Contractor vows to clear problems from emergency wireless network

[davidd2957]

(Buffalo News, The (NY) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 14--ALBANY -- The company trying to hang on to its $2 billion contract to construct a statewide emergency wireless communications network says it will resolve all the issues raised by the state last month.
If, after rounds of initial testing in Erie and Chautauqua counties, the state does not award the final deal to M/ACOM, the state could have a legal problem, the company suggests.

"Although we are confident that it should not be necessary, we will, if need be, take all necessary steps to protect our legal rights," M/A-COM President Chuck Nougherty said in a written statement to a state panel overseeing the project.
The company has until Thursday to correct 19 flaws the state Office for Technology cited last month in what was considered the possible beginning of the end of the M/A-Com contract. M/A-COM officials insisted they remained confident that the final issues will be resolved and the state will give its final approval.

The wireless network has been under discussion for a decade to improve communications among emergency services agencies. Efforts accelerated after communication breakdowns among first responders during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

During tests of the system in Western New York, Erie County officials complained of numerous problems, including faulty equipment and communication lapses in many areas. M/ACOM said that 17 of 19 problems cited by the state were resolved earlier this month and all will be fixed by Thursday.

At an advisory board meeting involving various government agencies, state officials said that if M/A-COM certifies that it has overcome the 19 problems, the state would begin testing those solutions Nov. 3. If the state is satisfied, local agencies will have a chance to begin their own tests Dec. 2.

The other obstacle is the state budget: Can the state afford to move ahead with the expensive project when Gov. David

A. Paterson is trying to cut $2 billion in state spending by the end of next month?

David D.

 

[radionerd13669]

Of course they do.All they did for most of it is say its not our problem,now thats a way to fix network problems.

We will just have to wait and see how it all plays out.You know how Albany operates!

 

[sc800]

I think this statement typifies the type of company M/A-COM really is, "Use us or we'll sue." Typically this sentiment is only expressed by desparate companies who know their product is faulty. I can't even believe they threatened this, they have NO case. They failed to live up to their end of the deal, they pay the price.

 

[ElroyJetson]

Tomorrow (Thursday) is the day of decision. A statement should be issued by the NYS authorities
in charge of the project.

Frankly, I absolutely do not believe that M/A-Com's claims of problems being resolved are true, at least
in several instances. Not with failure rates as high as were documented! 70 percent portable radio
failure rate, 40 percent mobile radio failure rate, 60 percent vehicular extender failure rate, or in those
ballpark ranges, IIRC?

OpenScam only works well under laboratory conditions, it would seem.


M/A-Com is heading for a bad day, I think, and if they attempt to sue to try to keep their contract,
they'll lose it FOR SURE, and I think that PA would ditch them in a heartbeat under such conditions, too.


It really looks bad, in the eyes of large customers, when their provider is suing other customers because
they didn't think much of the system. It can only help M/A-Com to LOSE customers, not ATTRACT them.

M/A-Com is screwing up in a fashion that's so remarkable, even the most incompetent petty bureaucrats at Motorola are in awe of their idiocy.

Motorola's tech support crew will talk to me about radios that they haven't made in thirty years,
if they've got someone around who remembers anything about them. They'll happily take my money
and sell me parts, software, cables, what have you, and I'm just a private citizen. (Though I do work
for a Motorola radio dealer as well.) M/A-Com doesn't WANT my business. They won't approve my
request to open up a parts account. Their TAC is generally pretty helpful, but only to a point. You
will get very little in the way of tech support for radios that are obsolete even if they've only been
out of production for a relatively short time. Need info on that old Phoenix? Good luck! I'd be
surprised if you got any!

Turning away potential customers is hard fast proof that there is something FUNDAMENTALLY wrong
with a company. That would be M/A-Com.

Elroy

 

[DaveNF2G]

Threatening to sue to keep the contract. How desperate they sound. I hope the powers that be at OFT and higher stick to their guns (and the terms of the contract) and boot M/A-Com out the door.

However, as has been mentioned many times previously, this is Albany. All bets are off when it comes to shaky decisions and shady business dealings.

 

[6m171]

This is the email that went out today. Nothing new if you viewed the webcast from the last meeting.

