Questions about Basic & Detailed Service Manuals?

One of the most common questions we get around here is about service manuals. "What is the difference between Basic and Advanced Motorola Service Manuals"?

First of all we advise most of our customers who operate any kind of fleet of a particular model of radio to invest in the "Basic Service Manual (BSM)", The BSM includes information about the various sub-models to your radio with clear model numbers, they also include step-by-step descriptions on how to disassemble, repair most common problems and reassemble the radio. The BSM also provides a parts listing of most non-electrical components, this is crucial when trying to reorder parts. Along with the parts listing it also includes a comprehensive list of batteries and accessories for your specific model radio.

The "Detailed Service Manual (DSM)" features the electrical breakdowns and technical service procedures for servicing your Motorola radio. These manuals are usually quite large in size (some weighing upwards of 10 pounds) and unless you are a certified technician likely over your head, plus with the complexity and relatively low cost of Depot repairs the information you can gleen from the DSM will still not likely help the process. We rarely need to reference the DSM manuals on a regular basis.

So our rule of thumb is if you have more then a handful of radios in your business and agency you should really invest the $20-$50 in the Basic Service Manual.

We carry most of the manuals for current and slightly older Motorola radios in our store. If you are looking for a manual not list, simply drop us a note and we will see what is available.

GRANT READY, P25 Digital VHF Mobile available from ICOM

We have been getting a lot of requests lately for VHF P25 Mobile radios, working with ICOM we can now offer the ICOM F1721D Mobile radio. This compact, easy to use model is P25 ready out of the box, no costly upgrades. The F1721D is a 50 watt VHF 136-174 Mhz P25 Digital Mobile Radio, Up to 256 memory channels can be divided into 32 memory zones, and allows you quick access to the intended channel. MDC1200, 2-Tone & 5-Tone. The IC-F1721D series is APCO Project 25 (P25) compliant. The mixed mode scan allows you to detect and receive both analog FM and P25 digital modes. A nice, full-size public safety ready microphone and the THREE-YEAR WARRANTY tops the tremendous value ICOM offers.

Best of all, the cost of these ICOM mobiles are likely half of what you would spend with the other guys, stretch those grant dollars further with the quality of ICOM Land Mobile and the F1721D Mobile Radio. Check out the Wiscomm store for the best updated pricing on the IC-F1721D.

Wiscomm adds Alinco Amateur Radios to it's winning line-up

With the recent addition of public safety scanners from GRE America to our product line-up, we have been offered the added product line of Alinco Amateur Radios. We have used Alinco radios for our amateur radio hobby for over twenty years, we have always been impressed with the value they offer in both mobile and handheld radios to the Amateur community. We jumped at the chance to add them as many of our public safety clients also are long time amateur radio operators.

Alinco offers a wide variety of radios starting at $109.00 for the 2-meter VHF DJ-175T. The popular DJ-V line offers water resistant single band portables for under $200. Our favorite is the top-of-the-line DR-635T Dual Band Mobile, anyone who's about this radio can attest to how versatile this radio is.

We will be adding additional inventory in the coming weeks, if we are missing anything please just drop us an email and we can quickly add to the store.

Motorola releases next-generation GPS enabled microphones for the XTS 2500 / XTS 5000 Series

Motorola has just released the updated version to the popular GPS-enabled Commander II series remote speaker microphones.

The new microphones offer more accurate GPS polling, the ability to control the polling frequency (with polling rates as frequency as 3 seconds) and now power is supplied by the radio instead of an external battery.

The new microphones are now shipping and available in our store, they are HMN4106A for the Submersible version and HMN4107A for the mic with the 3.5mm earpiece located on the head.

These new microphones will be replacing the HMN4080A and HMN4084A microphones.

XTS GPS II Microphone Spec Sheet

Need a great scanner? GRE America joins with Wiscomm

The best announcement of the week has to be the news that GRE America has joined with Wiscomm to offer the best scanners available on the market today. GRE America has been a manufacturer of scanners for Radio Shack for 40 years and continue to do so, a few years ago they rolled out the very successful PSR series of scanners.

They feature two flagship products, the first being the PSR-600 Mobile / Base Scanner that will scan just about every radio system on the market including P25 Digital systems. Excellent build quality, excellent receiver and loud audio make this unit the perfect companion to your public safety monitoring post.

