http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/local/scn-gt-radioforonlinefeb28,0,6570114.story?coll=green-news-local-headlines
By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer
February 28, 2005
In the basement of the Greenwich Police Department, Officer Judson VanIngen showed how upgraded computer software can quickly identify broken equipment in the town's emergency radio system, making quick repairs possible.
In the past the town's hardware would tell VanIngen where the problem was, but he or the town's radio service contractor would have to drive out to transmission sites to find out what was wrong. Now the computer indicates what repair parts or action are needed to fix the problem.
"This is so much better than it was before," said VanIngen, who maintains the town radio system for the police department. "Instead of going out and coming back I know which circuit board I need to run out there and pop in and it's fixed."
For the past six weeks VanIngen has been working with technicians from Northeastern Communications Inc., the town radio service contractor, to install and test $1.8 million worth of equipment. The installation is the first of three phases to convert the radio system to a digital rather than analog signal, VanIngen said, which should give greater clarity to calls than the current system.
Starting Friday, the new equipment, computer processors, radio transmission consoles, and software will be tested for two weeks to detect any glitches between the new equipment and the town's obsolete analog radio system.
While the town gradually buys digital hand-held and vehicle radios for all emergency personnel over the next three years, many calls will still be transmitted via the analog system, VanIngen said.
Making sure the two systems will be integrated and work together has required extensive testing, VanIngen said.
"That's the tricky part," VanIngen said. "Imagine trying to rebuild a camera piece by piece but still having to make sure it works each day."
Because digital signals have greater clarity than analog ones, VanIngen said, the new digital system should minimize areas of town where weak signals occasionally make calls unintelligible.
The new computer system will also improve call clarity by automatically routing radio calls to the transmission site that is receiving the strongest signal at that time, VanIngen said.
Police will switch over entirely to the digital system in 2006, and the fire department will follow suit in 2007. Greenwich Emergency Medical Service Inc., the town's paramedic company, will switch over in 2008.
The upgrade is part of a $5.5 million, five-year improvement plan for the town's radio system.
The town's radio system is used by about 560 radios, VanIngen said, with town emergency personnel using about half and other town departments, such as the Department of Public Works, using the rest.
Copyright © 2005, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.