Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Waxahachie Daily Light, TX- County to upgrade radio system

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 01:47:46 -0500

Waxahachie Daily Light, TX
Feb 1, 2004

County to upgrade radio system

Officials hope to correct communications problems by adding more repeaters

By PATRICK M. WALKER
Daily Light News Editor

County commissioners this week awarded a bid for new VHF radio repeaters that
are expected to correct some of the communications problems experienced by rural
fire departments and other users.

During its Monday meeting, the Commissioners Court approved a $42,856.13
contract with ComTex Communications for the repeaters.

Some of the units will be used to back up the county’s current Sheriff’s Office
and public works radio channels. The others will serve rural fire departments,
which have been battling communications problems for months now.

Because the current repeater is in Midlothian, some departments on the other
side of the county have not received all dispatches in a timely manner.

The problem was compounded when a former county official signed off on licensing
language that wound up hurting Ellis County.
“In our license itself, it said that if we interfered with Van Zandt County, we
would reduce (broadcast) power,” Sgt. John Knight of the Sheriff’s Office told
commissioners. “They called us, and because we accepted the license that way, we
had to reduce power.”
The county recently obtained a license for a countywide fire frequency. This
addition, along with new equipment on a tower near Boyce, should result in
broader communications coverage.

As part of the solution, county dispatchers will utilize a state mutual aid
channel, 154.265 MHz, as a tone-out frequency.
The county will continue using its two sheriff’s department channels and its
public works channel, and some of the equipment being purchased will be used to
back up those channels.

Money from a Department of Homeland Security grant for emergency preparedness is
being used to make the upgrades.
As part of the process, pagers and radios will have to be reprogrammed with the
new frequencies, Knight said.
“This is a major portion of the fix, but there will be more that has to be
done,” he said, adding that he hopes the upgrades are in place by late spring,
in time for the summer fire season.

When the revamped system is up and running, officials will study how it works to
determine if more changes are needed. Areas of the county that still have dead
spots may need supplemental receiving equipment.

Though they’ve been frustrated at the communications problems, rural fire
officials are hopeful that things are finally getting better.
“I’m happy they’re going to address it and get something done. I can’t explain
that enough,” Chief Roy Scruggs of the Avalon Volunteer Fire Department told
commissioners. “I know I gripe a lot, but it’s because I miss calls, and people
that needed help didn’t get it. That’s very important to me.”

Knight said the issue is important to his boss, Sheriff Ray Stewart, even though
Stewart’s department is not required to provide the dispatch services to rural
departments.

“This speaks to an individual who is working to address problems for the greater
good of the county, even though the obligation was not legally bound to him,”
Knight said.

Knight also is planning to have a third dispatch console installed in the
county’s communications room. Currently, three dispatchers work each shift, but
only two can use a console.

Sheriff’s dispatchers handle calls for the local Texas Department of Public
Safety office, as well as for rural responders and sheriff’s personnel.

 http://www.waxahachiedailylight.com/WAXAHACHIEDAILYLIGHT/sites/WAXAHACHIEDAILYLIGHT/0969edition/myarticles927153.asp?P=927153&S=420&PubID=15201

--
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG