All of the comments I read in the other thread lead me to the same response... The money is out there for agencies to build radio systems that are interoperable. I think we can all agree that the most interoperable radio system is something conventional with analog modulation.
However, with the continual expansion of radio systems, conventional analog is not an efficient use of the spectrum available. 800MHz is not all it's cracked up to be either, however, that is why there have been a lot of moves to narrowband the VHF and UHF spectrum, and most times these conversions also alienate analog conventional as well, since digital can do more, so to speak, with less.
Investing in a scanner that can decode P25 digital transmissions may be premature anywhere in the Pacific Northwest at this time, however, the time is coming when that technology may very well be used.
(I understand that a lot of agencies that were considering OpenSky -- I work for one -- have been advised to avoid it due to concerns that the Department of Homeland Security has about approving operating and construction grants for said systems due specifically to the lack of interoperability that those systems inherently have.)
Remember, just because P25 is currently the only open standard doesn't mean that there won't be other competing open standards. And although I may be incorrect in this assumption, because most of the more modern scanners on the market are firmware upgradable by the end-user, this could be just as easy to accomplish (assuming there's enough NVRAM to hold the codecs for each standard).
joe
