Grant application periods will close soon!

Our fire and rescue readers know that the grant application final submission date is May 20th, 2009.  Our question is, do you know that FEMA's primary emphasis this year is on Communications and Training? Did you know that a grant writer is available with a proven success record that can apply for a communications grant that can upgrade all radios for all departments in your county to full P25 digital capability for just $500? Did you know that the new system can include FCC licensing, repeaters, vehicle intercom systems, pagers, and vehicular repeaters at NO COST TO EACH DEPARTMENT? If you would like to know more, call us at 800.489.2611. In the meantime, more information is available at www.info4u.us/FireLetter042409.pdf. 

Law enforcement agencies also have the opportunity to upgrade to the benefits of P25 digital communications while retaining compatibility with older analog systems, either wide band or narrow band in neighboring communities. We offer a variety of other products for law enforcement including wireless stakeout systems, video surveillance and monitoring, and merchant assistance systems.  Additional information on our products is available at www.info4u.us/LawLetter042309.pdf. The Byrne grant application closes on May 18th, 2009. Our associate grant writer is available to help our law enforcement readers at the same low fee of just $500. Email us - sales@falcondirect.com for more information. You'll be glad you did!

The New Number Two In Wireless Communications

There has never been any doubt as to who is the biggest company in the communications business.  We all know that is Motorola. What many of us don't know is who is Number Two?  If you think it's ICOM, Johnson, or Kenwood, get ready for a shock. The new Number Two in wireless communications is the Harris Corporation, a leading military communications equipment supplier and a strong advocate of P25 technology.

Tyco Electronics has struck a deal to sell it's wireless system business (formerly M/A-Com) for 675 million to Harris Corporation.  Harris reported that the acquisition would be closed by the summer of 2009 and that Tyco's systems unit would be reported as a discontinued operation by the beginning of July.  This acquisition clearly places Harris as Number Two in size in for wireless communications manufacturers with a major emphasis on military and public safety communications.

Many in the industry had felt that the EDACS and Open Sky technology developed by M/A-Com was superior to the P25 standard. Apparently, the state of New York did not agree, and it appears that EDACS and Open Sky will follow the road paved by the 8-Track Player, Beta Max, and the Edsel.

For those involved in military and public safety communications, this would appear to be more verification of the acceptance of P25 as the U.S. digital communications standard.  Howard L. Lance, Harris CEO, stated that this acquisition would greatly expand the company's reach in the emergency communications sector, estimated be worth nine billion dollars and growing at 5% annually.  Harris is no stranger to the commercial communications sector, having been a major manufacturer of pagers, mobile phones, and high tier 2-way radios in the 70's and early 80's.

Tyco announced that the sale of the wireless business unit would allow the company to streamline it's operations.  We suspect that a secondary benefit would be the avoidance of a costly and contentious law suit with the State of New York.  

What does all this mean to our public safety users?  Basically, we see the Harris purchase as validation of P25 as the digital standard in the USA.  The net result will be a trend toward common operating systems rather than closed architecture, coupled with lower equipment cost evolving from increased competition.  We could be wrong.  We've been wrong before, but can't remember when it was.......

Digital Radio FAQ's

We received an interesting question the other day which we thought would be of interest to our readers. Here is the question and the answer. Hope you find this information useful.

Question: Is it possible for two different groups of digital radio users on the same frequency to conduct private simultaneous conversations?

Answer: One would think that this may be possible since typical digital operation is based on either time slot (TDMA) or frequency division technology (FDMA). Unfortunately, this is not the case. A “frequency” is a frequency and it cannot be divided into separate and distinct segments. If this were possible, each segment would in fact become a “frequency”.

An apparent exception is the Motorola MotoTRBO radio which is advertised to be capable of handling two separate communications functions (generally voice and data) at the same time on a single channel 12.5 kHz repeater. The truth is that a MotoTRBO repeater can handle two separate communications functions operating simultaneously. This is accomplished by splitting the 12.5 kHz channel into two separate 6.25 kHz segments or “channels”. The MotoTRBO system is based on TDMA technology. See www.info4u.us/TDMA-White-Paper.pdf for additional information on TDMA.

