Maintaining your two way radios is easy with a few common sense guidelines and the help of your product owner’s manual.
Two way radios provide a great communications tool for facilities managers, event staff, and natural disaster and emergency responders, but, as with any other tool, they only work if they’re properly maintained.
Negligent maintenance of your two way radios can cause them to fail at a critical moment. To ensure you can keep in touch with the people and support assets you need, keep these walkie-talkie maintenance tips in mind:
- Regularly inspect and change the batteries - Changing your batteries will not only ensure your walkie-talkies have adequate power, it will also keep your devices from being damaged by old batteries that may leak and corrode terminals within the devices.
- Keep ventilation areas clear - Your walkie-talkies will likely have small vents that allow heat and air to exit the internal structure of the device. This keeps the electronic components of your device from overheating, so it’s important to keep the vents clear of obstruction such as pocket lint or other debris.
- Safely store your device - Invest in a holster or small carrying case to help prevent your 2-way radios from being damaged if they’re dropped or make hard contact with other surfaces. Also, when your radios are not in use, it’s a good idea to store them in a cabinet or other place that will keep them safe from damage.
- Keep your device away from water - Even if you have waterproof walkie-talkies, it’s a good idea to avoid tempting the fates. Be sure to keep your radios stored in a dry place and also avoid exposing them to water.
- Dust and wipe down - Regularly clean the devices to ensure dust and dirt do not infiltrate them. Also, wipe down the devices, particularly around the buttons, to keep dirt and debris from impairing their function.
- Review the owner’s manual - Your two way radios’ owner’s manual will offer lots of great advice about how to take care of your devices. Most even include a troubleshooting guide to help you determine the cause of trouble when things are going wrong. It’s definitely worth your time to review the material.