Rebanding: Simulcast System

[eeyore]

We have a 6 site 8 channel M/A Com simulcast 800 system. I am in the planning phase for rebanding. I am looking for input from users on a similar system who have already completed their planning phase and can advise on their plan to limit down time during the reconfiguration process.

 

[AlanTilles]

Avoiding Down Time

I'm sorry that no one has replied to your question. I'm a land mobile attorney, representing dozens of M/A-Com licensees in their reband (I was also one of the people that created the Consensus Plan), such as the City of Denver, and in Florida, Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, etc.

For the most part, there hasn't been a problem avoiding downtime, but its highly dependent on how much of your system has to be rebanded. A number of "tricks" have been used, from taking down a few of the channels at certain times, to having dual programming in radios, etc.

All of this is highly dependent on the specifics of your situation. It seems to me that almost everyone has done it differently, because it seems like no two systems are identical.

Since the costs are recoverable, there's no reason why you shouldn't retain one of the outside consultants that are experts on M/A-Com systems. Even if you only use them to show you how to do it, you can leverage their knowledge of other systems, and you don't have to pay for it.

For a list of potential engineers, feel free to visit our rebanding web site, http://www.800mhzrebanding.com, under "resources." We've tried to put everything that we can on rebanding there for you.

Alan S. Tilles, Esquire
Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker, P.A.
11921 Rockville Pike, Third Floor
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(301) 231-0930
www.shulmanrogers.com
www.800mhzrebanding.com

 

[n4voxgill]

eeyore, the smartest move you can make is to take Alan Tilles advice. There is too much at stake to ask for help on a site like this. You need help from a professional that has experience with rebanding.

 

[eeyore]

Rebanding

Thanks for your reply.

I guess my post was misunderstood. I am in the process of hiring a consultant. I don't need help in that area. I just wondered if anyone who had gone through the planning phase had experienced any problems such as getting approval from Nextel for the planning and reconfiguration cost or any other problems of that nature.

I read the post in this forum on a regular basis and I have always believed that you can gain a lot of knowledge from others who are in the field rather than the ones who put the guidelines on paper.

I understand that a lot of your post have to do with the scanning side but that is interesting to me as well.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Yes, just about everyone has had trouble with Nextel. You should be reading journals like Mission Critical Communications and Mobile Radio Technology, not hobbyist bulletin boards.

 

[AlanTilles]

Yes, the planning for this is entirely a recoverable expense, provided such an expense is reasonable and prudent (i.e., why do you need 600 hours for that? LOL). I can tell you from the RFPF's that we've negotiated, some of the negotiations have gone very quickly, others very slowly. In each case, a different situation is to blame. In some cases, the Nextel negotiator is to blame, in other cases its the licensee, in others the consultant, and then in others the TA. Essentially, serendipity is reached where you have each of these folks being cooperative. I had one last week that when the Nexel rep. got it and I suggested that we have a conference call in a few days (after he's digested it) to discuss it, he said that it was fine and had already passed it on for approval. And, its a very large system. In another case, the negotiations have been stinking up the place for five months. As I said, it varies, just as the right plan to avoid down time is different in each case.

I hope that this helps, and please let me know if you need more.

Alan S. Tilles, Esquire
Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker, P.A.
11921 Rockville Pike, Third Floor
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(301) 231-0930
www.shulmanrogers.com
www.800mhzrebanding.com