Much needed Help/Advice

[pumpercaptain]

Hello to everyone.

This is my first time here, and lay person when it comes to radio systems.

I have been looking around your site here, and it looks to be a very informative place. I hope some of you can help me here.

I am a professional firefighter that has been handed the job of attempting to "fix" our deplorable communications system.

I have been doing some research, and consulting with a local radio service company in exploring all of our options to try and fix the mess we are in. It is a very serious safety issue, as our portable radios have very limited to 0 coverage around our city and inside of buildings, and houses.

We have had an engineering study done to identify problem areas, and some recommendations have been suggested.

We operate on VHF now, with one single repeater site.

Indiana has the new state wide digital 800mhz radio system that has been suggested we go to that. However, the cost is a factor and the International Association of Fire Chief's have brought to light some safety concerns with the digital systems and background noise. Which I have found to be true.

Our county police dept. has an 800mhz LTR Standard system that is in the process of getting new equipment but will remain analog. We have access to this system and the Sheriff has offered to accomodate us in any way he can.

This system, if it will provide the coverage we need, inside structures and the problem areas of the city, would probably be the most "cost effective" way to go, as we already have the mobile radios in our apparatus and vehicles.

In tyring to find a portable radio that is suited for firefighting (waterproof, emergency button, rugged, easy to operate with gloves, etc.) I have found that most fire dept.'s are using Motorola. I like the XTS models but I am told they will not work with an LTR system.

Can anyone give me any help in which Motorola radios similar to the XTS could be used with the LTR system

Can the PR 1500 (which motorola states is somewhat designed for fire service use) be programmed for LTR use?

Any input would be so very much appreciated.

Matt.

[DiGiTaLD]

Originally Posted by pumpercaptain

Indiana has the new state wide digital 800mhz radio system that has been suggested we go to that. However, the cost is a factor and the International Association of Fire Chief's have brought to light some safety concerns with the digital systems and background noise. Which I have found to be true.

The nice thing about Project Hoosier SAFE-T is you don't have to use digital voice to use the system. All of the fire dispatch and operations talkgroups in Johnson County on the SAFE-T system are analog voice, while only the law enforcement talkgroups are digital voice. Additionally, all of the mutual aid talkgroups state wide are analog voice. This allows older, non-digital voice capable radios to be used on the system.

If you wanted to transition your department to SAFE-T, you could probably find a number of gently used and/or reconditioned Motorola MTS2000 portables, which would work fine for analog voice on the SAFE-T system. I'm not sure about the MTS2000's viability as far as future rebanding is concerned, and you wouldn't have digital voice capability and probably wouldn't have automatic roaming capability on the system, but they'd still work. Most fire departments in Johnson County use the MTS2000 on SAFE-T extensively.