First Word

Broken promises

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Glenn Bischoff

In January, a young Nebraska couple both in their 20s died in a snowstorm after dispatchers couldn't locate them, even though the couple called 911 five from their wireless phones...

News

Broadcasters get on board

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Donny Jackson

NAB voices support for vacating spectrum by January 2009...

U.S., Canada reach 700 MHz spectrum deal

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Donny Jackson

A recent agreement between the U.S. and Canada established technical parameters for 700 MHz airwaves to be used along the borders between the countries...

Illinois city deploys 4.9 GHz wireless solution

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Calumet City, Ill., has inserted Cisco Systems' 4.9 GHz wireless mobile interface card in Cisco 3200 Series wireless and mobile routers located in police patrol vehicles...

Congress holds onto PSAP funding

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Glenn Bischoff

Early appropriations expected to fall far short of authorization...

SunGard widens distribution of CAD suite

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

SunGard OSSI will roll out its public-safety software suite on a national basis...

Nextel, Sprint shareholders OK merger

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Shareholders for both Sprint and Nextel Communications have approved the proposed merger that will create the third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S....

FCC: Negotiations on 800 MHz border pacts progressing

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Donny Jackson

U.S. officials have begun 800 MHz spectrum-coordination discussions with representatives from Canada and Mexico...

Aeroflex submits HSPDA test case for review

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Aeroflex announced it has submitted its high-speed downlink packet access (HSPDA) conformance test case for approval to the 3GPP RAN5 Working Group...

IP-based network links call centers

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Tel Control Inc. and Avaya are collaborating on a deployment in Galveston, Texas, scheduled to be completed in the fall...

P2T-over-cellular standard confirmed

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

The Open Mobile Alliance has made available the OMA push-to-talk over cellular (POC) 1.0 Candidate Enabler...

Itron automates meters at Piedmont Natural Gas

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Itron is working with Piedmont Natural Gas Co. to automate data collection from the Charlotte, N.C.-based utility's 945,000 natural gas meters...

Program uses two-way radio to unite county departments

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Officials in Hillsborough, N.J., have developed a Department of Public Works Watch Program, which is comprised of 250 employees that report accidents, crimes and suspicious activity through the use of two-way radios...

Raytheon JPS appoints new president

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Raytheon JPS Communications named Carl Kist its new president effective August 1. Kist currently is chief financial officer for Raytheon Vision Systems...

TSR is interoperability Holy Grail

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Doug Mohney

Technology makes protocols and frequencies moot, enables multi-function devices...

Testing begins on call center staffing tool

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center is beta testing an online calculator designed to help public-safety answering point managers...

Paratek awarded defense contract for RFID solution

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Paratek Microwave Inc. received a $1.99 million contract from the Defense of MicroElectronics Activity, a U.S. Department of Defense contractor...

RELM awarded contract from USPS

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

RELM Wireless Corp. received a contract from the United States Postal Service to provide two-way portable radios and accessories to USPS offices nationwide...

APCO executive director resigns

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials announced that John Newman, international executive director for the past year, has resigned...

Antenna Products division lands $1.73 million contract

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Phazar Antenna Corp., a division of Mineral Wells, Texas-based Antenna Products Corp., received a $1.73 million contract from military communications systems developer BAE Systems...

NENA honors everyday heroes

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

The National Emergency Number Association, at its annual convention last month, joined with 911 Cares to present the 2005 Everyday Heroes awards...

Sprint, Motorola to trial WiMAX

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Donny Jackson

Sprint announced it has reached an agreement with Motorola to trial wireless broadband technologies and equipment, particularly those related to 802.16e...

Radio Frequency Systems expands cable distribution

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Radio Frequency Systems announced plans to globally market its RGFLEX braided coaxial cable, expanding beyond the Brazilian telecommunications sector...

View From the Top

Digital migration picks up

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By David P. Storey

Land mobile radio is one of the last communications technologies to migrate from analog to digital technology. Why has it taken so long?...

First Response

Public-safety communications: What if?

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Charles Werner

Nextel's iDEN network should be used as a primary public-safety communications system. Now that I have your attention, let's talk...

In the Works

P25 equipment prices dropping

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Merrill Douglas

Vendors aren't eager for possible commoditization of products...

In the Field

Tower siting gets more difficult

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Donny Jackson

Interference-avoidance plans 'doable' but potentially complex...

Tech Speak

Tower-top amplifiers and noise figure (part 1 of 2)

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Jay M. Jacobsmeyer

When to use tower top amplifiers and how to characterize their performance...

Public Safety

Satellite video aids incident command

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By James Careless

New York City fire department can see and hear what's happening in real time...

APCO 2005

APCO sees intro of new products

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Glenn Bischoff

Topics covered at conference include VoIP, public-safety trends...

Cover Story

Heavens help us

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Lynnette Luna

In times of disaster--and in some geographic areas--terrestrial communications systems often prove inadequate. While first-responder agencies fill the gaps with satellites, system operators put past failures behind them and prepare for an apparently sunnier future...

Products

3-in-1 package offers mobile flexibility

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Donny Jackson

Product's small size and light weight allows for easy transport...

Final Word

In an emergency, ICE is cool

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By Alan Tilles

Once in a while, something comes along that makes so much sense and is so simple that each of us wonders why we didn't think of it. Such is the "ICE" Cell Phone...