MrJim911
02-02-2002, 18:58
I found this very interesting article on the interference issues 800 MHz agencies have been experiencing and they explain the cause and possible solution. Officer and dispatcher alike will find this article informative.
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After two or three years of head scratching over interference, the country's 800 MHz system users finally have a defined enemy--Nextel. The company was identified as the main culprit in widespread interference on public safety radio systems in the 800 MHz band. Seems Nextel's high-power, low-altitude, digital radio sites are overpowering public safety mobile units, making communications unreliable in certain geographic locations. APCO and other experts came up with a "Best Practices" guide on reducing the problem and, to its credit, Nextel worked diligently to solve specific problems when they were identified. But the technology problem remains--the public safety and commercial frequency allocations in the 800 MHz band are interleaved, and too close together to eliminate interference completely. But what's the solution?
In a landmark appearance, Nextel co-founder and board chair Morgan O'Brien appeared at APCO's annual conference and promised a solution. And, boy, did he offer one! He came up with a plan to completely shuffle the current 800 MHz band allocations, eliminating the interleaved allocations and creating contiguous bands of frequencies for both commercial and public safety. He also promised $500 million for public safety to help make the transition to the new frequencies--there would be mass re-programing of radios, and possibly some equipment replacement or upgrades. In return--ahem--Nextel would receive a substantial allocation of frequencies in the new 2.1 GHz band allocated by the FCC for so-called "emergency technologies." On paper, Nextel's plan seems simple and effective, and appears to have enormous advantages for public safety. Politically, there are bound to be pitfalls when other carriers realize what advantages Nextel is carving out for itself. As of mid-January 2002 the FCC was still considering the proposal.
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Hopefully the FCC won't bog this down in red tape for the next few years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After two or three years of head scratching over interference, the country's 800 MHz system users finally have a defined enemy--Nextel. The company was identified as the main culprit in widespread interference on public safety radio systems in the 800 MHz band. Seems Nextel's high-power, low-altitude, digital radio sites are overpowering public safety mobile units, making communications unreliable in certain geographic locations. APCO and other experts came up with a "Best Practices" guide on reducing the problem and, to its credit, Nextel worked diligently to solve specific problems when they were identified. But the technology problem remains--the public safety and commercial frequency allocations in the 800 MHz band are interleaved, and too close together to eliminate interference completely. But what's the solution?
In a landmark appearance, Nextel co-founder and board chair Morgan O'Brien appeared at APCO's annual conference and promised a solution. And, boy, did he offer one! He came up with a plan to completely shuffle the current 800 MHz band allocations, eliminating the interleaved allocations and creating contiguous bands of frequencies for both commercial and public safety. He also promised $500 million for public safety to help make the transition to the new frequencies--there would be mass re-programing of radios, and possibly some equipment replacement or upgrades. In return--ahem--Nextel would receive a substantial allocation of frequencies in the new 2.1 GHz band allocated by the FCC for so-called "emergency technologies." On paper, Nextel's plan seems simple and effective, and appears to have enormous advantages for public safety. Politically, there are bound to be pitfalls when other carriers realize what advantages Nextel is carving out for itself. As of mid-January 2002 the FCC was still considering the proposal.
~~~~~~~~~~`
Hopefully the FCC won't bog this down in red tape for the next few years.