ProVoice benefits?

[captaincraig44]

Can someone enlighten me as to whether there are benefits a ProVoice setup has over a conventional analog EDACS setup? I'm trying to figure out if agencies that activate ProVoice might be do so to take advantage of other features and are not doing so just to secure their comms from the general public, or for the "stellar voice quality"

 

[Thayne]

Good question, but only the "Shadow" knows the answer for sure.

I guess my answer is that if they have the capability to switch back & forth they will do it just to screw around.

 

[abqscan]

Provoice is just M/A-Com's digital voice solution. When Albuquerque switched to it, they tested 2 radio at every location, one analog, and one provoice, many times the provoice audio came though and you could understand what the person was saying in weak signal areas vs just white noise on the analog. Besides that, I don't know of any other special things it does. ;-)

 

[SCPD]

Scanners can't monitor a ProVoice system.

 

[captaincraig44]

Well aware that current consumer scanners can't monitor ProVoice. Just trying to figure out if there is any other reason for agencies to switch to ProVoice vs analog EDACS, or even ESK.

 

[AZScanner]

Well aware that current consumer scanners can't monitor ProVoice. Just trying to figure out if there is any other reason for agencies to switch to ProVoice vs analog EDACS, or even ESK.

It's cheaper than Motorola and more reliable too.

/runs away.

 

[bezking]

It's cheaper than Motorola and more reliable too.

/runs away.

HOW DARE YOU CRITISIZE MOTOROLA??!
Just kidding.

 

[pogbobo]

hehe ... moneyrola

 

[captaincraig44]

ProVoice has had a horrid track record in the Denver metro area, while the statewide digital system that has been quite successful is Moto.

 

[Thayne]

Only because Aurora tried combining ProVoice with simulcasting, and never could get the multipath & timing problems solved & stable.

Intrinsically, ProVoice sounds as good as APCO-25 does.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if about 40 DTRS radios from all over the state came to Denver for a free breakfast or something and tried to talk back home to describe the eggs benedict to the hometown folks at the same time

 

[MMIC]

Any digital modulation will cover up RF "slop" that you hear in analog. Some interference, multipath, fading - all are covered up with digital (unless they are so significant as to drop the SNR to below the receiver's threshold) and provide a more uniform audio quality vs. signal strength. You can bet on about a 3-5 db decrease in coverage, however.

The bandwidth used for a digital signal is typically lower as well. With the FCC narrowing up emissions every so often, eventually digital will be the only way that the narrow carrier can carry voice.