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IN THIS ISSUE:

F5061: Just Try and Outgrow This Radio

FCC Urges 6.25kHz

Icom Releases Report on Gaming Industry

Accessory of the Month: HM-166L Earphone Microphone

Meet Your Icom Team: Mr. JD Watson - Customer Service Support Specialist

The Power of Saying Thank You

Tech Corner - Next Generation Scanning with the F5061/F6061 Mobile Radio

ianews, your connection to Icom Americas Land Mobile Division! Keep up with the latest products, news and technical information in this newsletter.

March 2007

For People Who Make Smart Choices

2007 Icom America Inc.The Icom logo is a registered trademark of Icom Inc. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. All information and specications subject to change without notice or obligation. 9195

F5061: Just Try and Outgrow This Radio

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The land mobile industrys unsettled regulatory environment lulls many opera-tors into a hesitant complacency, fearful to upgrade to new technologies lest the equipment become obsolete before it is even installed.

So whats the problem with taking a wait-and-see approach to new technolo-gies? For one thing, users may overlook technologies available now that meet the needs of today and tomorrow.

To address this concern, Icom de-veloped the new F5061/F6061 series mobile radio which is designed to grow to meet a customers changing needs. The radio also complies with the FCCs 2013 narrowbanding deadline. Just try and outgrow this radio!

This will be the radio that everyone wants, says John Sullivan, an Icom America Regional Sales Manager. Every type of user will be a potential user of this new technology.

A high-end analog radio, the F5061 offers advanced multimode operation. Conventional mode and basic LTR op-eration come standard. With the optional UT-119H, the mobile provides 6.25kHz digital communication that meets FCC 6.25kHz emission mask requirements for narrowbanding.

6.25kHz digital makes more efcient use of available spectrum, allowing operators to load three to four times more users on a system than with conventional mode.

With LTR included in both the VHF and UHF versions, the radio is ideal for any public or private LTR system, including wide-area systems, says Mark Maynard, an Icom America Program Manager. The

exibility of this mobile makes it a perfect choice for many private, public, and ser-vice applications, Maynard says.

A companion radio to the F3061/F4061 portable, the F5061 mobile rounds out Icoms 6.25kHz digital offering. The radio is MDC 1200-com-patible, providing advanced automatic number identication (ANI), selective call (Selcall), and emergency call features. A DB25 connector on the back of the radio provides pin-outs for connecting various external devices.

The F5061 is a good, high-end radio for public safety police, re, and EMS because of its feature set, says Icom America Program Manager Kevin Ryan. MDC 1200 signaling, remote mount, 512-channel capacity, advanced scan capability, and the large alphanu-meric display are all features that public safety users require.

Public safety as well as business and industrial users will appreciate the mobiles 512-channel capacity with 128 zones, allowing for exible channel groupings. The radio also covers a wide range of frequencies.

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F5061: Just Try and Outgrow

Icom America Inc.2380 116th Ave NEBellevue, WA 98004Phone: (425) 454-8155Fax: (425) 454-1509Customer Service: (425) 454-7619

Icom America SystemsPhone: (425) 586-6363Fax: (425) [email protected]

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Icom Releases Report on Gaming Industry

Continued on page 3

A key feature for transportation users, especially heavy-duty truck operations, is the radios remote-mount feature. Users can mount the radio under or behind the seat, and place only the lightweight control head on the dash. Remote mount makes an efcient use of space and protects the radio from being accidentally hit, damaged, or jarred loose.

The two-way radio industry is moving forward, and Icoms F5061 mobile and F3061 portable are keeping step with todays technological advances and tomorrows regulatory deadlines. Savvy users will choose these future-minded radios that meet todays needs and em-brace the industrys exciting future.

The latest vertical market report from Icom America reveals opportunities for radio dealers within the rapidly growing and highly lucrative gaming industry.

Depending on the facilitys size and scope, casino operators need to provide effective communications for multiple groups of personnel. Security, admin-istration, client services, and restaurant and maintenance staff all depend on reli-able communications. The report details specic requirements for these different user groups and recommends appropri-ate radio solutions. Dealer handouts, ads, and a sample press release are included for use in marketing campaigns.

