Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Re: Nextel and Public Safety

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 21:56:12 -0400

-------- Original Message --------
   From: Robert Williams
Subject: ReNextel and Public Safety

Let's see, was it $32 million Nextel has promised as sponsorship to NASCAR and I
believe they promised $850 million to help switch the public safety agencies in
the 821 MHz band to a lower part of the 800 MHz spectrum to eliminate the
interference problem, so what's next?  Where is all this money NEXTEL is promising
coming from?  The big "M" maybe or could this be another Enron?  Either way, what
they are doing with public safety bothers me.  Besides these are my and your tax
dollars being spent just as a temporary "band aid" type solution.  I deal with
five wireless vendors in my line of work and out of the five NEXTEL is the most
expensive and offer the least amount of coverage.  However, I think Verizon will
soon give all of the wireless carriers a run for their money because I understand
they are getting ready to offer "Push-to-talk" on their system too.  Now won't
that be interesting?

As far as scanning goes, yes it is frustrating to be listening to an incident
involving police, sheriff, fire, EMS, etc. and hear someone say, "Call me on the
SouthernLinc or NEXTEL."  Surely, if more and more agencies begin to rely on iDEN
technology for public safety services, even if it is just for admin traffic,
Uniden or someone will come out with a scanner capable of monitoring this type of
system.  Don't you think?

Bob
Marietta, GA

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:19:29 -0400

-------- Original Message --------
   From: Steve Hammond
Subject: Re:Nextel and Public Safety

It's good to see the competition coming but how many agencies will give up their
Nextel for Verizon?  Will Marietta be the Pioneer?

Now if everyone's DC could talk to everyone elses DC then we might just have
something.  Not likely it will ever happen though.  So let's see we now have VHF
Lo Radio, VHF High Radio, 220mhz Radio, UHF Radio, 800mhz Radio, 900mhz Radio, HF
Radio, Nextel, Verizon and as others come on more.
---
Notes to self:  Suburban might not be big enough to haul all of this.  Might need
a third battery.
---
So we're right back in the same boat.  We still can't talk to each other reliably
without a lot of extra equipment.  When are the surrounding agencies go to cross
patch all of their radio systems and make this easier?  Who's going to stop the
madness?

I think that interoperability is a dream.  A pipe dream.  And the light at the end
of the tunnel is the oncoming train.  I just don't see it as a reality.  Until all
of the groups, Federal down to Local, get together and agree on a fix we will be
using some band-aid that's just never going to be good enough to cover the wound.

An interesting new Item I saw last week is from Link Comm.  It is there answer to
interoperability.

http://www.linkcomm.com/security.html

It's nothing fancy and actually inexpensive.  Won't link more than two systems
together but it has promise.

Limited but a start.  I know that JPS has the ACU-1000.  The ACU 1000 is a nice
idea but too pricey in my book.  And for most situations would be overkill.

As far as a scanner for iDen.  Don' think that will ever happen.  Not as long as
they keep calling the dang thing a cell phone.

Steve