InterceptRadio.com Forums

Oct 6th

800 MHz System
Councilmember King asked for additional discussion on the 800 MHz system. Deputy Mayor
Swatman said the coverage issue is of concern to him. If the City builds this system they need to
reconsider placement of the towers to ensure coverage for larger portions of the plateau.
This
way the City will be better prepared to provide service in the event of future annexations. In
response to inquiry, Assistant Chief Hubbard described recent occurrences where the City’s
current radio system failed to meet the Officers’ needs.
Councilmember Rackley asked why the City is pursing the 800 MHz system with Puyallup over
the 700 MHz system the County uses. Assistant Chief Hubbard explained there is a push towards
splitting the County into East and West, so the City of Bonney Lake would be partnering with
Puyallup and other East Pierce Cities. She went on to explain that the two systems are
compatible with each other and the federal government is mandating a change, though the
deadline keeps being pushed out. Failure to conform to the federal requirements means an
inability to receive many federal grants.
Councilmember King said he would like a presentation from the Chief when he is available, but
he does not want to wait too long to move forward with the new system. Mayor Johnson
6:40:10
City CouncilWorkshop Minutes Page 4 October 2nd, 2007
mentioned Senators Murray and Cantwell spoke of potential grant money for cities to use to
implement the 800 MHz system. He said he will be pursuing more information on this.

Oct 17th
Presentation/Discussion: 800 MHz Public Safety Radio Coverage.
6:59:43
Police Chief Mike Mitchell introduced representatives of the Motorola Corporation to provide an overview and respond to questions regarding radio coverage for a proposed 800 MHz system to be dispatched by the City of Puyallup. Mr. Dave Babbitt, an engineer with Motorola, provided a PowerPoint presentation and explained projected images of coverage maps. He also discussed with the City Council problems with the City’s current VHF radio system and the solutions offered through an 800 MHz system. He showed how there are many areas within the City of Bonney Lake that are not covered to the degree of confidence desired by the Police Department, nor to the level of confidence identified by national standards for mission critical operations. He noted additional security and system backup issues with the City’s current radio system which is currently dispatched from Sumner. The City Council raised and discussed issues with Mr. Babbitt about the current system, the increased communications capacity that the proposed system would introduce and the trend in consolidation of dispatch services toward the establishment of two major dispatch centers in the County. The Council also discussed the difficulty with funding the $2.2 million proposal. Chief Mitchell said he would sit down with the Mayor, City Administrator and Council Finance Committee to discuss funding options.

Another MOTO-SUCKA born every $million$, er, I mean, minute... :shock:

:D :D Just "what" did happen in New York City ???? NYPD was using non-trunked UHF T-Band system and NYFD was using VHF High Band -- with a 460 Mhz repeater fill in system. ---- How is that in anyway like the proposed Pierce County / Bonney Lake - Puyallup system ?????