I absolutely LOVED my Nextel phones. In my old unit we used these as a primary method of covert communication on operations. We easily blended in as we were on a cell call.

I'm glad you made a video about this, I've seen a lot of disingenuous marketing from rapid radios, particularly when the whole AT&T fiasco happened a couple months ago. Their marketing video portrayed the radios as working during that outage when large parts of the country were unaffected by the outage

Well done. Ask me about Rapid Radios when I see you next month in person

Rapid radios puts out such miss leading and false advertising about there radios it just blows my mind. I personally have tried to talk to them about this and the response was no response and the deleting of my comments and messages. They have an F rating with the better business bureau and are flat out lying to there customers at this point. I am so glad you covered this and pointed out even more stuff then I touched on in the video I made about these radios. Ham radio 2.0 did a good job talking about these radios as well.

Half of the comments in that videos were pointing out that it is not amateur radio, and the other half were people calling the first half sad hams.

Icom loaned their network PoC radios for one of our YOTA camps for staff and volunteer use. Worked so much better than texting, calling, telegram, zello, etc since not everyone is glued to a phone (believe it or not). plus it was secure so campers couldn’t hear us complaining about troublemakers 😂

Future Josh is spot-on... in addition to that, cell phone networks, frequencies, channel access methods,etc., are discontinued from time to time such as 2G, 3G, CDMA, etc. I've had at least 4 cell phones which I have held onto long enough to have their technology discontinued, so if someone is thinking of this as a long term investmentv- it's not. You can't just upgrade technology by getting a different SIM card.

Hey Josh, thank you for the excellent video. I had not heard of Rapid Radios until 2 days ago. Someone asked me what I thought of them. Now I know what to say. N7HKS, 73 my friend.

The nextel ‘radio’ feature was absolutely game changing for my workplace, and no tech has really come close since Sprint killed it. One of those edge use cases where tech totally nails it and then forgets about it once things become more generalized. Like how Windows Phone 7 was the fastest, easiest, most coherently designed smartphone there was (sans apps). Many cases in tech history of ideas just flat out being executed better in the past.

Rapid Radios banned me from their Facebook page for pointing out their false advertising. lol

Nextel was incredible! What’s more, Nextel functioned internationally! Example, I’ve used Nextel between Lima, Peru and Minneapolis, USA. Just push the button and pairs or groups of people had flawless communication. It operated around 800Mhz which penetrated buildings quite well. AFAIK, that ~800Mhz spectrum is now used for data on iPhones on AT&T.

Just passed my technician exam because of your videos. Wanted to say thanks and I appreciate people like you!

Put Zello on your cellphone. I have a PoC radio that I just wifi off of my cellphone or home wifi and have friends all over the world. Just don't buy the crap they are pitching for $400. Zello is kick ass and is basically free. I like mine as I can travel with friends and just have them use the Zello app while I have the convenience of a PTT button.

Nextell that’s a name I haven’t heard in ages

You could use cellphones to do what those radios could do. Thanks for the video.

I actually had a conversation with someone about the rapid radios. I believe they are a customer. The fine print that is apparently only available during checkout in the terms of service, is that the price only includes the first 12 or maybe 24 months of service. (I don’t recall) After that, you have to pay the monthly fee for the cell tower access.

The POC radios I have transmit crystal clear from Virginia to Alaska but yeah they basically use cellphone towers as the repeater.... Not the best thing to have during an emergency when the internet and phones get cut off but they work great.

During Hurricane Sandy we lost Verizon landline, Verizon Cell, AT&T cell and Optimum internet for ~9 days in central NJ. Satellite TV however did work. So a ham radio would have been very helpful during this period of time.

I've been using POC devices for years (Chinese N60's, etc.). But due to software limitations, they do have a limited life. They can't be updated or re-flashed. And they're expensive. Better to just use your smartphone for that kind of stuff like I now do. Just download the application (such as Zello) to your phone and instant Nextel-like two-way radio! Always 'leashed' to the cell networks with data capability anyway. Have fun!

The Rapid Radio is $400 for a pair of radios and a years worth of service. You have to pay $50 per year for the service after the first year.

Great video on a hot button subject!

POC is quite popular in my country, Indonesia. Several brands such Hytera, Talkpod, and others are some of them.

