Nextel tries to be 'appealing' to Law Enforcement.

[Josh]

I can't believe Nextel's latest scam. They're offering Police officer's the power of LEIN, NCIC and whatever else from their Piece of :o Nextel phone.

Nextel has sunk to a new low here. I can't believe this BS. The same bunch of dick-heads who built a nation-wide, out-of-spec systems on the same frequencies as 800Mhz public safety systems are now also trying to get into bed with them so that perhaps they will gain support of moving Law Enforcement off of "their" screwed up 800Mhz band, the support of APCO, the support of as many police officers as they can, and possibly saving their asses from bankruptcy all at the same time.

I pulled this article off of money.excite.com


RESTON, Va., Nov 13, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nextel Communications, Inc. (NXTL) and Voyager Systems, Inc., today introduced Voyager Query(TM), Voyager Contact(TM) and Voyager ChoicePoint(TM), a robust suite of secure wireless data applications that enable law enforcement officers and other authorized personnel to search federal, state and local criminal justice and public records databases, as well as collect and report field contact information directly from Java(TM) technology-enabled Nextel handsets, personal digital assistants or laptop computers.

The Voyager applications are the newest wireless business solutions offered to Nextel's enterprise law enforcement customers to increase productivity and streamline operations through the faster exchange of information.



"These applications allow users to conduct industry-standard record checks without calling a dispatch center, provide discreet handheld access to criminal justice and public record information and eliminate the duplicate work effort and increased risk of error in transcribing written reports," says Ernie Cormier, Nextel's vice president, Enterprise Solutions. "The Voyager technology is a good example of how Nextel's wireless business solutions assist the law enforcement community in their day-to-day tasks and can enable them to access information from any location on Nextel's national network."

"It is imperative today for law enforcement agencies to equip themselves with tools that help make their jobs more effective and efficient," said John Lines, Voyager Systems' Chief Business Development Officer. "Combining Voyager's technology with Nextel Communications' powerful nationwide wireless data communications network offers the public safety market industry-leading solutions that are both effective and affordable."

Targeted to licensed law enforcement professionals, Voyager's service has three components:

1. Voyager Query(TM) -- A hosted wireless application that allows law enforcement officers to conduct record checks through federal and state criminal justice databases and to access local and proprietary databases.

2. Voyager Contact(TM) -- A powerful data collection and query tool that streamlines the process of collecting field interview data and provides back-end analysis and alerting functions to assist in surveillance activities. Voyager Contact includes fields for standard contact information as well as for data entries relating to the cause of the contact, including the alleged infraction, an individual's identifying characteristics, issuance of a warning or citation, and similar details necessary for contact demographics analysis and reporting.

3. Voyager/ChoicePoint(TM) -- Supports field law enforcement efforts to verify, identify, locate subjects and witnesses, identify property owners and understand potential threats at given addresses.

Now available, Voyager Query(TM), Voyager Contact(TM) and Voyager ChoicePoint(TM) all run on Java(TM) technology- enabled Nextel handsets or personal digital assistants using a Nextel iM1100 wireless modem and may be purchased directly from Nextel. Each service carries a one-time $50 activation and installation fee per device. Subscription rates start at $55.99 per Nextel handset.

Nextel leads the industry in providing business customers with wireless data solutions that increase the productivity of the mobile workforce. Last year, Nextel became the first company in North America to offer Java(TM) technology- enabled Nextel handsets nationally and, since then, the company has sold more than 2.3 million units.

[OX]

Lookie what I did, wind you up, poiint you in a particular direction and watch you go!

Didn't find anything about separating the 800 band?

[mts2000des2]

Lookie what I did, wind you up, poiint you in a particular direction and watch you go!

Didn't find anything about separating the 800 band?

Check out the Nextel white paper to resolve public safety interference. The plan is to move public safety off of 866-870 and make it exclusively Nextel contiguous spectrum. Public safety would get basically everything else. Who really gets the shaft are the other SMR systems, they get booted off the band at their own expense. Though Nextel says they will be "kind" enough to allow them to relocate to some of the 900MHz and other Nextel allocations.

