I am writing this article to inform the industry about an often-overlooked resource, which many listed alarm companies should consider using.

In the late 1960s, three industry leaders — George Smith Jr. of Dallas-based Smith Alarms, Sarah Jackson of Denver Burglar Alarm and Anthony Grosso of ADT — teamed up with Washington, D.C., attorney Jeremiah Courtney to advocate on behalf of the alarm industry. They successfully persuaded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allocate specific UHF frequencies in the 450 to 470 MHz business band exclusively for use by UL- and FM-listed alarm installation and monitoring companies.

Their vision was to use these frequencies for voice traffic. A few frequencies were selected with a 5 MHz spacing to allow for repeater use. The Central Station Electrical Protection Association (CSEPA, later CSAA and now TMA) was granted the ability by the FCC to “coordinate” this new allocation.

These frequencies were to be used by the listed alarm companies to communicate with and between runners, installers and other personnel. This would allow for uninterrupted communications without the need to lease time from other commercial sources.

“Coordination” is a technical and regulatory process that removes or mitigates radio-frequency interference between different radio systems that operate on the same frequency. Coordinators are private organizations that have been certified by the FCC to recommend the most appropriate frequencies for applicants in the designated FCC Rules Part 90 frequencies as part of the licensing procedure. I am currently serving as TMA’s volunteer coordinator.

In the mid-1980s coordination was extended to the offset frequencies in between the voice channels. These offsets are now used primarily for digital alarm signaling. As time passed, much of the voice communications migrated to cellular service. Forward to 2024. Natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes, as well as acts of terrorism, have exposed vulnerabilities in cellular service.

At this the point, I am now getting requests from some alarm entitles asking for frequencies for voice use. These frequencies can be utilized for repeaters to extend radio range, as well as for base-to-mobile or mobile-to-mobile communication. Even with the continued use of cellular, since alarm companies are in the business of saving lives and property, redundancy (i.e. backup) is a key ingredient. The ability for technicians to operate within a building, let us say basement to an upper floor, can become more reliable with handheld-to-handheld UHF communications.

In the original concept of these dedicated frequencies, their use was for UL and FM listed central stations. Since then, other National Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) have emerged such as ETL. The FCC rules have been amended to account for this. Additionally, since the rule regarding listings has been interpreted such that if an installing company, without their own central station, can issue a UL, FM or ETL certificate for an installation, then that company is eligible for these frequencies.

If your company is listed under the UUFX (Central Station Fire Alarm Service) or UUJS (Local, Remote Station, Proprietary Supervising Station Fire Service) designations and uses a listed monitoring company, you probably qualify. These designations are for local alarm service companies, delivering installation, testing, service, maintenance and runner service to a protected premises. Monitoring is subcontracted to an appropriately listed central monitoring company.

In relatively flat terrain with no obstructions, a range of about 6 to 7 miles is possible, if both radios are held at 5 to 6 feet above the ground. Additionally, these radios can operate from the basement to upper floors of a building. Between mountaintops, you could possibly achieve over 100 miles. Several online calculators can help you determine your range, considering your antenna height and terrain.

If your office location is high enough or you have a nearby tower, the cost to set up a repeater system could be surprisingly low. Alternatively, your company can rent space on a local tower or high building. It is best to go through a local two-way radio installation company to set this up.

The concept of a UHF repeater is simple. As an example, let’s say your frequency pair is 461.000 MHz and 466.000 MHz. The lower frequency, 461.000 MHz, is designated as the base side and the upper frequency, 466.000 MHz, is designated as the mobile side. Your repeater output would be 461.000 MHz. Your mobile stations or handheld units would transmit on the repeater’s “input” frequency — in this case 466.000 MHz. The repeater would extract the audio from the input signal and retransmit it on the repeater’s “output” frequency — in this case 461.000 MHz, which, of course, all the mobile stations and handheld are tuned to listen.

The 5 MHz “split” — the spacing between a repeater input frequency and output frequency — is a convention used on the 450 to 470 MHz band. Since repeaters need to receive and transmit at the same time, the offset needs to be large enough to make it possible for the filters to separate the transmit and receive frequencies.

Another use might be solely for handheld-to-handheld radio usage. This is especially useful inside building with poor cellular coverage, for instance, two technicians are attempting to communicate from the basement to an upper floor of a building during an installation or system testing.

If any of this is of interest to your company, you might consult with a local two-way radio company. Or if you just wish to use a few basic two-way radios for communications during an installation or test, you can just purchase as many handheld radios as you require. Just make sure they are FCC Part 90 certified or “type accepted.”

It is prohibited to put into U.S. commerce a radio that is not so certificated. However, some do exist. It is best to purchase a radio from a known and respected supplier. You may pay a little more, but it is worth the peace of mind.

Next you will need a frequency or frequencies and an appropriate license. That’s where I, as a coordinator, can help. Once you have an FCC license, you have one year to construct a system. This is acknowledged by your company simply by filing an FCC Schedule K form (Required Notification for Wireless Service) directly with the FCC. Failure to do so within one year will terminate your license.

This is an often-overlooked resource available to listed companies. I hope this article spurs you on to at least consider this possibly.