Interestingly enough, I had one of my buds ask me about this just the other day. I think he was very disappointed they weren't actually Point to Point radios but also happy he didn't buy them. I'm going to reach out to him and link him here.

Conozco un caso de un radioaficionado que recién había recibido su señal distintiva, tubo la "suerte"de viajar a Europa y compro un handy que era un teléfono parecido a un radio vibanda pero el mismo solamente se podía usar con un chip para teléfono y se podía programar en la aplicación Zello. El pobre chico no sabía que hacer ya que al enterarse que no era un handy proponía cambiar el mismo por cualquier radio de VHF-UHF portátil pero siempre sin suerte!!!! Muchas casas de venta de equipos toman a los que no entienden y estafan a los mismos!!!! Un abrazo grande, muy interesante tu canal colega, desde Argentina LU7EUG.

Hey this is KO6ENR newly minted ham in Los Angeles. I wanted to say thank you, I used your technician training vids and passed with almost 100%. Thanks again . Where can I find you on the dial?

We need someone to come out with one of these, vhf/uhf ham and meshtastic all in one device.

Australia is watching..great video 📸

DVSwitch and an Asterisk Server and you have the same service on your existing cell phone with no user fees.

Hello all !! And good morning from Slovenija.

The way they market this "Radios" is completely wrong. Like you said it is a service and like every service you have to pay. Having said that, there are several scenarios in which this type of devices are useful. I worked for years in security and we were using POC systems for all personnel: car patrols included. The system is way cheaper than conventional radio systems for which you need a license and then rent the repeaters plus the maintainance cost. A dispatcher POC system is cheap and gives you features that a conventional radio system can not have: real time video, real time location, messaging, sos, remote monitoring, and so on. Other scenarios I have seen them in use is in hospitals, schools, universities, some police and military applications. Nowadays the cellular network is pretty strong and redundant. In case of natural disaster they deploy what they call COW, cells on wheels. Since a POC system uses a fraction of the band of a cellphone, you can still have voice or at least text communication with this devices during a natural disaster or power outage, where regular cellphones communication do not work. I have several POC radios, all of them are POC plus either UHF or VHF. I use them for my family and some friends. SInce they are dual technology also if I am in an area not covered by cell towers I can still use regular radio communication. I can hit gmrs repeaters or ham repeaters, I am a licensed ham ki6jkr, with these type of poc devices. I gave one poc radio to my mother that lives in Italy, she is 91 yo, and I can talk to her every day, reliably. She can call me whenever she wants just pressing one button. The same goes for other family I have in Italy. Of course I pay for it: 15 USD per year. The first year is included when you buy a radio. All my family members in US have one. You can make group calls or one on one calls. Communication is digital and encrypted. At the end it depends on you needs. For SHTF definetely no unless it is a double tech device, but honestly in my 57 years on this earth I never experienced such event so. To me they are useful and I save a ton of money communicating with my family in Italy. 73

The usefulness of any communication system in a crisis is inversely proportionate to the amount of infrastructure needed to make it function correctly. as a survivor if three major hurricanes, and 9/11 I can tell you without a doubt you do not want to rely on a cellular system.

If you have an Apple Watch, you've already had one of these for years.

My wife and I had the ATT equivalent back in the day. We discovered (on accident, literally) that there was quite a delay on transmission. While backing a trailer into an RV park, my wife tells me when to stop over this thing, but because of the delay, the trailer hit a tree first. -oops-. Of course moving slow so no damage to trailer or tree.

Great review, especially covering how the service might go away in the future. The advertising used by these vendors is definitely deceptive, and that's a red flag on its own.

I can't speak to everyone marketing these, but Rapid Radio and Myemergency Radio (Rapid Radio's parent company) use fear mongering tactics with their marketing. I can see these push to talk cell phones being used on large construction projects and large scale events. However I would never include them in an emergency communication plan. Everyone I know has a cell phone that can download an app for the same purpose of these push to talk cell phones. To me an actual two way radio that doesn't need to rely on infrastructure would be a better option for an emergency communications plan.

A few months back I saw a load of ads on Instagram for devices with almost no specs. From what I could gather they seemed to be Bluetooth enabled FRS units, which acted as a gateway for using your phone over the FRS network, but this makes little sense to me. I commented on the ads and got no clarity. I found it interesting that they advertize for devices without any specs that HAMs can understand. Similarly most of the Motorola Talkabout series have specs I have trouble reading, but I think most of them are just FRS units with a vibrating alert for squelch break. I really don't understand the point of the PoC, but I really would love some of these design languages to trickle over to an HT that I might need.