Without beating a dead horse, Nextel's plan is a joke. The cost of moving every single PS system nationwide will cost taxpayers into the billions, and there will still be no solid guarantee that the interference will stop. Not to mention, it is a logistical nightmare. Take one 21-channel Smartnet II system for example, with say, three sites. How do you completely retune such a system without interrupting service? Think of all the duplexers and combiners that have to be retuned, hundreds of radios reprogrammed, etc. Even a large radio shop would basically have to dedicate all their resources for like 14 days straight to accomplish that task. And this is just one municipalities' system. We are talking about hundreds of man hours, and taking such systems off line further compromises public safety users ability to respond.

Nextel's solution is to move everyone off the 800 band and make everyone else customers, just like they did when they shut down all the old Privacy Plus and LTR systems. Someone in congress should really take a look at what is really going on here.

Nextel created their own problem when they took an SMR network that never was designed for what they are doing with it, and as a result, are creating harmful interference to other users on the band. If anyone should leave 800MHz, it should be Nextel, or they should retune their network so as to not interfere with other users, especially public safety.

[tom IL]

Nextel is already doing big business with Law Enforcement in my county. Just about every squad car in the county has one, not to mention all of the investigators and supervisors. Both of the EMS providers also use Nextel.

[fireradio]

The whole NCIC thing seems sketchy to me. Seems like something that's just waiting to get hacked...ugh.

[nmfire10]

They are going to NEED NCIC on it. With NexTel, they won't be able to call their dispatcher on the radio because of their little interference issue. The only choice would be using there very device causing the problem as a solution!

[mhaynes41]

Lookie what I did, wind you up, poiint you in a particular direction and watch you go!

Didn't find anything about separating the 800 band?

Check out the Nextel white paper to resolve public safety interference. The plan is to move public safety off of 866-870 and make it exclusively Nextel contiguous spectrum. Public safety would get basically everything else. Who really gets the shaft are the other SMR systems, they get booted off the band at their own expense. Though Nextel says they will be "kind" enough to allow them to relocate to some of the 900MHz and other Nextel allocations.

Without beating a dead horse, Nextel's plan is a joke. The cost of moving every single PS system nationwide will cost taxpayers into the billions, and there will still be no solid guarantee that the interference will stop. Not to mention, it is a logistical nightmare. Take one 21-channel Smartnet II system for example, with say, three sites. How do you completely retune such a system without interrupting service? Think of all the duplexers and combiners that have to be retuned, hundreds of radios reprogrammed, etc. Even a large radio shop would basically have to dedicate all their resources for like 14 days straight to accomplish that task. And this is just one municipalities' system. We are talking about hundreds of man hours, and taking such systems off line further compromises public safety users ability to respond.

Nextel's solution is to move everyone off the 800 band and make everyone else customers, just like they did when they shut down all the old Privacy Plus and LTR systems. Someone in congress should really take a look at what is really going on here.

Nextel created their own problem when they took an SMR network that never was designed for what they are doing with it, and as a result, are creating harmful interference to other users on the band. If anyone should leave 800MHz, it should be Nextel, or they should retune their network so as to not interfere with other users, especially public safety.

Well kind of, It was really the fcc fault I even have a copy of a press release from the fcc that points out that the fcc when they granted Nexhell license back in the early 90's they never thought Nexhell would grow to be so big. Also the old systems they hurt really bad was the old G-MARK trunk systems.

[nmfire10]

It still makes me sick that even after 9/11, the FCC let money and lobbyists pull off crap like that with public safety communications. Not only is it just wrong, but it goes against their own damn rules.

[OX]

YOu know, I've thought for a long time that Nextel should be shoved into the cellular band. Unfortunately, I wouldn't wish that on the existing cellular companies. Give Nextel the 900 band. I don't know about other areas of the country but around here, 900 is pretty dead except for paging.

