I do know that the KSP and other Commonwealth agencies have been up here in Michigan, examining our
MPSCS statewide system. Currently, the Metrosafe project is being constructed in the Louisville area, which will probably serve as a blueprint for the rest of the state to follow. Moreover, I would look for future development of a statewide 700/800 MHz Omni-Link TRS, much like what have here in Michigan, especially since Tennessee to the south is leaning heavily in that direction. That being said, states that are planning to implement statewide interoperable trunking systems, are for the most part, taking into consideration what equipment their neighbors are using, or are planning to use, once the ink dries on the contract.
They key item to how soon this will become a reality across the Commonwealth of Kentucky is money! These radio systems take a lot of capital to construct, and there are two avenues they can follow:
- Build the system on their own with available state funds, and obtain federal grant money.
- Let Motorola or M/A-COM build the system, and everyone across the Commonwealth can lease airtime, much like what is taking place in Illinois.
Of the two proposals, the first is really better in the long-run, since the state has control over the entire system. This is why Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia, to name a few, decided it would be better to own the system at the state level, and allow local users to come on board for a fee, rather than paying the vendor higher subscription fees.
Either way, this will mean a lot of people down the road are going to need new scanners that can copy P25 modulation.
73's
Ron