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Click HERE for Icom's 2007 GSA Price
List (LARGE!)
A "Must Read" Article- SPECIAL REPORT - United States
Fire Administration
Improving Firefighter
Communications
Another Must Read Article- NIOSH Firefighter Radio
Communications -
CHAPTER III: FIREFIGHTER
COMMUNICATION ISSUES
Sales, Compliments Continue to Roll in from U.S. Military
The 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. military was so happy with the
1,800 portable F43GS bundled radios they ordered from Icom America
last year, they requested mobiles, base stations and repeaters to
expand their network. The division ordered 28 units of the F420 55 B -
a rugged, reliable encrypted base station with 35 Watts. They also
ordered eight FR4000 repeaters - each offering a 50 Watt continuous
full duty cycle operation.
Reports continue to roll in about the success of Icom America
products in use by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army
continues to order: in April, they placed an order for another 1,000
F43 radios.
“We’ve received a lot of good feedback,” says Ted Koblick, who leads
the sales team selling to the U.S. army. An example is LTC Frank
Huber, G6 of the 3rd Infantry Division, whose unit has been heavily
involved in Baghdad the past 12 months, “...Your radio was like a
commodity. We knew it worked, it was like body armor, you put it on
every morning and you knew it would work.”
Even more gratifying was a conversation Koblick relates having with a
soldier home on two weeks leave whom he met on the Atlanta airport
subway. Koblick says he introduced himself and thanked the soldier for
serving the country, then asked, “Do you recognize the logo on my
shirt?”
“Yes,” the soldier replied. “You make our radio, we use it every day,
it’s great, reliable, if we did not have these, we would be
(unprintable).”
How better to start the year off than by reporting on
the F50’s indefatigableness when getting the hose. This dirty story
comes your way from Jim Eatock at B-K Electric in Griggsville, Il. This
story is in Jim’s own words:
I sell many radios to local companies who specialize in
the niche market of pumping out "The Pit" under hog confinement
buildings. I probably don’t have to specify the contents of "The Pit"
and will leave that to your imagination.
Matt Bradshaw of Twin Valley Pumping in Illinois has
replaced all of his brand-K portables with Icom F50’s in 5-tone format.
Matt’s company performs the ultimate in dirty jobs: He empties "Pig
Pits" under hog confinement buildings using high horsepower diesel
pumps.
Matt tells me that every one of his F50’s gets dropped
into "The Pit" an average of twice a year, and they all get dropped in
"puddles" or sprayed with "contents" weekly. He even had one fall off a
4-wheeler and get plowed under. They took another radio and walked the
area of the field talking to themselves until they heard the lost radio.
They dug it out of the gooey "puddle," hosed it off, and went on with
their day.
Dusty grain elevators, farmers, and public works water
crews love them for the same reason – dust and mud don’t bother them and
they simply keep on working no matter how wet and dirty they get. Just
make sure you sell the IS version if the dust is explosive!
So if anyone ever says that they don’t need a
submersible radio because they are never around water, ask them if they
have ever been at an accident scene with water in the ditch, or have
ever been sprayed with something besides water.
Or pump out pig pits for a living.
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B-K Electric, Inc. is now the dealer factory trained and authorized by Icom-America to
sell and service the APCO P25 digital products in our region.
Our staff is willing to spend whatever time it takes to help you chart
out a common sense, economical course through the new waters of the
latest Federal mandates for digital interoperability.
Our consulting and technical
manager was personally requested by Icom-America president Hiro
Nakaoka to be a guest of Icom at their Osaka, Japan engineering
facility to discuss product features and improvements. This request
was not based on sales volume, but rather B-K Electric's continuing
commitment to economical first responder communications and
interoperable procedures.
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We specialize in regional paging
and communication systems for public safety. Our staff can handle
anything from replacing a single radio to full-blown propagation and
radio study services.
Contact
jim@b-kelectric.com for a consultation or quote. |
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Key P25/LMR Dealer
Call 1-800-USA-ICOM
Ask us about the new APCO P25 solutions starting at
$600!
P25 GSA $1,079.30 |
IC-4008M in Iraq |
Some "no-name low profile" organizations that
have chosen Icom products include:
 | The U.S. Army twice
selected an Icom portable over all others during
grueling tests for tactical communications equipment..
