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Tonight during the 11pm newscast, KIRO TV will air a "shocking" investigative report about problems with the Seattle City Light radio system.

Let's hope it's not as big of a problem as the scrapped Metro Transit radio upgrade of the mid 1980's.

Kerwin

http://www.kirotv.com/news/20195610/detail.html

Basically the story boils down to the fact that the project is over budget. It's not like this is the first time this has happened anywhere.

My favorite part is when they interview some idiot customers: "I think that they should take care of more basic things like keeping our power on..." How do you think they're going to do that? They could work independently or together. Working together requires communication. There's a really good solution for communicating between field units and dispatch: a radio! Of course they never show all of the interview, so I'm thinking her next suggestion was that they communicate with each other by sending Morse over the public grid by flipping the switch on and off at 10 WPM.


They might post the video later. It has some decent footage, though some of it is definitely file footage, possibly of KIRO's own equipment.

At Moneyrolla's expensive rates...no wonder it's over budget.

When will municpalities realize that there are a better, cheaper options out there for two-way radio?

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Interoperability is an attitude, not a technology.

Moneyrolla had nothing to do with the project.

I'm thinking of their "technician rates", you're right. :stupid: They're still to damned expensive no matter what service/product you get from them.

I've read articles from all over the country about local govt's paying a 2-way radio company/technicians/installers a shit-load of money for a system that they hate or is broken regardless of who's equipment it is and who puts it in.

I suppose the other problem with this is that all it takes is that pesky news media on a slow news day to take something along these lines and blow it out so everyone and their dog hears about it...

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Interoperability is an attitude, not a technology.

While I cannot speak from any authority, I am tempted to call BS before even seeing the story.

Here are my thoughts on the matter:

City Light has certainly invested heavily in this system. One portion of this that I am vaguely familiar with is the manner in which they (initially?) tested the system.

A dude I know handled a test project for them where they allegedly drove every street and alley in the City Light coverage area - five times - to map actual received strength from each of the 4 sites individually, and then from the system in simulcast mode.

The reasons given sounded logical enough to me, and that is liability protection plus KNOWING that the system is performing as designed.

Line level Electricians work in an extremely dangerous environment, and should one of our utility's employees become injured, the last thing we need as a city is the possibility of damages from claims that the system "didn't perform" (even if it did).

So on one hand it probably looks like big buxxx up front, but the way juries can hand out judgements, if even one is prevented by knowing the system performs and being able to prove it, that may be money ahead.

Unfortunately, just like with "sexual harrasment" training, it is next to impossible to place an actual figure on the $$$ saved.

"We had XXX LESS lawsuits this year because of it..."

While we can't quantify the savings, it may be generally accepted that the preventive measures likely did save in the long run...

Not to mention, if during the testing actual failures of coverage were identified (I don't know either way if this occured) then that too is well worth the investment, given the nature of who needs to use this system the most.

I do think most of us who work with radio have experienced at some time or another that "Engineered" performance and actual performance can be 2 different realities.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Ah, but one has to wonder whether or not that comment was in rebuttal to the part just prior, about the Superintendent's bonus...?

SCL Ch-1 851.2875 (DPL 043) located at Crista Ministries tower in Shoreline.

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President-in-Exile, Seattle Area Radio Communications And Scanner Traffic Intercept Crew (SARCASTIC)
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