Portable Radios

[MMiz]

Currently we use an 800 MHz system for our dispatch and medic-to-hospital radios. We use the Motorola LTS 2000 for dispatch, and Motorola MTS 2000 for medic-to-hospital. We also carry a Motorola HT 1250 LS for medic-to-PD communications.

The problem is that portables never work when we're inside a structure. We can barely use the MTS 2000 to contact med control if we're in the back of an ambulance. You had to lean by a window and pray to the radio gods.

Does anyone work for a public or private service that has a good radio system? What type of radios do you use?

[Silverado94]

Our service uses Kenwood portables and kenwood in the ambulance and they work really well. I'm not sure of any models but give Kenwood a look We live in a rural area and even on the way to the hospital in the back of the ambulance they work.

[RebelRescue]

The vol. dept I'm with also uses Motorola HT 1250s and have the same problem inside buildings,take abuse really well thou.My paid dept. uses Kenwoods and they do seem to send /recieve better on the inside of buildings and units.

[Raf]

Using moto HT 1250's over here and I have never had a problem with them in a building. Maybe you guys are just in bigger buildings or made of different material?

Now that I think of it, most of the building over here are made mostly of brick and stone. I would imagine that buildings made of steel would interfere more.

[TTLWHKR]

Using moto HT 1250's over here and I have never had a problem with them in a building.
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Ditto... And we have concrete with steel reinforcements, I beams, and sheet metal covered office buildings.

If all else fails, use a tac

[SWVAEMT]

Sounds like your dept. needs to add a few repeaters to your area.

We use the same radios as you but VERY rarely lose signal with the exception of the ED of one of the hospitals in our area which is in the basement of a large steel structure in the next county.

[emtd29]

Various Motorola units ( Pagers, Low Band, High Band and MEDCOMM radios )

GE Units for the county 800MHz trunked system (EDACS)

[FFEMT1764]

In a word 800Mhz SUCKS! Our SO uses it here, and well, they cant talk to dispatch from the SO and its less than a BLOCK away! We are supposed to get them at EMS July 1!! This is going to cause us to go from bad to worse I fear, with our current VHF system we may not be able to get out alot but at least dispatch can hear us key up, with the 800 if you cant hit the repeater no one knows that you are getting your butt kicked, shot at, run down, etc...

[Guardian]

we just got new motorola xts 5000 portables and i love them. the signal is clear through many feet of concrete in the basements of large high rise building, what more could i ask for.

[MMiz]

we just got new motorola xts 5000 portables and i love them. the signal is clear through many feet of concrete in the basements of large high rise building, what more could i ask for.
The XTS 5000s are the best of the Motorola line. Do you know if you're on UHF, VHF, or 800?

[FFEMT1764]

MMIz I have to disagree with you, the best of the moto line ever was the SABER radio...the xts is extremely fragile, if you drop it from more than 10 feet it has to go to the service depot in MEXICO to be fixed...the Saber's could withstand being run over by a 727 and still work all they would need is a new case...and I stick to my first post...800 Mhz SUCKS!

[Chimpie]

I think it's your 800 mhz system that sucks, cause ours rocks. I carry a portable on me most of the time. I can be inside most businesses (no basements here) and have no problem getting out. It's great being 40 miles away from someone and speaking to them like they are sitting right next to me.

[MMiz]

The XTS 5000s are the best of the Motorola line. Do you know if you're on UHF, VHF, or 800?
When I said "best" I meant "top of the line / Motorola will try to sell you on the XTS."

As someone who uses the LTS 2000, the cheapest 800 Mhz available, I really don't know too much about radios. I just know that the 800 can't transmit for crap inside buildings.

[FFEMT1764]

We are in a rural setting here, and well, the system provider (Motorola) states there are no dead spots, however that is simply a full out lie, I mean really, someone should be able to talk from one block to the next...the problem could lie in the infastructure of the system, or lack thereof...at any rate it is a statewide system, and works most everywhere else but here!

[Jon]

We are in a rural setting here, and well, the system provider (Motorola) states there are no dead spots, however that is simply a full out lie, I mean really, someone should be able to talk from one block to the next...the problem could lie in the infastructure of the system, or lack thereof...at any rate it is a statewide system, and works most everywhere else but here!
Gee... You should try EF Johnson...

My county's system has been a big C.F. since day one.. and has been a "another 10 million for this tower" "another XX for this patch for dispatch consoles" "another tower" "ANOTHER tower"

And we still have iffy service in the middle of the friggin' county seat (my coverage area)... as in, NEXT TO THE COURT HOUSE!

We are hoping the problems will FINALLY get fixed with the rebanding project...

[MMiz]

Jon,

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of radios do you use at your paid service?

