[Scan-DC] Analog/Digital (cellphones/radios)

[David Lloyd]

The recent discussion on analog/digital communications really has me
thinking.   Why DIGITAL?  Maybe I'm naive, but I REALLY haven't ever been
impressed with digital.  I bought a Uniden 396T scanner a year ago - I still
don't know how it works.. and I'm a nerd!! The only benefit I see with
digital is that you can do more with less.

The reason why I bring this up is that I spent an afternoon reading the
Loudoun County firefighter Line of Duty Death report and was I was really
disturbed with all the squawks and beeps and unintelligible audio on the
radio.  In my years in the fire department, I experienced the switch between
analog radios that worked great (okay, decent - there were still coverage
problems), to digital that worked terribly for the aforementioned reasons.
(Everytime I got on an elevator I got "BEEEEEEEEEP" no signal!)   I guess
this why more towers are necessary (ie: DC) and why MoCo is now using
repeaters on vehicles.   It's been a few years since I have been in the
service--I'm wondering if that changed anything.

Just for grins, I took my radio to Skyline Drive two years ago.  The
Montgomery County digital signal - D E A D.    The 154 UHF was perfect.

Sorry if this seems more like a rant than a question, I guess it's just my
fustration with the whole Public Safety initiative in the Washington area to
"improve things".. but it's certainly making things more difficult for all
parties invovled.  Just my observations,  being old-fashioned and hating
the digital transmissions.. what next? Computer voice dispatching?


David