Specific Requirements for Land Mobile Radios

Portable two-way radios, sometimes known as land mobile radios (LMR) or walkie-talkies, are used in a wide variety of communications including the coordination of people and materials, safety and security needs and quick response in times of emergency. LMRs intended for rough service environments such as the fire service or petrochemical industry must be certified for use in hazardous (classified) locations where the risk of an explosion can exist.

FM Approvals offers manufacturers of LMRs with a wide range options for the certification of their radios for use in hazardous (classified) locations. In the past the only option available to LMR manufacturer seeking a Class I, Division 1 rating was intrinsic safety. FM Approvals latest innovative standard for LMRs, FM3640, Approval Standard for Land Mobile Radios for Use in Class I, Division 1 Hazardous (Classified) Locations, provides manufacturers with the additional option of applying a variety of other protection methods in combination to achieve an equivalent level of protection for Class I, Division 1 applications. This new option provides the manufacturer with much greater flexibility in the design of their radios.