Raytheon Sign Points to LA-RICS Win

[Tobio63]

Raytheon unveils signage at new facility
by Christian Brown, Staff Writer

After more than a month of construction, Raytheon unveiled its signature logo Monday morning, mounting a bright, neon red sign to the front of the 27,000-sqaure-foot facility, which will soon house its Public Safety Regional Technology Center, slated to open this September.

The new sign, hoisted into place right outside the two-story office building, located at 11899 Woodruff Ave., marks the beginning of a nearly $2 million renovation of the facility, which will serve as a technology center geared towards improving communications technologies used by public safety agencies.

Once completed, engineers at the new Raytheon site will focus on comprehensive projects, such as the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System, an integrated, wireless voice and data communications system that will support more than 34,000 first responders and local mission-critical personnel in more than 80 cities, including Downey.

Utilizing an interoperable, broadband system across the Los Angeles basin, the LA-RICS would allow law enforcement, fire and emergency medical first responders to communicate through one system, increasing accuracy and efficiency, Bostic explained.

According to Raytheon officials, the regional technology center, staffed by nearly 150 people, will eventually feature a large testing facility, laboratory and first-floor showroom where experiments and products will be on display for the public.


The Downey Patriot - Raytheon unveils signage at new facility

 

[karldotcom]

Sounds like it is a done deal....goodbye ICIS and South Bay.

 

[2wayfreq]

I knew it..lol

 

[K6CDO]

Sounds like it is a done deal....goodbye ICIS and South Bay.

Based on?

 

[kenjicam]

I wouldn't write off anything yet as far as ICIS goes. ICIS is a up and running, working radio system. Where as LARICS network (both voice and data) isn't anywhere close to the build out stage. As with any contract of this size there is always a bidder that will dispute how the contract was awarded, and re-work there own numbers to try to get the contract.

That said, there are a lot of politics that come along with any government project big or small. Let alone a multi agency project of this size. With that in mind, everyone wants control over different aspects of how the system should or shouldn't work. As we all know when politics are involved, any project will be slowed down to a snails pace.

However,I believe the biggest issue for LARICS future is the price tag. Federal/State grants and local tax dollars can only go so far in funding a something that is going to cost over $800 million (most likely more) to build in this day and age. This will most likely put many agencies big and small in the unique situation of being squeezed for paying for something that was originally was sold to everyone as being free just a few years ago. It seems many agencies are starting to ask themselves if they need to fix something that they may consider is not broke. If it is broke, why not go with something that is already out there and working.

I think that we will start seeing many agencies starting to loose interest in the current LARICS Version 1.00. Unless LARICS can come up with a Version 2.0 that is cheaper and more user friendly to the end user in the very near future.

Otherwise ICIS is a real system that people can use right now that isn't vaporware. The biggest two problems facing ICIS right now are bandwidth and funding for future build outs. A problem that facing every public safety system in the country.

So, I do stand by my original prediction from a few years ago. That LARICS will not be on the air by the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012!

Kenji Luster

 

[brianearlspilner]

ICIS is a great system! I would hate to see it go away.

 

[LAflyer]

LA-RICS is working on funding sources. Its true grant funding will not come close to covering the system cost, especially all the equipment at the local level. The finance committee is working on a two-prong plan with essentially a countywide special property tax assessment which would need to go to voters for approval plus a service charge scheme for contract jurisdictions.
Further details can be found in the various board meeting minutes.

 

[monitor142]

Kenji is right. ICIS will not go away anytime soon (if ever). It's an established system and a model on how a JPA can build out a system that works. Steve, Jim, and others work hard to take an idea and make it a working reality. ICIS is in the middle of a major core upgrade to enable a transition to P25 which will assist in bringing Pasadena online. Motorola has enabled system owners to take baby steps to bring their hybrid SmartZone systems to a current digital platform. Most of us already have P25 capable scanners and it's simply a reprogramming to monitor digital clear traffic.

It has been already stated officially that ICIS will stay online until RICS is built out someday. The key factor is there is options such as ICIS becoming cells of RICS or having a link (ISSI) to the RICS core that takes it to data levels and melds the two together (not a patch of consoles or different radios rather a direct connection). Once the SmartX core is controlling the ICIS system, they can "plug into" other true P25 systems such as Riverside's future 700 system or Orange County's 800 system once their SmartX core is up. Hell they could connect to any P25 system that is properly equipped for ISSI, Harris County Texas anyone????

