Cover Story

Mission: improbable

By Donny Jackson (donald.jackson@penton.com)

Many believe the worlds of IT and RF are as different as the former East and West Germany. But, as the German reunification proved, the seemingly impossible can be accomplished if the will to do so is great enough. It's a notion that public-safety communications officials need to embrace for the expected IT/RF convergence to be effective....

Features

So close, yet so far

By Donny Jackson (donald.jackson@penton.com)

Next-generation 911 (NG-911) progress continues, but challenges remain....

Route and roll

By Merrill Douglas

Public-safety answering points move ahead with IP....

Good to know

By Harold Kinley

The relationship between field intensity and signal level should be understood by all RF technicians....

A stacked deck

By Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.

Laws of nature, physical obstructions and bad decisions all contribute to system performance issues....

No time to waste

By Glenn Bischoff (glenn.bischoff@penton.com)

A little-known federal law adds another layer of complexity to the PSIC grant-application process....

First Word

Integration's never easy

By Glenn Bischoff

It is ironic that I finished Eig's tome on the same day that I read senior writer Donny Jackson's June cover story that examines the convergence of IT and RF technology in the public-safety communications sector....

Dispatches

Public-safety representatives seek united 700 MHz front

By Donny Jackson

Eight public-safety organizations plan to meet later this month to establish consensus regarding the future of the 700 MHz band for broadband applications for first-responder organizations...

DHS approves labs for P25 compliance program

By Donny Jackson

Eight laboratories have been approved to test equipment as part of the Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program, the DHS Office for Interoperability and Compatibility announced...

APCO expresses support for PSIC-delay legislation

By Donny Jackson

A bill that would give public-safety organizations an additional two years to spend $1 billion federal grant money dedicated to interoperable communications received support from APCO....

Utah's Department of Natural Resources deploys FATPOT solution

By Mary Rose Roberts

A mobile interoperable solution from FATPOT Technologies now allows Utah's Department of Natural Resources to provide a global, common operational picture to dispatched personnel for wireless, field reporting...

EWA seeks proceeding on 12.5 KHz proceeding in 800 MHz band

By Donny Jackson

The Enterprise Wireless Alliance asked the FCC to initiate a proceeding that would allow licensees to use spectrum in the 800 MHz expansion band and interleaved guard band more efficiently....

View from the Top

Money well spent

By Craig Whittington

Nobody wakes up and thinks, I'm going to have to call 911 today. But those who have to know where to turn, and when they do, they expect 911 to just work....

On the Line

FDNY Chief Cassano: Is New York ready for another 9/11?

By Mary Rose Roberts

It's been nearly eight years since 9/11, and I wondered if New York was prepared for another large-scale incident. So I called New York City Fire Department Chief Salvatore Cassano and asked him point blank...

Gear

Wireless LAN provider plans bigger push into public safety

By Lynnette Luna

Aruba Networks, whose big customers are universities and corporations, said it will make an aggressive push into the public-safety market now that it is armed with the right products....

Call loggers and recorders

Learn about call loggers and recorders from Moducom, Verint Systems Inc., Eventide and more....

CyberTech announces latest version of call-recording solution

By Donny Jackson

CyberTech International announced the immediate availability of CyberTech Release 5.3, which includes enhanced resilience, security and advanced media-management features....

Final Word

LMR sector is in a jam

By Alan Tilles

It may be a technologically complex issue, but the problem of cell-phone use in prison is so immense that efforts by the LMR industry to prevent these units from being introduced will be viewed very negatively....