Tait radios are built to withstand harsh conditions. We love when our customers share stories about Tait products surviving extreme punishment. This mobile radio was in a burning car, and still worked!
Trade shows and conferences are great opportunities for Tait staff to hear from users of our product in person. At the recent IWCE conference, Maria Rowe, Tait Chief Marketing Officer, was introduced to Timothy McDowell, ITS Communications and Wireless Manager from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Tait Tough Radio Survives
Tim stopped by the Tait booth to share a true Tait Tough story. One of his agency’s cars had caught on fire, and the inside of the car was completely incinerated. He salvaged their Tait mobile radio and was surprised to see that despite the melted control head, the radio was still operating!
The control head was replaced with a new one, and it still operated as well. Tim was kind enough to share photos and a video of this rugged little radio with us.
Washington State Department of Transportation
Tait supplied the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) with radios and conventional base stations in 2017 – the radio shown here was part of that fleet. WSDOT builds, maintains and regulates use of the state’s transport infrastructure – more than 20,000 miles (30,000km) of roads, 3,000 bridges, railway lines, state ferries and airports. WSDOT also manages ferries in Washington, operates an intercity bus network and coordinates and manages aerial search and rescue within the state.
Built Tait Tough
Tait has a reputation for designing the toughest radios in the industry, as Hayden McKechnie, Tait Design Engineer confirms –
“Tait radios are tested for many hazardous conditions, like humidity, vibration, shock, and extreme temperatures, using processes defined by MIL-STD certification. While we would of course never recommend our users intentionally expose Tait products to fire, it’s great to see they often continue to function after extreme events like this!”
MIL-STD-810G is a US Department of Defense Test Method Standard, defining how manufacturers should test equipment to ensure it will survive the conditions it is likely to experience during its service life. Despite being prepared specifically for US military applications, the standard is often applied for commercial products as well. Tait radios are tested to continue operation through the punishment they may experience in the field, and our customers often share stories about radios still working despite suffering conditions well beyond any test.
Learn more about Tait Tough and watch Tait radios survive some more extreme conditions.
Read more stories about the Tait Tough range of portable radios:
TAIT TOUGH – What are IP ratings?
Tait Tough – Rugged Radios Built to Last