Good things are on the horizon for those that planned accordingly. The bummer as pointed out is financial as cities are having a budget crunch and so is Uncle Sam as they are really cutting back on UASI and other interoperable communications grants for our planning areas.

To me doing a property assessment is the only way to fund a system, both voice and data as big as RICS but that means a new tax. No company will be willing to shoulder the burden unless the money is guaranteed. Maybe they will look to Florida for the funding mechanism for their statewide GE/Ericsson/MA-Com/Harris EDACS system. I think they get a buck or two off the vehicle registrations to help support that system if I recall.

-M142

 

[ajohansson]

If your coming on a fire engine into Riv Co just bring a conventional VHF radio... were easy.

That being said having ISSI would be great for being able to get on the network and possible patch into the VHF for fire in Riv Co for a dispatch or command channel. Tac channels your out of luck without a gateway at scene like an ACU.

 

[karldotcom]

I didn't mean for my post to sound like ICIS would go away immediately....I just meant that if the County gets a hold of a billion dollars to build out their dream system, that I doubt that there would be any 'integrating" of systems going on...due to political and monetary realities. If it is feasible, there should be "one system."

I wonder if Raytheon has thought about building a system for free and then charging for access to it....or if that is even legal or feasible.

 

[MtnBiker2005]

*snip*
Motorola has its own reasons to complain. It objects to the way the proposals have been graded and questions Raytheon's ability to do the work. Late last month, the lead negotiator of LA-RICS sheepishly acknowledged that the agency mistakenly gave excerpts of the Motorola proposal to Raytheon. Motorola pounced on the mistake and used it to reinforce its insistence that the agency enter into dual negotiations with the two companies rather than focus exclusively on Raytheon.
*snip*

Jim Newton: What we have is a failure to communicate
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-newton-column-20110611,0,2121450.column

 

[LAflyer]

So either the RFP gets tossed and LA-RICS is back to square one, or plan a long legal fight with Motorola.

Sounds like typical government contracting b.s., all the while the tax payers meter keeps running.

 

[K6CDO]

-...-

So, I do stand by my original prediction from a few years ago. That LARICS will not be on the air by the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012!

If they signed the contract (with either proposer) today, the system would not be on the air by the end of the Mayan calendar.

The San Diego County - Imperial County RCS took 28+ months from contract signing in December of 1995 to the first user on the system in May, 1998.

Don

 

[LAflyer]

Practically speaking I don’t think LA-RICS was ever truly under a very fast time line, regardless of some the PR materials they put out.

There are fundamental major pieces that still need to come together - namely the funding.

The governing board is talking of going to the voters in Nov 2012, or 2013 at the very earliest for a most likely property tax assessment. (for which I personally have serious doubts if it will garner with the required 2/3 majority anyhow).
So if a revenue stream wont be in place will 2013/2014, you can be sure there wont be much operational either. A good guess is actually 5-year build-out which is what they have posted on their websites timeline.

 

[MtnBiker2005]

Linking to other comments about this same LA story on this other topic also...

RR Topic: http://forums.radioreference.com/co...eles-ca-what-we-have-failure-communicate.html

 

[KMA367]

Anybody looking for a date?

Los Angeles County has had a "slow-growth waiver" on a bunch of their 470/480 radio frequencies for building out their system, primarily due to their role in LA-RICS, including delays in the (theoretically) required conversion to narrowbanding on 1/1/2013. Well, that waiver expires today, 6/24/11.

Whether it's related directly or indirectly to the supposed Raytheon/Motorola dust-up I don't know (probably not really - more likely just the huge scope of the thing and money, of course), they've requested from the FCC another extension of the waiver until... 2016, which appears to be the latest estimate for when LA-RICS might actually start to begin to initiate going into operation.

Here's the bottom lines for when they're now expecting to implement the thing, from the County's interesting UHF Refarming "Waiver Request and Status Report" filed last month, but not yet granted as of yesterday. The FCC is currently taking about two months to process most license app and modification requests.
.

 

[LAflyer]

Looking at the waiver request link, its amazing to note that the first task was started in 1997, and now they are talking about not being implemented until 2017.. A mere 20-years!

Man government moves slow...

 

[MtnBiker2005]

See other topic for the Scrapped Bid LA-RICS Details

RR Topic: http://forums.radioreference.com/gr...17469-la-rics-scrapped-board-supervisors.html