Dear Stakeholder,

As you know, on August 29, 2008 the State issued M/A-COM a letter of default that identified nineteen significant contractual deficiencies. The SWN contract allowed M/A-COM a 45-day cure period to remediate these deficiencies. Following the cure period, which ends today October 16, 2008, M/A–COM recertified the primary region of Erie and Chautauqua Counties as ready for testing by the State.

With M/A-COM’s recertification, SWN staff will test the system in Erie and Chautauqua Counties from November 3-21, 2008. This testing will determine whether the deficiencies as identified in the August 29 default notice have been satisfactorily remediated. In addition, the SWN team will reevaluate the system for contractual compliance. If SWN testing is deemed successful, it will be followed by a full operational test by state and local first responders starting December 2 through December 18, 2008.

Also, Federal Engineering, Inc. (FE), the firm selected to independently validate and verify the test results and M/A-COM's performance, will retest the system to determine whether it meets contractual technical, functional and operational standards in consideration of industry standards and best practices.

After testing, a decision regarding the primary region will be made by the State. This schedule includes the time required by the SWN Program Office, working in collaboration with the user agencies and first responders, to fully assess test results and complete a recommendation report.

For additional information on the SWN project status, please visit http://www.oft.state.ny.us/oft/swnindex.htm.

 

[radionerd13669]

Here is OFT Quesions and answers post Oct 16
http://www.oft.state.ny.us/SWN/SWNdocs/Questions_and_Answers.pdf

 

[HarrisRF]

I may be a Tyco employee, but I am a Macom field Tech. That means EDACS is my general background, and I dont know the ins and outs of the NY deal. Moto wanted 4 Billion up front, and with Tyco the state pays 2 billion over a 20 year period I believe. As a Tax payer which one would you choose? In my opinion if Moto won the bid they would be asking for 4 Billion more by now. The opensky radio system is phenominal with its capabilities and cost effectiveness. But with any new product now a days it will take some software fixes to accomplish pure bliss. There wont be any law suits, because the system works great. They do need to work on geographical issues at higher frequencies, but they have developed and are implementing VHF and UHF overlays in PAs system to over come them.(using MIII basestations BTW!!)

 

[K2KOH]

Welcome...nice to have someone who works for Tyco here. Do you know...how is it that the OpenSky system interacts with say, the Motorola system in Massachusetts or Connecticut, both of which are P25 digital. Is it truly seamless interaction?

 

[HarrisRF]

how is it that the OpenSky system interacts with say, the Motorola system in Massachusetts or Connecticut, both of which are P25 digital. Is it truly seamless interaction?

As in frequency interference? Or interoperability? Interoperability is what my main job has been lately. Ive been networking 11 counties surrounding Philadelphia into an alcatel microwave IP network. This gave interoperability to all the EOC dispatchers. Then we tied it all into gateways into the Opensky system. Due to Nextel interference in PA and the rebanding that hasnt taken place yet, that area around philly became a deadspot for opensky. Now with the "IP Gateways" they can talk from any of the county owned moto systems to any other county's system using this new technology. And once the connections have been made this will talk to the states opensky as well.

 

[GTR8000]

I may be a Tyco employee, but I am a Macom field Tech. That means EDACS is my general background

Oh boy, let the fun begin.

I dont know the ins and outs of the NY deal. Moto wanted 4 Billion up front, and with Tyco the state pays 2 billion over a 20 year period I believe.

If you don't know the ins and outs of the deal, then why are you speculating on it? You "believe", you don't actually know.

As a Tax payer which one would you choose?

Hmmm...let's see...how about the one that actually works and has a proven track record with hundreds of systems up and running in critical applications? That would be Motorola, btw.

In my opinion if Moto won the bid they would be asking for 4 Billion more by now.

I think you meant to say "In my BIASED opinion AS A M/A-COM EMPLOYEE..." Again, pure speculation and a pathetic attempt to make the competitor look bad.

The opensky radio system is phenominal with its capabilities and cost effectiveness.

Yeah, "phenomenal", and all the tests in NY and great success in PA really prove that out, right? Oh, wait...NOT!

But with any new product now a days

NEW product??? You must be joking. OpenSky has been around for over 10 YEARS now, and they still can't get it right! Nice to see you don't even know the history of the system you're defending, that'll score you some points for sure.

it will take some software fixes to accomplish pure bliss.

