The Fleetwood Digital Guide to Two-Way Radio Site Surveys

A Beginner's Handbook for Ensuring Perfect Coverage at Your Business

Introduction: "Can You Hear Me Now?"

You’ve decided to invest in two-way radios for your business. It’s a smart move that will boost productivity, improve safety, and streamline your operations.

But there’s one critical question you must answer before you buy: "Will they work everywhere I need them to?"

A radio’s "advertised range" (e.g., "up to 30 miles") is based on perfect, open-field conditions. Your business is not a perfect, open field. It’s full of walls, metal racks, machinery, and people—all of which can block radio signals.

This guide will teach you, in simple terms, how to perform your own site survey. You don't need to be a "radio expert." You just need two radios, a notepad, and a few minutes to walk your property. Let's get started.

Chapter 1: What You'll Need (Your Survey Toolkit)

Performing a professional-level survey is surprisingly simple. Before you begin, gather these items:

• ✅ Two Radios: Ideally, use the exact radio models you are considering for purchase. If you're testing your existing system, use two of your current radios.
• ✅ Fully Charged Batteries: This is critical. A radio's transmit power drops as the battery drains. You want to test at full power. Bring spares if you have them.
• ✅ A Floor Plan or Map: A simple blueprint, fire escape map, or even a hand-drawn sketch of your property will work. You'll use this to mark your results.
• ✅ A Notepad and Pen: For making notes.
• ✅ A Partner: You'll need two people:
  • "Base" (Radio A): This person stays in one central location.
  • "Walker" (Radio B): This person walks the property to test for signal.

Chapter 2: The 5-Step Site Survey

Follow these steps to create a simple, accurate coverage map of your business.

1. Step 1: Plan Your Route

   Look at your map and identify the critical communication spots. Where must you be able to communicate from and to?

   • ➡️ Retail: Cash register, back stockroom, manager's office, walk-in freezer.
   • ➡️ Warehouse: Loading dock, front office, packing station, far corner of the racking.
   • ➡️ Farm: Main house, machine shed, farthest gate, bottom of the valley.

   Mark these spots on your map. This is your "Walker's" route.

2. Step 2: Establish Your Base

   Have your "Base" (Radio A) stay in the most logical central hub. This is typically the manager's office, security desk, or front reception area. This person will not move for the first test.

3. Step 3: Walk and Talk

   Have your "Walker" (Radio B) begin walking the planned route. At each critical spot you identified, stop and perform a radio check.

4. Step 4: Test and Record

   A radio check is simple. The Walker (Radio B) initiates:

   "Base, this is [Walker's Name], how do you copy?"

   The Base (Radio A) replies with a simple signal report. We recommend a 3-level scale.

   • "Loud and Clear" (Signal is perfect.)
   • "Weak but Readable" (Signal is full of static, but the message got through.)
   • "No Copy" (No signal or just unintelligible static.)

   On your map, mark the spot with a "Clear," "Weak," or "Dead" (or 5, 3, 1).

   Important: Don't just test one way. After the Base replies, have them initiate a call back to the Walker. Sometimes, a signal can get out but can't get in. You need to test both directions.

5. Step 5: Swap and Repeat (Optional but Recommended)

   After the Walker has covered the entire property, swap roles. Make the Walker the new "Base" and have the "Base" person walk the property. This ensures your results are not dependent on one specific radio.

Chapter 3: How Radio Signals Really Work (Expectations vs. Reality)

This is the most important part for a novice user to understand. Radio waves (UHF and VHF) are blocked by different materials. Think of a radio signal like the beam from a flashlight: some materials (glass) let it pass, some (a thin sheet) dim it, and some (a brick wall) block it completely.

Here’s what to expect in your facility.

Transmitting Room-to-Room (e.g., Small Office)

• 📡 Common Obstacles: Drywall, wood doors, glass, office furniture.
• 📡 Expectation: Generally good. These materials are "thin" to radio waves. You should have clear communication between adjacent offices or from a hallway into a room.

Transmitting Office-to-Office (Across a Building)

• 📡 Common Obstacles: Concrete floors, elevator shafts, banks of file cabinets, plumbing, electrical rooms.
• 📡 Expectation: This is much harder. A signal that is "Loud and Clear" on the same floor may be "No Copy" one floor up. Concrete and metal (elevator shafts) are major signal killers. Your survey must include floor-to-floor tests.

