Gadgetren – Previously, PT Harrisma Informatika Jaya as distributor of Motorola Solutions had launched a new two way radio named MOTOTRBO R7 at ASTON Anyer Beach Hotel, Banten.

This two-way radio is built on its ability to produce clear sound in various working environment conditions ranging from mining, healthcare, construction to oil and gas sectors.

During the event, the Gadgetren team borrowed a MOTOTRBO R7 unit to practice and gain hands-on experience in real-world conditions.

There are 10 media divided into 5 groups where each group consists of two people to be able to communicate directly with other groups using MOTOTRBO R7.

The organizers themselves have made channel or group settings that can be used to communicate between media using the MOTOTRBO R7 while at ASTON Anyer Beach Hotel.

Meanwhile, connections between MOTOTRBO R7 devices are configured using radio frequencies (RF) with UHF (Ultra High Frequency) networks in the 440 MHz range.

However, the organizers stress that in fact this MOTOTRBO R7 can be connected via other Radio Frequency (RF) networks, depending on the frequency range that is currently vacant and the needs of a real-world activity.

Without any obstruction of objects, MOTOTRBO R7 devices are claimed to be able to be used for communication up to 5 Km. However, when there are obstacles such as walls or other things, the communication capability can be increased by using a repeater.

Organizers revealed that for 1 to 5 MOTOTRBO R7 devices can actually be used for instant communication. However, because when it was set up there were some problems with the RF connection at the ASTON Anyer Beach Hotel, a repeater was added so that the communication between the MOTOTRBO R7 devices would work smoothly.

When I hold the MOTOTRBO R7, the body feels sturdy and durable because it has already passed the MIL-STD 810 military test, so it can withstand various conditions such as fire, impact, falling on hard objects, and is resistant to disinfectants and contamination.

While this device is equipped with IP68 certification which proves that it is resistant to dust and water to a depth of 2 meters within 2 hours. Even the MOTOTRBO R7 is also equipped with an IP66 certification that proves it is resistant to high-pressure water spray.

In this way, the MOTOTRBO R7 is indeed suitable for indoor and even indoor use. In addition, the body uses durable materials, making this device resistant to shocks and vibrations.

To activate this device, I also access the top left button by turning it to the left until it says “shrink” and wait for the screen to open.

On the 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) screen on this device, I can immediately see the group and channel name entered with a colored background.

When I tried to communicate with another team with the MOTOTRBO R7, the connection was really smooth where my voice was heard clearly and vice versa I could hear the other team’s voice clearly.

As a two-way radio, I also have to use buttons Push to Talk that extends to the left so you can talk to other groups in the channel and group you’ve created.

Later, after I speak, all other groups in the same channel or group will immediately hear my voice at the same time. Conversely, I can also hear voices along with other groups when others are speaking.

You could say that the communication process using a two-way radio like the MOTOTRBO R7 is efficient because it can quickly provide information to many people at once. Moreover, it is held over a long distance and there are many teams in it.

With the presence of two microphones located at the front near the Motorola logo and at the back near the R7 logo, the MOTOTRBO R7 is able to present Adaptive Noise Cancellation to help two-way communication between me and other users when I’m in a noisy environment, especially in conditions near a busy beach hotel, enough to carry the sound of noise.

Of course, this adaptive noise cancellation feature is useful when used by MOTOTRBO R7 users to communicate during work activities in construction, oil and gas, mining, and other industries where the environment is typically noisy due to heavy equipment.

In addition, there is also a speaker behind the keyboard, which can produce a loud sound of 102 voices or higher than four times that of a person screaming. Meanwhile, the volume level of MOTOTRBO R7 can be adjusted up to 107 phones.

The keyboard of the MOTOTRBO R7 has buttons with a Candy Bar design that extends vertically. The P1 and P2 buttons are usually used to access something programmed, for example a remote display or to turn off a channel.

While the direction buttons can be used to navigate directions, the Menu or OK buttons can be used to access the Main Menu as well as the hotkey for the selected menu.

The Back or Home button can be used to return to the previous page or can also be used to return to the main page or home screen. Meanwhile, number, letter or character keys are usually used for the needs of sending or replying to messages, entering data, to become buttons for menu selection.

On the top of the MOTOTRBO R7 there is also an orange button that can be used in emergency situations to let other users know that we are experiencing issues or problems in the area.

In terms of batteries, the MOTOTRBO R7 can last up to 24 hours, so of course it can solve usage problems in an environment where 1 work shift usually lasts up to 8 hours.

Thanks to the MOTOTRBO R7 intended for use with wide area coverage with each user always in communication, this device can be connected to many other devices without limits.

Even the MOTOTRBO R7 is capable of 1 million device connections which are still able to work smoothly. But again, the number of connected devices depends on how big the architecture is for the actual needs of the range of work happening.

It should be noted that this MOTOTRBO R7 is capable of operating on UHF and VHF radio frequencies. It even has the ability to create 1,000 channels simultaneously, so it can be used to work with even large groups.

In addition to being able to use Radio Frequencies, the MOTOTRBO R7 can also use a Wi-Fi connection to connect to other devices. The presence of Bluetooth 5.2 support allows users to connect it with Motorola headset accessories to increase the comfort of use.

In my opinion, this MOTOTRBO R7 is a two-way radio that has clear voice support with extended communication. Meanwhile, this device also has a variety of functions that can be adapted to the needs and scale of the user’s environment.