Testing the Ultra-1 radio to see how it performs in real buildings, during training, and over long distances. Solid local communication with the bonus of nationwide reach when LTE is available.
We tried out Midland Business Class Radios that are UHF with a discrete squelch giving the business class band 50 discrete frequencies. Each radio can be programmed with fifteen frequencies, issued by the FCC. A ten year church license for two freqs was $200 last I checked. We have poor cell coverage at our main campus and these 4 watt radios will go through our entire building and still reach a half mile out to the main highway where our Deputy directs traffic. We tried it from the back of the basement to the highway and it was loud and clear. For smaller locations, they offer a 2 watt smaller radio as well. Midland gave us a 10% discount and so far, we have bought about 30 radios and all of our guys, mostly ex LEO's or ex military, are impressed with them. If you are interested, call Collin Adams at Midland in Kansas City (217) 779-8730. Great people. Great products. And no, I don't get a thing by recommending them. Individual radio price: $109 on our prior orders.
EDIT- Forgot to mention the model: MB400 We use the Midland Secret Service style hidden ear piece using silicone ear pieces we get off Amazon. Some guys with hearing aids prefer the Midland speaker-mic they clip on their upper jacket near the zipper. Some guys with the new tiny aids can use the silicone ear pieces, no problem. The smaller 2-watt radio is the MB200.
Keith-Yes, I purchased 4 of the Rapd radio units of our small combination safety,Security team. Yes,agree not the best as when attempted to use from (Nampa, Idaho) to Washington Church Camp. Failed No Cellular Towers close to area. Yet Bakersfield to Nampa, Idaho usage.Great Also from Salt Lake,Utah to Nampa,Idaho Good. So , Questions is the (Polink Ultra 1 owned by Rapid Radio?) Appears same size etc. Also would suggestion to you Personally for better Cover Protection on size of your Polink Ultra 1. I, purchased Covers for ours at [Combat Sports Supply] at 3165 W. Chinden Blvd. Garden City,ID 83714 (208) 336-1927 info@CombatSportSupply.com] They have different Business hours. Yet average cost for Holsters I got where approximately $6.99 ea to $9.99 Ea. They help in the Holsters prevent Braking when fall on Ground.They come in two Colors Camo -Green or Black with Carry Belt Strap or use Ring Holder Clip. So, I will look into this Style you talk about for our usage. Oh,Yes at (Nampa,Idaho) South Stake Ward 22 LDS. We are the Only two carry CCW-Enhanced Carry must Keep Concealed per our- Stake President and-Bishop. Plus my Brother -In-Law in the Athol,Idaho do the Same in his Ward procedures. Also Note he now Subscribes to your site Christine Warrior for last 6-Months as I send them your up dates. Dennie Melton -Nampa, Idaho: Retired chp/So/Sac also former CSP:11/20/2025:
Great idea!! I’ve been doing some research on the POC style radios. We use some encrypted Motorolas for our team. Not great cell coverage in the area our church is in though for some reason. I’ve always been curious on these, even more if we can do it nation wide for direct comms if needed.
How well does the Ultra-1 handle users with hearing aids? We are now using the free Zello app, which adds a push to talk feature to cellphones, because it automatically uses a paired hearing aid as its speaker for those who need such help.
I appreciate you highlighting negatives as well as the positives. However, while the price of the Ultra-1 is possibly fair for what it has, I feel like what it has is overkill for a church security team, and thus the price is excessive for cash-strapped churches. And I'm not sure I'd call it "simple".
Not only is LTE less reliable than VHF/UHF (_especially_ during natural disasters), but simple FRS or GMRS (or even dedicated frequency) radios are inexpensive and effective, plus they take a wide range of accessories. And the FCC allows even full-on business use in FRS bands, let alone non-profit churches, so you don't even need to mess with licensing.
Buy a pack of quality FRS radios, such as something from Midland or Motorola, and if one of them breaks you don't have to adjust the church budget to replace it.