I have a couple of POC radios, on by Irico and the other by Sonim. I use them on Wi-Fi at home and tethered to my cell when out and about. Are they fun little devices that let me get on Zella and Brandmeister when I’m out of Wi-Fi/hotspot range? Sure. Would I trust them for actual important communications? Heck no, for that I’ll turn to my trusty Yaesus and Alincos.

That didn't go where I expected. I thought you were being polite by saying "Pieces of Crap" radios, instead of "Piece of S#@!" radios. Still, it was an educational topic and I enjoyed it!

Rapid Radio charges $50/year/radio for service after the first year.

buahahaha, 100% honest, I though PoC was for "Piece of Crap" lol

They charge an annual fee for the service after the first year. So the $200 radio has 1 year or service included.

Rapid radio has a yearly fee of $50 it works really good

If you’re looking for redundancy via cell network. A better solution would be to just get a second cellphone on a different network from your primary cellphone. Maybe go opposite of your primary cellphone OS too. There are used/budget phones and budget carriers. The device would do a lot more than just PTT. There is also PTT cellphones like the Sonim. Some local club hams use them with IAXRpt to go into their AllStar nodes which of course can connect to amateur radio repeaters etc.

Recently, some 911 services were hacked. The net has weaknesses.

Thanks for this video. I really wish someone though would post a detailed video on how to set up the 4G cellular service, I just don’t understand what I would need to do or buy in order to get up and running on a cellular network. Do companies like AT&T or Verizon have some sort of POC offering? I just don’t get how that end of things works.

It's not my cuppa tea, but I think it would suit some people, but not Ham's, as you mentioned.

I would avoid these for emergency use but I could see this as an alternative to give a young kid for staying in contact rather than a cellphone with a zombie screen.

Thanks for sharing that information 73 KQ4PMD

So why should not i just stick to my phone instead of that?

Cool idea but I'm not sure what use case it's solving. No additional functionality beyond what is already handled by existing phones on the market, with group communications via apps. Maybe mimicking GMRS groups via cell in a location where there are no repeaters? But again, why not use the smartphone you already have and one of the many group communication apps?

Lahaina! Network systems went down. Power shut down. 100+ people lost their lives. Communication breakdown...what can we honestly depend on.

I wouldn't call PoCs radios, they are useful tools for work for companies etc., just think of taxis, maintenance costs and the frequency granted would be significantly reduced, perfect in a city environment where coverage is horrible, it's easy to set up a communication system group with operations center etc. now we are talking about the starlink connection on smartphones etc. I would never use them in areas at risk of catastrophes, such as earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, etc you just need to choose the right instrument for your needs, but a ratio enthusiast who uses a PoC or Zello and similar things just makes me laugh, to say the least. Ciao from Italy

Just use ZELLO...

There is nothing these do that a cell phone doesn't do, and the cell phones (smartphones) have more functionality.

THe Rapid Radio is paid only for the first year; you need to pay after that

These radios might be cool for everyday life to communicate with a loved one or someone who is in the hobby. As a backup or SHTF radio this would have little to no value IMHO

Are there any of these that you’ve come across that *don’t* seem like a ponzi scheme? Cause I kinda like the idea here.

How are NODES legal? Even though you talk radio to radio.

I just think if you need something like this, just use Zello on your existing phone. zello.com/

Is this how Apple Watch Walkie Talkie works?

i am holding off untill they are vape hybrids.

just use zelo

Coming soon BIPoC radios. LOL.

Why will I pay for a celular with less features than. a normal cell phone. A radio that relies on a sim chip is not a radio, it is a cell phone.

Why don't people just make a telephone call? PoC seems like a gimmick to me, and not a very good one at that.

They are neutered cell phones. I mean ptt is convenient but for me there is no reason to buy one.

NEW-CLEE-US, not NUKE-YOU-LUSS. Just like it's spelled.

