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Chicomm Blog

How Much Does A Digital Radio System Cost?

Posted by Jill McNamara on Wednesday, April 24, 2013

toms tech talkSo, how much is this new radio system going to cost me?

On a daily basis I am asked a variety of questions, but usually “How much is this radio system going to cost me? Can you give me a ball park price?” are ones I hear a lot.

     I'm sorry to tell you that with radio systems there is no cookie cutter solution or simple answer. I can’t, I won’t, and I don’t know how to answer that with even a guess! That is my answer, without knowing more about your needs. But what I can tell you is that several factors must be considered in order to determine which direction you would like to go with your system, and THAT will get you closer to your answer. So I guess in order to find out how much a digital radio system costs, you'll have to give us some answers first.

Consider:

 1)      Where are you putting your radio system?

  1. In your building?
  2. At a remote radio tower site?
  3. Across three states?
  4. On a campus?

2)      Who will be using the radio system?

  1. Are they all in one group/department? (i.e. Security, Management, Engineering, Maintenance, etc.) 
  2. Do they have to travel between locations?
  3. Do they only need to talk to one other person or a group of people?

3)      How many radios will be on the system?

  1. 5?
  2. 30?
  3. 80?
  4. 300?
  5. 1000+?

4)      What type of operation do you need from your radio system?

  1. Voice only?
  2. Voice and Data?
  3. GPS?
  4. Texting?
  5. Dispatch Services?
  6. Wide area?

5)      When do you need a system in place?

  1. Yesterday?
  2. 2 Weeks?
  3. 6 Months?
  4. 1 Year from now?

6)      What problem are you trying to solve? (Coverage issues? Cost savings? Workforce efficiency? Just to name a few.)

 As much as people want a ball park price, each application, product and solution has its own costs and challenges. If buying a system were that easy, we would have systems on our website listing out pricing. Each system takes time to research, develop, design and discuss. Each system comes with a price tag based on needs, personnel, applications and location. One size does not fit all! Even 3 sizes does not fit all. So for anyone to quickly throw out a number for a digital radio system, they'd be giving you potentially false or inaccurate information. 

 The best thing to do is engage with a trusted dealer, like Chicago Communications, to assist you in putting together a proposal that will meet your current and future communications needs. 

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TomTreichlerThis article was written by Tom Treichler, Director of Sales & Service at Chicago Communications. Tom has over 30 years of experience in the industry with a background in engineering, system integration, and wireless broadband. If you have any questions for Tom, or another representative at ChiComm, please contact us. Follow him on Twitter @TomTreichler !