Product Design: Datron Handheld P25 Radios
The Toughest Handheld Radio For Use By First Responders
For over 30 years, Datron World Communications has excelled as one of the premier manufacturers of tactical military and public safety radio equipment. Datron partnered with Helix to develop their next generation P25 radio. In a crowded market space for the first responder, the product needed to differentiate from a field of “me too” radios. Working with a baseline of internal components, Helix set out to create a fresh new look and meet very tough environmental standards for ingress protection and drop requirements. Three Radio formats were developed around similar hardware to reduce cost to manufacture.
A Closer Look At The Project
“Modular design with different faceplates on a single platform was a great cost savings and allowed Datron to enter the P25 market with a family of rugged, IP67 handheld radios.”
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Project Objectives:
- Provide an aesthetic that equals or surpasses the competition in the P25 radio market
- Design for manufacturing (DFM) to reduce cost while significantly enhancing ease of assembly and disassembly, servicing, and repair
- Meet an IP67 ingress protection requirement
- Design to meet or exceed a 7-year production life cycle
Helix’s Approach:
- Managed project to ensure design intent remains throughout the development
- Collaborate with the Datron team on internal component layout
- Create appropriate levels of prototypes during each phase of development to validate and approve design for next steps
- Preliminary ingress and drop testing done in-house
Product Solutions:
- Developed a compact, ergonomic and rugged hand-held radio that held up to the competition
- Met environmental standards – MIL-STD-810-F, IP 67, and drop requirements
- Develop single-band and Tri-band radios using similar features and components
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