Tampa Fire

[blacker]

Hello has anyone heard anything lately about Tampa Fire moving over the the Hillsborough County system?
I thought it was supposed to happen by now.

Thanks
Dustin

 

[tampabaynews]

Hello has anyone heard anything lately about Tampa Fire moving over the the Hillsborough County system?
I thought it was supposed to happen by now.

Thanks
Dustin

There are many threads on the subject, and I don't think any gave a time frame. However recently Tampa Bay public safety agencies signed a Motorola contract for the transition to a bay area wide system. Seeming how this will be happening in a couple years and they haven't had issues with conventional it wouldn't be wise to continue their transition to EDACS, which TPD hates. In my opinion, at least a couple years.

 

[Bolt21]

I read the Tampa Motorola contract, and from what I can tell from glancing over it, there is no indication that they plan on abandoning the current EDACS system. They are required to and are making provisions to improve their P25 interoperability, especially with Pinellas. The contract makes no mention of new sites in Tampa, nor does it put a price tag on any HT radio communications equipment. If you didn't read the title of the document, it looks like it's a contract with Pinellas, covering all their sites, amplifiers, etc., etc.

Ryan, how'd you hear TPD hates EDACS? Don't doubt it, just wondering what their feedback on it is.

 

[tampabaynews]

I read the Tampa Motorola contract, and from what I can tell from glancing over it, there is no indication that they plan on abandoning the current EDACS system. They are required to and are making provisions to improve their P25 interoperability, especially with Pinellas. The contract makes no mention of new sites in Tampa, nor does it put a price tag on any HT radio communications equipment. If you didn't read the title of the document, it looks like it's a contract with Pinellas, covering all their sites, amplifiers, etc., etc.

Ryan, how'd you hear TPD hates EDACS? Don't doubt it, just wondering what their feedback on it is.

I used to be a dispatcher there and left in the middle of the transition to EDACS. Most of the dispatchers were not very happy with the system at the time. I'm currently a news photographer and occasionally the topic comes up with officers at scenes and none of them had something nice to say about EDACS. The major complaint is reception and coverage.

I think EDACS was better than their conventional system because of voice quality. It was really easy to misunderstand an officer on the conventional system because some of the transmissions were muffled. But reception and coverage is definitely an issue, I've hear some form of "10-9, these radios are garbage" almost every day.

I think TPD rushed the system into completion to meet a deadline.