Sep 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Donny Jackson & Glenn Bischoff

Motorola and Harris debut devices for first responders, while Thales upgrades its offering

According to Rick Summers, a JPS program manager, a typical trunked system employs a minimum of three repeaters: One supports a control channel that is on all the time, while the other two are for talk channels. With composite channel trunking, a single channel is used for talk and control; the control channel switches into talk-channel mode whenever the system receives an authenticated signal.

“When you don't have much loading, a single channel is all you need,” Summers said.

Reducing the number of channels has a corollary benefit: it reduces the amount of spectrum that's needed to support operations. According to Summers, the combined cost savings from these reductions are especially advantageous in low-population areas, where it is more difficult to cost-justify investment in infrastructure and spectrum resources, because such areas are visited much less frequently by field technicians.
— GLENN BISCHOFF

ENCRYPTED REPEATER, 800 MHZ MODULES

Daniels Electronics unveiled plug-in 800 MHz modules for the company's analog and Project 25 products and a P25 encrypted repeater that measures less than 1 cubic foot, provides three hours of continuous use and operates on D-cell batteries.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms came to the company seeking an easy-to-use repeater for covert operations, said Gerry Wight, the company's director of marketing. “D-cells are about as simple as it gets,” he said.
www.danelec.com

CAD SYSTEM

InterAct Public Safety Systems unveiled HerculesCAD, a next-generation computer-aided dispatch system. It is available as a hosted service application or may be deployed as a premise-based system. HerculesCAD is designed to let disparate agencies share critical data from incoming calls — whether they arrive via phone, SMS, VoIP or e-mail — including images and video over a secure network, the company said.
www.interact911.com

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