FDNY Radio Problems

fytnsu · Post by **fytnsu** » Wed Dec 19, 2001 11:02 pm

Anyone have any information on the news I am hearing about FDNY having radio problems -- as in firefighters not hearing the call to evacuate?

Ryan

radioEd · Post by **radioEd** » Wed Dec 19, 2001 11:14 pm

This was in The Daily Newspaper
dated: 12/19
http://www.nydailynews.com/2001-12-19/N ... 135682.asp

rjs · Post by **rjs** » Thu Dec 20, 2001 8:33 am

How would digital technology make the radios work better in a high rise building?

abbylind · Post by **abbylind** » Thu Dec 20, 2001 9:55 am

Digital communications have better coverage and propogation than analog. (Allthough I hate they way they sound!)
Fowler

pipelinesteve · Post by **pipelinesteve** » Thu Dec 20, 2001 10:13 am

Since the news reports have concentrated on the handheld radios being inadequate, it got me wondering. Most radio users are unaware that the true effective radiated power of a handheld radio is extremely low compared to a mobile or base radio. I notice that Motorola does not publish the gain factor of its handheld antennas - perhaps if they did, we could adaquately calculate the range of their handheld radios and build our networks accordingly.

I use a gain of -18 db for a handheld sitting on someone's belt and that helps when explaining why things like voting systems are required. Does anyone else have any rules-of-thumb?