Daniels debuts software-configurable P25 radios
Daniels Electronics is marketing Project 25–compliant 700 MHz radio modules that can be software-configured to operate in either conventional or trunking mode. Like other P25 radios manufactured by Daniels, the new 700 MHz version can be housed in a rugged, compact case that is designed to be deployed on short notice into hostile environments, said Robert Small, the company’s president and COO. “It can be pole-mounted, if you want end-of-line communications that ties back into a network,” Small said. “Or if you’re in a canyon or other type of low-density area, it’s a convenient way to backhaul into another system.”
The modules, when configured for conventional digital operation, can be cross patched to other Daniels radio modules that operate in a variety of bands — 30–50 MHz, VHF-AM, VHF, UHF and all 800 MHz bands — according to Small. Repeater or base station sites can operate in both clear and encrypted (FIPS-140-2) modes. For base station operations, the modules, when in conventional mode, can be connected via Daniels’s digital fixed station interface (DFSI) card to Zetron, Avtec or Telex consoles.
The modules also can be integrated into Daniels’ line of portable suitcase housings that are designed for quick deployment at emergency incidents. “We’ve seen a lot of demand for this product,” Small said. “It gives police, fire and search-and-rescue organizations the option to drop a radio into anywhere. It can be run off D-cell batteries, a solar panel or a car battery.”
Later this year, the company plans to add a 900 MHz version of the modules and update paging equipment, Small said. — Glenn Bischoff