The second product is the newest addition to the GRE family, the PSR-800 portable scanner provides the Complete USA and Canada Database On a MicroSD Card and incredibly easy to use controls that the most entry level user can program and use. Much like the PSR-600 this scanner covers most every type and size system in the US.

We will be carrying the entire line of GRE scanners starting at $89, we have scoured the competition and feel we have some of the most competitive pricing around. See the difference GRE Scanners offer!

Wiscomm partners with EM Wave Inc to provide unique antenna solutions.

Wiscomm is happy to partner with EM Wave Inc, a provider of engineered antenna solutions for Land Mobile radios. E/M Wave, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of its e/m-Flex™ Elastomeric Polymer Spring Line of VHF / UHF Mobile Antennas. New e/m-Flex™ Polymer Springs are low profile, durable, and engineered for robust mechanical flexibility, while providing high conductivity for reliable electrical performance. The resilient Poly Springs dampen typical duplex system noise that is often generated by conventional mechanically wound wire coil springs operating in the LMR VHF/UHF frequency bands.

E/M Wave's second unique product is the EM-MX Series antennas.  This distinct antenna series was designed with application versatility in mind; for VHF-UHF, Public Safety and even Cellular application if our Customer so desires. Elegantly designed and unobtrusive, the EM-MX Series antennas sport a small footprint for practical mounting on just about any surface local. Available in six different mechanical configurations featuring frequency coverage between 152-960 MHz. The whip is constructed of 300 Series Stainless Steel featuring elegant Black Chrome Plating for added conductivity and durability. Top this off with a Stylish high-impact, Dual Shot Xenoy™/TPV base, Dual Seal tenants for weatherproofing and 100 watts forward power handling and you have a friend on the road when ever and where ever you go mobile. And, don't forget this antenna provides for up to 10% more operational bandwidth than most other competing low-end Chrome Nut designs.

The mobile antenna market is a very competitive arena, we choose to work with E/M Wave based on their extensive engineering background and small company customer service. We will be adding local inventory to the Wiscomm warehouse in the coming weeks and look forward to expanding the reach of this great company. Check out all the E/M Wave antennas in our dedicated online store.

Wiscomm adds Apollo Voice Pagers to it's lineup

We are pleased to add DPC Digital Paging Company line of Apollo pagers to the Wiscomm line-up. The Apollo Voice pagers offer an incredible value when compared to the popular Motorola Minitor V pager series, savings of well over $100 per unit are possible. The Apollo series offers Two-Tone voice paging in Low Band, VHF and UHF and the VP200 PRO and VP220 Pro series are completely narrowband ready. All Apollo pagers offer 2 Channels and Stored Voice at no additional charge. The VP220 PRO series features a unique LCD display that allows you to see battery life, missed pages and other vital information at a glance. All the Apollo voice pagers operate on standard "AAA" rechargeable batteries not the proprietary Minitor batteries that may be hard to find in a disaster situation. The battery in the Apollo series can last as long as 14 days in battery saver mode.

Check out the complete line of Apollo pagers in our online store, for a limited time we will program your Apollo pagers FREE of charge!

Motorola Public Safety Microphone (PSM) - performance issues

Motorola has released a Field Service Bulletin discussing positioning of the cable of  Public Safety Microphones in the field. Nothing too ground breaking here but definitely a good refresher for daily users.
FSB10496 - Public Safety Microphone (PSM) - performance issues

Wiscomm @ International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE)

The Wiscomm crew is heading out to Las Vegas on Tuesday afternoon to check out the 2011 International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE). This is the largest convention for two-way communication products and accessories, we have some great meetings set-up with some new vendors and hope to be able announce some new product lines later this month.

While at the show we invite you to check out our Twitter feed @Wiscomm as we plan on providing updates and photos from the show floor.

During our absence we will slightly delayed in getting back to all the emails and phone calls, please be patient and we will get back to you just as soon as possible. Orders placed on shop.Wiscomm.com fromTuesday through Friday will start shipping on Saturday March 12th and Monday March 14th. Again we ask for you patience and we will quickly get your order processed.

Wiscomm to add ASTRON Power Supplies to inventory

Wiscomm is pleased to announce a new relationship with the Astron Corporation. Astron is the leader in power supplies for the communication industry and truly the gold standard when it comes to quality and reliability.

Check out our store for the complete line of Astron products by visiting shop.Wiscomm.com

Look for more new vendors in the coming weeks, we are all really excited to bring the best in communication products to our customers.