COMPREHENSIVE RADIO ANALYSIS REPORT FINAL REPORT. SUBMITTED SEPTEMBER 2015 TO: Broward County, Florida

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1 COMPREHENSIVE RADIO ANALYSIS REPORT FINAL REPORT SUBMITTED SEPTEMBER 2015 TO: Broward County, Florida

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION METHODOLOGY... 6 INITIALIZATION MEETING... 6 USER INTERVIEWS... 7 WEB SURVEY... 7 INTEROPERABILITY INTERVIEWS... 7 RADIO SITE SURVEYS... 7 REPORT DEVELOPMENT FINDINGS... 8 TECHNICAL BASELINE... 8 System Descriptions... 8 Coverage Capacity Lifecycle Considerations Subscriber Units Frequencies Backhaul Connectivity Dispatch Neighboring Systems Intra-county Interoperability Summary of Technical Requirements OPERATIONAL BASELINE User Agencies Summary of Operational Requirements ANALYSIS COVERAGE CAPACITY SPECTRUM AND FCC LICENSING UHF ( MHz) MHz ( MHz) MHz ( MHz) Spectrum and Capacity INTEROPERABILITY ISSUES AND STANDARDS Interoperability Continuum Technology on the Interoperability Continuum SYSTEM LIFECYCLES RADIO SITES Grounding Mission Partners i

3 Site Security Uninterruptable Power Supplies DC Power Supplies DISPATCH CONSIDERATIONS CONNECTIVITY Leased Phone Lines Fiber-optic Networks Microwave ALPHANUMERIC PAGING FIRE STATION ALERTING ASSESSMENT SUMMARY AND OPTIONS SYSTEM FEATURES System Technology REDUNDANCY AND SURVIVABILITY MAINTENANCE COST ESTIMATES NEXT STEPS CONCLUSION APPENDIX A RADIO SITE EVALUATIONS APPENDIX B FOCUS GROUP SESSION APPENDIX C INTERVIEWS WITH DISPATCHERS APPENDIX D INTEROPERABILITY PARTNER INTERVIEWS APPENDIX E WEB SURVEY USER SUMMARY INPUT APPENDIX F WEB SURVEY USER DETAILED INPUT APPENDIX G EXISTING COVERAGE MAPS Mission Partners ii

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Mission Partners, Inc. (MCP) respectfully submits this Comprehensive Radio Analysis report to Broward County, Florida (County). The County contracted with MCP to assess its existing 800- megahertz (MHz) Motorola SmartZone trunked simulcast communications system, microwave system, fire station alerting system, and alphanumeric paging system, and to determine the best approach for replacing the systems and improving radio communications within the County. MCP s assessment focused on establishing both a technical and operational baseline for the existing communications systems. The technical baseline is objective and identifies the equipment that is in place today. To complete the technical baseline, MCP interviewed Broward County technical staff, surveyed radio sites, inventoried equipment, reviewed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licenses, and performed radio system coverage studies. The operational baseline is subjective and establishes the perspective of first responders regarding the existing communications system. To complete the operational baseline, MCP conducted a Web survey and focus group interview to gather input from the first responder agencies within the County. Interviews were conducted with representatives of the neighboring systems to gather interoperability requirements and determine pending system upgrades. The County currently is operating on a ten-site, 28-channel SmartZone simulcast system that operates on 800 MHz spectrum and serves more than 10,000 subscriber radios. The SmartZone system initially was installed in 1992 and subsequently was upgraded in Based on the information gathered, MCP determined that there are numerous critical issues affecting the current system. These issues include: 1. The SmartZone system includes numerous components that no longer are supported, including the prime controller and site controllers. This is mitigated by having a sufficient number of spare components. components, including Gold Elite consoles and Quantar repeaters, will reach end-of-life within the next three to five years. 2. The SmartZone system has experienced numerous recent failures that have impaired communications, including some events lasting several hours in duration. Most of the systemaffecting issues have been contributed to frequency interference (signals interfering and, most importantly, radio subscribers (maintenance and improper accessories). 3. Maintenance of the existing subscriber radios has been inconsistent. This has led to poorly tuned radios, causing them to affiliate to the system much more than normal. This begins to affect reliability, causing outages in the system controller. 4. When the SmartZone system approaches its capacity limit, it results in busy responses during peak usage periods, primarily reported in the morning and evening. 5. The current system design has single points of failure that can leave first responders with no way to be dispatched or to communicate for an extended time if a failure does occur. Those points include the connectivity to the two receive-only sites, maintaining both prime site controllers at the same location (gap in geodiversity), and single site controllers. Combined with the reduced reliability of aging components, the overall system is at risk. Mission Partners 1

