The Entel HT782 Portable 2 way radio
The Entel HT782 portable two-way radio is a submersible ATEX two-way radio handset made to very high standards and includes ATEX II, 2g, Ex 1B, 2a, Gb and a few other standards included. For anywhere that ATEX is a requirement the Entel brand offers a great price without compromising the actual usability in any way.
What's in the box?
- A Check sheet and quick start guide
- The wireless radio handset itself
- An antenna
- A large sized battery
- A charging base assembly
- A power supply
Simple to assemble
The Entel HT782 portable two-way radio is easy to build and charge from the supplied parts and it's unlikely anyone will have any issues with the procedure. The battery quickly snaps in to place and won't, by design, be falling off any time soon thanks to the thumb screw that holds the battery firm; that's critical for any radio, let alone ATEX where operational integrity is essential.
Features
On inspection of this radio handset you will notice how rugged it is, and how it works great even if you're wearing gloves while you work; the design ensures that the every day rigours of use can easily be withstood and Entel themselves have around 20 years experience in this field. From what we see, the Entel brand is one to consider carefully - they offer the most complete and established range of commercial grade portable radios available.
Battery
The battery size is far bigger than you will find on many competitive portable radios and of course that is important for equipment being used for long shifts. On the back there is a robust clip so you can clip the handset maybe on a belt etc. We have mentioned the battery, but this is more than just any old battery; you could look at it that way if you didn't know any better, but this is an intelligent lithium ion battery and it provides the following key advantages that are probably important to you. There's an extended talk time of the handset this is a 2000 mAh or milliamperes per hour capacity of these lithium-ion batteries and it's capacity is up to double that of other makes; check it yourself and that ensures maximum talk time when you've got one of these handsets; the lithium-ion chemistry that these batteries use and are made of are not prone to the 'memory effect' that NiCad batteries and NiMh batteries (nickel metal hydride batteries) suffer from; this battery technology is completely different and operates far more like a cell phone. This ensures you always have a good charge every time you take the battery from its charger; it's always fully charged and it can run all the way down if you want it to without any real detrimental effect to the battery's longevity - another critical aspect that will save you money on the longer term because batteries can be expensive for most brands and you cannot just use any battery for ATEX because of safety issues.
Controls
For controls there is the channel select, an on and off switch, an accessory connector that is designed specifically for ATEX compatible accessories. There is an up and down for volume on the side of the unit as well as a PTT switch. The sides of the radio includes a rubber section that helps with handling on-site. And of course there is the speaker facing the front of the radio.
Submersible
The HT782 is a pretty standard sort of radio really but it's built up to those intrinsically safe standards, plus the fact that it's submersible and while we're discussing the submersibility this is actually good for up to two meters deep in water for up to four hours and that's pretty interesting within itself as a standard; in fact all Entel radios meet those standards for uh being submersible.
Audio output
The audio output uh on the HT782 and other models in the ranges is actually one watt output and that is extremely loud; Entel use the latest compander inside the portable radio for noise reduction technology. Entel's HT portables have loud and crisp audio no matter what environment you're working in; it's crystal clear and it can be as loud as you can get from almost any portable two-way radio; in fact it's one of the most loud brand of radios that we know of.
Military and other standards
One of the things about this radio that's not immediately obvious (it just looks like any old radio) but it's far from that, and in fact this radio has been made (the whole Entel HT series) to exceed a military standard which is MIL STD 810C, D, E and F ratings; the HT series two is designed to withstand shock vibration dust and moisture ensuring a tough enduring performance and many years of trouble free use even in the most hostile environments that you could think of; honestly these portables will take a beating, they are extremely robust and they're designed that way.
ATEX - Intrinsically Safe
Now you would buy one of these HT series really because of the intrinsically safe operation that are ATEX approved 2C. The HD900 range of ATEX certified portables meets IEC t4 the most stringent ATEX ratings as preview directive 94 9 /ec. There's also ATEX approved also for those users not restricted to the 2c one what regulatory classification; the HT800 range of ATEX certified portables meets 2a t4 with a full 4 watts of transmitter power; and then there's a third series which is IEC ex approval the HT500 of this series this range intrinsically safe certified portables is suitable for those users who don't need to comply with the European ATEX standard. That covers most aspects of ATEX radios from Entel from our review point of view.
Operation
Entel portable two-way radio handsets can be as simple as you want them to be; many users just want a push to talk radio; the entry range of HD portables offers exactly that, a simple push-to-talk functionality but they can also have an option enabled described as 'cell call'; cell call adds individual and group calls post emergency and remote services. There is also a mode called MPT1327 which is trunked; trunked radios offer the most flexibility and are designed for large systems but it's all covered by Entel within their standards.
Warranty
One of the things that we like to see on any portable radio and as discussed here is the Entel warranty. Entel offer a two-year warranty on every radio they make and you know that's not common on some brands we could mention especially when you start coming down to cheaper models not from Entel. Generally in the marketplace there are some radios that are, well, shall we say not very good; they have brands that you've never heard of and they are hardly supported by anyone that's selling them in the UK; we won't name those brands but you've got to be very careful when you're choosing a radio especially in particular with ATEX standard products because when you get it wrong with ATEX specifications people can be killed so warranty support from a review point of view is a very important aspect.
We like to see the two-year warranty because it makes sense and if you do get a problem Entel stand by their products for two years and it won't cost you the money that it would otherwise; the services provided by Entel's global service centre's as well as local Entel authorized dealers target a one working day turnaround on all warranty repairs just in case you didn't know that; for total peace of mind cost effective extended warranties up to five years are available on Entel's radios.
Accessories and more
Lastly things like accessories are readily available as they are with most top brands of two-way radios. There are six-way chargers, heavy-duty speaker microphone's which are also submersible, earpiece microphones, covert earpiece microphones, throat microphones, bone conductive skull microphones; there are hard hat ear defenders with some submersible PTT; there's loads and loads of accessories and this particular radio if you're looking for ATEX radios is not going to let you down from what we see.
Summing up
Entel have long experience in the manufacturing of ATEX intrinsically safe designs and other portable two-way radio products they make and are clearly one of the higher level of brands that are competitive, offer a longer warranty than many other companies and all of the products feature a waterproof feature. The HT782 offers a very good specification (see the downloadable PDF we have included for the full specifications) and a very high level of audio that is always important but especially so for ATEX products. They seem to have met or exceeded most of the aspects of what we would like to see from any brand so we can recommend this, or others in the HT series from Entel as they should be considered for any serious potential user.
Overall Score
After looking closely at the HT782 our overall score for this portable two-way ATEX radio handset is a 9/10 overall. Its true that rarely will we offer a 10/10 so a 9/10 is pretty much a very good score indeed.
Conclusions
There are so many brands of radios available today, and at so many varying prices that it really is a minefield if you're a serious potential customer. In the case of ATEX handsets it all becomes very critical because lives are at stake. Buying ANY wireless radios that are not up to the proper standard, or are specified differently than what the makers say (a common occurrence sadly these days) leaves the radio operators company open to substantial fines from HSE and other government bodies because it's the company that would be liable if there was an injury or death.
Our advice when buying ATEX products is to look for a long established brand that meets all relevant standards for your needs and is available with good warranty in your country for a fair price. Entel's HT series achieve that overall from what we see.
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