FDNY radio changes

[DaveNF2G]

Everyone who thinks that the FDNY (or any other agency in NYC) is going to go high-tech with their radio systems are forgetting one, big important thing: NYC is BROKE.

Anyone who remembers 1975 and the massive layoffs of city employees at that time (which lasted many years) should realize that the financial situation NYC is in today is FAR worse.

In fact, the FDNY has sent out a memo today saying that their heralded "Ceremonial Unit" is being cut and ceremonies they will participate in limited, "to avoid the payment of overtime..." This is only the start.

So I don't think they're going to be in a big rush to write a blank check to Motorola to re-do the entire radio system anytime soon (or ever) when the one they have is more than sufficient.

They might not pay for more new stuff, but there could be a lot of new capabilities for which the City has already paid that can still be enabled progressively.

 

[GTR8000]

Everyone who thinks that the FDNY (or any other agency in NYC) is going to go high-tech with their radio systems are forgetting one, big important thing: NYC is BROKE.

Perhaps you're not aware that the infrastructure is already in place. FDNY already has talkgroups provisioned on the 800 MHz cell of the city's ASTRO 25 system, and they already have multi-band APX subscribers deployed which are fully capable of operating on that system, in addition to their normal T-Band dispatch channels and VHF backup channels. This capability was literally just demonstrated by them operating on the 800 MHz trunked cell over the past few days, hence the existence of this thread. They could, in theory, switch over to trunking tomorrow if they wanted to do so.

 

[Firebuff66]

Everyone who thinks that the FDNY (or any other agency in NYC) is going to go high-tech with their radio systems are forgetting one, big important thing: NYC is BROKE.

They already did, FDNY spent 89 Million 12 years ago to replace all the portables with APX8000s and mobiles.
NYPD has spent over 200 Million for radios and infrastructure upgrades and is now Moving to all P25 encrypted comms
DOITT or whatever they are called now has spent over 300 million upgrading the 2 Trunk systems to P25, adding sites, buying mobiles and portables, building out mesh networks, and on and on
So NYC is very high tech and they are now buying APX-Next radios so they can use them on RF & other networks
Just a different budget or line item or whatever they do to make it happen. Public safety and public services in any big city are always broke

 

[Rudy3145]

Well the city needs $$ to deal with the migrant problem that we were so prepared and ready to deal with......

 

[joerobb23]

i hear bronx manhattan on vhf are other boros going back to vhf?

 

[k2hz]

i hear bronx manhattan on vhf are other boros going back to vhf?

As I responded to your question on the other thread:
VHF is a backup to the UHF system.

FDNY VHF frequencies active again?

Ok I haven't been paying attention to the FDNY but are the VHF DISPATCH Channel still active?/

forums.radioreference.com

 

[GTR8000]

i hear bronx manhattan on vhf are other boros going back to vhf?

There is no reason to post the same question in multiple threads. If you read through these threads before posting, you would've seen that the VHF frequencies are backups, and which boroughs have reactivated VHF so far.

 

[IFRIED91]

So I noticed on queens dispatch an MDC ID of 1C7 from dispatch

 

[62Truck]

So I noticed on queens dispatch an MDC ID of 1C7 from dispatch

Ok

 

[Jimru]

Yeah actually Bronx dispatch and units are digital. Queens dispatch is still analog with units digital. So I remember 10 or so years ago many comments on this site said there was no way NYPD would go digital and that hell would freeze over before FDNY would. Well here we are. Don't want to be all doom and gloom but could the days of listening to FDNY be numbered like NYPD? It all stinks for the casual listener like myself for over 30 years🙁

Since the 1970s, for me! Maybe the FDNY will be digital, but not encrypted? One can hope!