Have We Come Full Circle in Radio Communications?

Have we come full circle when it comes to the type of two-way radio communications we use? From two-way radios, to cell phones, to push-to-talk cell phones, to push-to-talk smartphones, to something that looks like the first and works like the last....

As a deputy in Montana we used low band two-way radios on 39.82 Mhz, kind of like a CB radio. We couldn't talk to our sheriff's office 30 miles away, but we could talk to the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office down in Georgia just fine.

Our sheriff's office was a little behind in technology, but in the 70's other agencies were using VHF and UHF radios with mountain top repeaters. These provided more reliable communications than the older low band radios.

This Motorola M1225 UHF mobile uses a PTT microphone and worked on mountain top repeaters. 

Out West where we have high mountain tops repeaters can have range of 100 miles or more. 

In the 80's we saw cell phones starting to be used by law enforcement involved in sensitive operations. Even with speed dial calling other officers was a hassle. 

Then in 1996 Nextel launched iDEN service allowing push-to-talk communications much like law enforcement was used to. This was favored by many law enforcement agencies because it allowed dispatch to talk to one officer or all the officers on a squad and allow them to shared information.

Advances in technology brings us to PoC or Push-to-talk Over Cellular. PoC has advanced rapidly with Verizon, Sprint and AT&T all offering some type of PTT service.

Today we have something that looks like a conventional two-way radio with it's microphone, but has the familiar screen and operation of a smartphone.

These hybrid Smartphone PoC units have some advantages over conventional two-way radios and there are pros and cons to both.

Since PoC uses the cellular tower system there are no cost for building and maintaining mountain top repeaters. As long as cellular networks are up and running first responders get priority over other users using services like the WPS the Wireless Priority Service a Federal program that prioritize calls over wireless networks.

Unlike our familiar two-way radios that use mountain top repeaters  these hybrid Smartphone PoC units are only limited by the cellular network. With mobile CradlePoint LET Routers, GoTenna, or Beartooth the range of smartphone PoC's can be extended but that's another discussion.... 

I don't know... 

When cops and truckers used two-way radios with microphone's that had cords they could talk and didn't crash into everything they saw. 

Then you get cell phones as small as a microphone and people, even truckers go nuts and can't drive and talk at the same time.

NOW we have these hybrid Smartphone PoC units with a microphone with a cord.... So are truckers going to drive better holding that microphone again? 

Can you imagine a millennial driving a stick shift and talking on a CB radio?

I don't know... Drive Safe... Talk Safe... K