mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
He blames the weather, led lights, all kinds of things. i have never once seen any kind of rf test equipment or service monitor checking things. Very poorly installed system. Over 50 feet of rg58 ran to lmr 400 on our tower which is another issue in itself. No grounding from what i can tell. Radios are velcroed onto the tone remote adapters.
I've discovered over the years that anyone can claim to be a radio guy. They don't need to know what they are really doing, just watch some YouTube videos, maybe search the internet, that's about it. I've seen some really crappy installs in my day. From what you are describing, that seems to describe this shop. 50 feet of RG-58 on a NX-5900 is a major red flag. Lack of grounding would be a code violation.
A lot of PSAP's are struggling, and they have to trust the guy they call. It's unfortunate that said shop isn't acting responsibly, and that the PSAP hasn't put their foot down sooner.
Yeah, running a PSAP is expensive, and not all local governments fund them properly, there should be minimum standards that are met. Without those standards documented, a shop can walk in and do whatever they want. And then they send a bill and someone pays it.
The fact that they ignore you when you call is another red flag. I'm on call 24x7 for our PSAP, and I have a company that I can call in if I'm out of town or need assistance. I don't get to blow them off if I don't feel like coming in. I'm usually on site in less than an hour.
The company I use for backup has a very clearly defined set of deliverables, response times, and clear documentation of what they will and will not cover.
If anyone at your agency is part of APCO, they should get on one of the discussion boards there and ask for copies of similar documents from other agencies. If no one is a member of APCO, they should be.
They may also want to talk to the state and whoever manages 911 for the state. If any of this equipment is also used for 911 phone calls, the state may have performance requirements. If it's just radio, then it's sort of on you guys.
Either way, there's a serious problem here that is putting lives at stake. To document this problem with the vendor, and not do something to address it is dangerous. If someone dies or property is lost because the radio console is not working, then it's a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Not sure what kind of agency you are, but if there is a city manager/attorney, I'd talk to them.
If the center does not have proper funding to hire competent techs, then there's another major issue that needs to be addressed.
Trying to solve this on a hobby website isn't a good plan. You guys need help and you need it badly.