Comments on: Radio woes: Digital radio problems surface in last week’s mayday in Cincinnati. Newspaper looks at the issue.

By: Gimme a radio that works « It's Not My Emergency

Gimme a radio that works « It's Not My Emergency — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:09:12 +0000

[...] made things even worse, the classic example of the cure being worse than the disease. Dave Statter @statter911 noted this ongoing issue early last year [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:50:10 +0000

The city of Phoenix has the same system, but when fighting a blaze the fire department uses the old analog system that transmits calls radio to radio, instead of through a computer system.

So whats the point of having the new system? might as well be alerted and respond on the analog…..analog worked fine.
what a scam.

By: WackyDude

WackyDude — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:36:50 +0000

Anyone see a pattern? Motorola is a huge problem. Here in Indy they pay off whoever they need to. Firefighters die because of this and no one cares at all. I hope the family’s sue the heck out of everyone involved with the radio system.

By: Buster

Buster — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:02:25 +0000

“I think by law all public safety communications should be analog and conventional, but I’m sure that’s not a popular opinion, especially with radio system salesmen.”

I recommend you petition the FCC. EVERYTHING they are doing is moving systems to digital spectrum efficient technologies. Nothing sexy about digital to administrators. It is quickly becoming the only thing offered in the market. You can’t get an analog trunked system with the feature public safety has come to expect. I would have preferred analog, but they would not sell it.

By: totwtytr

totwtytr — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 05:12:24 +0000

As with trunked radio, digital looks very sexy when administrators are writing RFPs. The truth is that, as with trunked systems, digital radio has to be perfectly engineered to work correctly 100% of the time. I’m fortunate to work in a city where the public safety communications people are committed to building and maintaining quality analog conventional radio systems. I think by law all public safety communications should be analog and conventional, but I’m sure that’s not a popular opinion, especially with radio system salesmen.

By: Pierhead

Pierhead — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:38:10 +0000

We wenst from low band radio’s to high band then to Motorola’s 800′s. We kept our high band for fire ground communicatons, they work every time not like Motorola 800′s. We were forced to go along because our 911 system and the State of Michigan didn’t want any other system to be comingled on there towers. Now the big kicker is the State of Michigan has run out of ID numbers for radio’s and fire departments are stuck with thousands of dollars worth of radios that can’t be used. It was a good thing we kept our $400.00 units which were a 1/4 of the costs of the Mororola 800′s.
Pierhead

By: DC2

DC2 — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:44:12 +0000

The reason we are investing big $ in repeaters ($18,000 per vehicle) is to make sure IC and Dispatch can both hear a “mayday” call given on a symplex fireground channel.
Fireground radio traffic is repeated for all to hear making sure that urgent messages dont get missed.
Digital trunking gives us better coverage over Analog trunking, as long as you have enough repeater sites, but is a serious safety issue when members are transmitting interior on scba.
Therefor our policy is that only IC is on Digital trunking communicating with Dispatch & responding apparatus while all others are working off of symplex.

By: Buster

Buster — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:38:33 +0000

Just a couple thoughts….

Why do FFs not activate their emergency banners? Is it a training issue?

The logging recorder obviously heard it loud and clear. Why did the dispatcher not react and prompt the IC?

Digital is very different. Analog trunking had its issues as well (open carriers due to bumped mics – simulcast distortion).

I agree with analog simplex on firegrounds is a viable solution if there are problems. Just wish we could have emergency buttons work the same when you switch to those channels.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:21:21 +0000

This is happening all over the country, but it goes ignored until something happens. It’s a real shame that administrators and Chiefs aren’t listening to their men about some issues that could have serious consequences.

By: DC2

DC2 — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:25:39 +0000

Departments in CT that are transitioning to digital are using analog symplex fireground channels to communicate from IC to FFs,& FFs to FFs. They are investing big $ in repeaters that take the 700mhz analog and kick it out into trunking.
We have tested FFs on scba using digital trunking channel and found it to be terrible.
The way to get “around” digital is to use analog symplex channels, ie. radio to radio. “old school”.