Emergency communications administration specialist Rob Radtke is back to discuss duplex communications and more with us in part 2 of On the Radio with Rob.

Contact Rob or any of our experts to discuss custom two-way communications and wireless security-technology solutions in St. Louis, Southeastern Missouri, Southern Illinois, Chicago, San Antonio, and Houston.

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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Mark: Hi, and welcome to the family! Today we're joined by Rob Radtke in Houston, Texas for the second installment in a short series we're calling "On the Radio with Rob."

Hi, Rob, and thanks for joining us. In the first episode you gave us a quick overview of the difference between simplex and duplex modes in the world of two-way communications, and today we're going to do a deeper dive into duplex mode; is that right?

Rob: Yes, that's right, Mark. Thanks for having me; I appreciate it. So, obviously, simplex is a uni-directional communication, so very much like your C.B. radios and walkie-talkies — as I mentioned before. And, really, it makes it very simple because only one person can talk at a time. Duplex, on the other hand, is a little bit different because duplex allows — full-duplex — allows simultaneous communication on both sides, very much like we're doing right now, and that is very useful in two-way radio use and communications, in that if there's something happening you don't get a... you're not able to be blocked from getting on the channel. So in other words, if you're a person who is trying to make an emergency call, you can call and the other person can still hear you, which is important . Cell phones, as a matter of fact, are essentially just duplex two-way radio devices, so what happens, essentially, is a two-way — or transmitting and receiving — is happening. Even right now as we discuss this, two-way communication is happening. It's the same thing with, you know, cell phones, and most internet is bi-directional communication. So that's... it's important. And there are slight differences of course with respect to cell phones versus two-way radios, in that the two-way radios are a "one-to-many"; whereas cell phones are typically a "one-to-one", except in a conference call status. And also the power that they use: two-way radios will consistently transmit at whatever power they're rated for—so one-, two-, three-, four-, or five-watts for the handheld ones and significantly more for the mobile units as well as, you know, vehicle-mounted. So you do have a little bit of difference; whereas cell phones: they will utilize the power that only is necessary to reach the nearest tower to utilize that… to access the network, so it's not constantly broadcasting at the full wattage. And with that... with a little bit of that in mind, then we kind of move into the hybrid version of that in the push-to-talk universe.

Mark: Thanks, Rob. Can you explain more of what you mean by "hybrid" in this context?

Rob: Sure. There's something... there's a technology that's emerging called push-to-talk over wireless, or push-to-talk over LTE, and it essentially utilizes bi-directional communication—or "full-duplex"—to... within a two-way radio format, so it's an interesting and emerging technology that we're going to see a lot more of in the future. And we can talk about it in the... hopefully, in the next episode.

Mark: Thanks, Rob. After watching this series so far, some of our viewers may be wondering which two-way technology is a good solution for their communications needs. What would you say to them?

Rob: Well, I would say just reach out to one of our communications specialists at warnerfamilybrands.com and they can... we can get you squared away. Me or any of my my co-workers can help you get what you need.

Mark: All right! Well, thanks again, Rob, and thank you all for watching. That's it for now! Stay tuned for more news and views you can use.