Most schemes receive immediate financial support from local authorities and the police due to the benefits other schemes have offered.

What is the range of ShopWatch?

Like all radio systems this really does depend on area. In smaller towns working 'set-set' provides plenty of coverage and negates the need for a repeater. For larger installations, such as those in cities, then a repeater will likely be required. Sometimes called a 'base station' or 'talk through' unit, a repeater boosts the signal and retransmits it to other radios. For most cities is a single repeater is sufficient, but to provide wide area coverage multiple repeaters can be used - linked together using either radio (this is called trunking), broadband or microwave links. Unlimited repeaters can be connected together providing unlimited coverage.

Are ShopWatch radio systems secure?

Traditionally security has always been a problem with ShopWatch radio systems. Many analogue and older systems do not offer any security. This means that anyone with a handheld radio scanner (freely available on eBay) can eavesdrop on conversations. Indeed this is becoming more of a problem and many amateur radio enthusiasts now listen in to shop watch channels as a hobby. While the bulk of eavesdroppers do not cause any problems, it has been known for criminals to also use this method as intelligence gathering. Perhaps though a greater problem in modern Shop Watch systems is that the frequency information for many systems is now freely available on the internet - meaning that anyone could programme a radio and 'jam' the channel - this could also happen if a Shop Watch radio was to be stolen from a participating store.

Modern digital systems do not suffer from these problems as much. Digital radio systems cannot be eavesdropped on with conventional scanners - since the speech is digitised so any potential eavesdropper would only hear white noise.  Also digital systems such as Hytera DMR and Motorola MOTOtrbo now feature encryption out of the box. All Delcom digital ShopWatch systems also now offer 'Remote Kill' and 'Remote Stun', this feature allows the radio control room to remotely disable (either permanently or temporarily) a radio over the air - preventing it from being used. 'Channel hopping' and scanning is another feature that can be incorporated into Shop Watch systems - providing redundancy in the event of malicious channel jamming.

What does ShopWatch cost?

Many scheme operators & local authorities do not charge a subscription, others charge a small monthly fee to subscribers in order to cover operating costs of the system. To prevent eavesdropping and interference nearly all operational ShopWatch and PubWatch systems operate using licensed frequencies. A licence is issued by OFCOM, and costs around £75. This is a annual fee and covers the geographic area of the system, providing the systems managers/owners their own private frequency. There is no limit to the number of radios per licence, so you'll only need 1 however large the system is. Usually the local PubWatch/ShopWatch committee hold and pay for the licence rather than the shops, which costs about £75 per year.  

The ShopWatch/PubWatch radio itself can be purchased or leased from Delcom. We have shop watch and pub watch compatible radios starting from just £80, including FREE delivery and programming, as well as leading options from just £5 per month.

Larger systems, or those covering a whole town centre or city centre, usually require a base station repeater. This boosts the signal to all the radios, ensuring everyone gets a good quality signal. Base stations and repeaters start from around £650.

What is digital 2 way radio on ShopWatch?

Digital radio systems, although slightly more costly (although the cost is coming down) generally offer more features, more security and better speech quality than analogue systems. You can also get the impression of better range, since digital systems can maintain the speech quality to the extremeity of the systems capability, whereas an analogue system will 'fade off'. In addition; digital systems can support simultaneous conversations, direct private calling, GPS tracking remote management, IP connectivity, trunking and messaging. Some of these features are standard capabilities on digital radio systems and can be costly, complicated extras on counterpart analogue systems. Digital equipment is now available from all the major manufacturers, including Motorola (MotoTRBO), Icom (IDAS), Kenwood (NexEdge), Team Simoco, Vertex and Hytera (DMR).

Advanced ShopWatch Systems & Integration

Nowadays a simple radio system is often not sufficient for most customers requirements and many newer systems (such as digital 2 way radio) feature advanced functionality out of the box. We have deployed radio systems that include features, 'out of the box', such as...

> Encryption
> Lone worker functionality, fully automated and requiring no manual intervention at the monitoring end.
> Live GPS tracking
> Radios with panic buttons that can automatically control CCTV cameras, pointing them at the radios location.
> Remote control of barriers, doors, lights and sprinkler systems
> Remote kill & stun
> Telephone Interconnect

Scalable, reliable and feature packed our town and city radio communications systems can offer everything from basic halgf duplex communication all the way to lone worker, GPS and live media applications.

"When we talk to local authorities we try not to just provide a ShopWatch system - in most cases the infrastructure can be used to host multiple channels at no extra cost. We have Shop Watch systems that are also used in multi-channel scenarios by council waste management teams, parking attendants and street wardens. Systems can even double up in the evenings to be used as PubWatch systems! By maximising on their infrastructure many local authorities are seeing the benefits of Shop Watch extending to their own internal operations, rather than just security within the town/city centre."

Examples of our local authority radio system users include;

> Bars & Nightclubs
> CCTV Control Rooms
> Cemetery Inspectors
> Community Wardens
> Dog Wardens
> Environmental Services
> Parking ambassadors/traffic wardens
> Pest contro
> Refuse Collection
> Shops & Retail
> Traffic Management
> Waste Management

Outsourced or "Insourced"?

At Delcom we're looking to establish long term working relationships with our clients, which is why we offer free impartial consultancy, as well as ongoing management and maintenance services. Many of our customers choose to fully outsource the management of their system to us - meaning that we take care of member applications, signups, support, paperwork and maintenance. This means no additional resource is required by the local authority, so they can concentrate on what matters. Whether it be a fully outsourced Shop Watch system, an out of the box solution, or assistance extending/maintaining an existing system, Delcom have a solution to fit your needs.

For more information please contact us for a free no obligation quote and informal discussions.