Selecting the right radio “depends on the existing or planned new system, the size of the organization and what area needs to be covered,” says Watts. “P25 digital is an open standard offered by many vendors and was developed by a consortium of manufacturers and users specifically for public safety. However, the price of system infrastructure and subscriber units is somewhat higher than NEXEDGE and other offerings.”
No matter what radio solution you choose for your campus or hospital, interoperability is key. Sherwood points out that having an interoperable system prevented a total communication failure after Houston Community College’s backup generators failed during Hurricane Ike in 2008.
“If we’d had been on our old UHF system when the power went down…we wouldn’t have been able to communicate with anybody,” he says. “When our dispatch centers lost power and when the backup generators failed after about a day or two of continual running, [with the new radio system] we could then at least easily switch over to handhelds and we were able to maintain communications.”
How Do I Choose a New Radio System?
When considering an upgrade to your campus or hospital radio system, it is important to note that:
• Your system must address your coverage needs. Your security personnel should be able to use their handheld radios in all the areas they are instructed to patrol. Narrowbanding can reduce your coverage area if your campus is using analog radios. Computer modeling may help to determine how your coverage will be affected by narrowbanding.
• You must be able to communicate with first responders in the event of an emergency. How frequently does your campus contact the police or fire department? If police and fire personnel are integral to your daily operations, you should consider purchasing P25-compliant radios.
• The price of your system must fall within your budget. There are several options for campuses that cannot afford P25-compliant or digital radios. Gateway solutions allow standard radio systems to interoperate with P25 systems. Also, digital radios can be programmed to work in analog mode, so that your campus can slowly migrate to a digital system.
A Guide to FCC Radios Mandates
• January 1, 2011 The FCC will no longer accept applications for radio systems that do not achieve at least 12.5 kHz efficiency.
• January 1, 2013 All radio systems must achieve at least 12.5 kHz efficiency. Equipment that cannot meet these requirements must be replaced.
• 2018 (Tentative) Radio systems must switch to all-digital equipment.
Click here for more information.
Campus Stats
UT Austin
• P25 compliant: Yes
• Campus size: 100,000 staff, students, administrators
• Number of radios: 220 law enforcement radios, 242 non-law enforcement staff radios
• Radio system: Cooperative regional system
• Who it covers: City of Austin, Travis County, University of Texas, Capital Metro, Austin Independent School District and Texas legislative security
Houston Community College
• P25 compliant: Yes
• Campus Size: 600 sq miles, 6 campuses
• Number of radios: 200
• Radio system: Harris County regional radio network
• Who it covers: 9 counties
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