Another thought someone brought up to me: Nextel is licensed as an SMR and not a Common Carrier. Common Carriers are required to provide emergency power backup on their transmitters; Nextel is not and I haven't seen a generator at any Nextel sites.

As for the agencies using Nextel, I hope that some severe weather doesn't come along and knock your power out for three days give or take. That's three or more days without Nextel....

Just goes to show how far a buck really goes, unfortunately.

[motor59]

YOu know, I've thought for a long time that Nextel should be shoved into the cellular band. Unfortunately, I wouldn't wish that on the existing cellular companies. Give Nextel the 900 band. I don't know about other areas of the country but around here, 900 is pretty dead except for paging.

I have perhaps a better idea. Continue getting TV out of the 700MHz band, and then make nextel migrate there. Make THEM retool all their equipment, replace all their portables and repeaters, and leave the present dwellers on 800 and 900MHz the hell alone.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but doesn't it make more sense to make nextel pay the freight in a way thats real obvious, like re-doing all their stuff?

[Will]

Better yet, this realy happend.

A PD and city, let Nextel build a realy big monapole tower in back of the police station with a big platform at the top for all the Nextell interfering antennas, and now the city and PD wonder where all the interference is comming from.
Nextel made the city move the antenna(s) off the city PD's monapole, 14"dia, where they have been for twenty plus years, and then puts the VHF PD repeater antenna on the top of the Nextel monapole, and remove the PD's monapole down to the ground because it was affecting Nextel's pattern, they were less than 30 feet apart.

I wonder how much Nextel paid the city "fathers"

In another city, the city "let" Nextell put three panel antennas on their monapole, 80' feet high, at the 40 foot level. Then Nextel wanted to take over the radio equipment room and put up a taller monapole tower and more Nextel antennas. Well the city's PD and FD realized that the interference was due to Nextel and kicked them (nextel) off the monapole and out of town. NOTE, both PD and FD are on VHF.

SO it is not only 800 PS users getting "jammed" with crud from NEXHELL!!!!!!

[Twisted_Pear]

Another thought someone brought up to me: Nextel is licensed as an SMR and not a Common Carrier. Common Carriers are required to provide emergency power backup on their transmitters; Nextel is not and I haven't seen a generator at any Nextel sites.

I see their sites about every day and come to think of it.....I don't recall one Nextel site with a backup generator. Yeah, they do have batteries but running the power they probably do they don't last for dick (7 hours tops?).

-Wayne

[OX]

Anyone remember the story abotu the Pied Piper????

Fits, doesn't it!?

[April]

The Virus, called Nextel, continues to wipe out and gobble up the 800 and now the 900 band, can it be stopped. probbaley NOT.

Nextel is in bed with the FCC. I personally saw them (nextel) take away almost all the 800 channels, and the scramble to find places for the milions of displaced SMR and conventional users. Now they are taking the 900 band.

[Cat_Herder]

Well, if Nextel does do this then there'll be MORE money spent by public safety..and a lot of State and Local agencies are already strapped for funds. So I guess it'll be a case of the "whoever git's there firstest with the mostest" wins... Stand by folks....there'll be some serious problems where loss of life will cause the FCC to finally get out of bed with Nextel...hopefully it won't be someone that is close to any of the users and readers of this board.

[Josh]

Well, if Nextel does do this then there'll be MORE money spent by public safety..and a lot of State and Local agencies are already strapped for funds. So I guess it'll be a case of the "whoever git's there firstest with the mostest" wins... Stand by folks....there'll be some serious problems where loss of life will cause the FCC to finally get out of bed with Nextel...hopefully it won't be someone that is close to any of the users and readers of this board.

My PD has been corrupted by Nextel nowadays. Not more than a month ago it was a silent place to go. Now everyone and their uncle has a Nextel phone there so all you hear is bee bee beep all the live long day.

-Josh