Hunterdon County, NJ - Hunterdon fire companies using new UHF radio system

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blantonl

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w2xq

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Hmm. Wonder how it works in Lambertville and Stockton, among other places along twisty NJ29 adjacent to the Delaware River. The elevation drop is quite significant. The Cherryville site outside Flemington also hosts some 440 and 144 repeaters; they're unusable in the shadow.

(That's my home stomping grounds. I'll never forget the August 1955 hurricanes Connie and Diane that went up the Delaware River valley less than a week apart. Flooding was up to a mile inland on both the NJ and PA sides of the river.)
 

rapidcharger

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I'm really puzzled.
See, that county is fairly large in comparison to many of the other counties featured here in articles. Both in geographic size and in population. Unemployment is very low and there are a couple of major highways, one is an interstate going through the county.

So why is it that a county that has a lot going for it can make do with UHF (presumably conventional) while counties that are in real dire straights, many times smaller with hardly anyone living there find it imperative that they go to an 800mhz digital trunking system?

That county has managed with freakin low band for all this time. Now going to UHF, not 800. Although techically 800 is UHF but I'm assuming they're talking about 450. I think some kudos are due in this case pending all of the details. But it sounds like they have made a sound decision, not a wasteful, corrupt decision.
 

phillydjdan

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Yes, they are in the 450 MHz range. If I recall, they had at least one license list a transmitter location in Upper Bucks County, PA, possibly near New Hope? Perhaps that would help in the low spots near the river.
 

Kitn1mcc

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there some areas just have folks who know how to build a proper radio system. Around here in ct we use a hybrid system Lowband and uhf tied together. Lowband still works great mobile to base then cross banded works better. they use UHF on the FG and the lowband for calling back to dispatch also dont have to buy all new radios at once
 

rapidcharger

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there some areas just have folks who know how to build a proper radio system. Around here in ct we use a hybrid system Lowband and uhf tied together. Lowband still works great mobile to base then cross banded works better. they use UHF on the FG and the lowband for calling back to dispatch also dont have to buy all new radios at once

How do you ward off the corruption and unnecessary waste though?

I bet what you have works great, but it doesn't cost tens of millions of dollars.
 

rapidcharger

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well simple when we do the work our self's and build and reuse stuff saves money.

I get that but how do you keep the slime and the greed and the idiots out of the process?
Why would you do things yourself and do things that save money when Motorola Solutions wants to sell you a multi-million dollar digital trunking system?
I really think your town should be a model for governments everywhere on how to do this.
And I'm not kidding.
 

Kitn1mcc

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We have a really good Motorola dealer here in ct who does not try and oversell. we just buy what we need and do the work. its actually 2 regional dispatch centers setup like this.


the town i live in were going TRBO for in town stuff. but the low band will remain in use as well
 

SCPD

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I've seen many departments stay on conventional whether it be uhf 400 or 800 uhf conventional to vhf conventional who are larger counties or more populous then nearby counties allot smaller with less population who push to go to a large trunk system. Like said above it goes down to corruption with politics and a catchy salesmen to management not understanding a proper updated conventional system would suite fine. Many of those types areas have towers that were placed for very wide band back in who knows when then as time passed the spacing got narrow and the tower Basically was not in the best location but kept there with spacing continue ing to go down. I've seen trunk systems use the existing sites that once were conv and still have dead spots but tests don't on con in more modern better placed locations at mobile repeaters proved if they did proper research over catchy salesmen they could have saved millions of the taxpayer. I agree some areas do need trunking your very large cities who need certain applications but even then we still see a few major cities stay uhf conv and it works when they use modern placed repeaters for the 6/12.5 spacing and modern radios capable of being used for interop to neighbors.
 

iamhere300

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Having heard of a motorola dealer in PA telling a county they had to move off of low band and go to 800 MHZ, because of narrowbanding... Nothing surprises me.
 
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Having heard of a motorola dealer in PA telling a county they had to move off of low band and go to 800 MHZ, because of narrowbanding... Nothing surprises me.

:roll: Motorola sales these days, for some reason that doesn't surprise me neather.

I talked to a HP trooper the other day and he said it is federal law that everyone in public safety move to 800MHz I said ok :D
 
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