5 6. The Tadiran CM6 microwave backhaul system has reached end-of-life and needs to be replaced. 7. The Unipage ultra-high frequency (UHF) T-Band alphanumeric paging system is well past its period of support and will need to be replaced. The system is operating with significantly reduced coverage due to equipment failures that cannot be repaired reasonably. The T-Band frequency currently being used for paging will need to be vacated prior to 2022 (per FCC mandate), and will therefore need to be replaced with a new frequency. 8. The Zetron Model 26/6 fire station alerting system is an aging technology that does not offer feature sets consistent with modern fire station alerting systems. The platform is still supported by Zetron, and thus does not pose an immediate concern. The wireless transmitter is a Motorola Quantar station that will reach end of life in 2020, and therefore needs replacement. The T-Band frequency currently being used will need to be vacated prior to 2022, and therefore will need to be replaced with a new frequency. 9. The SmartZone system has a coverage gap in the Deerfield Beach area and in the western portion of the county over the Everglades (down Alligator Alley). The system has a gap for inbuilding coverage in dense structures throughout the county, including high-rises, schools, and hospitals. Based on the results of the technical and operational baselines, MCP determined that the diminishing support for the existing systems and interference issues are the primary reasons the existing communications systems will need replacement. Supplementary limitations include coverage and redundancy, capacity, and the need for additional feature sets. Mitigating or eliminating these limitations should be the requirement of the selected communications system solution. The existing SmartZone communications system cannot be upgraded to meet these requirements in its present configuration. Therefore, a new public safety communications system is required. In addition, the microwave, fire station alerting, and alphanumeric paging systems will need to be replaced because they have reached end-of-life. MCP evaluated all available public safety technologies to determine what solutions are available that could address the gaps faced by the County. The analysis focused on solutions that would either maintain or improve radio communications within the County. The evaluated solutions included Project 25 (P25) trunking systems operating with either P25 Phase I and/or Phase II technologies. A replacement alphanumeric paging system operating in the general public safety frequency pool was identified as the optimal paging solution to allow users to reuse their existing pagers. An IP-based, loop-protected microwave system providing a minimum throughout of 150 megabits per second (Mbps), and connecting all radio sites and dispatch centers, was identified as the ideal backhaul solution. The first option evaluated by MCP is a 44-channel, P25 Phase I system to accommodate the number of reported active users on the system. The system must be built into two simulcast cells or geographic zones to accommodate the increased loading requirement, providing more talk paths than the existing system can accommodate. An additional 20 percent capacity was included for the roaming that would take place on these multiple cells or zones. The benefit of a Phase I system is greater capacity for Mission Partners 2

6 Phase I subscribers, allowing fielded XTS/XTL subscribers to be utilized by all agencies until their end of life. The limitation of a Phase I system is a more complicated infrastructure design, requiring more antennas and more floor space inside the shelter. The second option evaluated by MCP is a 19-channel, P25 Phase II system, providing a significant capacity increase with nine more talk paths than the existing system. The benefit of a Phase II system is that it maximizes the utilization of each frequency, requires fewer antennas (less loading on tower structures) and reduces in-shelter floor space requirements (minimizing power consumption, heating, and the need for additional shelter space). The largest limitation is that all fielded XTS/XTL subscribers would need to be replaced immediately upon system implementation, providing a significant cost burden on user agencies. The system also would make interoperability with Phase I subscribers operated by mutual-aid partners far more challenging. The third option evaluated by MCP is a 700 MHz, P25 Phase II, hybrid trunked simulcast radio solution utilizing between 25 and 30 channels across one simulcast cell. This option would replace the end-oflife components, provide improved coverage through additional radio sites, and improve reliability by including geo-diverse components and eliminating single points of failure. By implementing a hybrid system, the infrastructure would support a combination of Phase I frequency division multiple access (FDMA) traffic and Phase II time division multiple access (TDMA) traffic. This would allow approximately one-third to half of the system traffic to continue operating in the Phase I mode, enabling some user agencies to continue using the widely fielded XTS/XTL series subscriber radios, and to replace those radios with Phase II-compliant radios over the next three to five years. The exact number of channels will depend on the number of subscriber agencies that will be fully converted to P25 Phase II operation. Based on MCP s calculations, 30 channels are needed to provide a sufficient level of capacity for Phase I and Phase II subscribers. Coverage would be enhanced through the addition of radio sites, and capacity would be enhanced through the use of TDMA. The system will provide 36 talk paths, providing a significant capacity increase from the 27 talk paths available today. At the point that all subscribers are Phase II compliant, there will be 11 channels that surpass the capacity supported by a single simulcast cell. At that point, these channels could be configured as a second overlapping simulcast cell to be utilized for interoperability, data, non-public safety, or other functions that require overhead capacity. All of the evaluated options would provide improved coverage through the addition of radio sites with a delivered audio quality (DAQ) score of 3.4. MCP recommends an in-building coverage requirement for dense structures throughout the heavily built-up areas of the county. To accomplish this level of coverage, MCP recommends replacing the Tamarac and Deerfield receive-only sites with full transmit/receive locations on new towers. Additional towers are recommended in the Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, and North Lake areas, for a total of 14 full simulcast locations to enhance coverage in user-reported weak coverage areas. A five-channel multicast site is recommended along Interstate 75 to provide improved coverage in the western half of the county over the Everglades, providing a total of 15 sites. Mission Partners 3

