https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • Microwave/RF
    • T&D World
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

View From The Top


Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future

  • Written by
  • 14th January 2016
First-responder technology is changing, and the tools used by police, fire, EMS, public works and others must keep pace. Right now, users need a rock-solid radio that works on today's systems and can be upgraded in the future as public-safety communications continue to evolve.

What is in this article?

  • Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future
  • Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future
  • Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future

Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future

It’s compact and lightweight. As anyone who carries a radio all day every day can tell you, when it comes to enhancing user productivity, the advantages of a compact, lightweight and ergonomic radio are second to none. The next-gen radio is intuitively designed to feature top- and front-displays, distinct contoured buttons and natural grip points that make it easy to handle, even when wearing gloves.

It operates on sophisticated software. Software features that used to be exclusive—for instance, GPS, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi programming—have become expected by many users. And, because agencies soon will be required to capture and store vast amounts of data through the use of body cameras and other similar devices, many forward-looking jurisdictions are opting to select a radio with greater memory capacity, designed to support the kind of high-speed data streams that are making their way into first-responder radios.

Just like other smart devices, radios may benefit from occasional software updates as new capabilities are added. In contrast to years past—when the only way to upgrade to new software was to physically connect to the radio—newer connectivity options are now making it possible to update software seamlessly and wirelessly.

It features a smart user interface. Technology parallels frequently are drawn between emergency radios and smartphones, but the user interfaces on these comparable devices are very different. The presence of many small and subtle icons on a smartphone, all of which are activated with the same kind of touch, is not an appropriate display for first responders. In public safety, a different approach is needed—one that makes it easy to perform common tasks and displays only critical information.

Audio quality is crystal clear. For years, analog voice was optimized for best intelligibility, though not necessarily the most accurate sound. As trunking has evolved and voice has been digitized, software vocoders were optimized for ease of transmission and intelligibility. Now, as broadband voice connection appears on the horizon, public-safety users who for years have experienced voice that was 'intelligible' can suddenly experience high-quality audio in a portable radio.

Think about push-to-talk audio with HD quality and instant-recall. It allows much more reliable communication among busy users.

The best radios on the market today combine faster and lower-cost components, and any new built-in communications platform likely is developed using the latest feature-rich software in a compact and lightweight portable. It’s a matter of finding the right device – one that is as advanced as it is rugged, and as practical as it is visionary.

LTE is Here

For years, analog talkaround was the benchmark for traditional voice, and many argue that it remains the gold standard for communication. After all, it’s been optimized over the years for simplicity and seamless fringe performance. Moreover, in a disaster when all infrastructure is offline, simple talkaround may be the only option.

So rather than abandoning old-fashioned talkaround in favor of digital communications, it’s important to equip first responders with radios that are, above all, frequency-agile. As technology migrates toward broadband and cell phone quality voice, make sure new P25 radios can still transmit the highest-power conventional talkaround possible. It’s a solution that’s becoming more and more prevalent as circuit components become smaller and more powerful.

Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future
1 | 2 | 3 |
Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future
Tags: Harris Portables Commentary Interoperability Land Mobile Radio Long Term Evolution (LTE) Project 25 Software Subscriber Devices System Design View From The Top Commentary

Related Content

  • Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future
  • Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future
  • Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future
  • Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future

Commentary


LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command

  • 2
6th May 2022

Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications

18th April 2022

FirstNet success means no hypothetical ‘shots’ need to be fired, Swenson says

22nd February 2022
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Intelsat, OneWeb team on in-flight connectivity dlvr.it/SWgYb2

15th August 2022
UrgentComm

Black Hat 2022: Adapting to the growing cyberthreat landscape dlvr.it/SWgF3Y

15th August 2022
UrgentComm

Diffusing the connected car’s ticking data-privacy timebomb dlvr.it/SWdCw2

14th August 2022
UrgentComm

Patch madness: Vendor bug advisories are broken, so broken dlvr.it/SWcvFR

14th August 2022
UrgentComm

What the 6 GHz band might mean to fixed-wireless access dlvr.it/SWctfk

14th August 2022
UrgentComm

FirstNet PTT technical progress highlighted by AT&T at APCO 2022 dlvr.it/SWZtNJ

13th August 2022
UrgentComm

Newscan: D.C. appeals court upholds FCC decision to share 5.9 GHz V2V spectrum with Wi-Fi dlvr.it/SWZQpx

13th August 2022
UrgentComm

Cisco confirms data breach, hacked files leaked dlvr.it/SWV8l9

12th August 2022

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X