RF-Burns
Member
- Joined
- May 5, 2007
- Messages
- 324
Just an update to this system. The last tower was built last week in Hilton. Per the Harris Rep I spoke with all the sites have been built and the first tower will go online next week over near MCC. That tower will go on for testing then the rest of them will come online shortly after.
Projection for the system to be up and running 100% will be Jan 2013 as many local government (DPW's) did not upgrade to narrowband and are waiting to switch to this system per the Harris Rep. Hamlin DPW being the big one per the rep.
Police and Fire he said is still projected for 2017 and not a minute earlier due to the smaller departments in the county who are still trying to secure financing for this system. I know the 4th Battalion is up in arms over this system. Scottsville, Mumford, and Clifton have all said to the county their budgets are to small to cover these radios. Mumford's yearly firematics budget is only in the $75,000 range a year and buying new radios for the trucks, chiefs, and line officers will cost upwards of $100,000. So, these department don't have a clue what they are going to do yet. I'm sure they are looking for grants to help with the cost.
The system for a short time will be able to be listened to with a P25 scanner per the rep during Phase One. He said Phase Two will be rolled out shortly after everyone is on it meaning no scanners will be able to monitor it as the system will be going to and IP Base TDMA System. So, everyone who bought scanners for this system may have wasted their money.
County Channel 5 and EMS 295 will not go away for dispatching. These are still needed because being a volunteer county pagers are still needed to alert firefighters and EMS volunteers of calls. So people will still be able to hear the calls in the county, they will just not be able to hear the fire ground. Fire departments countywide have said they will not have their firefighters rely on the current digital paging system due to the many failures of the system. It is my understanding and my own experience that most departments in the county are no longer issuing the digital pagers except to line officers and directors/commissioners.
Any questions feel free to ask, if I can answer I will. If I can’t I will try to find the answer.
Projection for the system to be up and running 100% will be Jan 2013 as many local government (DPW's) did not upgrade to narrowband and are waiting to switch to this system per the Harris Rep. Hamlin DPW being the big one per the rep.
Police and Fire he said is still projected for 2017 and not a minute earlier due to the smaller departments in the county who are still trying to secure financing for this system. I know the 4th Battalion is up in arms over this system. Scottsville, Mumford, and Clifton have all said to the county their budgets are to small to cover these radios. Mumford's yearly firematics budget is only in the $75,000 range a year and buying new radios for the trucks, chiefs, and line officers will cost upwards of $100,000. So, these department don't have a clue what they are going to do yet. I'm sure they are looking for grants to help with the cost.
The system for a short time will be able to be listened to with a P25 scanner per the rep during Phase One. He said Phase Two will be rolled out shortly after everyone is on it meaning no scanners will be able to monitor it as the system will be going to and IP Base TDMA System. So, everyone who bought scanners for this system may have wasted their money.
County Channel 5 and EMS 295 will not go away for dispatching. These are still needed because being a volunteer county pagers are still needed to alert firefighters and EMS volunteers of calls. So people will still be able to hear the calls in the county, they will just not be able to hear the fire ground. Fire departments countywide have said they will not have their firefighters rely on the current digital paging system due to the many failures of the system. It is my understanding and my own experience that most departments in the county are no longer issuing the digital pagers except to line officers and directors/commissioners.
Any questions feel free to ask, if I can answer I will. If I can’t I will try to find the answer.