There are two things going on with Herkimer County, implementation of a radio system upgrade to add new North and South Operations repeaters and exploring possible integration of Herkimer dispatch with Oneida County.
Implementation of a new radio system is not a simple take it out of the box and plug it in matter. A well done implementation requires several phases for success.
1. Install and preliminary test new sites, consoles and associated systems.
2. System integration - For a multi-site system extensive testing and adjustment is required to synchronize and optimize the sites to insure the desired coverage.
3. User radios must be reprogrammed and/or new radios purchased and installed to work with the new system.
4. Finalize operational plans and user training prior to cutover.
In the case of Herkimer, I am sure this is also being done with consideration of the possible dispatch integration with Oneida. At this point, I suspect Herkimer is just in the system test and integration phase and there is much work to be done before it is in regular service.
There was a post on here at the time of first testing of one of the new frequencies that led to speculation about integration with Oneida. As a result of this discussion, I was contacted independently by 2 sources (who will remain anonymous) involved with the program to provide facts about what was actually going on. This included a list of the designated purpose of the various frequencies involved, both the new frequencies for the repeaters and re-designation of existing Tac channels. I updated the RRDB with this info so listeners would be aware of what to expect to hear in the future but I was not given any specific dates when the new system would be operational.
So, it appears at this time, there will be a lot of testing and some time before an official in service date. I suspect there is much work still to be done and issues to resolve before a date is announced. We are fortunate that I am receiving information to minimize speculation about what is happening. As soon as anything new develops it will be on here and in the RRDB if appropriate.
