Icom IP730D / IP740D

Crews that split time between city job sites and remote terrain end up carrying two radios: a cellular push-to-talk device for wide-area coverage and a licensed VHF or UHF radio for the mountains, basements, and dead zones where LTE drops out. Standardizing on one system alone means either paying for private radio infrastructure everywhere or losing communication the moment a job leaves cell coverage, and neither option works for utility, transportation, or security teams that cannot afford a blackout.

The IP730D and IP740D solve this with dual PTT buttons: the main button keys LTE push-to-talk over 4G/3G for nationwide reach, and the sub button switches to conventional IDAS digital or analog on 128 channels across 8 zones, running 5W/2W/1W output. The Bridge function relays IDAS digital traffic onto the LTE talkgroup and back (dropping to 1W while active), Simultaneous TalkListen gives full-duplex LTE conversations, built-in GPS reports position over LTE, and Bluetooth 4.2 (Class 2, HFP/HSP) pairs with wireless headsets. A 15-bit digital voice scrambler, OTAP over-the-air programming, and a 500-entry ID call list round out the feature set.

At 320 g and 140.5 x 61.7 x 42.8 mm with the BP-303 pack, the radio is rated IP67 for dust-tight, waterproof operation and meets MIL-STD-810 G across an operating range of -30C to +60C. A 1500 mW speaker cuts through noisy job sites, and the combination of LTE reach with a licensed radio fallback fits utility crews, transit operations, and security teams moving between covered and uncovered ground.