FPO703 said:
Ask WA8PYR! He's more in the know on that one. None of the larger cities will ever go to MARCS. They may have access to MARCS for mutual aid/disaster type things. But, not for day to day operations.
System loading. MARCS is not designed to support the operations of large cities (which already have their own systems) as well as state and local users.
Large metro area operations will bog the system down; one or two suburban agencies here and there in a metro area are one thing, but when you dump 14,000 radios and 400+ talkgroups onto the system you'll bog it down pretty fast in a networking sense.
If the Columbus MARCS site had 28 channels, it could handle the load reasonably well, even with state agencies mixed in. However, picture a Columbus Fire unit in the New Albany area affiliating with BN2 FG on the Granville site (with it's 4 voice channels), then a New Albany PD unit on LEERN, then Plain Twp Fire on MECC FG1, and Jefferson Twp Fire on MECC EMS. Now the Granville site is maxed out and there is no room for other users whose primary operations are in that area (like OSP).
Add to that scenario every other small site surrounding the metro area (Orient, Circleville, London, Riverview, Linnville, Hickman, etc) and you all of a sudden have those smaller sites getting maxed out as well. That is a worst case scenario, but that's what you have to plan for with a public safety system.
Tom