Lives at risk?

[Thunderbolt]

SYDNEY -- BUSH firefighters say they are forced to use their mobile phones instead of relying on the Rural Fire Service (RFS) radio system.

http://wollondilly.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/lives-at-risk/1279732.aspx

 

[richardc63]

SYDNEY -- BUSH firefighters say they are forced to use their mobile phones instead of relying on the Rural Fire Service (RFS) radio system.

http://wollondilly.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/lives-at-risk/1279732.aspx

Aren't "anonymous" sources great...

The facts aren't even close to what appear in the article. The first thing is that the coverage dead spots referred to are on an existing ANALOGUE conventional system. The second thing is that the "digital" radios they refer to are XTL5000s programmed in ANALOGUE and not digital (though they are digital ready). The last thing is that the RFS Commissioner reported on the radio today (about 2 hours ago) that there is already equipment purchased to provide another base to fill in this dead spot.

The one thing I liked about the Commissioner's comments, coming from someone who worked from the floor up as a volunteer firefighters & in their Communications group to the rank of Commissioner of the largest non-urban fire service in the world, is that due to terrain there is no such thing as 100% coverage and this has nothing to do with "analogue or digital". He clearly is more realistic than many of our irrational techos.

It never ceases to amaze me how some people can stir cr@p without having any idea of the facts or even what they are talking about.

Cheers,


Richard

 

[Grog]

It's not easy to provide 100% coverage in a small city, I'd guess it's bloody well impossible to do so in such a widespread rural area.

 

[kb2vxa]

"The facts aren't even close to what appear in the article."

A few anonymous firefighters who don't know how to hold a radio right side up (see the Wal Mart employees thread) and a reporter/editor who wouldn't recognize a typewriter if it fell on them don't count as an accurate news source. Eh, you've heard of Foxtel haven't you? I wouldn't trust a Wollondilly Wallaby either. (;->)

 

[chrismol1]

Out there in Aussie land, I'm surprised they dont use sat com or anything like that

 

[richardc63]

Out there in Aussie land, I'm surprised they dont use sat com or anything like that

We do in some areas but this story relates to the rural fringe of Sydney and not the "outback". All informed comms is still essential for firefighting so satphone for this type of application wouldn't be appropriate. This area has had either VHF high band or UHF conventional PMR used for firefighting for many years.

Cheers,


Richard