UHF vs. VHF Frequency change

[greyan]

Our Volunteer fire dept is currently on a UHF radio frequency for dispatch ( though not a great system). As part of a consolidation of services with a neighboring town (dispatchers etc.) we are being asked to move to a VHF frequency. Is this really a good idea? I have reservations about making this change and not sure if it is in the best interest of the fire dept. Can anyone explain the plus or minuses of both the UHF and VHF frquesncies?

 

[N_Jay]

Where are you?

There will be more differences caused by changes in teh system design than by changes in the frequency band.

 

[fineshot1]

UHF vs VHF

Well - you did not mention what town, whether it is a vhf-hi or low and to be honost this would be a difficult question to answer without many other specifics. What I can tell you for a small area - perhaps a several town small community relatively flat area either the vhf-hi or uhf bands should work out ok if the paging and voice channels systems & equipment are engineered correctly.

 

[greyan]

This is for Long Hill Twp which is in Morris County but we will be switching to Bernards Twp system which is a VHF system in Somerset County. Our exisitng UHF is poorly designed with a lot of dead spots especially when on a portable, and the new VHF system is supposed to offer much better coverage. My concern was whether we lose anything by swtiching to VHF from UHF. We do have funding to upgrade the exising UHF but that has been superceded by the merging of the communications systems for both towns to the VHF frequency.

 

[n4voxgill]

dead spots especially when portable. Do you mean that dispatch can't hear the portable units or the portables can't hear dispatch.

Are you going to be using portables on the new VHF system and if so, are they going to install any satelite receivers in your town?

Are there any co-channel users on the VHF frequencies that will cause you interference?

There is so much information that is required before you can answer what sounds like a simple question.

 

[greyan]

Yes we will be using both mobiles and portables on a shared frequency. From what I have been told there will be two satelites/voters just outside our western border and at least one satelite/voter in the eastern portion of the town. Our dept seems to be the impacted the most as we will be getting off of UHF radios and switching to VHF. We use VHF for fireground operations already and as recent as yesterday, had someone stepping all over our fireground communications on that frequency during a fire.

 

[N_Jay]

Yes we will be using both mobiles and portables on a shared frequency. From what I have been told there will be two satelites/voters just outside our western border and at least one satelite/voter in the eastern portion of the town. Our dept seems to be the impacted the most as we will be getting off of UHF radios and switching to VHF. We use VHF for fireground operations already and as recent as yesterday, had someone stepping all over our fireground communications on that frequency during a fire.

May I dare ask, who is designing the system?

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi greyvan and readers,

Long Hill being in a mountainous area makes UHF a very poor choice, especially since they can't afford all the satellite receivers needed. Still the main transmitter has it's shadows so it's altogether impractical. Bernards Twp. has fine coverage to begin with so consolidation being the trend it's the way to go. Just think, it used to be Lo Band simplex, glorified CB in an area where CB didn't work very well either.

Bet you didn't know that Bonny Lee Bakely was a CBer when she lived in the area or her name was actually Lebonny Bakely. (;->)