Did one problem with these? Radios that are pushed to talk over cellular none of them have the technology that next tell had in its last days. With means? If you're? An area. Where there is no sell signal? Take for example route 6 going from New York new york to upstate New York. And and other places in the Catskill mountains with there's no cell signal. Then what happens with these radios? They're a dead piece of paper weight a heavy piece of paperweight for that matter. So ladies and gentlemen all these companies need to put in an FRS or GMRS or Mercer radio in. These walkie-talkies or Ian may be a ham radio. Indies walking talkies to make sure that these walkie-talkies. The function would out cell yellow service. You're wondering why today's day in age. You can use next tell just what a SIM card even though there are no towers to connect. Because obviously next hell has either an FRS radio building to it or GMRS radio building to it. Or a ham radio built into it? Of course? I don't think so or mirrors which is probably mirrors radio we're just. Probably the more likely hood. One of those free radio bands that can be used. That's what's missing in today's push to talk over cellular. And also A? Fail. Over what's the failure mesh networking with voice and text? Mesh networking with voice and text there's a bunch of companies making these mesh network. Things so how come the walkie-talkie doesn't have a mesh network system built-in. Nah they don't as far as I know. Anyway this is something that's extremely important in? A. Downgrade or offspring situation are we forgetting? What happened to AT&T? In. Close near past are we forgetting? What happened to AT&T in the close near past? Ladies and gentlemen it and everybody here everybody here it's about. Time? That if they're going to bring back if they're going to bring back push to talk over cellular. It's about time that number one system. That works for the voice is implemented in all of these radios. Number 2 either frs or maybe even GMRS. Or mirrors? Yes. In these radios these. Walkie-talkie. Of course redundancy is always the best policy here. In. Case? Such A. Thing? Like A. T? And t is network. All of a couple of months ago. Or maybe. Not even in this particular situation? So I'm alluding to that and then these radios will not work without infrastructure. There needs to be a these radio's must work without any infrastructure whatsoever. Then they're actual real walkie-talkies. It doesn't have to go far if there's no grid however if there is a grid. Of course push to talk over cellular is priority.

My lazy adult kids won't invest any time learning comms. Better to buy a cheap GMRS radio and lock it onto a fixed channel. About $40.

All smartphones are pocs. Use zello.

They are useless in grid down events like major hurricanes, etc. The false advertising on SM about this type of radio is so bad...

So the signal is repeated by a series of cacti

These are just cellphones with a degraded half-duplex voice instead of full-duplex. No point whatsoever.

So you give up all the convenience and comfort of a cell-phone style full-duplex communications in trade for dependence on a specific infrastructure. Nice.

POC radios? you tellin me that this is the new Obama phone? whats next POC cans n a string? this is unbelievable, backwards steps yall.

Mextell.

How about AT&T very very recently AT? And t had a outrage of very big outage affected basically. 90% or 80% of people who had AT&T including cricket including others who rely on AT&T had an outage ladies and gentlemen so hello? Can you really rely on the silent network no you can not? Because of AT&T had a massive outage due to an upgrade on the system. Nevertheless yes you heard right an upgrade on the AT&T system. Of course the mass of outrage just a little well back ladies and gentlemen came who actually rely on the soil and network. Answer to that is no. And the disaster get some other ways of communication. And ladies and gentlemen please bring the subtension to Josh bring this post to attention to Josh who's making this video and let him know that he. Forgot about the AT&T outage maybe. He? Would wouldn't have? Said? What he said. Because if 18 people screw up that bad then in a disaster guess what you should look for any other ways of communications. Because in a disaster if AT&T just upgrading their system just upgrading their system causes an outrage. Then the answer to that is in an outage get other ways of communications. And please bring this post attention to Josh who's making this video. Let him know and let him know that hes wrong on this one. Cause he says you cook depend on a cellular network in a disaster. No you cannot no. You cannot uh not after AT&T screwed up so bad that it caused an outage very very recently. A mass of itch.

Big 'ol scam. No thank you.

Stopped watching jason after he screwed a bunch of hams

First off you Ham guys always beat up on anything that is not ham related. I have watched a lot of your videos and find them very informative thank you for the content. Yes here comes but LOL. I have a ton of two-way radios and they all have their place. I would suggest that you maybe buy and Inexpensive Zello handheld or load Zello on your smart phone and see what it is all about. A lot of ham operators use the service. and buy the way there is no charge for Zello unless you use the work part of the app. Every ham operator uses Rapid Radio as an example. To down grade This type of service. So please lower your snooty Ham nose and take another look before passing judgement. Oh I take my Hand held with me a lot and it will work off of my hotspot on my phone with very little data use. Thank you have a great day.