[Jon]

Little Cell-phone like thingies that say "NEXTEL" on them ;)

Sometimes, when we do large standbys, we rent portable radios from a local provider ("BearCom")

Also, when we do standbys at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (in Philly) we have radios that we use just for there (I think they are issued to us and not owned by us, but I'm not sure)

[HFD EMS]

We use Vertex Standard Portable Radios for our county wide ambulance service and we have multiple channels so we use our radio for dispatch, mercy (which is our hospital channel), then others for mutual aid and they work really well. Inside and out of structures

[Guardian]

MMiz, I'm on the 800 system. I do think 800s are overrated. It's not so much the frequency that makes 800s better, it's usually just the fact that people are installing much newer and and more comprehensive systems in place of the older ones. I'm a ham radio operator and I learned that the lower the frequency, the farther the signal travels on its own, so having an 800 out in the country is not necessary better. 800s do penetrate structures better however and with the right number of repeaters, range isn't an issue.

[MMiz]

MMiz, I'm on the 800 system. I do think 800s are overrated. It's not so much the frequency that makes 800s better, it's usually just the fact that people are installing much newer and and more comprehensive systems in place of the older ones. I'm a ham radio operator and I learned that the lower the frequency, the farther the signal travels on its own, so having an 800 out in the country is not necessary better. 800s do penetrate structures better however and with the right number of repeaters, range isn't an issue.
Guardian,

Once again I think you hit the nail on the head. We use 800 MHz radios because our parent company uses 800s a couple of counties away, where they have a great infrastructure. We only have a huge antenna on top of a hospital and no repeaters.

I'm big on communication, so I'd like to see a system that works. Unfortunately I don't see it in our future (The county has struggled to implement Ma/Coms OpenSky system for years).

[ffemt8978]

I agree that 800 MHz isn't always the best way to go, especially if you're trying to cover a large area.

A few years ago, the state of South Dakota went to a statewide, digital trunked, VHF band (150 MHz) radio system that tied the entire state togehter. They were able to cover about 95% of the state with only thirty some towers. The advantage to this system is that the radios were still able to interface with the older, analog VHF systems (such as mutual aid) for those that didn't want to switch.

[MMiz]

I agree that 800 MHz isn't always the best way to go, especially if you're trying to cover a large area.

A few years ago, the state of South Dakota went to a statewide, digital trunked, VHF band (150 MHz) radio system that tied the entire state togehter. They were able to cover about 95% of the state with only thirty some towers. The advantage to this system is that the radios were still able to interface with the older, analog VHF systems (such as mutual aid) for those that didn't want to switch.
Not to mention that 800 MHz radios are expensive and you have limited options.

[Guardian]

what do you mean "limited options?"

[MMiz]

what do you mean "limited options?"
There are very few 800 Mhz radios compared to VHF and UHF options.

[Guardian]

There are very few 800 Mhz radios compared to VHF and UHF options.

Oh, ok..............

[fm_emt]

A few years ago, the state of South Dakota went to a statewide, digital trunked, VHF band (150 MHz) radio system that tied the entire state togehter. They were able to cover about 95% of the state with only thirty some towers. The advantage to this system is that the radios were still able to interface with the older, analog VHF systems (such as mutual aid) for those that didn't want to switch.

Do you have any more information on that? I'd be interested in reading about how they set all of that up. Sounds interesting!

[KEVD18]

i hate 800 radios. they suck, need far to much ewuipment, which needs far to much maintenence and they just dont work as well as other systems.

if i had my choice, id want a vhf band, repeat the hell out of it so i can get a signal in the radiology dept of the hosp, and give me an ht1000 to talk on. i'm a firm believer that the ht1000 is the besty radio moto has ever put out.

[MMiz]

I don't know of any other company around here that equips each employee with three radios. We have the 800 for our dispatch, the VHF for PD, and another 800 for med control. It's fun trying to arrange them on the belt so you don't look like a total whacker on a call.

[Jon]

Both employees carry 3 radios?

Wow.

I don't think you can wear 3 radios and NOT look like a total whacker.

[MMiz]

No, they can't afford to buy each employee three radios. It's per unit. We've be working on transitioning to a county-wide MA/COM system for years now. Our service refuses to invest more money into portables.

[Kendall]

Wow...

Hate to bring up a dead topic, but my service, in particular uses Vertex Standards, w/ no infrastructure whatsoever... We're a standby service, though, so we don't generally need a huge service area, but it's frustrating to have to call someone on a cell phone when the radio craps out.

Personally, I would like to see HT750's or HT1250's w/ a trunked system, with a couple repeaters in the city.

The city EMS uses an Ericsson dispatch/radio system w/ 2 dispatch channels and a few dozen 'update' channels. I don't know the best way to describe it - all responding units goes to a channel for all communication related to that call. (Mutual Aid Channels?)

Just my .02.

[FFEMT1764]

i'm a firm believer that the ht1000 is the besty radio moto has ever put out.

You should get yourself a Saber then, older but even more reliable than the ht1000, plus it makes a great weapon!