RANT ON
Idaho, the good ol’ isolationist state, I know Nevada and Utah has VHF in the rural areas and the metro areas uses 800 MHz. I cannot speak for any of the other states around Idaho, but the states do show (per RR) that they too are using VHF.
The USDA Forest Service has just recently donated to the ambulance service I am working for in the Magic Valley, two VHF handhelds for better “interoperable” communications. These are the Motorola XTS 2500 radios and have Forest Service, BLM, State Comm, Box Elder County, UT and Elko County NV. If Canyon County sheriff's Lt. Todd Herrera, coordinator of emergency management comment is correct then why is the forest service still using VHF? In fact according to my contact at All Wireless Communications the Forest Service is using narrow banded VHF radios which are Project 25 compliant.
I am not certain how switching to 700 MHz is going to be in the best interests of anyone except a few very short-sighted administrators. Why should a Caldwell Fire Truck be responding to an emergency in Pocatello anyway and WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED?
The problem here is that since 9/11/01, the state has the delusion that 700 MHz was mandated, but alas, that is not true. Just because of the buzz word “interoperability” came along and because supervisors in NYC, NY couldn’t coordinate their activities any better and used 50 different frequencies and no command trailers making themselves look bad and then blaming everyone except themselves is absolutely ridiculous. The government even bought their “WHINE” it was the lack of common channel that spelled disaster, that and the lack of a common communication trailer.
I wish these communication commanders and emergency management officials would work to establish better communication with what they have rather then SPEND the tax dollars they don’t have for idiotic ideas. I know my relatives who pay too much in taxes now on a set retirement budget would appreciate it.
RANT OFF…