PRESENT: P. Penniman, M. Robertson

STAFF: S. Whicher, County Administrator; M. Shakarjian, Capital Program Coordinator; L. Shurtleff, Director, Emergency Response; W. Skinner, Public Information Coordinator; U. Mukherjee, Administrative Services Coordinator

GUESTS: R. Webster, United Radio; D. Kiefer, N. Schuler, Board of Representatives; J. Lalley, Cornell University; B. Wilbur, Ithaca City Fire Chief; R. Flynn, Fire & EMS Chiefs Association; N. Huffman, VVFD; G. Sharshon, 911 Center

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting opened at 10:04 a.m. In the absence on B. Blanchard, P. Penniman chaired the meeting. He welcomed Mr. Webster, the guest speaker, and requested those present to introduce themselves.

ADDITIONS TO/DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA

None. 

PAGING DESIGN OPTIONS & SUMMARY

Mr. Webster began with a brief overview of the scope of the work outlined for United Radio on the paging project. He said the purpose is to provide the best coverage and minimize the need for new towers. Voice paging and other protocol were used to determine the viability of several different types of systems. Several equipment providers, all of whom provide digital services, have been reviewed. Two major players – Motorola and Glenayre – have pulled out of the paging business since September of last year. This minimizes the number and range of systems and products currently available, and those that may be available in the future. Mr. Webster considered these factors in his analysis and recommendation. ACD Telecom conducted a frequency search and recommended 460.275 as the frequency for licensing countywide. Mr. Webster based his various propagation studies on the recommended frequency and the details of tall structures provided by the County. As a result of this study eight sites have been recommended for siting simulcast equipment and provisions for adequate in-building coverage have been made. Another site (Mount Pleasant) will provide the main relay for the paging system, using a signal transmitted from the proposed 911 Center via microwave link.

He then distributed the United Radio report and commented on various aspects of the scope of work contained therein. The three main areas covered in the contract are as follows:
1) Frequency Search, work on which was contracted out to ACD Telecom.
2) Development of Proposed Design, which includes propagation maps depicting individual site coverage and simulcast transmission of the selected sites. Studies were conducted at various power levels and antenna heights for best placement.
3) Required Filing and Consultant Charges: Site selections have to be finalized by the County to  prepare FCC frequency license applications. All sites should be included in one system license.   

He mentioned two agencies which have expressed interest in partnering with the County for a countywide paging system: Cornell University and Mobiletech Communications (a letter was sent to Ms. Shakarjian from Mobiletech on April 15, 2002). In order to meet Cornell’s requirements, the paging terminal would require the capabilities of digital output for alphanumeric text messaging and is part of the proposed design. In reply to a question from Mr. Whicher regarding capacity of the proposed system if we partner with Cornell, Mr. Webster confirmed that the capacity requirements would be met. Mobiletech is in the process of building a statewide VHF trunked radio system (155 MHtz range) and they are interested in providing a digital-only solution on a partnering effort. However, they may be willing to provide voice transmissions for a number of years. The County needs to approach Mobiletech directly. The County would lease equipment on their backbone, and would need a switch for access to the system for public safety. Mr. Webster also said the report contains generic equipment listing as well as the specific options available.
 
Next Mr. Webster spoke on paging system coverage and the factors which determine this. He explained simulcast operation, which involves sending the paging signal from multiple transmitters at the same time, and its operational advantages. He discussed the paging signaling protocols and the advantages of digital transmission over analog, in particular its superior performance in the presence of signal noise. He described paging terminal capabilities as the crux of the paging system and touched upon the various capabilities of the proposed system. In reply to a question by Mr. Whicher, Mr. Webster said it would be necessary to get all the new pagers at a time. Mr. Webster explained the concept of continuous transitional programming to facilitate a smooth transition from the existing to the new system. The group briefly discussed voice versus alphanumeric paging. Mr. Webster clarified that the proposed system will have both voice and alphanumeric transmission capability but the pagers cannot have both the capabilities. Mr. Lalley was of the opinion that voice paging is on its way out. In reply to a question by Mr. Flynn on how the new pagers would work with knox boxes in Fire Stations and public buildings, which use tones from pagers as signals, Mr. Webster said United Radio will develop a strategy for this issue.
 
Mr. Webster discussed tower/site selections for simulcast paging transmitters. He said the first map in the report was the most important one while the others show details zoomed to different areas. He pointed out that new structures have been proposed on the County’s optioned sites located on Aiken Road (Enfield) and Taft Road (Caroline). He said guyed towers are less costly than self-supported ones but require more space and additional maintenance. Mr. Lalley estimated the cost of transmitter equipment at $22,000 and $1.5 million for the two towers, assuming towers of up to 180 feet. In reply to a question by Mr. Lalley, Mr. Webster confirmed that the system proposed for paging is not capable for two-way paging as the transmitters are not two-way and therefore the siting requirements may differ. Mr. Webster noted that the propagation studies are theoretical and obstructions not considered could alter the coverage shown. As such, the maps are engineered and not field-confirmed. He spoke of County responsibilities as detailed in the report and emphasized the need to provide/upgrade transmitter shelters, including adequate HVAC and grounding etc., in order to protect the transmitters. The cost for proper shelters was not included in his analysis.  

LOGICAL TRUNK RADIO 

Mr. Webster spoke on the potential usage of logical trunked radio (LTR) as an alternate communications system. They examined LTR for Cornell and found the costs would be considerably less. He said the system has a major drawback in that it does not conform to APCO 16 public safety communication systems standards. LTR does not support priority usage as the system does not utilize a common system controller. He pointed out that Homeland Security grants for communication projects insist on APCO 16 compliance. Further, in the present configuration, LTR can support a maximum of six transmitter sites, which is not adequate to cover the topography of Tompkins County as determined by propagation studies undertaken by NYSTEC. Mr. Webster went on to describe modifications to LTR that can be done. Using “Passport” technology, the single-site design can expand to six sites. He noted that Oswego County has a multi-net system on an LTR backbone, developed by E. F. Johnson, and they have six sites linked in this way. These changes make the E. F. Johnson multi-net system APCO-16 compliant. Mr. Webster was not sure what the maximum number of sites is using this strategy. 

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 12:08 p.m.
 

Submitted by Ujjal Mukherjee, Administrative Services Coordinator.