Technology
FCC Accuracy Requirements for Wireless Carriers
July 29, 2011In its Second Report and Order dated Sept. 23, 2010, the FCC adopted new rules governing the accuracy of location information provided by wireless carriers to PSAPs.[1] There’s much good news in this order. One of the best aspects will require accuracy measurements from the county or PSAP geographic level. Prior to this, carriers had said they wanted to average accuracy levels over larger regional areas. In these cases, large cities where carriers could supply high-accuracy levels would skew the results for rural counties. Not all the news is good, however.
Read full articleInsidious Interference
July 28, 2011Dear Radiohead: Recently, my agency had interference on our radio system. For a few days, it was so bad we couldn’t hear our patrol units, but we could hear units from a department 200 miles away. Then the problem just disappeared. What gives?
Read full articleMore Capacity: The Role of Picocells in LTE
July 18, 2011The proliferation of wireless devices capable of sending and receiving large amounts of data is straining commercial wireless networks. Smart phones, data cards and tablets with such applications as video sharing and conferencing, social networking and gaming consume more wireless network resources than phone calls and texts. Similarly, the increased use of novel public safety applications, such as video streaming, street cameras, automatic license plate recognition and the coming proliferation of sensors and M2M (machine-to-machine) devices, will increasingly strain public safety’s wireless networks.
Read full articleSpectracom Announces Its New Netclock Master Clock for Public Safety
July 14, 2011Rochester, N.Y. — Spectracom announced its latest generation NetClock master clock for public safety organizations. The new model 9483 continues Spectracom’s legacy of highly accurate and reliable GPS master clock technology that is easy-to-install and manage backed by NetClock’s industry-leading 5-year warranty.
Read full articleLine-of-Duty-Death Handbook Now Available
July 7, 2011A death in the line of duty is arguably one of the more stressful events for first responders, especially those in EMS whose goal is to arrive on scene with the promise of bringing aid. And because many EMS agencies don’t have set protocols and procedures in place for tasks like notifying co-workers and next of kin, and coordinating the logistics of the funeral, line-of-duty deaths are events that most EMS agencies are the least prepared to address. Tawnya Silloway decided to take action.
Read full articleOn Your Watch
June 29, 2011It was 1995. I authored a state public safety communications newsletter with background information on narrowbanding from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). At the time, it was called refarming.
Read full articleCheck Your License
June 29, 2011As of Jan. 1, 2013, all FCC Part 90 licensees operating in VHF spectrum 150–174 MHz and UHF spectrum based on location 421–512 MHz must reduce their emission to 12.5 kHz or less or use technology that provides an equivalency to 12.5 kHz in a 25 kHz emission. The FCC’s ultimate goal is for 6.25 kHz or equivalent emission in the future. As of today, the FCC has not set a date for when this must take place.
Read full article‘Unfunded Mandate’
June 29, 2011Politicians tell us the recession ended last year. If you ask a person standing in an unemployment line in New York, Philadelphia, Denver or Los Angeles if they agree with that assessment, they’d probably say no. If you take a close look at many state and local budgets, prosperity is hard to find. More and more, the states are withholding funds that used to be passed on to municipalities to help with their projects.
Read full articleNarrowband Migration
June 29, 2011If your radio system is subject to the FCC’s narrowbanding mandate and you haven’t yet started the process, it’s time. “You can’t put your head in the sand on this one,” Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Radio System Analyst John Johnson told Public Safety Communications in April. So why have agencies postponed taking action on an FCC mandate that’s been on the table for more than 15 years?
Read full articleFrequently Asked Questions about Narrowbanding
June 29, 2011This article addresses frequently asked questions about the FCC’s narrowbanding deadline. It addresses compliant equipment, coverage, digital radio vs. P25, efficiency and more.
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