Portable radios

[canav844]

Does your dispatch just use a mobile placed on the desk or are they going through the CAD for radio use? I know at least Motorola's Dispatch Radio software has a provision (might be a cost added plugin) for combining Nextel (sprint) Direct Connect into the system so that it's no different to the dispatcher than if you where to come up on a mutual aid channel; it's not exactly PTT easy but it can be several steps closer and we used it from time to time if batteries were dead or when we were still dealing with dead zone issues or guys would travel across the state it would be easier to go 41/42 for hours logging than holding up the tower on the other end of the state (which was against policy anyways) or trying to remember our number. Sometimes it's easier to get a little bit of programming added to an existing system than asking a personally owned radio be sent off for programming, also (and it pains me to say this but it's a fact of life) personally owned radios might be opening a can of worms if unions are involved and how exactly "on duty" is defined.

You can do an MTS2000 for a few hundred, but you'll need to get the radio shop guys to program it, if it's in house and you know the guys, not a problem; if your department takes them to an outside contractor prices start adding up, if you want to do the programing on your own of a Motorola it's a guaranteed headache (but possible). If you're not on a trunked system (PM me if you need help figuring that out) and it's just conventional stuff, then any radio made in the last 10 years that is legal to use on the public safety band (Part 90 type accepted) is narrow band capable that are pretty easy to get programmed, especially if you're only looking to have a handful of channels and don't need a fancy display (i.e. if it lives on channel one and just needs to be able to get you to ask for help), this could be done for sub $200 in some cases. If you start needing features to show your unit ID and the like you're back up to a few hundred. If you're on a trunked system this is probably going to end up as a no go.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[fastk9dad]

canav844, I'm sending you a PM.

[Tyler11B]

We recently all recieved new Harris P7300's for take home, and I must say they are fantastic. to date Ive called out about 32miles from the base station and had perfect reception even in the basement of a hospital

https://www.rkb.us/contentdetail.cfm?content_id=233472

[JD]

We recently all recieved new Harris P7300's for take home, and I must say they are fantastic. to date Ive called out about 32miles from the base station and had perfect reception even in the basement of a hospital

https://www.rkb.us/contentdetail.cfm?content_id=233472

P25 or EDACS?

[Tyler11B]

P25 or EDACS?

P25


http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=6750

[64zebra]

we get issued our own radios with 2 batteries and home charger, we can take them home if we want, motorola something, I don't know the specs
some officers dress at home, others get assigned a locker and change at work
I prefer to change at work so I'm not in my personal car in uniform, etc
I leave the duty Glock at locker and carry another home/off-duty

I know dispatch uses computers with radio system since they can see the radio IDs from our cars and portables on screen so they'll know who it is keying up just in case we're not saying anything, all digitally recorded so they can playback if something wasn't clear the first time, all that combined with gps in the cars is great for officer safety

we have radios that were supplemented by DHS so we can talk to the two county SOs we work with, every surrounding county, fire, DPS, hospital com center/helicopter, EOC, and a slew of other things (3 tiers, 16 channels a tier)

Potter County, Texas (TX) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference
Randall County, Texas (TX) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference
when the wife can't sleep she listens to the traffic on the site above with her phone

[Pioneer]

I think your concern is valid. As a young eager-beaver patrolman in the mid 70's (before cell phones), I was driving to work for a graveyard shift. As I passed a local PD watering hole, I saw a car being driven recklessly, which struck a parked car and kept going. I recognized the victim car as belonging to one of the sergeants on the PD. In my private car, a '70 Plymouth 'Cuda,' I gave chase and after a couple of miles got him to stop. Since I drove too and from in uniform in those days, I cuffed him and strapped him in the front pax seat. Took him to the PD and booked him for DUI and Hit & Run. When I drove my car into the sallyport to the booking area, the on duty dispatcher thought I was kidding and using the PA system, told me to quit fooling around and get my ass into rollcall. I was totally out of communication during the entire incident. It was shortly after that, when our chief offered to supply walkie talkies to those who wanted them. When I later transferred to investigations, I was issued a "special" radio with included super secret tactical channels.

I wound up with a good evaluation from the sergeant who's car got hit. I wonder if I would have chased it down other than just get the license number, if it had not been another cop's car? We will never know.

[Tyler11B]

we are issued our own through EOC(Emergency Operations Center) we get:

(1) Harris p7300 w/ shoulder mic
(1) Charger
(2) Lithium batteries
(1) radio holder for duty belt