[CVRC] NHP frequency fiasco

[James McKenna]

This item is more complicated than it may first appear.

Last year word was spread by a county emergency dispatch supervisor that the
NHP was to switching to UHF from VHF.  It was claimed that a result could be
that NHP would have difficulty coordinating communications with rural county
EOCs durring emergencies and law enforcement activities.  I am not in a
position to make any informed comments on this matter, but it might be worth
looking at in light of effects on DCART emcomm activities.

Jim McKenna
K7JTM
the
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard" <rich@n7tgb.net>
To: <cvrc@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 9:24 PM
Subject: [CVRC] NHP frequency fiasco


> I came across this article tonight and thought I'd pass it
> on:
>
>
> Crime not seen in Nevada patrol radio fiasco
> Tuesday, March 9, 2004
> with the
> URL:
> http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
> file=/news/a/2004/03/09/state1448EST0085.DTL
>
> (03-09) 11:48 PST CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) --
>
> Improper spending of millions of dollars on the wrong
> communications
> equipment for the Nevada Highway Patrol won't result in any
> criminal
> charges, the state attorney general's office says.
>
> Gerald Gardner, chief deputy of the criminal division, said
> the
> four-month review of an investigation by the patrol found
> there were
> "certain improprieties" by former communications supervisor
> Mel
> Pennington involving the purchase of radios.
> "But there was no evidence of any intent on his part to
> further his own
> personal gain or benefit any other person," Gardner said
> Monday.
>
> Because of Pennington's actions, the highway patrol was
> operating on
> 150-megahertz frequencies for which it lacked authorization
> from the
> Federal Communication Commission. The federal agency told
> the patrol to
> get off those frequencies, which were licensed to others.
>
> Gardner said Pennington originally discovered there were
> frequencies
> that weren't used. He said Pennington decided to use them
> and try to get
> authorization later.
>
> Pennington then bought the equipment to operate on the 150-
> megahertz
> frequencies in 1996. He didn't get permission from the
> Legislature until
> 1997. That failure to follow proper procedure was one of the
> "improprieties," Gardner said.
> Motorola built the system for $11 million.
>
> Gardner said spending the money for the equipment before
> legislative
> approval was "probably a violation of the administrative
> code. But it
> was eight years ago. And the Legislature approved it."
>
> He said Pennington has retired and left the state and "any
> criminal
> prosecution would be barred by the statute of limitation."
> Pennington has said he received temporary permits from the
> FCC to allow
> the patrol to use the frequencies, but they expired in
> December 2002. He
> said he sought approval from his superiors to seek an
> extension but they
> never took any action.
> Using these frequencies, the patrol's radio transmissions
> interfered
> with the frequencies' licensed users such as railroads and
> emergency
> units as far away as the San Francisco area for three years
> before the
> FCC stepped in, transportation officials said.
> Gardner said it will be up to the FCC to determine what, if
> any,
> penalties will be imposed on the state for communicating
> over these
> frequencies.
>
> After being told by the FCC to get off the 150-megahertz
> frequencies,
> the state spent $17 million to buy new radios and other
> equipment to
> allow it to transfer to an 800-megahertz system for the
> Nevada Highway
> Patrol.
>
> Robert D. Chisel, assistant director for administration in
> the state
> Transportation Department, said the switch to the 800-
> megahertz system
> has been completed in Washoe County for the patrol, and the
> change in
> Clark County should be finished by the end of this month. He
> said the
> rural counties could be finished by Oct. 1.
> Richard, N7TGB
> IRLP Node 5560
> www.n7tgb.net
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