I agree with interoperability however they could have accomplished that with some Moto Apex radios. The coverage also seems pretty bad in Cayce, hearing them lots of times unreadable. i wonder if they got some car radios too or they are just trying to rely on HT ONLY coverage like LCSD does.
As far as criminals monitoring they still can, they just have to pay an extra 30 bucks for a trunk tracker radio. the online feed rarely had any listeners so i doubt the criminals were the one listen, was probably only me listening on the feed! lol
MOTO APEX (Multiband) $6k XTS2500 $3800.. -- I know they have recently received public safety microphones as they are not putting in car radios in this year..
The state system just makes more sense then every agency trying to hold out on conventional repeaters; With limited frequency space out there trunked is really the way to go. I do know they tested the repeater running 12.5 khz and found a %20 loss in coverage area with the 460 machine thats atop one of their water towers. Not sure what they're going to do with the old channel, but im glad to see another agency get out of the 70's and come online in the 21st century. -- As for the listening by the not so nice people -- The officers i've talked with have not heard themselves in the background (Feedback) at some of the houses they used to.. I do know the ultimate goal passed going P25 is to go encrypted, but that is after they get in cars.
I also heard the TRS improved life safety of everyone involved with the recycling plant fire by keeping everyone on the same sheet of music.. Really helped when everyone there could move between operations and command channels by just rolling the knob.
Wonder if they're going to split the fire dispatch onto its own talkgroup?