Communication radios are essential in our day to day operations when doing maritime law enforcement or any related tasks. It is so because communication is the backbone of all operations.
Without a clear and established line of communications, the commander can’t provide direct and immediate orders to his/her team members.
A few days ago, somebody sent a message:
“Sir, importante po sa mga operations namin sa field ang communication radio. Kaso limitado lang po ang issue sa region”. Ano po kaya ang magandang gawin?
I improvised!
When I was assigned to Palawan, I saw the same problem. And so, I made an effort to provide communication radios for my personnel. I bought a dozen of those Chinese-made radios.
Yes, bumili po ako, gamit ang sarili kong pera. Alam natin na nag e-effort ang PNP to provide for our communications need. And as a matter of fact, ongoing ang procurement ng organization.
But the demand in communications radio in maritime law enforcement is very peculiar. Kailangan hindi basta basta naapektuhan ng mabasang environment. Most of the PNP procurements for radios are for land-based use.
Back in the day, it was quite difficult to find affordable handheld radios. But now, I can say that online shopping made it easier. One brand that is getting a lot of attention even in the US and other western countries is Baofeng.
It is the same brand that I purchased back in the days but those radios I bought cost 2.5 to 3K per unit. And those are not really great units, to be honest.
Water Resistant Radios
Among the radios that I think is very durable, dependable and most importantly, cheap, is the Baofeng BF-A58 ().
It is water resistant, which is important if you are working in the marine environment like those assigned in PNP Maritime Group. Although, I don’t recommend deliberately dipping the unit in the water.
For one, “water resistant” doesn’t mean waterproof. It is only splash resistant in reality.
Read its description from the seller below:
It is an improved model of Baofeng UV-5R having a chipset with a better version resulting in a true and actual output of 5-watts.
The BF-A58 is rugged and portable, holding and operating the unit is possible even while wearing gloves. Its Ingress Protection 57 (IP-57) is suitable for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) Operations. The flashlight has a suitable illumination of up to three (3) meters. Strobelight and alarm/siren is also useful in signaling.
The unit can be integrated/programmed with other units such as Motorolla, Kenwood, Cobra, and other popular brands. Its dual band monitoring is an advantage while having a dual push to talk key makes it easier to use.
Nevertheless, last year, I bought two (2) units of Baofeng BF-A58 and I can say that pulido ang gawa neto.
Beware of Fakes
Just remember na maraming fake ang Baofeng. So, always make sure that you are buying from legit suppliers. I bought mine from this same store and I can vouch that they are supplying original items from Baofeng specifically.
And since nasa pinakamalaking Online Shop in Asia ito, protected ka. May Cash on Delivery options and Return Policy din. Important matters that are not available if you buy from other stores like in Facebook stores, etc.
Anyway, if you are intent of buying, The radios are on sale for Php 1,197.00 from the original price of Php 3,000.00.
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