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Can You Hear Me Now? New Radio System Could Cost Escambia $12.5 Million
August 18, 2010
Escambia County is considering a $12.5 million replacement of its current radio communications system.
A mandate from the Federal Communications Commission requires systems like that currently used by Escambia County meet certain standards. Escambia County’s current radio system is considered outdated by the FCC.
The radio system is used by EMS, the Sheriff’s Office, fire departments, emergency management, code enforcement and the road prison.
The system will replace equipment across the county, including 30-year old items. The new system will include:
- 163 tower site radios
- 136 receivers
- 27 transmitters
- UPS battery backup at 17 tower sites
- 1,212 walkie talkies
- 534 vehicle radios
- 1,300 Alphanumeric pagers
- 110 voice pagers for the fire department
- 46 desktop radios
- 10 new radio consoles for the Sheriff’s Office
- encryption for the Sheriff’s Office radios
- 10 new radio consoles for 911 dispatch
- replacement of one tower site
- FCC licenses
- disposal of old equipment and tower
With encryption on the Sheriff’s Office radios, the public nor the media will be able to listen to the departments communications.
The system will be funded as follows:
Comments
20 Responses to “Can You Hear Me Now? New Radio System Could Cost Escambia $12.5 Million”
Interestingly enough, the county doesn’t plan to go out to bid this with other radio vendors either- who do have the same technology! Motorola gets another sole source by offering prices on another state contract. Sneaky little devils. Wouldn’t a TRULY competitive bid SAVE the taxpayers of Escambia County more $$$?????
How much would it cost to collect a bunch of tin cans and link them together with string? That would be green technology at its finest and cheap to boot.
William,
You’re the reason I even heard about it, because my wife was in the back yard gardening, and hanging clothes (not near the radio). I checked your website before I went to work in Pensacola, and called her right away about the danger!
Thanks so much for what you’re doing here!!! Big KUDOS to you!
>> Remember that murder suspect running around UWF? I do, and we didn’t hear about it on the News until that evening.
Actually, NorthEscambia.com had “live” updates on it and I believe the PNJ did eventually. This is why the media is pushing for an unencrypted ECSO frequencies or access to the encryption. We rely on live information for live coverage.
Otherwise, we will have to wait for a press release to tell you that a manhunt is on in your neighborhood for a murderer.
Sheriff Morgan,
I support you in most all your efforts, but that comment about only the “good people” monitoring puts a burr under my saddle.
As a combat vet, I understand the use of encryption on the Battlefield – keeps the “enemy” from gathering intel on combat action. But we are not on a battlefield. This is America not the Battlefield.
I live in a rural area, and I listen to the ECSO traffic so I can be aware of any potential danger – this usually doesn’t get reported by the News folks until it’s too late. Remember that murder suspect running around UWF? I do, and we didn’t hear about it on the News until that evening.
Don’t get ino that “Us vs. Them” mindset. We support you. But I question the value of spending so much money on a system that will decrease your communication capability with nearby counties, and more importantly, their Citizens.
We the People, Sheriff. We the People.
Why don’t they just use cell phones?
-W
State of Florida,along with various Florida county agencies
use the 800mhz M/A COMM-EDACS radio system…I.E.
Florida Highway Patrol uses M/A COMM P7100 ip portable
radios..99% of these agencies radios are equipped with
EDACS- AES (Advanced Encryption Standards) and ESK
(prevents unauthorized users from programming or
accessing the system)…= public safety radio scanners
owners can not hear the communications…One of the
latest newest technology radio scanners on the market
is a “Uniden BCD-396XT(APCO-25) Digital Radio Scanner.
…you still will not be able to monitor encrypted communications
without permission from the program administrator.
I’m a former Pensacola resident now in Wyoming where p25 digital is in use by state agencies. You’ll be finding you’re going to spend A LOT more than you estimate. It’s a complicated system that’s not what it claims to be. Research, Research, Research before you go with p25. The only one benefiting from p25 digital radio is Motorola because they sell it.
Hey I will remove the old radios, old coax and duplexers for Free as long as it is on the ground.
Jim is spot on! A lot of these vendors will put the hard sell on municipalities and try to convince them that they need the latest whiz-bang 800 MHz trunking radio system or they will be behind the times. As always, it’s all about the money!
Compared to the $12.5 Million that may be spent (and could end up being more!), it would be insanity not to spend the comparative drop in the bucket that it would cost to have an independent consultant advocating for the county.