With 35 states now permitting gaming operations, the report provides valu-able information on how to penetrate the commercial/racetrack and tribal/ Indian casino industries. Combined, these markets churned out more than $80 billion in gross revenue last year, and the gures are expected to continue rising. (For more information, see www.americangaming.org.)

The gaming industry has huge po-tential, says John Parke Coupe, Jr. of Coupe Communications, one of Icom Americas largest land mobile radio dealers in the Northeast. His Ambler, Penn.-based company recently installed a two-way system for Philadelphia Park Casino, an established thoroughbred

racetrack located about 20 miles north of downtown Philadelphia. The casino received a slots license from the Pennsyl-vania Gaming Control Board late last year.

At rst, the casino just wanted radios for the thoroughbred racetrack, Coupe says. But the casino was coming in shortly, so we tried to move the customer into an integrated system. I wanted them to look at their future needs.

Coupe expressed great appreciation for the systems knowledge and assis-tance given by Icom America Systems during the design and integration phases. This was a team effort the whole way through, says Coupe. Icom America Systems (IAS) is a division of Icom America for the design, build and implementation of custom developed systems requested by dealers.

Philadelphia Park Casino offers 2,100 slot machines on two levels, multiple restaurants and bars, and the outdoor

FCC Urges 6.25 kHz

In a press release on March 22, the FCC readdressed with urgency its planned actions for transitioning to 6.25 kHz narrowband technology.The following Third Report and Order statements from the FCC make it clearer than ever that land mobiles transition to 6.25 kHz is propelling towards a xed schedule.

The FCC ... strongly urges licensees to consider migrating directly to 6.25 kHz technology rather than rst adopting 12.5 kHz technology and later migrating to 6.25 kHz technology.

The FCC ... will expeditiously establish a schedule for transition to 6.25 kHz narrowband technology once the technology matures to the point that sufcient equipment is available for testing.

Deferring the implementation date permits manufacturers to develop and test equipment after the expected nalization of 6.25 kHz standards in the near future.



ianewsIcom Releases Report onGaming Industry

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all-weather thoroughbred track. Future expansion plans include a luxury hotel, spa, conference center, housing developments and championship golf course.

Coupe, along with IAS, designed an integrated system with multiple workgroups that would allow for future expansion as the facilitys needs evolved. The current system includes 6 Icom FR-3000 repeaters with SmarTrunk controllers and 215 Icom radios (F33GS, F121, and sev-eral F60 working in conventional mode).

Like the commercial casino market, tribal casinos are also seeing rapid growth. In 2005, revenues increased 16 percent to $22.6 billion, according to the National Indian Gaming Association. (For more information, see www.indian gaming.org.)

Indian casinos in particular have a lot of money right now and can afford the best equipment available to them, says Jim Ivins, owner and president of Integrated Circuits, an Icom America radio dealer in Yukon, Okla., which supplies Icom mobile and portable radios and repeaters to a large Indian gaming operation.

Ivins recommends Icoms F60 radio to his casino customers for its durable construction and lightweight form factor. Certain accessories such as speaker mics are also critical for casino users, Ivins says. Since casinos are very noisy, users often require an earphone and speaker mic setup to communicate effectively. Ivins says.

While some casino operators choose to use cellular phones, two-way radio offers many advantages over commer-cial communications. Two-way radio systems are reliable, and can continue to function even during a power outage. Operators also enjoy increased control over their communications and have the

freedom to design a system that meets their specic needs, such as one-to-many calling, remote area access, and in-building coverage.

For example, Philadelphia Park Ca-sino insisted on waterproof radios for the outdoor thoroughbred race track. It also required full coverage throughout the six-story casino. Indoor coverage proved to be a challenge at rst, until Coupe Communications installed 2,000 feet of radiating cable throughout the building. The clients need for 100% seamless interior coverage was achieved through a proper design, much planning and the placement of the proper equipment, Coupe says.

