Question - Will narrow banding help me meet this objective?
Answer - Actually no! In most cases, a REDUCTION in range and performance will be expected UNLESS the narrow band radio is operated in some type of digital mode (as compared to current vintage analog systems).
Question - What is narrow band?
Answer - Bandwidth is the space allocated for radio channels as defined by the FCC. Presently, 25 kHz is authorized (currently referred to as standard or wide band). Narrow band is 12.5 kHz which effectively doubles the use of existing frequencies. 6.25 kHz Very Narrow Band (more about this later) TRIPLES the use of each frequency.
Question - Will my existing equipment work on narrow band?
Answer - All radios manufactured after 2000 should be programmable to narrow band at minimal cost (We charge $35 for the first radio and $5 for each additional at our shop). Many of your favorite radios, including the Motorola HT1000 and MaraTrac cannot be converted to narrow band.
Question - Who made the decision to convert to narrow band, by what authority, and for what purpose?
Answer - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as authorized by Congress made the decision to require narrow banding for the purpose of creating more efficiency for limited frequency space. All VHF and UHF 2-way radio systems must be converted or purchased for narrow band operation ONLY, by the end of December 2012.
Question - What's the real difference between Analog, MotoTRBO, NXDN, and P25?
Answer - P25 is the most mature of the analog/digital systems and works very well. It has two major disadvantages. The first is cost (Considerably more than the cost of either Analog, DMR or NXDN). DMR (Think MotoTRBO) is a great system, affordably priced with a full range of options including GPS and messaging available. NXDN is priced comparably to DMR, yet it CAN operate at 6.25 kHz which is the proposed next step in the FCC's original narrow banding plan. Analog still works well as long as the equipment used has compandering capability. See www.info4u.us/Analog_Planner.pdf for additional information.
Question - When do I have to switch to digital?
Answer - Tricky question! The answer is that you SHOULD be planning your migration to digital right now and not for the purpose of meeting regulatory requirements. The fact is that there are five major reasons for making the switch to digital and NONE of them involve regulatory compliance. One the largest 2-way radio users in the USA, the Association of American Railroads (AAR), is in the process of switching to NXDN 6.25 kHz DIGITAL operation at this time. You might be interested in a review of why this decision was made by referring to http://falconinfo.blogspot.com/2008/09/aar-chooses-nxdn-digital-standard.html.
As to when you have to switch to digital, the answer, based on current technology, is when 6.25 kHz standards are mandated by the FCC. The FCC's original plan called for all VHF and UHF radios systems to be capable of operating at 6.25 kHz channel spacing by 2018. At this channel spacing, analog doesn't work well whereas digital works very well at 6.25 kHz. Therefore the answer is when the FCC releases a date certain time for 6.25 kHz compliance, assumed currently to be in the 2018 time frame. For now, there is NO mandatory requirement to switch to digital.
For additional information on the ever changing policies, rules, and regulations of the FCC, see www.usa-radio1.com/Knockout.pdf.
Question - What's the story on operational problems with digital radios?
Answer - The reported problems deal ONLY with 800 MHz digital trunked systems - not VHF or UHF conventional digital systems. More specifically, the reported problems deal with a single product type by a single manufacturer (Motorola).
The main reported problems were poor building penetration coupled with high background noise problems associated with a proprietary Motorola vocoder. The fact is that 800 MHz has virtually NO building penetration whether the system is analog or digital. Additional information is available at http://falconinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/source-of-digital-radio-problems.html.
As far as vocoder problems are concerned, we know of no other reports other than the aforementioned 800 MHz Motorola system. Other Motorola models, in particular those with the AMBE+2 Vocoder appear to have no problems.
Question - Where do I get the straight facts on the various technology alternatives currently available?
Answer - We have prepared four complete reports on Analog, DMR (MotoTRBO), NXDN (ICOM IDAS), and APCO-25 (P25). These reports are available as follows:
Analog - www.info4u.us/Analog_Planner.pdf
DMR - www.info4u.us/DMR.pdf
NXDN - www.info4u.us/IDAS-Guide.pdf
P25 - www.info4u.us/P25Guide.pdf
Question - Are you available for individual or group consultation?
Answer - You name the date, time and place - we'll be there! We are available by phone at 800.489.2611, or by email - AtYourService@falcondirect.com. Give us a call today - you'll be glad you did!
Thanks for visiting with us!
The Falcon Team
At your Service!