FAQ Commercial Radio

We recommend utilising the GME MP600B microphone for all Local Control and Remote Control models. The MP600B has been optimised for the design and operation of our Local Control and Remote Control configurations of the CM60 Commercial Radio platform.

The CM60 Commercial Radio Series has been developed for mission critical applications, as such, non-compliant components are not recommended to be used. Any usage of non-compliant components will result in GME not being able to guarantee that the system will comply to specification if operating outside the recommended configuration.

Also, any non-compliant usage which includes operating outside the recommended configuration may impact our manufacturer’s warranty.

GME Land is generally classified as UHF CB (Citizen Band) products which operate at UHF 476.4125 MHZ to 477.4125 MHz. Land products are generally used for recreational and light commercial use.

GME Marine covers approved VHF Marine radios that operate in 156.000 – 162.050 Mhz and are used for maritime use.

GME Commercial represents products that operate across a broad spectrum of frequencies including VHF and UHF as well as different protocols including Analog and P25. GME Commercial products are fundamentally capable of using Commercial or Private Frequencies in a land based (non marine) environment.

CB or Citizen Band are 80 “open” channels that are limited to a maximum of 5W transmit power, and can be used by “citizens” for regular voice communications with no licence fee. As it is used by citizens, the general public, CB users have to accept that there will be other citizens that may wish to conduct traffic on the same channel you are using. Commercial frequencies offer a degree of ‘private’ communications, on an approved commercial two-way radio. Your licence for the frequency maintains the integrity of your privacy.

Commercial frequencies are programmed by qualified two-way radio specialists, who apply to the ACMA (Australia) or RSM (New Zealand) for frequencies for you to use. There is an upfront and ongoing annual fee which varies dependent on location.

Analogue radios are a traditional type of radio that uses frequency modulation (FM), to encode a voice signal within a carrier wave. Analogue radio technology has been in use around the world for over 50 years.

As far as voice communications, Digital radio, is very similar however there is an extra encoding step before the voice signal reaches the carrier wave, this step processes the voice transmission into Bytes.

Short for Project 25, P25 is a suite of standards for interoperable digital two-way radio products. P25 was developed by public safety professionals in North America and has gained acceptance for public safety, security, public service, and commercial applications worldwide.

The GME CM60 Mobile Series is P25 Capable (Phase 1).

Transmission and receive range is dependent on a number of factors including line-of-sight, frequency range and power output of the radio. Generally speaking, VHF radios have a longer range given VHF frequencies propagate well over long distance and through trees, whilst UHF tends to propagate better in and around built up areas. Power output of a radio is measured in Watts.

Commercial portable radios are generally 4–5W, while UHF CB radios can be anywhere from 1W–5W. Commercial Mobile radios can transmit up to 25W while UHF CB mobile radios can only transmit at a maximum of 5W. Given these range of factors, in favourable conditions, it is not uncommon for a 5W UHF radio to transmit up to 20km

GME Commercial Portable radios have a maximum power output of 5W. GME Commerical Mobile radios have a maximum power output of 25W for commercial channels, and 5W for CB channels.

In simple terms, Voting capable radios and networks provide roaming style coverage that ensures the best/ strongest transmission or signal is always received by the users.

The CP50 as well as the CM50 and CM60 commercial series of radios are voting capable

A P25 Trunked Network automatically assigns the users radio the first free available channel to make each call. The underlying principle of trunking is that not all users or groups who need to communicate on a channel will do so at the same time.

GME CM60 P25 Commercial Mobile radios are Trunking capable.

The Orange button often seen on the top of commercial radios is a dedicated emergency button.

When programmed and activated by a user, an emergency tone is sent out across the radio network to alert other pre-determined users that an incident has occurred.

All GME commercial radios have a dedicated emergency button.

Slips, trips and falls are a risk in any workplace but these hazards are even more risky when workers are in isolation. Like the dedicated emergency button, when activated, this feature will alert all other -pre-determined users on the network that an emergency situation has occurred. However, using a built-in accelerometer, the emergency tone is automatically activated if the radio tilts past a specific angle for a pre-determined amount of time.

The Man Down feature is available on the CP50 series of portable radios, and can be programmed by a GME Authorised Commercial dealer.

Lone working is when work activities are carried out in isolation without the direct and immediate support of supervisors or colleagues. The Lone Worker feature is specially designed for this type of isolated work, and incorporates a timer in the radio which measures inactivity.

When Lone Worker is activated on the radio, If the timer detects a period of inactivity, a warning is issued and if there is no response to that warning, then an emergency alarm is automatically triggered.

MDC1200 is a digital signalling technology widely used in conventional analogue two-way radio systems.

The most common use for MDC1200 is for PTT-ID (sometimes called ANI), where a unique 4-digit number (in hex) is transmitted either at the start of a transmission (“pre-ID”) or at the end of a transmission (“post-ID”).

MDC1200 can be used to access a repeater, send an emergency status notification, call specific users or groups of users within a dedicated commercial network, as well as send pre-programmed text messages.

MDC1200 is a standard feature included on the 40 Series & 50 Series commercial portables & mobiles.