This situation illustrates the benet of working with an experienced dealer that not only knows its technology but also the specic needs of its customers, including the regulations controlling the industry.

Casinos need communications companies that know their industry and particular needs, Coupe says. The money they are spending for a system is signicant, and being assured it will function to their needs is very important to them. We are providing this con-dence to customers through a proven track record and the resources of the Icom America Systems team.

John Parke Coupe Jr. at Philadelphia Park Casino installation.

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HM-166L Earphone Microphone

Accessory of the Month

Introducing the new HM-166L earphone microphone. This earphone mic is positioned between the current HM128L and HM153L accessory models.The medium duty wire kit is great for the professional user who needs more durability than the HM-128L. 2-pin screw down L-shaped connector xes rmly to radio Good audio for clear communication

Use the HM-166L earphone microphone with the following series radios: F11 Series F14 Series F3021 Series F3G Series F33G SeriesStock available middle of April.

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The power of saying thank youAs dealers, we should all be reminded

more often today that saying thank you to valued customers can leave a lasting impression, becoming one of the most powerful branches in growing strong customer relationships. We should all be thankful for the opportunity to be thank-ing our customers. If we dont, someone else may get the chance.

Sincere and professional appreciation thats timely is worth a thousand percent more than the follow-up sales pitch or force-fed Thanks for shopping with us! Local dealers have the advantage over other sales channels because of the hands-on experience and face-to-face

interaction they have with customers. Dealers who take the time to really say thank you to their customers will rmly establish this advantage, and enable the ability to develop it fruitfully over time.

Bruce Resteau, an Icom dealer in Chesterton, Ind., recently wrote a let-ter to his customers thanking them for their support while reinforcing the value added benets of a customer/local dealer relationship. His letter has re-ceived positive response from existing and new customers. We asked Bruce if he wouldnt mind sharing the letter with fellow dealers. He said Yes, please do . . . and thank you.

J.D. is our Customer Service Support Specialist with a lot of responsibilities, such as product backorder re- leasing, price corrections, rebate and promotional credit entries, order entry, phone queue support and other duties. A known troubleshooter, J.D. enjoys researching and resolving an issue to its completion.Before coming to Icom, J.D. worked as an aerospace machinist for Boeing.It is very likely that you have had the opportunity to speak with J.D. over his past two years serving as a Customer Service Representative on our order desk and during his time with our Marine Sales Division. We are happy to have him back in Customer Service.When asked what he liked about working at Icom, J.D. said The difference working here at Icom is a caring environment. My coworkers are great to work with and my manager takes a real interest in what I do. J.D. enjoys playing with his son, watching UFC and taking trips, especially boating, with his family.

J.D. WatsonCustomer Service Support Specialist

Meet Your Icom Team

TECH CORNER

Scanning in the new F5061/F6061 mobile radio has been redesigned to give you more exibility and control over how you want to scan. The familiar scan modes are all there, you just have much more ability to customize your scan than ever before.Most of the new scan capabilities are in the Scan List window, as described below.

Next Generation Scanning with the F5061/F6061 Mobile Radio

Scan TypeThis is where you select how your radio will scan: a normal scan (round robin), a priority scan (returns to a priority channel), or a vote scan. Primary CHHeres where you select the channel you want as your primary (priority) channel during a priority scan. The choices are the Assigned Priority A or B channel, the scan start channel, or the channel selected on your radio.Secondary CHShould you choose a secondary primary channel, the channel choices are the same as those available for the Primary Channel.

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TX CHThis eld allows you to set the channel you want to transmit on while in scan. You can transmit on the last channel received, the priority A or B channel, the scan start channel, or the channel set on the radio.Talk BackThe Talk Back timer gives you the ability to call back a received call. When the received call is over and scan restarts, this timer kicks in and you can press PTT and call that person back, as long as it is within the time set for this timer.TX ActionThis eld controls whether scan will stop or resume after transmitting.Cancel CHOnce the scan is over, this eld determines which channel your radio will be on.

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