There are now over Icom 35,000 radios deployed in the
Middle East. |
| The U.S. Marine Corps has selected a version of
Icom America's IC-4008M FRS radio for use as their
Intrasquad radio. |
| The U. S. Forest Service |
| The Missouri Department of Conservation |
| The State of Arkansas |
| The 2002 Winter Olympics |
| Any many others. |
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In the past 3 years, almost every
new Fire or EMS radio purchased in Pike county has
been an Icom.
| Pike County Sheriff |
| Pike Co EMS |
| North Pike FPD |
| Spring Creek FPD |
| Griggsville FD |
| Barry FPD |
| Hull/Kinderhook FPD |
| Pleasant Hill FPD |
| and many volunteers!.. |
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| Icom's F50 portable
and the new F70 APCO P25 digital radio are not just water-resistant
5-watt portables, they're submersible three feet+ to
JIS-7. The F50 is only slightly bigger than a pager. The F70
is smaller and almost 5 ounces lighter than the competitor's digital
radios. Nobody else in land mobile radio has products like them. Try
keying your brand "M", "K" or "V" under water and see how long
it lives. Submersible also means it doesn't mind dust, dirt or
mud. If you drop it in the ditch, just hose it off. Come and test one
out in our aquarium. |
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We are authorized full service dealers for
Icom-America® Land Mobile Radio Products, Swissphone® pagers, Relm®
radio and
Pyramid® mobile repeaters. |
Click here for our product listings and sales programs. |
| We
specialize in communications equipment for local volunteer Fire/EMS
organizations, and support Icom's GSA pricing
schedule for "resource-limited" organizations. |
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Icom F-121 128-channel scanning VHF 50-watt mobile
radio
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| The
IC-F121 & IC-F121S VHF and the IC-F221 & IC-F221S UHF mobile
transceivers are all built with the same powerful and durable
technology. All of these radios feature 50 W VHF and 45 W UHF
output, front mounted speakers, built-in 2-tone, 5-tone, CTCSS,
DCS encoder / decoder and programmable Wide / Narrow channel
spacing for each channel. Additionally, they are built to meet
MIL STD 810 C, D, E and F; giving them the strength and
durability that Icom has built their reputation on. |
| Need help or
information on COPS, DHS or AFF grants, or written Request for
Proposals? Contact us. |
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Attention fire department and public safety managers!
Check out the new Icom F-50/F-60/F-70/F-80 Submersible
portable radios!
Both the
F50/60 and the new F70/80 APCO P25 digital radios
are not just waterproof, but
submersible to JIS-7 standards. All
of Icom's fire service radios meet or exceed
MIL-Spec 810 C, D, E & F for vibration and shock! |
There's really only one fire pager... right??
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SWISSPHONE Pagers
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| You've probably never seen one
here in the USA, but with one half MILLION units in service,
Swissphone is Europe's leading supplier of mobile paging
solutions, committed to customers from the sectors of industry,
hospitality, government, public safety, and medical services..
Cutting their teeth in the Alps, Swissphone has
concentrated on the development, production, operation and
application of communication technologies for the mobile user.
Swissphone operates the largest paging network in Switzerland
and Germany and is a manufacturer with an extensive know-how in
the whole value-added chain of mobile communication devices.
Thanks to many years experience, they also have extensive
knowledge of the many ins and outs of wireless communication. |
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Smaller, lighter, tougher, more signal-sensitive, versatile
and "fuel-efficient" and with many more features in a knob-less user
friendly package, the Swissphone Quattrino 2tone RE529 and 5/6-tone
RE429 pagers offer a real choice over the traditional manufacturer
in first responder paging. Available in tone/vibrate/voice and
tone/vibrate/stored voice models, the Quatrino can be customized to
your needs and budget instead of the other way around. |
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B-K Electric offers complete sales and installation of
emergency and vehicle mounting equipment.
We only sell the best- Gamber-Johnson, known for
developing customer-driven, innovative products. This includes the
industry's first universal laptop mount, the NotePad™.. Their
Onsite Instruments division, a manufacturer of PC-based data
acquisition systems, enabled them to develop many of the mobile
docking stations that we offer today. |
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Contact us for more information!
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B-K Electric and Icom America have special discounted pricing for legitimate
tax-supported agencies,
and we extend that pricing to Volunteer Fire and EMS personnel who purchase their own equipment.
Contact
us to see if you qualify for the GSA pricing and
to receive the link to
Icom-America's Government Sales price schedule.
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We specialize in
regional paging and communication
systems for public safety. Our staff can handle anything from
replacing a single radio to full-blown operational, propagation
and radio study services.
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Before you invest in a radio system, look at the company behind the
product.
Icom? Never heard of them.
Icom now commands the top third position in world-wide land mobile radio
sales.
They stand world-wide with Motorola, Kenwood, M/A-Comm, Thales, and, E.F.
Johnson.
They just make ham radios, don't they?
Arguably, the best in the world. But most of the company's product sales are
in the Marine, Avionics and Land Mobile industries.
Land Mobile (our specialty) now accounts for over half of Icom's sales.
Icom doesn't build cell phones, pagers, toy radios, wrist watches or
toasters.
Who builds their radios for them?
Nobody! All Icom products are manufactured from the ground up
(not just assembled) by Icom employees in wholly owned Icom facilities
located in Osaka, Japan. Icom equipment is manufactured to strict standards
in the latest state of the art ISO-certified "white room" environments. If
its not an Icom, there's a good chance it was build in Mexico, Korea or
China where labor is cheap and quality control exists only on paper.
