Not too surprisingly, shortcomings of the implementations of some radio systems were the government’s failure to make fully educated comparisons to radio systems and understand the price tags associated with each.
The CFIR reports:
Then just recently in late May, Wisconsin state auditors found that there were serious unknowns in a statewide interoperability project years in the making and funded in large part with federal homeland security grants. Local governments weren’t sure how much it would cost for equipment needed to access the system, and in some cases, the price tag “may be significant,” auditors determined. Radios that first responders do have could be too weak to establish a connection, and the system may not work well in urban areas.
For even further reading, it’s certainly worth reading the Center for Public Integrity’s report from February that found the Department of Homeland Security and congress had provided more than $4.3 billion in grants for radio interoperability between 2004 and 2008, but the lack of planning and training was hindering progress of the goal of interoperability.
“There was a lack of understanding in the congressional committees about the importance of planning dollars, that you could waste money if you don’t plan,” says Harlin McEwen, a former police chief who chairs the communications committee at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “They didn’t want to spend money on things you couldn’t see.”
Support for those less tangible needs — sitting down at the table with counterparts, hashing out plans, establishing command-and-control protocols, training users — has come much more slowly. And experts say that without such support, the value of spending on equipment is questionable. A 2007 report from the Government Accountability Office warned that the lack of coordination was leading to investments in “independent interoperability systems that do not always support each others’ needs.”
We’re getting closer to Field Day 2010, and that means lots of governors and mayors are recognizing the the hobby and service of amateur radio by signing proclamations declaring the week of Field Day as Amateur Radio Week.
Iowa is no exception, as my local ham club received a copy of the Iowa proclamation last week. The proclamation will be on display at the W0AK Field Day site at Big Creek State Park, near Polk City.
The text of the proclamation reads as the following:
WHEREAS, the State recognizes the services amateur radio operators provide to our many emergency response organizations, including FEMA, DHS, and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management; and
WHEREAS, these same individuals have further demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for local parades, bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, fairs and other charitable public events; and
WHEREAS, the State of Iowa recognizes and appreciates the diligence of these “hams” who also serve as weather spotters in the Skywarn program of the National Weather Service; and
WHEREAS, amateur radio once again proved its undisputed relevance in the modern world in 2005 by providing emergency communications when other systems failed in the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the USA and in the tsunami catastrophe overseas; and
WHEREAS, these amateur radio services are provided wholly uncompensated; and
WHEREAS, the ARRL is the leading organization for amateur radio in the USA; and
WHEREAS, the ARRL Field Day exercise will take place on June 26-27 and is a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and demonstration of the Radio Amateurs’ skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications even in fields without further infrastructure:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Chester J. Culver, Governor of the State of Iowa, do hereby proclaim the week of June 20-26, 2010 as Amateur Radio Week in Iowa.
I’m becoming increasingly interested in learning about the MotoTRBO platform, particularly its use in the amateur radio band (although the nearest amateur MotoTRBO system for me is located about two hours away in Mount Pleasant, Iowa). While searching for YouTube videos demonstrating its capabilities versus other digital platforms, I came across a video about Racing Radios, a company that specializes in supplying radios to track personnel, media, vendors, security, track fire/rescue, and several race teams.
Certainly, I’m no NASCAR fan — but it was pretty neat to hear about MotoTRBO’s success in such an RF-intense environment at a large-scale event like the Talladega 500. Seeing that bank of MotoTRBO radios in the trailer is enough to make my eyes water!
This website is about all things amateur radio and scanning in the midwest — some reporting, some investigation, some commentary, and some fun. I am an online journalist living in the greater Des Moines, Iowa area that focuses attention on wireless communications matters pertaining to the midwestern United States, including amateur radio, public safety scanning, [...]more →
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