AFRRCS - Alberta First Responders' Radio Communication System Tender finally closed

[kayn1n32008]

I took this off of Government of Alberta: Common Questions

Q:"How much do P25 Radios cost?"

"P25 radio costs will depend on user functionality and features required by an agency. Depending on model, manufacturer and features, starting market prices for P25 radios are in the $1000-$2000 range. While this is currently higher than VHF radios with comparable features, prices are being driven by increased volume demands and competition."


My question is how many companies produce 700Mhz P25 radios?

And i think that the government is smoking some good stuff if they think that they are only going to spend $1000-$2000 per subscriber unit, yes i know that it is a starting point. yet in Saskatchewan they are paying $5000+ for a Vhf P25 radio and they are supposed to be cheaper than 700Mhz P25!!!

Interesting stuff cant wait to see what the true cost of this is going to be even tho the provience needs it

 

[Jay911]

My question is how many companies produce 700Mhz P25 radios?

There are a whole bunch. For those of us who are Motorola "snobs" , there are more choices than you can shake a stick at. Harris (nee M/A-COM, etc) builds 'em too. I thought Kenwood did, but can't find anything on the Kenwood USA website. (They have P25, but not in 700 MHz.) Tait has a whole line of 700 MHz P25. EF Johnson makes a mobile and a portable, and Bendix King has a P25 radio but not in 700 as far as I know. Icom has P25 radios but not in 700. And Motorola has a press release that talks about six different vendors' radios working on their P25 test system.

And then of course there is the Thales Liberty, a monster radio that does it all, from VHF to 800 and everything in between.

And i think that the government is smoking some good stuff if they think that they are only going to spend $1000-$2000 per subscriber unit, yes i know that it is a starting point. yet in Saskatchewan they are paying $5000+ for a Vhf P25 radio and they are supposed to be cheaper than 700Mhz P25!!!

Cost is definitely something that people in agencies like mine have to consider. P25 radios will cost probably similar amounts to "normal" radios now. The prices also vary widely depending on what you buy and how many bells and whistles you want in the radio. I think it's around $5000 for a Motorola portable if you are getting just one. What you need to remember, though, is many manufacturers will give cut deals on bulk purchase of radios - if several departments go in together, they will save money. Another place where money is theoretically going to be saved is in radio infrastructure costs - departments that go onto the provincial system won't have to pay for their own towers, repeaters, and licensing of that equipment.

Still, it's not going to be a cheap endeavor even for a small department that needs, say, 10 mobiles and 40 portables. That's easily a one- to two hundred thousand dollar expenditure..

 

[Jay911]

One thing I didn't comment on in the above is that the price for a Thales multiband radio is supposed to be something in the neighborhood of the same price of a single-band Motorola trunking radio. If I can get a radio that takes the place of 3 of my existing radios (UHF, VHF, and 700/800) for the price of one of them, even if it does cost a bit for an individual radio, it'll still be a sensible purchase.

 

[kayn1n32008]

One thing I didn't comment on in the above is that the price for a Thales multiband radio is supposed to be something in the neighborhood of the same price of a single-band Motorola trunking radio. If I can get a radio that takes the place of 3 of my existing radios (UHF, VHF, and 700/800) for the price of one of them, even if it does cost a bit for an individual radio, it'll still be a sensible purchase.

it would make the best sense with agencies all over the place and use of AFRRCS voluntary.