Something I have been pondering for some time now is the possibility of P25 radio to radio communications while simultaneously transmitting to a tower for trunking purposes. In the event you hit a dead zone, your transmissions will still be heard by those on scene. While I am not a radio or IT professional, I consider myself to know enough to f*** some s*** up! LOL...
With experience with end-user radios in the fire, EMS, police, and emergency dispatch services I have a hard time with P25 trunking systems (or at least the way they've been set up). Why are we using a system in emergency services that requires a radio transmission to hit a tower? No, this is no way just another thread about how folks can't move forward with technology and want to keep their low band radios. My area has had a P25 trunking system for nearly a decade and I know that P25 is here to stay. It's about DEAD ZONES...
THE ISSUE:
When a LEO is operating inside of a large building during an active shooter incident or firemen are working at the scene of a basement fire, the loss of communications between personnel on scene due to a radio transmission not being able to reach a tower is not acceptable in these high risk scenarios. The sad part is that an FRS radio in these scenarios would likely allow LEO's and firemen to still communicate between themselves where P25 trunking can't.
SOLUTION (From a non-first responder perspective)
Change your radio to a digital conventional channel. Yes in the heat of that worst life or death moment in your LEO/fire/EMS career, you should stop to change a channel that is on another bank, on a radio that is buried in your PPE! Did you even know you were in an area that didn't have P25 trunking coverage?
Oh wait, you're now dead...
PRACTICAL SOLUTION
With a life/death situation, I don't give a flying f*** if the rest of the county or the dispatch center can hear me. After all, they are not going to be the ones to risk their life to save me as my on scene partners will do that. Is there a solution for this? Something that is automated and proactive that does not require you and everyone else on the incident to manually switch to a conventional channel?
With experience with end-user radios in the fire, EMS, police, and emergency dispatch services I have a hard time with P25 trunking systems (or at least the way they've been set up). Why are we using a system in emergency services that requires a radio transmission to hit a tower? No, this is no way just another thread about how folks can't move forward with technology and want to keep their low band radios. My area has had a P25 trunking system for nearly a decade and I know that P25 is here to stay. It's about DEAD ZONES...
THE ISSUE:
When a LEO is operating inside of a large building during an active shooter incident or firemen are working at the scene of a basement fire, the loss of communications between personnel on scene due to a radio transmission not being able to reach a tower is not acceptable in these high risk scenarios. The sad part is that an FRS radio in these scenarios would likely allow LEO's and firemen to still communicate between themselves where P25 trunking can't.
SOLUTION (From a non-first responder perspective)
Change your radio to a digital conventional channel. Yes in the heat of that worst life or death moment in your LEO/fire/EMS career, you should stop to change a channel that is on another bank, on a radio that is buried in your PPE! Did you even know you were in an area that didn't have P25 trunking coverage?
Oh wait, you're now dead...
PRACTICAL SOLUTION
With a life/death situation, I don't give a flying f*** if the rest of the county or the dispatch center can hear me. After all, they are not going to be the ones to risk their life to save me as my on scene partners will do that. Is there a solution for this? Something that is automated and proactive that does not require you and everyone else on the incident to manually switch to a conventional channel?