Update for the Lower Merion radio system; due the Hytera DMR system not being able to keep a strong and steady connection with Montgomery County dispatch, Lower Merion PD will be going to the MontCo P25 system approximately on September of 2016. The current plan is that the new Lower Merion P25 channels will be encrypted. The use of encryption is being pushed by the Montgomery County Communication Center as they move to go fully encrypted within the next few years. All other Lower Merion services that currently use the Hytera system will continue to be on the Lower Merion DMR network. The system works well within the township borders, but with it's current set up it does not do well for communicating with a person that is over 10 miles away. As soon as the new infrastructure for the P25 network is built and tested, LMPD will be operating on the MontCo network. A majority of the equipment for the police vehicles and the Police Officers have already been purchased and they are ready to be placed in service.
As for the reason for LMPD going with Hytera and then to MontCo P25, the radio system that was used by all of the Lower Merion services was very outdated and created a major safety issue for everyone using it. When the system was forced to narrow band, the reception became even worse. The equipment being used stopped being made years ago, and the radio repair company was losing the battle to keep them operational. This is the true reason why Lower Merion Township built the updated infrastructure for the Hytera system. As for the police using the system, when the Hytera system was designed the plan was not set in stone if Lower Merion Police were going to stay with Montgomery County Dispatch or go back to self dispatching as they did for many years. As a result they prepared for self dispatching while at the same time upgrading the radio system for all other Lower Merion services that use the radio network. Most of the funding for the Hytera system came from federal and state grants. The goal of the system was to insure that each person using the radio system had a reliable method to communicate with others within the township. The Hytera system has accomplished that mission for most of the Lower Merion services on the network. Unfortunately the distance and terrain to Montgomery County dispatch created a problem that could not be completely resolved. Since the plan to continue using Montgomery County dispatch is now locked in, the change to the MontCo P25 network is more logical and is a sound financial move. At the end of the day, the township employees have better equipment to communicate with each other and the police have a stronger network to conduct their duties. It is also a win for the township residents, business owners, and guests that rely on the people (myself included) whom use the radio systems to provide them with a variety of services.