I wouldn't push P25 unless there's funding available elsewhere for you to get into it. For one, most grant money will demand new (with bill of sale) products, so you're looking at whatever brand new P25 repeater and handheld/mobile units you end up liking/affording. For Motorola, you're talking about a GTR8000 (which start around $12,000 and go up as you add P25 and other goodies), and APX4000 models (add another $4k per radio), with APX4500s for your fire trucks and such... and you see where this is going. Harris/Tait and Kenwood/EF Johnson will sell comparable products cheaper, but still WAY more than DMR range.
Now let's look at DMR. The repeaters from Motorola or Hytera will cost around $4000 tops. You get the "two channels for one frequency" benefit. The mobile radios with remote mount will be pretty much just as durable as the standard APX as long as you're not physically beating or spraying them down. If they are broken - they cost just as much to replace as any other head. Your HTs can be XPR7550 CSA models which will give you more durability, but the winner is that you can still use the XE mics from the APX line which are designed for fire use.
In the end of the day - this setup is no more different than the TONS of departments out there that used HT750 and HT1250 radios for fire use with zero issues - which were never billed as "public safety" grade either. Their benefit in the end was that they could buy the radios for $500 brand new and re-case them for less than $100 if someone dropped it badly enough. That was WAY less than a single XTS3000 at the time.
If you don't have a specific need for P25... don't do it. We have plenty of departments here that went out "on their own" to get P25 systems... some using grant funds they applied for... to find out that their system doesn't meet interoperability and to be added later to the state 800 system means they'll have to dismantle their entire system. Just stick with DMR until your county or state gives you a reason to go with P25... like being on a statewide system where their techs shoulder keeping the system running for you.
Also to add: don't fall for trying to get surplus stuff from other counties or states as others suggested. Your headache with your XTS3000 will be the typical day at that point and Motorola especially is pushing the APX line HARD. Here in SC it's at the point where if an XTS2500 breaks... it gets replaced with an APX. New department gets on the system? Have to get new APXs... never mind if departments are turning in their 2500s that still work.
DMR works. Plain and simple. I run a 28-site linked network that has only had 2 repeaters fail in 5 years - none of them the newer SLR series. They work in hot/cold/high RF environment... you name it. In the EU and Asia many are turning to TETRA - which is pretty much a nice gussied up iDEN Nextel-type system for their public safety. Their "terminals" are pretty much rugged phones. They work just as well. This "you need an extreme duty radio otherwise it won't survive" is mostly hype. If you wear your equipment properly (like keeping your RSM cable under your turnout gear) you don't need some ridiculous kevlar-lined high temp RSM like Harris is pushing with their XL-200p... Just food for thought.
Last edited:
