Norman Fire - new radios?

[plaws]

Saw an item in last week's council agenda that the NFD would like to by some $280k worth of new radios. Anyone know what's up? Just replacing old stuff or something "new"?


Also on the agenda - The Norman Transcript

 

[woodyrr]

My guess would be preparing for rebanding. Are their existing radios new enough to reband?

Oops! I see it is Norman Fire. With the cost of trunking radios these days, maybe it it to outfit the new fire station on 36th Ave NW. (Sarc).

It beats me.

 

[plaws]

My guess would be preparing for rebanding. Are their existing radios new enough to reband?

Oops! I see it is Norman Fire. With the cost of trunking radios these days, maybe it it to outfit the new fire station on 36th Ave NW. (Sarc).

It beats me.

$288k to outfit one station??? God, I hope not.

The city replaced their fully-interoperable VHF system some time between 1999 and 2006, so their existing equipment is somewhere between 4 and 11 years old. I'm betting it's closer to 11 than 4, so it may just be older equipment being replaced. The Transcript had no details, of course.

 

[n5bew1]

$288k to outfit one station??? God, I hope not.

The city replaced their fully-interoperable VHF system some time between 1999 and 2006, so their existing equipment is somewhere between 4 and 11 years old. I'm betting it's closer to 11 than 4, so it may just be older equipment being replaced. The Transcript had no details, of course.

Could be
1. One base radio $9,000.00 (i.e. mobile radio)
2. One power supply $800.00
3. One outside antenna w/ coax $4000.00.
4. 8 to 10 HT's $25000.00
5. A few mobile radios all the rest of the money.

Easy as falling off a log.

 

[peterjmag]

Hey guys don't mean to scare you but rumor has it that up in the Tulsa area the Tulsa Police are also getting new radios which are suppose to be 700mhz and be digital as well as encrytped like EMSA. I hope that is not going to be a trend state wide? The new radios will go online in Jan 2011.

 

[jlaizure]

$288k to outfit one station??? God, I hope not.

The city replaced their fully-interoperable VHF system some time between 1999 and 2006, so their existing equipment is somewhere between 4 and 11 years old. I'm betting it's closer to 11 than 4, so it may just be older equipment being replaced. The Transcript had no details, of course.

We're working on the story. Waiting on the gear to arrive so we can have pictures to go with it. The new equipment will replace existing (and outdated) Motorola equipment throughout the fire dept. with E.F. Johnson radios. I'll post a link when the story is done.

 

[n5bew1]

We're working on the story. Waiting on the gear to arrive so we can have pictures to go with it. The new equipment will replace existing (and outdated) Motorola equipment throughout the fire dept. with E.F. Johnson radios. I'll post a link when the story is done.

HMMMM! Johnson radios on Motorola trunking. Is that even possible? P-25??

 

[plaws]

Could be
1. One base radio $9,000.00 (i.e. mobile radio)
2. One power supply $800.00
3. One outside antenna w/ coax $4000.00.
4. 8 to 10 HT's $25000.00
5. A few mobile radios all the rest of the money.

Easy as falling off a log.

You're off by an order of magnitude. $288,000 was in the paper. :lol:

 

[plaws]

HMMMM! Johnson radios on Motorola trunking. Is that even possible? P-25??

EFJ makes P25 radios, AFAIK, but this system isn't truly P25 (no 9600 bps control channel, for example). Maybe they licensed the regular MOT trunking protocol?


To teh google: http://www.efjohnsontechnologies.co...1FIRE+ES+PORTABLE+SPEC+SHEET+4.12+LOW+RES.pdf

Looks interesting, but non-P25 trunking not mentioned.

 

[bsummers]

No mention of the PD wanting new radios? Really wondering if they would go to P25 before Moore and OU are ready, especially since I think there is a concern about them ever needing to link.

 

[bsummers]

The one great advantage with the VHF was that no matter what kind of radio you had, all you needed was the correct pl tone and you could work on anyone's system.

I read that's why Los Angeles (the city at least) refuses to trunk. They want interoperability in the event the big one comes.

 

[plaws]

No mention of the PD wanting new radios? Really wondering if they would go to P25 before Moore and OU are ready, especially since I think there is a concern about them ever needing to link.

NFD and OU coordinate on LMA 7A.

 

[plaws]

The one great advantage with the VHF was that no matter what kind of radio you had, all you needed was the correct pl tone and you could work on anyone's system.

And everyone in Cleveland Co had a tone of 123.0.

Those days are gone. Motorola salesmen gotta eat.

Oh, wait, these will be EFJ ...

 

[n5bew1]

You're off by an order of magnitude. $288,000 was in the paper. :lol:

Item 5 is the catchall for the rest of the money kind of like Misc expenses. Hee Hee

I do remember some years ago Leon's radio was changing a chip in a Motorola trunking radio and doing LTR with it I think been a long time ago. Maybe there is a way to do the reverse.

 

[KX5MOT]

We recently bought all new EF Johnson portables at work and yes they support the Motorola trunking protocol, the only other brand I know of that are licensed for it. They are P25 digital capable also. While they are cheaper than Motorola, they arn't that great of radios I think. I don't like them, and I'm not saying that because I am strictly a Motorola person, the quality just isn't there, but you get what you pay for I suppose. But everyone around here seems to be getting them, Noble, Norman, county ect, ect.

 

[n5bew1]

We recently bought all new EF Johnson portables at work and yes they support the Motorola trunking protocol, the only other brand I know of that are licensed for it. They are P25 digital capable also. While they are cheaper than Motorola, they arn't that great of radios I think. I don't like them, and I'm not saying that because I am strictly a Motorola person, the quality just isn't there, but you get what you pay for I suppose. But everyone around here seems to be getting them, Noble, Norman, county ect, ect.

Well that explains that. Thanks a bunch for that info.

 

[plaws]

Well that explains that. Thanks a bunch for that info.

Yes, thanks, 'MOT I wondered about the quality. My only experience with EFJ was an LTR system ... in 1984. And there were only mobiles, no HTs. The mobiles seemed ... CBish in quality but with mobiles, it doesn't much matter.

Well, good luck to them! :roll:

 

[n5bew1]

Maybe these Johnsons mics will pick up the voices of all those with lazy mic disease that Norman seems afflicted with.

 

[n5usr]

Maybe these Johnsons mics will pick up the voices of all those with lazy mic disease that Norman seems afflicted with.

Heh. Bethany has always had that problem too! Mostly with the shoulder mics on the handhelds, several officers don't seem to know they can actually unclip them from their lapel (or wherever it's attached) and BE HEARD by speaking directly into it!

 

[n5bew1]

Heh. Bethany has always had that problem too! Mostly with the shoulder mics on the handhelds, several officers don't seem to know they can actually unclip them from their lapel (or wherever it's attached) and BE HEARD by speaking directly into it!

Yes many times the dispatchers tell them "Your 10-1 low volume". Now I am seeing the newest rage in antennas on the cars. The really cool stubby 2 inch tall can antenna with zero gain Norman is putting on almost all new installs now. Good to lose 3 or 4 DB gain cause it looks so neat versus the antennas with the center loaded coil. Take a good 15 or 20 watt transmitter and turn it into a 15 or 20 watt signal versus doubling the output.