Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Re: Scanning NASCAR to change?

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2003 23:57:28 -0400

-------- Original Message --------
   From: Robert Williams 
Subject: Re: Scanning NASCAR to change?

I attended a presentation by NEXTEL a few weeks ago and they are  targeting public
safety real hard, especially since they are offering the "priority access"
feature.  This costs $10.00 per month per phone, plus $0.75 per minute.  The
priority access feature doesn't bump any users with a lower priority off, but puts
your call/direct connect request in a que and gives you the next channel
available.  To my knowledge, NEXTEL and T-Mobile are the only two wireless
services offering "priority access" and both are charging the same fees.  Both are
trying their best to get as much of a chunk of the Homeland Security money coming
down the pike as they can.  I just think that at these prices public safety will
be the looser in all of it.  The concept of using NEXTEL for interoperability
between agencies is good, it's just that the coverage of their system has a lot to
be desired.  Most public safety officials I know that car ry a NEXTEL phone also
carry a cell phone on Cingular or Verizon
because NEXTEL's coverage is so unreliable.  I saw an updated coverage map for
NEXTEL a few weeks back and I was totally shocked to see gaps where there was not
coverage here in the metro Atlanta area.  District III EMS came down with the
NEXTEL mandate that went into effect May 1 and three of the counties (Douglas,
Newton and Rockdale) don't even have NEXTEL coverage in half of their county.  I'm
sure if a tornado hits, a large passenger plane crashes or if there is some other
major incident it will be in one of these areas where there isn't any coverage
(Murphy's Law).  I know a police officer who is assigned to work with the DEA in
Atlanta and he has a VHF mobile radio, UHF mobile radio, 800 MHz mobile and
portable, a NEXTEL phone and a Cingular Wireless phone because he works with so
many different agencies and none of the systems he use provide the coverage he
needs.  I would hate to be working like that, get into trouble and need to call
for he lp because I may not reach anyone
until I got to the fifth radio.   I just think it's ludicrous that our tax dollars
have to be wasted on so many forms of communications because one or two systems
will not provide our public safety agencies with the coverage and features they
need.  I personally think that throwing a NEXTEL phone into the mix only
complicates the interoperability issue because it's another device/vendor we have
to deal with, especially since their coverage is so unreliable.
Bob
Marietta, GA

Bob and Others,
I am a little suprised that nextel so grossly underestimated the number of users
that would be present at any NASCAR event much less a super speedway like Hampton.
Atlanta is Nextels second largest per capita market and 100,000+ fans that they
KNEW would be at the race, to under estimate capacity is just plain stupid.

As far as interoperability between EMS, Fire Rescure etc Nextel is a good tool but
consideration must be given to priority access for these units. Currently nextel
charges I think $10.00 per unit for DC priortiy access. Maybe Nextel needs to step
up to the plate since "Public Safety/Homeland Security" is such a huge issue and
this field is such a heavy user of nextel services and provide prioity access free
of charge to public safety personel. I would like to hear how this programing
change would cost nextel anything?

Mike
Emory Police

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 08:46:26 -0500

Has anyone on this list ever been to a NASCAR race and tried to use a NEXTEL
phone?

If you have then you will understand what a joke it is for NEXTEL to sponsor
any such event.

I have a number of NEXTEL phones and none of them would work at any of the
NASCAR events I have attended.  There was not enough capacity in the system.
Everytime we tried to use our units it was system busy.

NEXTEL will need to increase capacity at events to be an effective sponsor.

NEXTEL coverage seems adequate but the system capacity is lacking and as
always with NEXTEL, the customer is the one that suffers.

Lindsay Hodgdon

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From: "Todd Ellis" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 10:08:27 -0400

Interesting.  At this year's Indy 500, there were over 450,000 people at the
track, nbot including those living right around the track and all the
vendors at Speedway, Indiana.

Had up time on the cellphone the entire event.

Todd Ellis

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From: "Mark" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 15:14:16 -0000

As this is no different than any other gatherings of over 100k people 
with any of the cellular providers.  The wireless providers never 
(and probably coudn't) supply enough channels for everyone to have a 
sucessful connection at such a large gathering.

This is why NEXTEL or no other wireless provider can be rated as a 
Public Safety System and any providers that think that they can 
should attend a football game with a stadium full of people and try 
to make a phone call or a private call.

Let the public safety personnel stay on their own systems and not 
have to compete with the public for an open channel and/or time slot.

Mark