I-Know-This-Isn't-Ham-Radio-Related-But.....It Could Be!

[koØm]

Appliance Operators Threaten to Sue Manufacturer; Claims "Safety Concerns".

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) -

The leader of the Cincinnati police union has directed their lawyer to look into suing industry leader Motorola over $5 million in radios the city issued to officers earlier this year. Sgt. Dan Hils, president of Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police Queen City Lodge No. 69, tells FOX19 NOW the radios are faulty and put the city's first responders and, ultimately, the public at risk.

Hils took to the FOP Facebook page on Sunday to announce problems with the radios and the union's possible lawsuit against Motorola.

"The ability to communicate reliably and instantly is a matter of life or death to police officers in the field," he posted on the Fraternal Order of Police's Facebook page. "I feel Motorola Inc. and possibly some members of the city administration are liable to this threat to our officer's safety. No matter the cost, this problem must be fixed immediately before there is a tragedy."

Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black said he is aware of the issue. He said city officials are pursuing the company to resolve the problem.

About 6 years ago, the county took all of their communications from 460 MHz analog to 800 MHz digital; just this year, I build a SDR receiver to decode and follow the trunk signal.

Six months ago, they converted to the state MARCS-IP radio system which ties all state communications together via TCP-IP. All agencies state-wide share the same radio spectrum but, the communications from different Talk Groups (agencies) are routed to repeaters in different regions using the TCP-IP protocol. New radios were purchased for the switch-over.

There are three problems:

1. Talk Groups communications are being routed to the wrong repeater.
2. Audio is unintelligible when transferred from analog microphone to digital signal (only when in pursuit, stressful, or low audio/whispering situations).
3. There are blank receive-transmit spots in the area because of the local terrain ("City of Seven Hills and 10,000 valleys"); the transmitter coverage is not as robust as it need to be for the new digial IP format. Nobody did a site audit; it's an ongoing project to patch the holes.

None of these problems are going to be solved by Motorola; in fact, I bet they fell out of their chairs laughing at these rubes.

How's about all of us radio operators form a class action group and go after the makers of our equipment because, "We cannot bust through the pileup", "my radio interferes with the Universal Serial Bus on my computer when I use it on 10 meters" or, "when operating on 40 meters, my random length long wire antenna makes my neighbors doorbell ring".

Yes?

Link

ETA: Do you think that Motorola has or has not done anything that would be "Actionable" in a court of law?

[WØTKX]

The Colorado State Patrol is not happy with theirs, except in the metro areas.

Cruisers that frequent the mountain regions still use analog FM in the VHF band.
And doppler style antenna arrays on the roof. Imagine that.

OTH, I'm enjoying 'effing around with a DMR handheld and an Icom D-STAR mobile.

[NQ6U]

The CHP is still using low band VHF, 49MHz, IIRC.

[WZ7U]

My county remains analog FM in the vhf spectrum. Which is good, because they have enough trouble with poor propagation as it is. Going digital voice would be public service suicide around here due to the topography. Not sure how their MDT's hold up out in the boonglederries; probably not so good.

[W3WN]

Eh. Same issues in WPA with the valleys and the hills. Same solutions, or lack thereof, as well.

Nothing new under the sun here. Including management types who are letting themselves get sold a bill of goods by a sales rep.

[n6hcm]

Including management types who are letting themselves get sold a bill of goods by a sales rep.

exactly. not the right people making the decisions.

[kb2crk]

We have 3 counties in the area that went 700 mhz digital on a shared system. The county I am in has stuck with VHF hi band with narrow banding the only change they made. Firefighters in the 3 other counties are complaining about their system due to the same issues stated above. One Volunteer FD had its own VHF repeater and use it along with the other system.

[K7SGJ]

The CHP is still using low band VHF, 49MHz, IIRC.

Between Arizona and California, they are still using smoke and mirrors.

[NQ6U]

Between Arizona and California, they are still using smoke and mirrors.

Yes, but it's duplex smoke and mirrors.

[K7SGJ]

Yes, but it's duplex smoke and mirrors.

True, but still, no one knows if comms are coming or going.