Neither NXDN (also known as IDAS by ICOM) nor P25 Phase 1(the federal standard) currently use TDMA. P25 Phase 2 radios will be based on TDMA technology, but from what we have seen, these new radios are beyond the price range of all but very large agencies. The pros and cons of the competing technologies is a subject for another time. Suffice it to say for now that a MotoTRBO repeater is the only repeater offering the ability to handle two communications activities at the same time. It is an excellent value, in particular, for those desiring to use both voice and data (GPS and Messaging) on the same 12.5 kHz “channel”

Conversely, the original XPR8300 series MotoTRBO repeater is not capable of mixed-mode operation (i.e. capable of handling calls from both analog and digital radios simultaneously). Both NXDN and P25 are mixed-mode capable which is a very attractive feature for those who are migrating from analog to digital over a period of time, rather than totally replacing an existing system all at once.

For those that don’t need mixed-mode operation, the MotoTRBO repeater system would be a good choice since the repeater costs considerably less than a comparable Kenwood NXDN repeater. ICOM offers a dual repeater package that costs only slightly more that the MotoTRBO repeater. In essence, the ICOM “dual” repeater provides the same functions as the MotoTRBO (i.e. two 6.25 kHz channels operating simultaneously) PLUS multi-mode operation. Additional information is available at www.icom.co.jp/world/idas/index.html. Current XPR8300 series can be upgraded to mixed mode operation, but the price is somewhat prohibitive as compared to the original models.

In conclusion, if you want two communications functions (voice or data) operating simultaneously, your choice is either MotoTRBO with no multi-mode capability or an ICOM dual repeater package. If you want three or more communications functions operating simultaneously, you will need a “trunking” system with compatible portable or mobile radios. That is a subject for another time. For now, please call us at 800.489.2611 if we can be of service in any way.

Great news for business, industrial, and school users

Back when times were a little more prosperous, it was not uncommon to use Nextel's in plants, schools, warehouses and other applications where wireless person-to-person communications was useful. Many users soon found out that the Nextels didn't work too well inside buildings, so they either had to stand by a window or pay extra for an in-building amplifier (a subject for another day). 

The cost of the Super Walkie Talkie rapidly rose from $25 per month to an average of well over $60 per month. Times are not so prosperous currently which has promoted many of these users to seek more affordable alternatives.  One solution is a device known as an Interoperable Bridge. The gadget at the upper left, known as an NCS-C250 is such a device.  With one of the these units, you can "bridge" a Nextel to airtime free radios such as the Motorola DTR650.

While it is true that you may spend a few dollars for the Bridge and the radios (Figure about $6K for a bridge and 10 DTR radios), it is equally true that the monthly cost savings can be significant! If we assume replacing ten Nextels at an average monthly cost of $50 each, our investment is recovered within just 12 months!  After that, you are SAVING $6,000 per year! Not only can the DTR connect to Nextel units through the Bridge, it also has many of the same capabilities (excluding phone) as the Nextel.  Additional information on the DTR is available at www.falcondirect.com/DTR. 

If you would like to know more about the NCS-C250 Interoperable Bridge, please visit www.info4u.us/ncs250. If you have any questions, would like a demonstration, or if you are ready to place an order; just give us a call at 800.489.2611.

Grant money available for Law Enforcement!

LAW ENFORCEMENT GRANT ALERT!

Deadline: 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, May 18, 2009

 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (known as the Recovery Act) provides assistance to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and other criminal justice activities to prevent crime and improve the U.S. criminal justice system while supporting the creation of jobs and providing resources for state, local, and tribal communities.  This support is available for the purchase of equipment, supplies, information systems, technical assistance, training, personnel, public safety software, and technology.

 

Edward R. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne-JAG) Formula

 

            Fully $2 billion has been made available for the Byrne-JAG formula grant program. The allocations for each state's jurisdictions have been set by the U.S. Department of Justice. Agencies can view what jurisdictions in their states are receiving at:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/recoveryallocations.html

These funds are distributed by state administrative agencies (SAAs). A list of SAAs is available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/saa/

 

Byrne-JAG Competitive Program

 

A total of $225 million has been made available for Byrne-JAG competitive grants, for which individual departments may apply directly to the Department of Justice.  The funds from the Byrne-JAG program can be used for equipment, supplies, information systems, technical assistance, training, personnel, public safety software, and technology.