How are all of the other sorrounding counties going to talk to Escambia County, Florida ?? Flomaton, Alabama Fire calls for back up to Century, Florida about once a week. Baldwin County is headed towards Digital Kenwood Nexedge. Escambia County, Alabama is gone to Digital Motorola Trbo. Now looks like Escambia County, Florida is going towards Digital Motorola P25. Last time I checked a P25 radio only can call a P25 Radio. They need to leave one mutual aid analog frequency. Just go to a 12.5 step on the analog frequency for the mutual aid. From what I do know you should be able to still hear the Fire Pages.
Very good advice from Nick, the last person telling this county what kind of radio system they need is the company selling them the radio system. As for the encryption, if you build a better mouse trap, it won’t be long before someone builds a better mouse.
It’s okay Sheriff Morgan. It seems a lot of our “bad people” would find it difficult to operate a scanner.
To All:
Ah, and if only ‘the good people’ monitored the ECSO radio dispatches…..
Sheriff David Morgan
Escambia County, FL
436-9512
Thanks William…. I hope everything works out ok….
Escambia County administrators and decision makers would be well-served to read and seriously think about the comments Jim offered in his post regarding the County’s radio system up-grade. Its citizens and any other Part 90 VHF and UHF radio licensees and end-users may also want to visit http://wirelessradio.net for additional information regarding the fast approaching FCC’s 2013 Narrowbanding Mandate as it will impact them as well – it’s not just a public safety issue.
I just recently broke out my digital scanner, which I hadn’t used in about 4 or 5 years and updated all the frequencies. Most law enforcement agencies are encrypting their channels now where no one can listen in, but this wasn’t the case just a few years ago. Does anyone know how to listen in on an encrypted channel??
>How will NorthEscambia know when sheriffs office is dispatched, and does NE use scanners to get the news to us?
That is a big concern among the local media, and we are all hoping it is addressed.
We do run a few scanners. We also use a fire pager — the same model and type carried by our local firemen — to alert us when there is a North Escambia fire call. (We are out a fair amount of $$$ when these items no longer work.)
The Sheriff’s Department also makes an internet page available to the media that shows all current dispatch calls in the county. It is good for basic info, but would not suffice for knowing if an event should be covered due to a lack of complete information.
Some of these encrypted channels across the country can be unencrypted, if they are very basic, with the use of an expensive scanner or a computer program.
But it won”t work without an electronic key if they are encrypted well. It would be possible for the county to make radios available for purchase to each legitimate media outlet. Or they could provide the electronic key. It all depends on the system purchased.
Time will tell if freedom of the press remains, or if the Sheriff’s Office operates in total secrecy.
I would like to clear up a couple of points that have been stated on the radio system.
1. The FCC has not mandated that the radios meet certain digital standards. What is mandated is that all part 90 radios in both the VHF and UHF frequency bands must be certified to operate in the narrow band mode by January 1st. 2013. What this means is that unless the radios are fairly new, they do not have the ability to operate in the narrow band mode. This means that they will have to be replaced.
2. There is no FCC mandate to operate in the digital mode. A radio system can continue to operate in the analog mode as long as it meets the narrow band certification by the FCC by the January 1st, 2013 deadline.
There are some slick radio sales people out there that have taken this FCC mandate and twisted it into a requirement that all agencies must abandon their current frequencies and move to a trunking system on 800 MHz. The move to 800 MHz. may or may not be in the best interest of those agencies both on an operational and a financial point. Any trunking system will be far more expensive than a standard conventional operation on either a VHF or a UHF frequency. I wish to point out that there are advantages to using a trunking system if you have a high volume of radio traffic by a number of different agencies or departments.
However in migrating from conventional VHF or UHF frequencies, the availability of the 800 channels is becoming hard to obtain. If you have enough of the VHF or UHF channels now, consideration should be given to continued use of these channels and looking at trunking there instead. This is not an easy decision to be made and should be looked at by an outside consultant with experience in this area and not by the radio vendor. Under no condition should you allow the radio vendor to write the specs for the new radio system.
Well, 30 years old is a lil outdated technology…. 12.5 million of taxpayers money (I just don’t know what to think about that…) Media outlets nor public can hear the calls with their scanners…. I just don’t like that idea.
How will NorthEscambia know when sheriffs office is dispatched, and does NE use scanners to get the news to us?