| Motorola, then known as Galvin Manufacturing | | | | Police departments would specify the radio |
| Corporation, introduced its first commercially | | | | frequency that their sets should receive. |
| successful car radios, in June 1930. The device | | | | Galvin Manufacturing technicians would then |
| was intended initially for the general public, but | | | | manually adjust the tuning coils and condensers to |
| soon city governments as well as police | | | | the desired frequency. The police radio chassis |
| departments across Chicago and the US clamored | | | | were placed in the same housing as the consumer |
| for radios for public safety use. This was the | | | | house radios and both the consumer and police |
| start of Motorola's pioneering expertise in the field | | | | car radios were given a brand name - Motorola. |
| of mobile communication. | | | | As the use of police car radios grew, problems |
| When the first commercial radio broadcast went | | | | emerged. Bad roads, unstable frequency, high |
| on air in the 1920's, it became the cheapest form | | | | power utilisation, car engine noises and signal |
| of entertainment enjoyed by the general public. | | | | interference led Galvin Manufacturing to produce a |
| Hobbyists began experimenting by fitting their | | | | better radio specifically designed for police patrol |
| home radios into motorcars. Galvin Manufacturing | | | | cars. |
| saw this opportunity and began producing car | | | | The first police car radio customers |
| radios for public consumption. | | | | Relaying a message from a police station to its |
| A market nobody owned | | | | roving patrol cars was the pioneering move in |
| In the meantime, police stations laboured to relay | | | | Galvin Manufacturing's mobile communication. |
| messages to patrol officers. Police officers often | | | | However, patrol cars at this time were unable to |
| used public telephones on the street to contact | | | | transmit back to their station's dispatchers to |
| the station which delayed response time in an | | | | reply or ask for assistance. Galvin Manufacturing |
| emergency. Police departments experimented by | | | | took their chief engineer, Don Mitchell, to task to |
| interrupting radio broadcasts to relay messages to | | | | design a two-way radio system for patrol cars. |
| patrol cars equipped with car radios. This step, | | | | The company introduced the Model T6920 AM |
| however, not only delayed communications but | | | | mobile transmitter in August 1939, which has a |
| also informed the radio listeners where the | | | | frequency range of 30-40 MHz. It was soon |
| problems were. Understandably, a better and | | | | followed by the P6912 VHF receiver and radio |
| faster means of communication was needed. | | | | base equipment. |
| Not long after Galvin Manufacturing marketed its | | | | This new Motorola two-way mobile radio system |
| car radio for public use, it began to receive orders | | | | was more powerful, easily installed and carried |
| from the public safety sector. Company | | | | only one-fourth of its competitor's price tag. In |
| co-founder Paul Galvin foresaw the market for | | | | 1940, the Bowling Green Police Department in |
| this demand. He realised there was a need in this | | | | Kentucky was the first law enforcement division |
| market that nobody owned. | | | | to use a complete AM two-way mobile radio |
| Creating the first police car radio | | | | system. These same well-designed radio models |
| Galvin Manufacturing manufactured its first police | | | | were produced for many years until the new FM |
| car radio by modifying its consumer car radios. | | | | technology took over in the 1940"s. |