 

How to Apply

 

To take advantage of the funds available through the Byrne-JAG program, law enforcement agencies must act quickly! See http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/JAGrecoveryLocal.pdf

 

Applications must be submitted through the online Grants Management System (GMS) of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP). Law enforcement applicants should begin the process immediately to meet the GMS registration deadline-especially if it is their first time using the system.

 

Each application requires a separate GMS registration. The registration process for an organization includes (1) obtaining a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number; (2) registering the agency with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database; and (3) registering with the GMS prior to applying.

 

Deadline for Grant Applications

 

Deadline: 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, May 18, 2009. Law enforcement agencies must act quickly to take advantage of the funds available to localities.

 

How to Apply

 

To take advantage of the funds available through the Byrne-JAG program, law enforcement agencies must act quickly! See http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/JAGrecoveryLocal.pdf

Applications must be submitted through the online Grants Management System (GMS) of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP). Law enforcement applicants should begin the process immediately to meet the GMS registration deadline-especially if it is their first time using the system.

 

Each application requires a separate GMS registration. The registration process for an organization includes (1) obtaining a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number; (2) registering the agency with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database; and (3) registering with the GMS prior to applying. Organization that have previously submitted applications via grants.gov are registered; however, applicants must update or renew their registrations at least one per year to maintain an active status.   For additional help with the GMS, call 866.705.5711.  

 

Other Programs

 

The Recovery Act provides an additional $2 billion in other grant programs for state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies:

 

• $225 million for Office of Violence Against Women programs, of which $175 million is for STOP grants and $50 million is for the transitional housing assistance grants program
• $40 million for competitive grants to provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement agencies along the southern U.S. border and in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas to combat criminal narcotics activity stemming from the southern border
• $225 million for Indian Country grants
• $125 million for assistance to law enforcement agencies in rural areas
• $50 million for Internet Crimes Against Children initiatives
• $1 billion for the Justice Department's COPS Office for the hiring and rehiring. These funds are administered by the COPS Office. For more information, visit http://www.theiacp.org/About/WhatsNew/tabid/459/Default.aspx?id=1088&v=1

 Law Enforcement Agencies may apply directly to the Department of Justice for these programs. For more information, including application instructions and deadlines and for an overview of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, visit http://www.ojp.gov/recovery/

A comment about "business models"

I never cease to be amazed at the new business terminology with words such as legacy, enterprise, and business model. Back in the old days we used a term called strategic planning (courtesy of the REAL General Electric, with whom I was privileged to serve). Earlier than that, the Russian communists developed the five year plan which was later adopted by John F. Kennedy. Business was modeled after the tradition of those who passed before with the primary objective of providing, income, employment, community involvement, technology advancement, and most important of all, TAKING CARE OF THE CUSTOMER!

Today's Business Model is often based on only one element - maximizing revenues. Gratefully, there are a few exceptions. A recently departed business friend was one of those exceptions. Ronnie was the owner of a small computer and typewriter service company. Somehow, I don't think Ronnie had a "business model". He just got up everyday, worked extraordinary hours and did his job.Tragically, he lost his life in a vehicle accident several days ago. He won't be around to tell you about his business model, but I think one of his customers expressed it pretty well.

You may be familiar with Merchants Circle. It's a web listing service that allows you to review information about local business which often includes comments by customers. I think the following customer comment from a Merchants Circle posting fairly well sums up Ronnie's business model.

I have used these guys for years and would highly recommend them. They are VERY reasonable in their prices, do great work and are not out to make their whole salary on each repair or sale. They will also take the time to tell you what they think is wrong and try to give you an estimate of how much it will cost before they start.

It may be too late for this business model to save Fannie Mae, GM, or even the U.S. Government, but for the rest of us, I think Ronnie may have left us the kind of business model that would profit all of us - both now, and hereafter. We'll miss you Ronnie!