliar person to use, and difficult to train someone who isn’t particularly interested in radios. Being illegal to use as you will be using them, there is a risk of embarrasssment if they are used in dealing with an incident.

Have a look at Link.

Here you go and God Bless

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Z...e8-a3d9-8f6065affc51

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
you can buy cheap radios, but you can also buy Hi-Point 9mm's for everyone and claim to have armed security.

This.

I think that we are about 2-3 years away from the natural cycle of what goes on in these cases. A lawyer, or a group of lawyers, will find how to make money suing churches over any little infraction, use of force, hurt words, etc. And "CHURCH SECURITY" will go through the same thing that every little burg that formed a SWAT team did in the late 90's. Churches have deep pockets, and do not like negative press. I am surprised that the suits haven't been more than what they currently are yet.

Churches will get the opportunity to pay through the nose, in some cases, and give go away money here and there. The big thing will be the lack of training, that presently no one seems to want to pay for, or they rely on their local SO/PD to give them a two hour block and deem their "TEAM" to be trained. You actually couldn't pay me to be armed security at a church right now that is associated with any sort of a "TEAM". From a liability standpoint, and a legal standpoint, it a train wreck looking for tracks. And it will be exploited in the legal system.

"At least we're doing something" is going to be an expensive proposition, that is likely better handed by congregation members that are armed without the entire "TEAM" status, radios, etc.

Can you hire off duty deputies locally for an hour or two?
They may come fully equipped, experienced and in a uniform.
Unless there is some specific threat, the likelihood of needing an armed response is highly overplayed by the media. How big is this church?

For a church, I'd get the proper FCC license and proper, commercial quality radios that are durable. Not going to be cheap...

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:


I would avoid the Baofengs. Too complicated for a unfamiliar person to use, and difficult to train someone who isn’t particularly interested in radios. Being illegal to use as you will be using them, there is a risk of embarrasssment if they are used in dealing with an incident.

I’ll disagree with this.

The Baofeng link I posted is for a type accepted, pre-programmed MURS radio. No programming needed. Charge, turn it on, select one of 5 MURS frequencies, and push to talk. For the mental midgets, boss man can select the frequency then lock the keypad.

If you can’t figure out how to talk and listen on this radio, I expect you’d have a problem with the concept of organized religion as well.

While similar, it is not the Ham version of the radio. No FCC or licensing worries.

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:


The Baofeng link I posted is for a type accepted, pre-programmed MURS radio. No programming needed. Charge, turn it on, select one of 5 MURS frequencies, and push to talk. For the mental midgets, boss man can select the frequency then lock the keypad.

If you can’t figure out how to talk and listen on this radio, I expect you’d have a problem with the concept of organized religion as well.

While similar, it is not the Ham version of the radio. No FCC or licensing worries.

OK, then.

I haven’t seen those. That certainly would be better than what I have, a button mashers paradise exceeded in its uselessness only by its complexity. You need a computer to program the channels, and have the owner’s manual velcro’d to your wrist, and I am Extra Class licensed for not quite 60 years.