My local PD has decided it's time to go digital. But we are trying to decide which system to go with. I have some questions about switching to a Motorola p25 800 system so we could have our own frequency and also use the same radio for AWIN. Is that possible? Dont know much about nexedge but we are on a budget and I assume that nexedge is fairly pricey. And they dont want to switch to mototurbo. Any suggestions?
I am not trying to push spending more money than you have to, but changing a radio system is not for the average person to make those choices. I strongly suggest that you get the agency to bring in a radio consultant that has done radio system upgrades, to guide you through the process and help write the specs for the new radios. Do not allow a radio vendor to write any specs that you intend to use to obtain any new radios with. This always ends up one sided and is intended to push out other radio companies from even being able to meet the radio specs.
There are a number of issues that most people don't understand or have ever got into. Like what kind of communications do you need to be able to interop with the surrounding agencies? What kind of radio systems are they using?
What coverage do you currently have on your existing system? Do you have any holes or poor coverage in any part of the region you need the radios to work?
How old are the radio towers your currently using? This comes down to the issue of the tower specs have changed recently and most towers will not pass an engineering study. So the towers will have to be replaced if you change any antenna on them or try to add additional antennas and feed lines on them.
What features are you looking at in the new radio system?
Can your existing dispatch consoles have any additional radio channels added to them? You will need both the old and the new radio systems functional as you go into the transitional phase of the upgrade.
Just trying to engineer the radio coverage is not for the average person. It takes the use of a computer to look at what you currently should have. Then you sit down and see if that is what you actually have. This goes to the fact that most agencies won't replace antennas and coax cable feed lines until they don't work any more.
I have been out in the field working for several consulting companies in the past. No I don't work for any at present. Just trying to pass along some of the issues you will be looking at. What I find is most agencies do not have anyone that can even come close to understanding the steps that need to be gone through in replacing a radio system. Even if you may have a ham radio operator helping, that person probably still is lacking on going through all the steps that need to be covered.
Good luck on the agency's effort in moving toward a new radio system.