Specialty Icom accessories come from manufacturing partners such as Otto
Engineering, Telex, Klein, Trident Microsystems and Daniels Electronics- all
Industry leaders with the highest quality possible.
But we need a complete system...
Icom is one of the very few radio manufacturers with an extensive
specialized in-house Systems Division.
In-house engineers, and engineering partners such as Westek Electronics and Daniels Electronics (www.danelec.com
- prime supplier of APCO P25 equipment to the U. S. Government) design and
build state of the art, complex multi-site radio systems world-wide.
The other guys: "System" salesmen? Probably. Complete,
experienced factory system engineering with local 24/7 support? Yea, right.
They're just a little company...
Icom Incorporated is a publicly held corporation; its stock is traded on the
Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges with over $375 million in assets.
Are they solvent?
In 2004, Icom Incorporated sales were just short of $250 million
with a 12% operating profit ($31 million) .Corporate debt? Everything, including short-term trade payables, totaled
under 12% of their assets. We should all be doing so well...
http://www.icom.co.jp/company/ir/h16/anyu.pdf
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We specialize in communications systems for Fire, EMS and Public
Safety
Unlike other vendors in our market area, we have special support
for these organizations.
Not just priority repairs either, but consulting and assistance
not part of any sale.
We keep up to date on grant programs, government assistance,
current technology and will be more than happy to share our insights
with you and your organization, whether we sell radios or not.
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2-Way Radio from
Icom America
Pyramid Mobile Repeaters
Relm B/K &
Swissphone
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Icom's new F-50
submersible
It's small, compact, submersible and tough. You've never seen anything like this from
any radio manufacturer!Use Minitor pagers?
The F-50 is only a tad larger, and packs a full 5 watt output.
The GSA price is $396 on this 128 channel
unit (programmed). Compare Icom's prices to the cost of a single channel pager
that your staff can't talk on!
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If your business or activities rely on dependable radio communications, contact us for a quote.
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Now Available: the F50/F60 Waterproof Portables
Icom introduces the first waterproof radio in its class with JIS7 water submersible. Icom's giving you the highest rating available to protect your radio from the elements. Neither a little rain
(nor a lot of rain) is going to stop your radio from working. Think Icom is just for hams and farmers?
Click here!
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From individual units to fleet communications systems, we can supply you with an economical turn key solution from one of our vendors.
We also speak "Tractor",
as well as
"Boat" and "Airplane".
.
Check with us for information on the complete line of Icom Marine
and Aviation products |
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Authorized
CERTIFIED LMR Dealer |
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| B-K Electric, Inc.'s Government Sales Policy |
Pyramid® Mobile Repeaters
Scenario 1:
A rural fire, with 15 miles of "radio Hell" between you and your base
station. You have a 5-watt portable clipped to your belt with an
tired battery, and due to terrain and radio interference from that big
city base station 60 miles away, you can't yell for help or coordinate
your firefighters without running back to your vehicle.
Scenario 2:
Exactly the same as Scenario 1, but with a Pyramid®
mobile repeater installed in your vehicle. You hear the lifeline from
your base station, and a report from a truck 10 miles away. And they can
hear you.
Scenario 3:
You have your hands full at an "incident", but can call for help on your
UHF portable repeated through your brand "V" cross band mobile repeater
piggybacked to your vehicle's VHF radio . Help shows up, and their
repeater is also running. Your radios are now 14 ounce boat
anchors, because the car to car repeater feedback just locked up the
entire radio network for the whole county. And since the dispatcher and
every other vehicle in the area is on VHF (your portable is UHF) you
can't call anyone direct.
Scenario 4:
The same as Scenario 3, but with a Pyramid®
VHF mobile repeater installed in your VHF vehicle, and a VHF radio on
your belt. Smart technology built in the mobile repeaters takes over,
and only one car repeater is active. No feedback. And since
your portable is on the same band as everyone else, you can talk
directly to the ambulance coming to the scene.
Ever been here?
We can fix that.
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Need dependable 2-way radio communication in Pike County? We now offer VHF repeater radio capabilities.
Power and line of sight are no longer a major issue. Stand in Pittsfield with a hand held radio and communicate instantly with a mobile at the Quincy Airport.
Your equipment or ours.
A single, affordable and unlimited use annual charge covers the repeater time.
Contact us for all of your communication needs.
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Icom Portables
Business Trade Pricing
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Icom Mobiles
Business Trade Pricing
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IC-F14S 03 RC
146-174 MHz,
12.5/25 kHz Channel Spacing, 2 Channels (Includes: BC-160 Drop-In rapid
Charger, 1100 mAH L-I battery, FASC55V antenna, Belt Clip and
owners manual) |
$240
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IC-F121S 51 VHF
VHF Mobile 136-174
MHz, no display,
50-watt, 4/8-channel basic radio. Front speaker, tone and scan.
