Catch 22
Well, I read the article.
First off, going with the Big M is going to cost more money. Going with the Big M is going to mean that there will need to be additional money spent on coverage patches. And the Big M has a quirky way of setting things up, too much depends on computers and controllers never failing. Other manufacturers like MA/COM, Harris, Kenwood, etc, are not set up like that.
But I would of liked to know what Tyco is selling. Is it APCO-25? Is it OpenSky, or other standard that is not "plug-n-play" compatable with APCO-25?
APCO-25 is becoming the standard. Many people make it, not just the M. I know Tyco makes it. It's open. It's showing up everywhere. It's easy to implement. You don't have to build a interface to integrate with agencies that don't use it. It really should be the only standard getting federal grants(Boy, that's gonna start some flaming). And if Tyco is touting something other than APCO-25 here, then if they do get the contract, I think the system will eventually cost more, due to the cost of bridging it with everyone else around it.