[Scan-DC] WaPo -- New Radios Letting Metro Police Down

[David Schoenberger]

Interesting article.  In riding Metro quite a bit, and listening to
the 490 MHz system, I've noticed that the signal is very strong in
some places, and considerably weaker in other places.  But the signal
always seems to be present, even between stations in the tunnels.

The Metro buses seem to be fully transitioned to the system (article
says 1500 buses--I think that's the whole fleet).  Metrorail isn't
using the system at all, with the possible exception of maintenance
personnel.  Metro transit police have an analog talkgroup (2224), and
one or two digital talkgroups (all used for the main dispatch
channel).  I've always wondered why they sometimes use two digital
talkgroups which broadcast the same dispatch channel (49168 and
57296).

As an aside, the DC Fire 800 MHz system seems to have excellent
coverage underground at all the stations and tunnels in DC.  (The 460
MHz MPD system does not have coverage underground, but I assume a 460
MHz radio would affiliate to the 800 MHz system, if used
underground...?)  Arlington has one or two conventional 800 MHz
repeaters that they use in stations in their county.

Dave

On 7/7/06, Dan Brown <brown at brauhaus.org> wrote:
>
>
> Saw this in WaPo this morning -- URL via google news which should prevent
> needing a login:
>
> http://news.google.com/news?as_q=new+radios+metro&svnum=10&as_scoring=r&hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nsrc=Washington+Post&as_nloc=&as_occt=any&as_drrb=q&as_qdr=&as_mind=7&as_minm=6&as_maxd=7&as_maxm=7
>
> Or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/fcpcp
>
>
> "Persistent problems with a $60 million radio system that Metro bought six
> years ago have forced transit police to rely on their old radios
> underground, raising questions about the transit authority's ability to
> respond to emergencies at a time of heightened concern nationwide about the
> safety of public transportation. "
>
>
> --
> Dan Brown
> brown at brauhausdc.org
>
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