Yeah see, I have a problem with this exact sentiment from your outfit. These systems are now being pushed on PUBLIC SAFETY, not private companies like FedEx. If the local FedEx guy has a problem with the radio, it's not the end of the world. If a cop is trying to call for backup and his radio craps out, big problem. Again, the system has been around for over 10 years now, still can't figure out all the bugs in the software? Then don't push the system as being ready for public safety, mission critical, prime time.

There wont be any law suits, because the system works great.

Again, given the terrible track record OpenSky already has, this quote would be laughable if it weren't so sad.

They do need to work on geographical issues at higher frequencies

WOW...would've never saw THAT coming in a state like NY! Any fool that has spent any time driving around NY would quickly realize how incredibly varied the terrain is. Or, you can just pull out a topographic map and spend a few minutes reading it and you'd figure that out. Nice to know the engineers took this into account BEFORE designing the system.

but they have developed and are implementing VHF and UHF overlays in PAs system to over come them.(using MIII basestations BTW!!)

Awesome, a patchwork of ad-hoc "fixes" needed because the OpenSky system itself is incapable of handling the task. Bravo.


Save for the fact that Albany historically likes taking it in the ass and spreading that love to the taxpayers, M/A-COM and this system should be thrown right out of NYS on their asses. Truthfully, the bid should've never been accepted in the first place because this is not a true open architecture, interoperable system like is being pushed nowadays. The system specified should've been nothing less than a P25 open system that won't cost $5,000 a portable from a single source supplier.

 

[HarrisRF]

Have you personally used or tested an Opensky radio system?

 

[GTR8000]

This isn't about me. This is about the well documented, publicized and ongoing failures of OpenSky in at least two states. I don't need to "personally test" the system, I just have to look at the certified test results from numerous agencies and users who have, including professional third party organizations.

Listen man, I get you having pride in your company and wanting to defend it and its products, but you're walking right into the lion's den here in the NY forum. Your bold (absurd) proclamation that OpenSky is "phenomenal" in light of what has been going on with the NY system is like walking into that lion's den with raw meat tied around your neck. You ought to stick to talking about the PA system in the PA forum, as you've already admitted you know very little about the details of the NY system. How then do you expect to have any credibility whatsoever talking about the specific issues with the NY system after that admission? You're just feeding us more of the company line, which we have already been subjected to ad nauseum from your company execs.

 

[Spec]

I think it was best said by the Town of Greenburg PD Chief, I don't care about how much or who .... just that it works. Sky's record is less than stellar. Out here in the field I don't need an excuse of what went wrong when I'm trying to call for help and the system doesn't work.

 

[radionerd13669]

Ya that police chief is great always seems to ask the good questions

As far a defending Tyco and ma/com you better find another place for that

This system in my eyes is no good for public safety

Any time you want some info on the opensky system in ny just ask.Maybe your company can give you a copy of the report with all the failers of the great system!Im sure they would give it to you but they may need to update something first go figure

 

[jrm5265]

open sky

hey Tycoradio check your PMs

 

[HarrisRF]

Im just saying what I know from experience, and from field testing.

 

[RadioRaull]

TycoRadio is correct the Opensky systems work phenominally, This is from someone that has worked with OpenSky for 5 years plus now. As for these Semi-profrssional radio people here thay can speculate all they want. But the biggest whine i see here if from people that can not montior the police channels anymore.

If you Semi-pro radio techs know of a better IP based radio system, then by means sell it to your city.

 

[Spec]

My first question is : Worked with or on OpenSky As a professional in law enforcement I still want a system that works. I do not wish to have a system that puts me or my partner in further harms way by a system that is sold on a bill of "would of, should of, could of." The whole idea of a statewide system is to provide a safe workable system. The state has placed some standards that Sky must meet. If it does not meet those standards then get rid of it. The testing and validation has not been completed. If Tyco cannot complete the requirements of the contract what makes me think OpenSky will perform any better ? I'm still waiting for the validation to be completed. Personally speaking I could care less about the monioring of the system.
Might I inquire as to which Sky system ?

 

[N_Jay]

. . .If you Semi-pro radio techs know of a better IP based radio system, then by means sell it to your city.

Why is IP a requirement.