Canyon County Going Digital in 18 months

[DLeeHarley]

Front page of the Idaho Press-Tribune today 2-19-09 states that CC is going to do the switch between now and be finished within 18 months! Damn! You always think that you'll have more time! LOL

[IdaScan]

Originally Posted by DLeeHarley

Front page of the Idaho Press-Tribune today 2-19-09 states that CC is going to do the switch between now and be finished within 18 months! Damn! You always think that you'll have more time! LOL

Yet another public "safety" organization jumping on the 700 MHz Kool Aide...


"...fire truck from Caldwell responding to an incident in Pocatello could talk to their dispatch..."

Umm no...

If it's a large enough incident that there are agencies supporting it from the other side of the state, it's likely a federal fire which is on VHF with logistics on UHF-Lo... While most of the VHF fire side has gone to P25 the last season, no where is 700 MHz encrypted P25 found in "interoperable solutions" for fireground operations...

Absolutely amazing...

Where we already have MAJOR coverage issues with the existing VHF system for medical and fire in Canyon County...

[JoeyC]

Where does it say anything about encryption for firefround operations in the article? The "some channels will be encrypted to provide secure communication" is for law enforcement.

[IdaScan]

The exact quote (under fair use):

Originally Posted by the Idaho Press Tribune

Canyon County sheriff's Lt. Todd Herrera, coordinator of emergency management, agreed.

"A fire engine from Caldwell will be able to travel to Pocatello and be able to talk to that dispatch center and their home dispatch center. People responding to Idaho to help on a forest fire will be able to get into the system and be able to talk here, too."

It's not the encryption with regard to fireground operations that prevents communications with other agencies...

Nor does the article identify that encryption is solely isolated to the use for law enforcement talk groups:

Originally Posted by the Idaho Press Tribune

Newer, more expensive scanners that pick up the new frequency are available, but some channels will be encrypted to provide secure communication.

[tfgeocacher]

RANT ON

Idaho, the good ol’ isolationist state, I know Nevada and Utah has VHF in the rural areas and the metro areas uses 800 MHz. I cannot speak for any of the other states around Idaho, but the states do show (per RR) that they too are using VHF.

The USDA Forest Service has just recently donated to the ambulance service I am working for in the Magic Valley, two VHF handhelds for better “interoperable” communications. These are the Motorola XTS 2500 radios and have Forest Service, BLM, State Comm, Box Elder County, UT and Elko County NV. If Canyon County sheriff's Lt. Todd Herrera, coordinator of emergency management comment is correct then why is the forest service still using VHF? In fact according to my contact at All Wireless Communications the Forest Service is using narrow banded VHF radios which are Project 25 compliant.

I am not certain how switching to 700 MHz is going to be in the best interests of anyone except a few very short-sighted administrators. Why should a Caldwell Fire Truck be responding to an emergency in Pocatello anyway and WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED?

The problem here is that since 9/11/01, the state has the delusion that 700 MHz was mandated, but alas, that is not true. Just because of the buzz word “interoperability” came along and because supervisors in NYC, NY couldn’t coordinate their activities any better and used 50 different frequencies and no command trailers making themselves look bad and then blaming everyone except themselves is absolutely ridiculous. The government even bought their “WHINE” it was the lack of common channel that spelled disaster, that and the lack of a common communication trailer.

I wish these communication commanders and emergency management officials would work to establish better communication with what they have rather then SPEND the tax dollars they don’t have for idiotic ideas. I know my relatives who pay too much in taxes now on a set retirement budget would appreciate it.

RANT OFF…

[IdaScan]

Originally Posted by tfgeocacher

RANT ON

Idaho, the good ol’ isolationist state, I know Nevada and Utah has VHF in the rural areas and the metro areas uses 800 MHz. I cannot speak for any of the other states around Idaho, but the states do show (per RR) that they too are using VHF.

The USDA Forest Service has just recently donated to the ambulance service I am working for in the Magic Valley, two VHF handhelds for better “interoperable” communications. These are the Motorola XTS 2500 radios and have Forest Service, BLM, State Comm, Box Elder County, UT and Elko County NV. If Canyon County sheriff's Lt. Todd Herrera, coordinator of emergency management comment is correct then why is the forest service still using VHF? In fact according to my contact at All Wireless Communications the Forest Service is using narrow banded VHF radios which are Project 25 compliant.

I am not certain how switching to 700 MHz is going to be in the best interests of anyone except a few very short-sighted administrators. Why should a Caldwell Fire Truck be responding to an emergency in Pocatello anyway and WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED?

The problem here is that since 9/11/01, the state has the delusion that 700 MHz was mandated, but alas, that is not true. Just because of the buzz word “interoperability” came along and because supervisors in NYC, NY couldn’t coordinate their activities any better and used 50 different frequencies and no command trailers making themselves look bad and then blaming everyone except themselves is absolutely ridiculous. The government even bought their “WHINE” it was the lack of common channel that spelled disaster, that and the lack of a common communication trailer.

I wish these communication commanders and emergency management officials would work to establish better communication with what they have rather then SPEND the tax dollars they don’t have for idiotic ideas. I know my relatives who pay too much in taxes now on a set retirement budget would appreciate it.

RANT OFF…

What he said LOL...

The "interoperable" solution for USFS is VHF narrowband P25...

Double checked my order lists - no 700 MHz equipment on the Incident Radio Cache kit list...

[thewenk]

Originally Posted by IdaScan

What he said LOL...

The "interoperable" solution for USFS is VHF narrowband P25...

Double checked my order lists - no 700 MHz equipment on the Incident Radio Cache kit list...

Maybe they were using "borrowed" radios, but I heard BLM IC's on 700 MHz talking with Bingham county during fires last summer.

According to the info on Raytheon's website, the new five county system in E. Idaho is supposed to be able to integrate vhf radios into the 700 MHz system.

Dave

[IdaScan]

Originally Posted by thewenk

Maybe they were using "borrowed" radios, but I heard BLM IC's on 700 MHz talking with Bingham county during fires last summer.

According to the info on Raytheon's website, the new five county system in E. Idaho is supposed to be able to integrate vhf radios into the 700 MHz system.

Dave

There appears to be a very distinct difference between the deployment and overall attitude of the Eastern Idaho system and the rollout and veil of secrecy of the Southwest Idaho system...

The Eastern system has vendor-neutral equipment using Rayethon to engineer the system.

The Southwest system is under tight wraps utilizing strictly Mother /\/\ planning on Mother /\/\ subscriber and infrastructure equipment.