Radios

[vindicator]

We were denied with our AFG grant last year for Radios. Now we are looking for other grants out there for radios. Any ideas? We will proably look at AFG again this year.

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

Depends on what you need. Since you're a fellow Lone Star resident TX Commission will consider smaller amounts. The actual Homeland Security program will fund them, and I just saw a press release the other day about a funding initiative solely for communications.

AFG is the 'easiest' means to acquire radios but unless you got left behind while everyone else bought upgrades then it should be a regional effort if it wasn't before.

- Brian

[ktb9780]

They are talking a $2.9 billion fund for law and fire/EMS for radios only.

[Greenacres2]

I don't know who "they" are, but i like them!!

earl (what we have here...is a solution to the failure to communicate!!)

[neiowa]

Try DOD surplus/FEPP. My standard response (obviously).

Recent success was 156ea Motorola HT1000. Many look near new (the AF units of course - motto never wet or dirty). Mix of 3AN, 3BN, 3CN, 3DN models. 16channel/no LED. No batteries, most with no antennas. Have not figured out where/what DOD did with the chargers. 90% have programmed and work perfectly.

Will be a bit of work for your state forester/FEPP contact to figure out radios which may well mean they won't bother. Most civ model radios (DOD uses MANY handheld and vehicle) do not have NSN assigned so have to do some leg work to figure out what is listed as available.

Worked for me/us. Reequipped all the depts in the Co that wanted handhelds and setting up a large Emerg Mgmt contengency package with the rest.

[vindicator]

Thanks

Thanks for the replies,

Unfortunately we have no choice but to go with the Motorola 800 radios. Our county is only 800 and to stay inoperable with in the county we have to stay with that system.

Our big hurt will be with in the next 2 years when the system will go digital, since we have only analog radios at this time.

Brain, thanks for the info. I will look more into the Homeland Security some more. I checked on TCFP but for some reason, I dont remember why, these radios didn't fit.

KTB9780 who is they?

Texas Forestry does not give communication grants for 800 radios.

Any info helps.

Thanks again.

[neiowa]

The 800mhz porkbarrel again.

If you don't have radios how can you allow the 800mhz train to chug on down the track? Your dispatch center can still talk to you on existing freq with a very small outlay for equipment. As I recall RKB had the toys available on their last equipment list that allows a dispatch center to cross link to any/all freq (fixed or field site).

A heck of a lot of areas adopting the 800mhz nonsense just to keep up with the Jones. Though no rational reason they need the "capability" of a new system.

[Res343cue]

The 800mhz porkbarrel again.

If you don't have radios how can you allow the 800mhz train to chug on down the track? Your dispatch center can still talk to you on existing freq with a very small outlay for equipment. As I recall RKB had the toys available on their last equipment list that allows a dispatch center to cross link to any/all freq (fixed or field site).

A heck of a lot of areas adopting the 800mhz nonsense just to keep up with the Jones. Though no rational reason they need the "capability" of a new system.

Sorry, but with how overpopulated VHF and UHF are... "800" will be the way of the future...

And the interfaces for trunking to conventional leave quite a bit to be desired. ...

[sfd7101]

radio equip

Our dept. got a grant thru the County EMA for pagers 2 years ago. We group purchased with our 2 Automatic Aid Departments and saved enough for
each dept to get 1 or 2 extras on that qty. Good luck hunting.

[RAMFIRE42]

Dare I say ebay!

I just picked up a motorola 6 bank charger, and 6 ht750 radios on ebay for the cost of 1 new ht750 radio. As with all purchase on ebay, use caution.

[imafireman]

Dare I say ebay!

I just picked up a motorola 6 bank charger, and 6 ht750 radios on ebay for the cost of 1 new ht750 radio. As with all purchase on ebay, use caution.

I thought you fell off the face of the earth RAMFIRE. When you get a chance, I would appreciate it if you could email me a copy of those narratives. See you on the next call.

[Attack6]

I know that our department will be selling about 15 pagers and a few portables this spring. Our county is going to all high band, so the low band stuff will be obselete. If anyone is interested, let me know.

[imafireman]

I know that our department will be selling about 15 pagers and a few portables this spring. Our county is going to all high band, so the low band stuff will be obselete. If anyone is interested, let me know.

We will probably be needing some of this stuff as well as RAMFIRE. Keep Bedford county in mind when you guys switch. I do not see us moving frequencies for a while. The Springs and the parking garage for the courthouse was more important than the Emergency Communications

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

We're in the same county as vindicator and everything is 800Mhz there and in Harris County around Houston. My department's CAD cross patches to two 154mhz frequencies for high band pagers in 2 districts, and 33mhz for low band pagers in the 3rd. We can beef the 33 with 300+ watts if we wanted to but we got stuck to only 150 watts on the high band for the pagers, so they only work in the western 2 districts. Of course we have no radios on anything but 800 so if that goes down we're kind of SOL. Same reason most of CA still uses lower bands. No worries about loss of a trunked system in an earthquake.

"They" is DHS. One of last week's front page stories on FH.com had Chertoff and others talking about putting the $2.9 bil into the communications arena. Unfortunately for most of us, if you read that report on the top 20 cities or however many it was, they're so short on communications equipment most of that dough will end up in urban areas. But, keep your eyes peeled on it as it moves forward, squeaky wheels get grease so once they figure out how it's going to get spent best to be at the front of the line with our hands out than the back.

[Greenacres2]

well...i'm not a comm geek (got enough other geek going for me), but if 2.9 bb gets spent in urban areas, there will probably be a glut of very functional high band available that could trickle down to some of us. As a firefighter, i'm more concerned with being able to communicate with the folks on fireground and with my command. My command, on the other hand, needs to be interoperable with the rest of the world.

Where's the used pile????

earl