[Scan-DC] Fauquier County Trunked System

[Alan Henney]

http://www.citizenet.com/news/articles/093004/law-order2.shtml

Emergency radio testing begins
After many delays, multimillion-dollar
system nears completion

Staff Photo/Karl Pittelkau
Motorola Engineer Rob Bridenstine and Fauquier County Communications
Systems Coordinator Bill Dugan test the 800-MHz system near Rectortown
on Friday.

By Scott Shenk - Staff Writer
As the Ford Crown Victoria headed out of the late Paul Mellon's
expansive estate near Upperville last Thursday, the Motorola engineer
held up his cell phone.

"No signal," said Rob Bridenstine, an 11-year veteran with Motorola.

Mr. Bridenstine then happily noted the voices coming from the newest
radio in the car's console as three men used Fauquier County's new
multimillion-dollar 800-megahertz emergency system. The men were
spread throughout the county, but their voices came through clearly.

Last Thursday, sheriff's deputies and the county's Communication
Systems Coordinator Bill Dugan drove Mr. Bridenstine and three other
testers around parts of Fauquier. It marked the second day of testing
for the $8.98-million radio system.

The system will serve the sheriff's office and local fire and rescue
units. The sophisticated digital system will replace 40-year-old
equipment providing such poor coverage that deputies regularly must
use cell phones to talk with dispatchers.

Warrenton police and some fire and rescue vehicles already have the
new radios. But the system must undergo another month of testing
before it officially goes on line - in November, if all goes well.

Choosing the new system and installing it have proven controversial
and problematic for the county.

Fauquier's supervisors in the mid-1990s started the search for a new
emergency radio system. The board finally settled on the 800-Hhz
system. As the costs continued to grow, opposition from critics
increased.

The critics cited possible interference from cell phones, something
they still believe could cost the county millions in the future. They
also claimed that five towers would prove insufficient to provide
proper coverage for the system's "line-of-sight" signals.

But the county stuck with the 800-MHz system. It had too many
benefits, officials said. The system had been proven in other areas,
they noted. And many Northern Virginia localities - including Loudoun
and Prince William counties - use the same technology. Hence, the new
system will allow Fauquier deputies and emergency personnel to talk
with their counterparts in those counties.

In February 2002, the board of supervisors approved the $7.2-million
contract with Motorola.

More problems arose after county officials signed the contract.
Despite promises from the board of supervisors, the county ran into
numerous problems securing tower sites, which put the system
installation behind more than a year.

Workers began testing the system two weeks ago, but a faulty component
had to be fixed. Testing restarted last week.

According to the contract, Motorola's system must provide coverage 95
percent of the time in 95 percent of the county.

While the system must pass numerous tests, coverage ranks as the most
crucial. If Motorola's system, with the five towers, fails to meet the
requirements, it could cost the county and the company money.

But the onus remains on Motorola, Mr. Dugan said, noting that
installing equipment for another tower could cost the company $1
million.

Friday as Mr. Dugan drove along northern Fauquier roads, Mr.
Bridenstine cradled a laptop computer that beeped like an old Atari
video game. A black circle on the computer screen moved along lines on
a map. The circle represented the car (tracked by a Global Positioning
System) and the lines showed county roads.

A grid system covered the computer screen, dividing the county into
3,300 rectangles about the size of football fields, Mr. Bridenstine
said.

The testers must try to get signals from as many grids as possible. If
they can't reach a grid (in rural Fauquier, quite a few areas lack
passable roads) it will not count against Motorola.

Friday, each time the car went through a grid, Mr. Bridenstine would
"key up" the talk button on the radio microphone. The rectangle on the
computer screen would turn dark, meaning he successfully tested the
system.

Motorola and Fauquier's consultant, CTA Communications Inc., will
examine the test results.

Friday, Mr. Bridenstine and Mr. Dugan rode slowly on tree-shrouded
dirt and gravel roads in northern Fauquier. They pulled into long
driveways and huge horse farms.

Mr. Bridenstine got an indication of how the system worked.

"I see some that were a little high," he said of the signals, which
should register low. But, he noted, one poor signal does not mean an
entire grid has problems.

Overall, the system tested "normal . . . pretty good," he said.

Mr. Dugan touted the digital system as far better than the analog
radios slated for replacement.

The 800-MHz system will allow deputies and fire and rescue workers to
communicate without interfering each other. The system has eight
channels, but it features about 50 "talk groups" public safety workers
can use.

The talk groups will allow deputies and fire and rescue workers to
talk directly to each other. For example, the new system will allow a
deputy in Goldvein to talk with one in Upperville, Mr. Dugan said.

With the old system, once they get about two miles apart, they use
dispatchers to relay messages, Mr. Dugan said. And, the old system has
many "dead spots" where deputies and emergency workers completely lose
radio contact.

Mr. Dugan also expects the five towers will provide adequate coverage.

"We've tried to put the towers in (highly populated) areas," he said.
The county also focused on areas where the old system won't work.

He noted the tower the county built on Blue Mountain near Linden.

"That has always been a bad area for our low-band coverage," Mr. Dugan
said.

"So," he said, "with the five towers we'll be able to cover the whole
county."

The radio system has done well "with the hills" and in most buildings,
Mr. Dugan said.

Principals at Liberty and Fauquier high schools recently tested their
hand-held 800-MHz radios and talked clearly with one another
throughout the schools, Mr. Dugan said.

Fauquier County Administrator Tony Hooper said the county has
identified 25 buildings that may need "amplifiers" to help with the
signals.

Workers will test the system in those buildings, he said.

Motorola also installed the 800-MHz system in Loudoun and Prince
William counties.

Loudoun Sheriff's Maj. Scott Waddell oversaw the system's
implementation. It proved time-consuming and tedious, he said. Loudoun
had to add a tower - increasing the number to eight - to get complete
coverage in the 519-square-mile county.

"We ended up with about 99 percent" coverage, Maj. Waddell said.
"Compared to our old system . . . the new one is head and shoulders
above it."

You may contact Scott Shenk at 347-5522, extension 242, or by e-mail
at sshenk at citizenet.com