Oakland to implement unified radio system by December
From the Oakland Press: The new emergency-response unified radio system is scheduled to be fully implemented for Oakland County, Mich., later this year, but the system is a tough sell in some areas of the county.
The M/A-Com Open Sky system allows users to contact all other agencies that use the system in Oakland County. Radios will be able to be updated over the air, eliminating the need to have a technician come in and update each radio individually. The system also allows supervisory override, meaning priority messages can be sent out immediately, even if someone else is speaking over the radio.
But fire departments in Southfield and Orion Township, along with the Southfield Police Department, have decided not to make the switch, citing concerns about system coverage in high-ambient-noise, cost and difficulty of use.
Updated 7/6/2010