Our basic workhorse model that meets Mil-Spec 810 C,D,E, & F |
$267
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| IC-F14 03 RC
146-174 MHz, 12.5/25 kHz Channel
Spacing, 16 Channels (Includes: BC-160 Drop-In rapid Charger,
1100 mAH L-I battery, FASC55V antenna, Belt Clip and
owners manual) |
$250
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IC-F121 51 VHF
IC-F121 5V VHF
Mobile 136-174 MHz, 50W, 128 channels, Alphanumeric text display.
Front speaker, 2-tone, 5-tone and scan.
Our public safety model that meets Mil-Spec 810 C,D,E, & F |
$301
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F33GS RC VHF
F43GS RC UHF
146 -174MHz or
400-512MHz, 128 Channels, 12.5/25kHz, With Drop-In Rapid Charger, 2000
mAh L-I battery, Alpha-numeric display, programmable function buttons
and top mount rotary channel selector for "no-look" channel selection. |
$311 VHF
$324 UHF
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Special Price on the F21GM!
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F21 GM - 4 watt UHF with 15 channels with 8 ea. FRS and 7 ea.
GMRS frequencies
$139.95
Programming not required
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462-468MHz, 12.5/25 kHz channel spacing, 15 channels, with
BC-146 01 drop-in trickle chrgr & BC-147A 11 AC adapter.
(Includes: BP-222, FA-SC57U, MB-68, owners manual.) |
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Note: All radios are programmed and include a charge of $30 for
each unit.
Above link is full RETAIL pricing.
Government agencies and Fire/EMS volunteers: contact us for GSA
pricing.
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5-tone signaling:
B-K Electric is a Icom trained specialist in 5-tone
signaling. All Icom radios come equipped with international EIA open-standard
signaling built in. Vertex and the other guys only include it in high
end (high dollar) radios, or as an expensive add-on board.
Never heard of 5-tone? That's probably because the Major
U.S. manufacturer supports it, but would rather sell their own proprietary system
so you have to use their equipment. EIA 5-tone is the international standard
signaling protocol for European and Asian users.
Why do I care?
What's 5-tone? Simply, it is a fast data burst added to
selected radio transmissions, or used as signaling from radios (base,
portable or mobile). If you watch "C.O.P.S.", you'll frequently hear a
bleep at the end of many radio transmissions. That data burst uniquely
identifies the transmitter and sends other information. The dispatcher and
other users know who just said something, even if the voice is
un-intelligible.
Many vendors have proprietary signaling protocols. They
work just fine, but do you really need to be married to a specific radio
manufacturer because nothing else is compatible? Icom uses ONLY
open protocols as specified by international EIA standards. No
funny quirks. If your existing radios adhere to the international EIA
standard, they will work on any 5-tone system.
Think that you need an expensive trunked repeater system
to have fancy features? Wrong. The smallest 5-tone system consists of
two portables. That's it. And 5-tone can flow flawlessly through
any existing repeater system, with no changes to the "big radio".
5-tone is perfect for paging. The familiar 2-tone
"beep" is 4 seconds long, and MUST be heard in its entirely and
with accurate timing to set off a pager. North America is the last place
still routinely using the lengthy 2-tone format. The rest of the world
has graduated to 5-tone because of its durability and efficiency. A complete
EIA 5-tone burst lasts about a
second, and can be repeated many times in the same period as a single 2-tone page.
Because of the precise timing required for a 2-tone page, no 2-tone pager
manufacturer will guarantee page reception while scanning.
Missing pages? Need to scan more than one channel to get them? Think
about it
5-tone can also be used for other functions, such as
emergency or man-down signals, selective pages (BILL CALL HOME), Mutual Aid
and wide-area pages, and radio function checks (Your
radio is on but you're ignoring us again!) Loose a radio, or have someone
playing games? Nuke it by remote control. EIA 5-tone and its companion
BIIS data format allows for vehicle position information to be send through
any existing conventional or repeater system- no special data channel
required.
For the dispatch center, 5-tone "bleeps" at the end of a
transmission positively identify the source. This means that positive
ID can be recalled from recordings, as well as cause a screen pop to provide
any desired information about the source for reference or logging, such as
user name, department, function, or apparatus capabilities. Vehicle position
from onboard GPS units can be queried on demand. 5-tone can also be used in
situations where vehicles (such as school busses, township dump trucks,
etc.) may need to call the Public Safety Dispatch Center to inform
them of an incident, but should be excluded from hearing routine traffic, or
denied the ability to transmit on the dispatch channel without case-by-case
permission.
Want to see what 5-tone can do for your company or agency?
Contact us for more information, or to set up a demonstration.
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