Do anything BUT FRS and GRMS. They are not secure. You are broadcasting to everyone under the sun and are not a reliable choice for emergencies. Seriously, anything but this please.
Looking at the POCLINK, Rapid Radio and Two Way Direct TWD50; the TWD50 has WIFI capability and can be used on the church's established WIFI system without having to pay an annual fee to stay on the LTE network. I am looking at the TWD50. The option of the LTE capability is included for the first year with the purchase. And the option to later use LTE is always present. But trying to keep the radio system functional and affordable for a small church, the TWD50 seems to provide that option. IMHO. Semper Fi
When considering or training for use of communications radios please remember COMSEC (Communications Security). Radios can be compromised so organizations should have a secondary and tertiary plans for communications without radios, these may include hand signals, whistles, etc.
If you use a business or similar radio system licensed through the FCC, the frequency is public information and with the proliferation of easily programmable radios a motivated attacker can jam, spoof, feed bad info, etc. or simply listen in to your comms which creates a tactical problem. Likewise, if someone steals one of your own radios, you comms are compromised.
Don't over use radio "codes" as even cops who use them all day long mess up at times so part time church sheepdogs should consider plain English except for a FEW things that someone who has breached COMSEC and might be listening won't be able to decipher. Basic code words/numbers might include the alert for a threat, locations (keep the threat confused as to your movements), etc.
We've seen these COMSEC breaches in civilian law enforcement but I don't know if any active shooter events have involved compromising radio communications.
It is recommended that y'all consider remote speaker/microphones or earpieces and clip on mikes as this frees up hands by eliminating the need to hold your radio.
Another great alternative we found...
We tried out Midland Business Class Radios that are UHF with a discrete squelch giving the business class band 50 discrete frequencies. Each radio can be programmed with fifteen frequencies, issued by the FCC. A ten year church license for two freqs was $200 last I checked. We have poor cell coverage at our main campus and these 4 watt radios will go through our entire building and still reach a half mile out to the main highway where our Deputy directs traffic. We tried it from the back of the basement to the highway and it was loud and clear. For smaller locations, they offer a 2 watt smaller radio as well. Midland gave us a 10% discount and so far, we have bought about 30 radios and all of our guys, mostly ex LEO's or ex military, are impressed with them. If you are interested, call Collin Adams at Midland in Kansas City (217) 779-8730. Great people. Great products. And no, I don't get a thing by recommending them. Individual radio price: $109 on our prior orders.
EDIT- Forgot to mention the model: MB400 We use the Midland Secret Service style hidden ear piece using silicone ear pieces we get off Amazon. Some guys with hearing aids prefer the Midland speaker-mic they clip on their upper jacket near the zipper. Some guys with the new tiny aids can use the silicone ear pieces, no problem. The smaller 2-watt radio is the MB200.
Keith-Yes, I purchased 4 of the Rapd radio units of our small combination safety,Security team. Yes,agree not the best as when attempted to use from (Nampa, Idaho) to Washington Church Camp. Failed No Cellular Towers close to area. Yet Bakersfield to Nampa, Idaho usage.Great Also from Salt Lake,Utah to Nampa,Idaho Good. So , Questions is the (Polink Ultra 1 owned by Rapid Radio?) Appears same size etc. Also would suggestion to you Personally for better Cover Protection on size of your Polink Ultra 1. I, purchased Covers for ours at [Combat Sports Supply] at 3165 W. Chinden Blvd. Garden City,ID 83714 (208) 336-1927 info@CombatSportSupply.com] They have different Business hours. Yet average cost for Holsters I got where approximately $6.99 ea to $9.99 Ea. They help in the Holsters prevent Braking when fall on Ground.They come in two Colors Camo -Green or Black with Carry Belt Strap or use Ring Holder Clip. So, I will look into this Style you talk about for our usage. Oh,Yes at (Nampa,Idaho) South Stake Ward 22 LDS. We are the Only two carry CCW-Enhanced Carry must Keep Concealed per our- Stake President and-Bishop. Plus my Brother -In-Law in the Athol,Idaho do the Same in his Ward procedures. Also Note he now Subscribes to your site Christine Warrior for last 6-Months as I send them your up dates. Dennie Melton -Nampa, Idaho: Retired chp/So/Sac also former CSP:11/20/2025:
Great idea!! I’ve been doing some research on the POC style radios. We use some encrypted Motorolas for our team. Not great cell coverage in the area our church is in though for some reason. I’ve always been curious on these, even more if we can do it nation wide for direct comms if needed.
