TPD has had the ability for quite awhile to switch to digital transmissions. The problem is that while 98 % of officers have digital radios, 2 % (TPD Reserves) do not. The old radios that some of the reserves have will not work on a digital system. It is my understanding that Nextel will be paying for the new radios when the system goes through the rebanding process. As soon as everyone has digital capable radios, the switch only requires the click of a mouse. My understanding is that the technicians have already or are in the process of updating the towers in Tulsa to allow for a larger volume of digital transmissions.
As far as Catoosa switching to digital I don’t see why they couldn't. The problem is that the regional channel that they are on will stay analog until the state system switches over to digital. This is the same reason that TPD's main channels (A, D, G) will remain analog while everything else goes to digital. It’s all about interoperability with the surrounding towns that still must transmit in analog.
I hope this helps.
