Denver Buys Ma/com

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brey1234

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The city of Denver has awarded M/A-Com Inc. a pair of contracts to improve its public safety radio system and to provide replacement parts and additional radios.

M/A-Com of Lowell, Mass., received a $10.5 million contract to implement a multisite, digital, simulcast radio system on top of the city’s single-site radio system. The improvements to Denver’s Enhanced Digital Access Communications System will give radio users reliable communications within buildings throughout the metropolitan area.
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/1_1/daily_news/29267-1.html
 

abqscan

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http://www.macom-wireless.com/news/pressdetail.asp?id=123


LOWELL, Mass., Sept. 5, 2006 - M/A-COM, Inc., a business unit of Tyco Electronics and a worldwide leader of critical radio communication systems, today announced that it has received a $10.5 million award from the city of Denver, Colorado, to improve its critical radio system by implementing a digital simulcast radio communications system to its already existing single-site Enhanced Digital Access Communications System (EDACS). By upgrading its EDACS system, Denver’s public safety radio users, including police, fire and emergency medical services will have reliable radio communications within architectural structures throughout the metropolitan area. In addition, M/A-COM was awarded a $14.5 million contract, over three years, to provide replacement parts and additional mobile and portable radios as needed, ensuring the swift procurement of critical radio components for first responders in the Denver metropolitan area.

“By expanding our current EDACS communications system, we are giving our police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel the communication tools they need to respond to emergencies faster, safer and smarter,” said Dana Hansen, manager, Wireless Systems; City and County of Denver. “Using this new simulcast system in conjunction with our already installed M/A-COM NetworkFirst interoperability system, and our M/A-COM data system, we are helping to ensure that our comprehensive plan for reliable interoperable communications is in place for the foreseeable future.”

In addition to providing reliable interoperable communications, M/A-COM’s critical radio system will greatly improve in-building coverage for portable radio users in Denver, a common problem when attempting to communicate inside high-density buildings found in urban areas. In-building coverage is becoming a necessity for public safety radio users and by implementing M/A-COM’s digital simulcast radio system, Denver officials will have the resources needed to successfully communicate throughout various structures during emergency situations.
Along with its expanded capabilities within Denver, the City’s new six-site, digital simulcast system will interface through M/A-COM’s NetworkFirst system, an Internet Protocol (IP)-based network that links together disparate radio system types, on the Colorado Statewide Digital Trunked Radio system, enabling public safety officials to communicate with each other, regardless of radio type, frequency or mode.

“Denver has consistently been on the cutting edge of radio communications technology for its network of public safety users,” said Sanford Lugger, area sales manager, M/A-COM. “The introduction of M/A-COM’s digital simulcast system only further advances Denver’s first response capabilities by giving users the technology they can rely on for day-to-day communications and during critical situations when stable in-building coverage is vital.”
 

captaincraig44

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Crap. Hopefully routine comms will be in the clear once the system install is completed.
 

cstockmyer

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Funny when I said DPD was going digital I was laughed at. They are all ready testing this system.
 

Thayne

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Time will tell, but it seems very difficult to have both simulcast and ProVoice together--six sites are even more than Aurora uses, and we know how well that worked out--

Most of the problems in Denver are caused by Nexthell and other cellular carriers.
Ever notice how bad any scanner works when driving with 300 ft of I-25?
 

Thayne

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A lot of people, (Me included) don't think it is wise to put all your eggs in one basket--
 

n0doz

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Don't go getting too excited, guys. Notice the story didn't mention ProVoice. Only "digital", which is the D in EDACS.
 

cstockmyer

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Denver PD likes the idea of going back to a system that they decide who gets to listen to their air. That's what's going around head quarters.
 

dodger

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I hope they look at Aurora and Lakewood ventures into digital.
 
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Thayne said:
Time will tell, but it seems very difficult to have both simulcast and ProVoice together--six sites are even more than Aurora uses, and we know how well that worked out--

Most of the problems in Denver are caused by Nexthell and other cellular carriers.
Ever notice how bad any scanner works when driving with 300 ft of I-25?

Terrible problems for the scanner listener.
 

scanlist

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Welcome back to 1989 when the city council voted to approve the G.E. 16+ EDACS systems that G.E. promoted as unscannable by the media and people with scanners.

On December 20th 1992 the public safety EDACS system goes live and only those media and tow drivers that received the blessings of the department and EEB were able to hear/track anything.

The introduction of the Uniden BC245XLT in the late 90's ruined the party.

The city's intention back then as it will be with the upgrade is to control who has access.

Will the access requests requirement procedure be as strict as they were in 1992? I guess we will find out in a couple of years.

Phil.
 

k0pwo

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Come on guys. This is old news. The purchase of this new system has been out for several months now. Whether it be provoice or not doesn't really matter. Sure you can't monitor it with a scanner if it is provoice. But, most of you guys didn't think for a minute when you threw down your $500 dollars for your pro-96 or whatever version of digital apco scanner you have. If listening to denver is that important to you, and I am not saying it isn't because denver is who I listen to 90 percent of the time, then throw down about $750 and you have yourself a nice and rugged and commercial quality edacs radio that will monitor provoice. Now before I get blasted by the several of you that say they cost more than that, then what I say is go do your research. You can get them for $750 to $900 almost daily. By the time this system goes live they might even be less.

I know what will next issue to be pointed out will be. ESK, sure, the radio that cost $750 or so is not going to have ESK. But you can get it for a few more dollars from ma-com if you want it. They will flash it for you without all the hype that you must go thru with motorola for an upgrade on a astro radio. And I do realize that you need a code and such and luck to activate the esk feature to monitor the system you want. But with dilligence anything is possible.

And as for you all that will point out that having these radios is what is ruining the hobby and such and driving dept such as Aurora and Denver to go with digital systems. Then I will counter with a "no its not" the FCC mandated back in the 90's for depts to start migrating communications to digital system to conserve freqs space.The only problem is, the apco 25 guidelines that were adopted are not being followed and the fcc really isn't enforcing the time lines and such very well. Someday all public safety communicaions will be digital. Like it or not. Just like all cell phones are digital now. To conserve frequency space. And then there is the issue that someone is sure to bring up about its not legal to possess these radios and monitor a trunk system. The radio, if properly programmed and is not affilitating (which edacs and provoice do not require) is nothing more than a scanner.

If Denver does go with a provoice and they do turn on the digital portion on all the talkgroups, my guess is, that they to will soon abandon it for the analog side because the provoice just sounds like ****. Plain and simple. Aurora's provice side sounds like crap and I am guessing they will abandon it here pretty soon.

just my thoughts.
 

scanlist

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logitec said:
You can thank this guy.
Just friggin wonderful.:evil: Gives the EEB folks the ammunition to push ESK.

For Dave. Are you saying one can go to M/A with an ebay radio and they'll flash it for ESK no questions asked? :confused:

Phil.
 
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