Spalding County selects M/A-COM as provider for a new TRS

[Thunderbolt]

M/A-COM has been awarded a contract to deploy an 800 MHz critical communications network, using multiple technologies for voice and mobile-data communications for Spalding County, Ga. The five-site Project 25 to the Power of IP (P25IP) simulcast system, will be customized to meet the requirements of Spalding County public-safety and county officials, and will initially enable voice and data communications for more than 1,000 users in multiple public-safety and county services departments. Moreover, the system will be full compatible with the GEWIN TRS, as it's built-out across the state.

73's

Ron

 

[ButchGone]

Re:

Seems like a handful of counties south and east of the metro Atlanta area are going MA/Comm. Look at Spalding, Henry and Newton Counties. Wonder why in this area? Everybody in the metro and north is going Motorola P-25.
Can this proposed system in Spalding, that's "compatible" with the GEWIN system (Moto) be monitored, or is is like Open Sky and closed to the public?
I guess the "old" VHF analog systems, with common mutual aid channels for fire/ems/police that have been around for years are not interoperable enough?
Interesting, indeed!
BG..

 

[CapStar362]

Clayton seems to be staying with standard analog radios

 

[b7spectra]

How is it going to be compatible? Is the GEWIN going to convert it from the MA/COMM format to Moto P25 format? Someone, somewhere is going to have to put up a patch are they not? And if it's ProVoice or OpenSky, will it be decoded into P25 Moto? Just curious.

 

[james32746]

It appears that it will be a standard P25 system like GEWIN, just using a different vendor (in this case MA/COM (P25ip) instead of Motorola (ASTRO-25) ).

 

[Thunderbolt]

As I understand it, the M/A-COM and Motorola Astro/Project 25 system are fully compatible with each other. The same M/A-COM equipment is being used by the U.S. Dept. of Defense, albeit on UHF, and any Motorola, Kenwood, EFJohnson, and other vendors in the future will be able use each other's P-25 trunking systems. However, if Spalding County had chosen a proprietary format like EDACS or OpenSky, then only M/A-COM's radios would operate on that system.

All of the current Project 25 capable scanners should be able to follow the Spalding County TRS just fine when it's completed. Conversely, the system will be able to add 700 MHz channel pairs as needed. Therefore, it would be a good idea to purchase a scanner that has 700 MHz capabilities, so you don't end up with an expensive paperweight on your desk.

73s

Ron

 

[Thunderbolt]

Here is the official press release from M/A-COM:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]M/A-COM P25IP Technology to Advance Critical Communications In Spalding County, GA [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

Contract Awarded to Design and Deploy Interoperable P25IP Radio Communications System for Multiple Public Safety and County Service Departments

LOWELL, Mass., May 2, 2007 – Tyco Electronics announced today that its M/A-COM business, a worldwide leader of critical radio communications systems, has been awarded the contract to deploy an 800 MHz critical communications network utilizing multiple technologies for voice and mobile data communications for Spalding County, Georgia. The five-site P25IP (Project 25 to the power of Internet Protocol) simulcast system will be customized to meet the requirements of Spalding County public safety and county officials and will initially enable voice and data communications for more than 1,000 users in multiple public safety and county services departments.

“We selected the M/A-COM P25IP communications system specifically because the technology will be in compliance with a number of mission critical communications standards for years to come, additionally it will easily migrate from P25 Phase I standards to Phase II standards when they are complete,” said Chief Frank Strickland, City of Griffin, GA Police Department. “The City of Griffin and Spalding County’s public safety officials and municipalities deserve and will soon have the most reliable and scalable communications system available today. We will be able to build data capabilities on-top of our voice communications, so Spalding County public safety and county services users will have the complete data and voice communications package.”

Based on the M/A-COM VIDA (Voice Interoperability Data Access) network platform, Spalding County’s communications system is a hybrid network consisting of multiple M/A-COM technologies. P25IP technology will be deployed for voice communications, OpenSky for mobile data communications and NetworkFirst for interoperability with neighboring county and agency legacy systems. Additionally, Spalding County’s communications system will seamlessly connect with Georgia’s Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP) communications network.

“Our team of engineers and technicians worked diligently with Spalding County to develop a multi-faceted critical communications system to enhance communications among county public safety officials, including police, fire, sheriff, EMS, city and county administration,” said James M. Potter, southeast region area sales manager, Tyco Electronics. “We understand that our customers invest significant resources to ensure they have the most advanced communications networks now and in years to come. We have responded directly to Spalding County’s needs by designing a reliable voice and data radio communications system that is future-ready.”

http://www.macom-wireless.com/news/pressdetail.asp?id=135

73s

Ron
​

[/FONT]

 

[n4voxgill]

right now there is no independant testing to see if manufactuers claims of 100% compatibility with P25 is true. Overtures have been made to the FCC and other federal agencies to require compatibility testing before federal grant money can be used.

 

[ctrabs74]

Seems like a handful of counties south and east of the metro Atlanta area are going MA/Comm. Look at Spalding, Henry and Newton Counties. Wonder why in this area? Everybody in the metro and north is going Motorola P-25.
Can this proposed system in Spalding, that's "compatible" with the GEWIN system (Moto) be monitored, or is is like Open Sky and closed to the public?

It will still be a P25 system that can be monitored by a 396/996 (unlike OpenScam or ProVoice); York County, Pa. (a couple counties west of where I live) is going with the same P25 system from Ma/COM.

 

[Thunderbolt]

Lately, more radio vendors have been coming into the picture by offering Project 25 trunking solutions. Currently, Cumberland County, Tenn. is constructing a new 5-site, IP-based, P25 UHF digital trunked system through a partnership developed by Kenwood and EADS Secure Networks, a subsidiary of Arlington, Va. based EADS North America. This is a pilot project to construct a P25 TRS, which should serve as a test-bed for further developments across North America. Likewise, a similar event is taking place in the Empire State.

Orleans County, New York, has signed an agreement with EFJohnson to replace their aged LTR MultiNet system, with a VOIP Project 25 TRS. Likewise, other neighboring counties are looking at going to a similar radio system, rather than investing in OpenSky technology, which has a unfavorable reputation in neighboring Pennsylvania. I would suspect that ICOM and Vertex Standard are also working on compaitable infrastructe and radios that will create their own P25 TRSs.

Nonetheless, I suspect that other counties in Georgia are also planning on migrating to P25 trunking systems in the future. Now that M/A-COM has a fully reliable Project 25 trunking system available, which is easy to upgrade; thus, you will probably see a stronger presence from them in the commercial two-way radio field, not only in Georgia, but throughout all of North America. Especially in light of the recent wild fires, which have pushed a lot of local radio systems to the edge in southern Georgia.

73s

Ron

 

[ctrabs74]

Orleans County, New York, has signed an agreement with EFJohnson to replace their aged LTR MultiNet system, with a VOIP Project 25 TRS. Likewise, other neighboring counties are looking at going to a similar radio system, rather than investing in OpenSky technology, which has a unfavorable reputation in neighboring Pennsylvania.

Don't even get me started on the Pennsylvania fiasco (other that to say good luck to Newton County - you guys are gonna need it)...

My home county also has a Multi-Net system, and is going digital, however it's still reportedly going to be in the Multi-Net format. It'll be interesting to see if you'd still be able to monitor the MultiNet systems in conventional format once such a system upgrades to digital...