NARROWBANDNARROWBAND

ANALOG OPERATIONANALOG OPERATION

WHAT IS NARROWBANDING?WHAT IS NARROWBANDING?

• DIVIDING OF FREQUENCIES IN ½

WIDEBAND = 25 KHz

NARROWBAND = 12.5 KHz NARROWBAND = 12.5 KHz

TOTAL OF 480 FREQUENCIES AVAILABLE TO ALL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

IN WIDEBAND WE HAD

TOTAL OF 960 FREQUENCIES AVAILABLE TO ALL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

IN NARROWBAND WE NOW HAVE

AVIATION COMM 2005AVIATION COMM 2005

• AS OF 1/1/2005 – NARROWBAND ANALOG OPERATION FOR FIRE

• COOPERATOR CHANNELS CAN STILL BE PROGRAMMED IN WIDEBAND ON THEIR FREQUENCIES

• ALL RECEIVERS SHOULD BE MULTI-MODE IN NEW APCO PROJECT 25 RADIOS FROM NOW ON

• DIGITAL IS NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL ALLOW FURTHER SPLITTING OF FREQUENCIES AND WILL PROVIDE FOR MORE FLEXIBILITY, MORE FEATURES, AND CLEARER COMMUNICATIONS

• DIGITAL NOT REQUIRED AT THIS TIME FOR FIRE OPERATIONS

• AIRCRAFT INVOLVED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS MOST LIKELY TO USE DIGITAL AT THIS TIME

• APCO PROJECT 25 DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT STARTED IN 1993. ALL AGENCIES NOTIFIED THEN. MANDATE TO GO NARROWBAND PRESENTED IN 1995 TO ALL AGENCIES

THINGS TO REMEMBERTHINGS TO REMEMBER

• NARROWBAND VS WIDEBAND– OLDER RADIOS THAT ARE NARROWBAND

ANALOG CAPABLE HAVE TO BE PROGRAMMED TO NARROWBAND, THEN TUNED ACCORDINGLY TO WORK PROPERLY

– ISSUE CREATED WHEN RADIOS NOT PROPERLY SET-UP

• NARROW TO WIDE = AUDIO LOW, TURN UP VOLUME ON WIDEBAND RADIO

• WIDE TO NARROW = AUDIO LOUD, TALK INTO WIDEBAND RADIO WITH MIC TURNED SIDEWAYS SPEAK ACROSS MIC NOT DIRECTLY INTO IT

• NEW RADIOS ARE CAPABLE OF OPERATING IN WIDEBAND & NARROWBAND ANALOG & NARROWBAND DIGITAL ON PER CHANNEL BASIS– WHEN PROGRAMMED PROPERLY NEW

APCO Project 25 RADIOS WILL OPERATE IN ALL CURRENT SYSTEMS

• USERS SHOULD SET COOPERATOR CHANNELS TO MATCH COOPERATOR SYSTEMS

• RADIO USER RESPONSIBILITY:– THAT ONCE SET, NOT TO CHANGE

FUNCTIONAL PROGRAMMING ON THE RADIO DURING OPERATIONS. ONLY CHANGE FREQUENCIES AND GUARD TONES.

– TO MAKE SURE RADIOS ARE UPDATED WITH CURRENT VERSIONS OF SOFTWARE.

• NIFC-NIICD WEBSITE– www.fs.fed.us/fire/niicd/Hotsheet/Hotsheet.html

• SELECT: RADIO SOFTWARE VERSIONS

• PHONE CONTACT: 208 387 5719

NEW AM ASSIGNMENTSNEW AM ASSIGNMENTS

• WITH THE SHORTAGE OF AM FREQUENCIES, ASSIGNMENTS ABOVE 135.975 WILL HELP TO ADD MORE CAPABILITY FOR FIRE

• DURING TRANSITION TO 760 RADIOS, ASSIGNMENTS WILL HAVE TO BE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR WHEN NECESSARY