How well does the Ultra-1 handle users with hearing aids? We are now using the free Zello app, which adds a push to talk feature to cellphones, because it automatically uses a paired hearing aid as its speaker for those who need such help.
I have not tried it.
I appreciate you highlighting negatives as well as the positives. However, while the price of the Ultra-1 is possibly fair for what it has, I feel like what it has is overkill for a church security team, and thus the price is excessive for cash-strapped churches. And I'm not sure I'd call it "simple".
Not only is LTE less reliable than VHF/UHF (_especially_ during natural disasters), but simple FRS or GMRS (or even dedicated frequency) radios are inexpensive and effective, plus they take a wide range of accessories. And the FCC allows even full-on business use in FRS bands, let alone non-profit churches, so you don't even need to mess with licensing.
Buy a pack of quality FRS radios, such as something from Midland or Motorola, and if one of them breaks you don't have to adjust the church budget to replace it.
My 2 cents as a ham operator.
Do anything BUT FRS and GRMS. They are not secure. You are broadcasting to everyone under the sun and are not a reliable choice for emergencies. Seriously, anything but this please.
I understand they're not secure, but I'd trade unsecure comms for unreliable comms (LTE) any day.
Looking at the POCLINK, Rapid Radio and Two Way Direct TWD50; the TWD50 has WIFI capability and can be used on the church's established WIFI system without having to pay an annual fee to stay on the LTE network. I am looking at the TWD50. The option of the LTE capability is included for the first year with the purchase. And the option to later use LTE is always present. But trying to keep the radio system functional and affordable for a small church, the TWD50 seems to provide that option. IMHO. Semper Fi
I have a pair of the Ultras. Overall I like the product.
My main gripe is the battery life. Even after switching to LTE only, and turning off Bluetooth, the battery life is just OK.
Also be aware that T-Mobile is phasing out LTE within the next 2 years.
does the poclink have easy to use scanning capability?
It does not scan the groups. I do hope they include this in a software upgrade.
When considering or training for use of communications radios please remember COMSEC (Communications Security). Radios can be compromised so organizations should have a secondary and tertiary plans for communications without radios, these may include hand signals, whistles, etc.
If you use a business or similar radio system licensed through the FCC, the frequency is public information and with the proliferation of easily programmable radios a motivated attacker can jam, spoof, feed bad info, etc. or simply listen in to your comms which creates a tactical problem. Likewise, if someone steals one of your own radios, you comms are compromised.
Don't over use radio "codes" as even cops who use them all day long mess up at times so part time church sheepdogs should consider plain English except for a FEW things that someone who has breached COMSEC and might be listening won't be able to decipher. Basic code words/numbers might include the alert for a threat, locations (keep the threat confused as to your movements), etc.
We've seen these COMSEC breaches in civilian law enforcement but I don't know if any active shooter events have involved compromising radio communications.
It is recommended that y'all consider remote speaker/microphones or earpieces and clip on mikes as this frees up hands by eliminating the need to hold your radio.
Stay safe, brothers and sisters.
If we purchased one to try in our area, don't you need two to be able to test them properly?
Yes
Thanks keith.
Our area has no LTE. We depend entirely on WIFI. But the FRS would work here.