EDACS End of Life

[W4UVV]

(Credit: Selected extracts From Monitoring Times April, 2012 (Scanning Report) with my comments)

The end is near for all EDACS trs. EDACS technology has reached "end of life". Harris Corp. will cease supporting all EDACS systems in 2017. The last EDACS trs was sold last year. All existing EDACS users must convert to a P25 system.

Harris Corp. will be another manufacturer of P25 systems. Like Motorola it probably will be another unique P25 version although additionally the company could install APCO P25 "pure" trs. Don't expect future digital scanners to offer Harris Corp. P25 as a user setup option. Since Harris Corp. currently does not authorize their "Open Skies" or "ProVoice" technology for incorporation in consumer digital scanners it is doubtful Harris Corp. would authorize their P25 technology.

The state of Florida was paranoid about unauthorized monitoring of their EDACS based statewide trs and in 2000 spent millions of taxpayer dollars for a secure system. It became operational in 2004. In 5 years it will be useless. The estimated cost to the taxpayers for a Harris Corp. P25 replacement system is $100 million.

Looks like Appalachian Electric Power customers, Newport News, Central Region Planning Commission (i.e., Lynchburg, Bedford, etc.) and other in state taxpayers where EDACS systems are used in the near future will be spending some big bucks for their P25 replacement trs. It may result in higher electric bills and tax increases for those impacted.

 

[Thayne]

All of the current Harris EDACS equipment, (Repeaters & subscriber) can be flashed for P25, and besides there is so much of the older stuff around the parts are plentiful. Harris P25 can be scanned just like Moto-P25; and Harris can also use any channel for a control channel automatically while Moto is limited in that regard.

Besides, some say the world is going to end this year--

 

[kc4jgc]

Wirelessly posted (SAMSUNG-SGH-T459/T459UVIA1 NetFront/3.4 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

Newport News never had EDACS. It was Hampton. That city already changed to Moto P25, last year I think. I have had both systems programmed in my pro 106 since I bought it last month. there has been nothing on the EDACS system, not even city services. HPD is encrypted, HFD & all else in the clear.


There's going to be pleny of municipalities scrambling for updated equipment. $100 million to replace? Harris' most recent customers are likely not happy right now....

 

[puzzleriddle]

only "bad thing" with a new p25 is every could be Encrypted.. it's a wait see type thing. also rumored to be discontinued is Motorola IDEN but haven't seen or read too much on that.

 

[John]

To be fair, Motorola also has anounced end of support for their proprietary trunking system (Smartnet) in favor of their P25 variant. Any user that hasn't planned on this has just not been paying attention. I know some may opt to bring their old systems "in house" and support them themselves using surplus parts or third parties. Most I believe have already planned a migration path. It should not have come as a budgetary shock for them since they have been talking about this for years for both Motorola and Harris. I know the Central Planning District has already released an RFP for a replacement system though the way it was worded it was almost sole-source for Harris.

John

 

[gcgrotz]

Sprint has said they will phase out iden (the old Nextel network) by the end of 2013 and migrate customers to regular PCS. After spending all that money on re-banding, too! They say their plans for the spectrum would include some sort of broadband.

I don't know about that other large iden user, SouthernLinc.

 

[towersites]

Harris EDACS

EDACS®, the Enhanced Digital
Access Communications System,
has provided hundreds of thousands of mission critical radio
users with reliable communications since the late 1980’s. During
that time EDACS has grown from single site public safety
systems to networks covering multiple states - supporting a
diverse user community including public safety, public service,
military and private enterprise customers.
During recent years, advances in technology, regulatory changes
and customer-driven initiatives have joined to create market
demand for standards-based wireless communications networks.
In order to serve this demand, Harris has created a team of
communications professionals dedicated to migrating existing
EDACS systems to standards-based technologies like P25 (Project
25) and Internet Protocol (IP) based networks

 

[dominator612]

EDACS®, the Enhanced Digital
Access Communications System,
has provided hundreds of thousands of mission critical radio
users with reliable communications since the late 1980’s. During
that time EDACS has grown from single site public safety
systems to networks covering multiple states - supporting a
diverse user community including public safety, public service,
military and private enterprise customers.
During recent years, advances in technology, regulatory changes
and customer-driven initiatives have joined to create market
demand for standards-based wireless communications networks.
In order to serve this demand, Harris has created a team of
communications professionals dedicated to migrating existing
EDACS systems to standards-based technologies like P25 (Project
25) and Internet Protocol (IP) based networks

looks like Harris has dropped the ball again. with Harris having their Gov systems in my home town. there is NO truth to this. Edacs will not phased out due to the cost. Open sky, which is VOIP, has been proven to suck. Opensky is the p25 compliant option for edacs replacement but agencies are dropping opensky like crazy, so it appears for now that EDACS is here to stay

 

[GTR8000]

Opensky is the p25 compliant option for edacs

Uhhh....no. P25 itself is the "p25 compliant option", which Harris does offer. OpenSky is a completely different animal that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with P25, and is not compliant or compatible with anything else out there.

You just bumped a nearly year-old thread to post something that didn't even make a bit of sense. Good job. :roll:

Oh, upon further review, it looks like our friend Emmett Gulley Jr. is back in town, even after having numerous other accounts banned from this site. I guess we can add another account to that list.

 

[K4APR]

At NASA Wallops, we have a VHF two site EDACS system. We were made aware of the EDACS EOL last year. Harris, as well as others are talking to us about P25 upgrades/replacements. As with all major Government purchases, this will go out to bid, so there is no telling what we will end up with for the next gen system.

I personally want to see us move to UHF for better building penetration and simulcast so we can increase channel capacity. NASA, as well as all other federal agencies are assigned a set number of repeater pairs in both the VHF and UHF federal bandsplits. As of right now, we have nine VHF pairs and seven UHF pairs available to us for use. That means with VHF we currently have one site with five pairs and a second site with four. Regardless of whether we make the move to UHF, if we go simulcast, we can re-use the same pairs at both sites and have at least a matching number of channels at each. As the primary system tech, this would be a welcomed change!

 

[johnls7424]

When P25 takes over almost everything, down to the DPW will be encrypted. Since the radios offer encryption already and everything will be digital fully encryption will be the new standard for sure.

 

[fredva]

When P25 takes over almost everything, down to the DPW will be encrypted. Since the radios offer encryption already and everything will be digital fully encryption will be the new standard for sure.

Are you aware that there are many P25 systems that have been operating for years without encryption? Not saying that encryption isn't a trend, but to say that everything is going encrypted isn't based on current reality. I know one state that operates a P25 system used by both state and local agencies, and those agencies are banned from using encryption on dispatch talkgroups as one of the conditions for joining the system.

 

[johnls7424]

Everyone on here talks as if I am simple minded and one wayed. Of course I know that some department will choose not encrypt and that is by policy, etc etc. Overall though the option is on the table and it seems like a more viable option then no to do it. Especially in this day and age.