Public safety agencies across North America choose Tait’s P25 Simulcast solutions – here’s why:
We’ve heard from many Public Safety agencies that they’re pleased there are other P25 options to choose from once they get out of the proprietary web some vendors weave.
Genuine open standards are non-proprietary, so they’re not under the control of one vendor. An increasing choice of certified vendors brings down prices, improves technical quality and avoids the risk of being locked into a sole supplier, which can compromise your interoperability. Continue Reading
Q. How does DMR coverage compare with analog?
The coverage of a DMR network is comparable to the coverage of a narrowband analog network. In many instances, the actual coverage of the DMR network is perceived to be better as the voice quality stays the same throughout the whole service area.
Q. Can you combine voice and data on one channel?
DMR supports both voice and data services and on a trunked network, channels can be dynamically allocated to the service that is required. With DMR, priority levels will ensure that traffic with the highest... Continue Reading
By Marvin DuBois, Director of Product Marketing, Avtec, Inc.
Solving the challenges of digital radio.
Much has changed in the last three years for those choosing the right ingredients for their Command Centers. The environment now includes new mobile radio technology choices, growing regulatory requirements, the need to consolidate dispatching locations and wide-area disaster recovery solutions. All of this contributes to a growing need for system design flexibility supporting multiple radio types, input/output, telephony and specialized computer-aided... Continue Reading
We’ve highlighted the toughness of the TP9400 before, but today we have a new video that demonstrates the detailed thought and design work that went into creating the best P25 portable radio we’ve ever made.
Hear from five different radio experts as they share their thinking around the TP9400. Their passion for radio and meeting our customers’ needs shows, and you can see it for yourself in the video below: Continue Reading
The Education Nation team has traveled thousands of miles this year and we’ve met hundreds of people from public safety and utility organizations across the country. Our mission was simple — to provide free education to officials faced with the task of procuring, upgrading or maintaining radio communications systems. It’s a tough job to summarize the deep discussions, highlights and learnings from the tour, but here goes… Continue Reading
Here’s something you might not know (and your current vendor might not be telling you): There is very little practical gain between inexpensive, conventional P25 systems and high-end trunked ones for smaller public safety organisations.
A common belief is that P25 is an exclusive, high-end trunked system that commands equally high-end prices for both systems and subscriber equipment. This often forces smaller agencies to stick with their conventional analog systems or, even worse, upgrade to proprietary commercial-level digital technologies. All... Continue Reading
The project planning process
By Susan Ronning, P.E.
Project planning is often ignored in favor of doing the work. However, many people fail to realize how valuable the project plan is in saving time and money, increasing efficiencies, and reducing potential future headaches.
The project plan
As part of the internal project kick-off, project plans and the project schedule are developed.
The Human Resource Plan identifies by name the individuals and organizations with a leading role in the project. For each one, roles and responsibilities are described.
The Communications Plan documents who needs to be informed about which parts of the project, and how they will receive information. Continue Reading
Designing your new radio system
By Susan Ronning, P.E.
In a nutshell, the definition of a successfully designed radio system is one that that allows a user to talk to who they need to, where they need to, and when they need to.
The design phase includes three major project stages:
1. Needs analysis
2. Technical assessment
3. Preliminary design
1. Needs analysis
The needs analysis evaluates how and where the system is used today, what features and functions are working or not, and what is desired. It includes the following components: Continue Reading
The who, what, where? phase — getting your new radio system approved.
By Susan Ronning, P.E.
Radio system projects don’t just happen. They can take months, maybe years of planning and preparation. These projects tend to draw controversy, too, as replacement costs are significant and the impacts deep.
In simple terms, the first step in project engineering is to define the problem and develop goals to resolve them. Then, identify the tasks necessary to achieve those goals. Lastly, do the work! Before any tasks can be developed or the work can start, the project must first be approved, and that means addressing the “who?”, “what?” and “where?” questions. Continue Reading
