2Way.SHOP Reviews 9

Excellent to deal with, very flexible with me on timing for features and radio work. Bill is always super helpful and patient with my questions. If you find yourself dealing with land mobile features and activations, 2way.shop is the go-to & always a pleasure to do business with.

Like others, I was a bit skeptical about the 2way.shop company because of the atypical ".shop" website address. However, I read multiple good reviews about them on radio forums, so I gave them a try. In the end, they did a remarkable job to remove a password from a used radio I purchased. The service they offer was a far cheaper option than sending the radio out to the service center. I will use them again in the future.

This is my go to for software and support. I was in a bind today and had a question about software. They responded super quick with and answer and helped me with a resolution to my problem. Thanks again Bill I really do appreciate the help today.

Great and fast service from the 2Way team today. Bill was able to help add features to my radios in record time and he had the patience to answer a couple more questions related to the NX-5000 series of radios I own to educate me.

Thanks so much

Hi! My name is Ben. I originally got into learning about land mobile radios by one of my coworkers as we both work as dispatchers. I eventually fell in love with understanding the science behind them, the various bands, and the EMF spectrum. Long story short, after learning about trunking systems, I wanted to be able to program them myself into radios. The problem was, you need a system key. I had the opportunity to be hands on with a Motorola system key dongle, which helped enhance my comprehension of P25 trunking systems. However, once I received my EFJohnson VP8000, I needed a different type of system key known as an AKEY, or otherwise known as a .akey file which will allow modification and programming of a trunked system, based on the data that is embedded in the file.

I urge all of you, especially if you are just getting into two-way radios, to fully comprehend how trunking systems work, and commit to the radio etiquette which they demand. This is the one aspect of two-way radio programming that is VERY UNFORGIVING. If you DO NOT have a valid radio ID for the trunked system that you are wanting to program into your radio, be very, very careful. If you affiliate with the system, which is indicated by the LED flashing twice on your radio, and you do not have a valid ID for the system, it will send a data burst command known as an INHIBIT command which will essentially turn your expensive radio into a fancy paperweight. It will no longer function for transmitting or receiving purposes.

You CAN still program the system in! But you must not actively switch to any talk group on the system as to avoid affiliating. This is otherwise known as NAS, or Non-Affiliate Scanning. EFJohnson’s Armada programming software supports this concept through their implementation of Radio-Wide Scanning which allows you to listen to the trunked talk groups, while not actively being affiliated with the system. Again, please be cautious. You don’t get second chances and it’s expensive to take your radio in and get the inhibit command reversed.

However, I digress. If you wish to learn more please, please do your research online.

The big takeaway from this article is that this company will provide you with what you’re wanting. It is UP TO YOU to understand what data to provide and which capacity you are needing the product for. In my case, it was the AKEY file. It took approximately 4 business days to be generated and delivered via my e-mail. For anyone wondering if they are scamming you, those are false accusations. They are tasked with a great number of orders and they are a small business, meaning it may take a little longer to complete each order, so please have patience.

Overall, make sure to double check what you are buying, that you understand what the product does, what it is for, and the context in which you need it, as well as that you are using it responsibly. I’m not going to sit here and tell you to not experiment around. It is how you learn. However, there is a smart way to go about learning through testing and performing hundreds of “service tests” on the air, and there is a wrong and dumb way to go about it. Choose the smart way, and you’ll be alright.

Thank you for reading my extremely lengthy review. I hope you learned something!

My experience was great! Very professional and quick to get what I was looking for. Keep up the good work!

Contacted them for assistance with radio licensing. I will admit, I'm not the smartest man, but after asking some clarifying questions to Bill. I was told I had to pay for a consulting fee or I would just be demanding a refund he wouldn't give, and I would be "headaches and endless hassle". I have never been talked down to quiet like that, interesting experience "problems guaranteed." The good news is I did find another experienced radio dealer who answered my questions and got us up and running. No hassle no consultation fee required. If you are not a radio expert, and are looking for assistance, I do recommend elsewhere.
Update, please see below reply as an example.

Great service provided, easy to deal with. Second time I bought from them and so far it's been super great. And will still continue to buy from them.Thank you..

It's a great small business, as I regularly inquire about and purchase services/products from them. They're very helpful and informative regarding questions regarding radio systems and software. I received products and services in a very timely manner. I recommend dealing with them, especially with Kenwood products.