Transmitting Inside-to-Outside (e.g., Warehouse to Yard)

• 📡 Common Obstacles: Metal-clad walls, concrete or brick, foil-backed insulation, tinted/treated windows.
• 📡 Expectation: This is a major trouble spot. Metal siding (common on warehouses) and concrete walls are like a mirror for radio signals—they block them almost completely. You may find that you can talk near an open bay door, but the signal dies the second you step 20 feet inside.

Transmitting Outside-to-Inside

• 📡 Expectation: The same problem, just in reverse. This is critical for a yard manager with a forklift trying to reach the office, or a farmhand in a field trying to call the house.

Chapter 4: Site Survey Scenarios (Retail, Warehouse, Farm)

Scenario 1: The Small Retail Store

• 📡 Environment: Boutique, restaurant, or small grocery.
• 📡 Challenges: Metal shelving, walk-in freezers/coolers, mirrors.
• 📡 Survey Focus: Your main test is from the cash register to the back stockroom. Make sure to test inside the walk-in freezer—that's a metal box and a very common dead zone.
• 📡 Likely Outcome: Most standard 1-2 watt UHF radios will provide excellent coverage.

Scenario 2: The Large Warehouse or Factory

• 📡 Environment: 50,000+ sq. ft. building, high ceilings, distribution center.
• 📡 Challenges: High-density metal racking (this is the #1 signal killer), concrete tilt-up walls, moving machinery, inside-to-outside communication (loading dock to yard).
• 📡 Survey Focus: Be very thorough. Test at the end of every aisle of racking. Test from the deepest point inside the warehouse to the furthest point in the parking lot.
• 📡 Likely Outcome: This scenario will almost certainly have dead zones. Your completed survey map is crucial. It will tell us if you need more powerful 4-5 watt radios, or if you need a repeater to boost the signal and get 100% coverage.

Scenario 3: The Outdoor Farm or Large Property

• 📡 Environment: Golf course, farm, construction site, logging area.
• 📡 Challenges: Hills, valleys, dense trees (especially with wet leaves), and metal buildings (sheds, barns, silos).
• 📡 Survey Focus: Test from the "Base" (e.g., main house or office) to the "worst" spots: behind the hill, inside the metal pole barn, and at the farthest property line.
• 📡 Likely Outcome: For open-air, VHF radios are often a better choice as their signals travel further. However, if you have many buildings, UHF may be better. Your survey will reveal which is right. A repeater on a tall building or silo is a very common solution for farms.

Chapter 5: Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

Avoid these simple mistakes to make sure your survey is accurate.

Pitfall 1: The "Parking Lot Test"

• ⚠️ What it is: Testing two radios in an empty parking lot, hearing each other clearly, and assuming that range will apply inside your building.
• ⚠️ How to Avoid: Only test in your actual work environment. Do it during a normal workday, with the machinery running and the doors closed, to simulate real conditions.

Pitfall 2: Testing with the Radio in Your Hand

• ⚠️ What it is: Holding the radio up in the air in front of your face to get the "best signal." Your employees won't do this.
• ⚠️ How to Avoid: Test with the radio where it will be worn. Clip it to your belt or put it in your pocket. Your body (which is mostly water) is a very effective signal blocker. This "body-worn" test is the true test.

Pitfall 3: The "Full Battery" Fallacy

• ⚠️ What it is: Your test results in a "Weak but Readable" signal.
• ⚠️ How to Avoid: Remember that you tested on a full battery. That "Weak" signal will be a "Dead" signal in 4 hours when the battery is at 50%. Treat any "Weak" spot as a "Dead" spot when planning your system.

Chapter 6: You've Got Your Map... Now What?

Congratulations! You now have a complete coverage map of your property. This map is your most powerful purchasing tool.

• ➡️ If your map is all "Clear": Fantastic! Your chosen radios work perfectly. You can purchase your new system with complete confidence.
• ➡️ If your map has "Weak" spots: You have options. You might need a radio with a longer antenna or a step up in power.
• ➡️ If your map has "Dead" zones: This is not a problem; it's an opportunity. This is a clear sign that you need a repeater system or digital radios. A repeater acts like a Wi-Fi extender, grabbing the weak signal and re-broadcasting it with high power, turning your dead zones into clear zones.