Is my Radio Waterproof?

Why is it important?

Two Way Radios are built for purpose, whether it be camping out in the wilderness or on a construction site or maybe in an office space. As radios are often used rain, hail or shine, some radios can be exposed to elements better than others. Today we’re going to look into IP ratings, what they mean and why they’re important.

Ingress Protection (IP)
Ingress Protection rating (or just IP rating), is an international standard (IEC 60529) used to rate the degree of protection or sealing effectiveness in electrical enclosures against intrusion of objects, water, dust or accidental contact.

The highest level of Water rating you’ll see are Portable Marine Radios that are Ingress Protection (IP) 68 Rated with a lot of these radios having Float and Flash features so that if the boat capsizes or a sailor falls off the boat with the radio they can still use their radio and be located quickly. This can be crucial and saving people lives especially at night when visibility is low.

What’s a bit of water:

Water Damaged radios are a technician’s nightmare and once water gets in water and electronics don’t mix and can create some of the oddest intermittent faults you’ll see in a radio.
Majority of the time the radio will be deemed unrepairable.

My Two Way Radio doesn’t have an IP rating?
The general rule of thumb is that if your device isn’t IP rated, than assume it has a rating of IP54.

It’s up to the manufacturer whether they are willing to stand by their product and prove how rigid and resilient it is to the elements.
It’s expected use in the industry can also determine whether this standard is applicable.

However, in the radio industry it can be one of the 1^st signs that the radio is not a reputable brand.
It costs the manufacturers money to get this stamp of approval/testing completed and it’s a way of keeping costs down.

Exceptions to the rule:
Kids radios and camping radios you’ll find usually aren’t IP rated, these radios can be found relatively cheap and for their intended use if the radio gets dropped in the river you’ll probably never see again or it won’t be working after being submerged in the water.

What level IP should I look for Two Way Radios?

I would suggest a good start is IP67, that way if your radio gets dropped in a puddle or cops a bit of rain it won’t be getting water damaged. It also ensures that you can get a relatively long life out of your radio as long as you look after it.