Frequency Coordination

[paramedszaf]

Good Morning Everyone!

I am throwing the hook out, hoping for a bite.. I am looking to speak with someone that is/is familiar/is associate with someone that does frequency coordination for the FCC.

I am in the process of a repeater project for the fire department and am running into issued with the radio technician that was assigned to our job (argggg).

I am just looking to have some questions answered and some friendly advise.

Please contact me here or via PM.

Thanks,
Ed

[AlabamaRS]

more details????

[paramedszaf]

I apologize for being so vague, I didn't know if I would get any hits from anyone that had any knowledge of the subject.

Anyway..

The department I currently work for is in the process of installing a repeater system for our dispatch and fireground operations. I THINK there is an issue with our vendor and the stories we are getting. We gave him pairs of frequencies and we are being told he is waiting for "cards" to be returned to him from another frequency owner? I have no clue.

We are on the VHF band (yes I know it is congested everywhere) but with the narrow banding requirement forthcoming should that have eased things up a bit? Is it really that hard to license a frequency pair for public safety? Can anyone with the access to the information maybe do me a solid and do some searching around for me?

I don't know if that is out of line or even possible, but if anyone can help me out I would be grateful!

[lieut25]

If you dont mind me asking which vendor are you using up there?

[fwradio]

With narrowbanding it should be easier... however, APCO tries to make it as hard as possible. We had to get consent from an adjacent channel user that was 60 miles away. Our PD user is 12.5 kHz on a 25 kHz channel, and the other is 12.5 kHz on a 12.5 kHz channel.

APCO says that have a very sophisticated engineering program, but mostly it seems to be based on distance, with little thought for common sense.

[paramedszaf]

Eh, just another PITA that we have to bear with then I guess... Thanks for the info, was hoping there was an "out" somewhere that I could have played... Thanks..

[N_Jay]

Originally Posted by fwradio

With narrowbanding it should be easier... however, APCO tries to make it as hard as possible. We had to get consent from an adjacent channel user that was 60 miles away. Our PD user is 12.5 kHz on a 25 kHz channel, and the other is 12.5 kHz on a 12.5 kHz channel.

With narrowbanding it is actually more complicated not easier.

Originally Posted by fwradio

APCO says that have a very sophisticated engineering program, but mostly it seems to be based on distance, with little thought for common sense.

The rules are written around distances, so that is where you have to start.

[ecps92]

Are you licensed at this time [insert call-sign] for a Repeater on the current frequencies? After that, I can answer more...

Originally Posted by paramedszaf

I apologize for being so vague, I didn't know if I would get any hits from anyone that had any knowledge of the subject.

Anyway..

The department I currently work for is in the process of installing a repeater system for our dispatch and fireground operations. I THINK there is an issue with our vendor and the stories we are getting. We gave him pairs of frequencies and we are being told he is waiting for "cards" to be returned to him from another frequency owner? I have no clue.

We are on the VHF band (yes I know it is congested everywhere) but with the narrow banding requirement forthcoming should that have eased things up a bit? Is it really that hard to license a frequency pair for public safety? Can anyone with the access to the information maybe do me a solid and do some searching around for me?

I don't know if that is out of line or even possible, but if anyone can help me out I would be grateful!

[w8jjr]

If your frequencies are designated with PF or PM your frequency coordination is thru International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) and not APCO for frequencys below 512 MHz.
Most freqs between 154.010 - 154.445 fall under PF.

Good info at IMSA - International Municipal Signal Association - IMSA Frequency Coordination

and see coordination tab at top.