Apd, Afd, P-25?

[gregmoss]

Does anyone know for sure when Anchorage APD and others migrate too the ALMR P-25 system? I thought it would be the past summer, as i was told. Also does anybody in the state own a PSR500 if so how does it perform with the ALMR system?

[kikito]

Originally Posted by gregmoss

Does anyone know for sure when Anchorage APD and others migrate too the ALMR P-25 system? I thought it would be the past summer, as i was told. Also does anybody in the state own a PSR500 if so how does it perform with the ALMR system?

Hard to guess at this point when APD and everybody else in Anchorage will migrate, but it should be within the next 2 years they'll go to ALMR using 700MHz.

I have a PSR-500. So far it's a great scanner. There's a few minor issues related to tracking in a certain mode that will be fixed soon with a firmware update. But pretty soon it will become my main scanner.

[kikito]

This might shed some more info about Anchorage's ALMR portion:

Municipality of Anchorage: What’s AWARN?

In the late 1990s the Municipality of
Anchorage Radio Shop had a problem.
It was responsible for providing radio
communications to all Municipal departments
on three separate systems
that were old, not interoperable, no
longer supported by the manufacturer,
and due for replacement. The ALMR
system was in planning stages and the
Municipality was very interested in
being an active player in this emerging
system. However, MOA radio technicians,
dispatchers, and first responders
alike were concerned that the VHF
band that most State and Federal agencies
needed was not the best choice for
an urban area like Anchorage.

When ALMR planners developed a system
specification that followed APCO Project 25 industry standard,
the solution was clear and AWARN (Anchorage
Wide Area Radio Network) planning
could begin. By using the same P25
standards, Anchorage would utilize frequencies
in the 700/800 MHz band for
optimal building penetration and still
provide full interoperability with the
ALMR VHF system throughout the
area. Approval to proceed with AWARN
came from Mayor Begich in 2003.
Fast forward to 2007 and Anchorage
voters have approved several bond issues
for the system, and various State
and Federal programs have awarded
grants for AWARN. The first six 15-
channel radio sites are being installed.
These sites utilize a technology that
permits all sites to transmit on the
same frequency at the same time. Known
as simulcast, this is considered the
gold standard for urban systems.
When completed, the system will
have 15 tower locations for near
seamless radio coverage from Portage
to Palmer.

While Anchorage calls the system
AWARN, it also refers to it as the
Anchorage portion, or zone, of ALMR.
Testing of the system will begin this
winter. The first users will transition
to the system in 2008 and all Municipal
agencies by 2009. Once completed
AWARN will have over three
thousand daily users.

[gregmoss]

Thanks! kikito.