7 Regardless of the option selected, backhaul, paging, and fire station alerting replacements will remain the same. In addition to the primary communications systems, the County should consider enhancing its backup capabilities to support communications in the event that the primary system becomes impaired or overloaded. Recommended resources include a mobile communications platform with a combination of transportable repeaters, gateways, cache radios, and control station-equipped workstations. Buildout of the proposed grant-funded Region 7 Regional Domestic Security Task Force (RDSTF) 700 MHz system will provide Broward County with backup capabilities that deliver limited in-street coverage (but no in-building coverage) in addition to enhancing interoperability. MCP recommends enhancing the RDSTF system to include four (4) total locations, providing in-street portable and a limited amount of inbuilding coverage. In addition, MCP recommends adding additional fixed conventional repeaters at locations spread throughout the County to provide backup capabilities in the event of a complete backhaul failure. Further, MCP recommends that user agencies on the Broward County system execute agreements with the independent system operators in the County to allow system access in the event that the County system is impaired or overloaded. In order to improve the effectiveness of these resources, as well as any other regionally fielded resources, a comprehensive training-and-exercise program is recommended for first responders and dispatch personnel. Cost estimates, based on budgetary pricing, have been developed for each option. These costs are inclusive of radio site electronics equipment, backhaul network, tower site facilities (i.e., tower and shelter modifications), paging system, fire station alerting, vendor services, and backup systems. The cost estimates are intended to be conservative to account for variability during procurement. The table below summarizes the estimated costs for each system option. Table 1 Estimated System Cost Overview System Option Description Total Infrastructure Price Option 1 700/800 MHz P25 Phase I $54,405,175 Option MHz P25 Phase II $40,631,800 Option MHz P25 Hybrid $44,127,050 to $47,014,550 The number of repeaters needed for either Phase I or Phase II is the main factor that affects costs. Upon selecting the desired system option, the County should budget the appropriate funds based on the cost estimates provided. MCP recommends a procurement strategy that allows for the separate procurement of system components, including radio, microwave, paging, and site development. Mission Partners 4

8 Splitting the procurement will yield greater cost savings by reducing the amount of subcontracting required by a single prime vendor. Based on the age of the SmartZone system, replacement is recommended as soon as reasonably possible. The Broward County system is the primary backup for all other systems in the county in the event of major failures of those systems. The typical implementation period for a radio system is 18 to 24 months. Consequently, given the necessary planning and procurement tasks, it may be two years before a new system is implemented and operational. With the challenges faced by the existing system, time is of the essence. The estimated completion date for all users migrated to the new system is the second quarter of The new system will contain a one-year warranty that will not require any maintenance fees to be paid, with the exception of tower leases, until approximately the second quarter of Mission Partners 5

9 1. INTRODUCTION The Broward County radio communications system is a countywide network that serves most public safety agencies within the County, with the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Coral Springs, and Plantation operating their own systems. The system is manufactured by Motorola and operates in the 800 MHz frequency band. The system began its evolution in 1992 as a six-site, 20-channel SmartNet system. Since then the system has received numerous upgrades with the agencies incrementally joining the system including Deerfield, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, and Plantation. The expansion included radio sites to add additional coverage and the addition of radio channels to improve capacity. With those additional agencies, the system evolved to the current state of eight transmit and receive sites, 28-channel SmartZone system with two additional receive only sites. In 2012, the County s central controller reached end-of-life. In order to extend the life of the system, the County entered into a leasing agreement with Motorola Solutions to operate on a hosted master site (HMS) located in the company s manufacturing facility in Plantation. The system is now facing numerous imminent end-of-support dates for critical components. Most notably, the site and prime controllers no longer are supported, and the system consoles and repeaters will be approaching end-of-life within the next three to five years. Supporting systems, including the microwave backhaul system, the fire station alerting system, and the alphanumeric paging system have all reached end-of-life as well. Based on the number of components that soon will reach end of life and the substantial investment that would be required to further extend the life of the system, the County determined that a system replacement is necessary. The County hired Mission Partners Inc. (MCP) to assist with the replacement of the radio, microwave, paging, and fire station alerting systems. Specifically, MCP will assess the existing system, evaluate user needs for the new system, and conduct a competitive procurement for a new Project 25 (P25) system to replace the County s existing radio system, as well as its microwave, paging, and fire station alerting systems. 2. METHODOLOGY This section provides a description of MCP s approach for assessing the various Broward County communications systems. INITIALIZATION MEETING An initial meeting was held with Broward County personnel on May 28, During the meeting, the project team reviewed the scope of work, agreed on content that would be contained in the deliverables and established a project schedule. Dates were established for staff interviews, site surveys, a Web survey, and the Communications Council and Radio Advisory Board meetings. Mission Partners 6

10 USER INTERVIEWS MCP attended a join public safety users meeting with representatives from law enforcement and fire/ems agencies on July 15, The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the plans and gather feedback from various agencies regarding the existing communications systems, and to understand the requirements for the new communications system. WEB SURVEY A Web survey was developed with input from Broward County personnel to obtain feedback from each public safety agency within the County. Specifically, the survey was distributed to all first responders within the County in order to acquire user feedback above and beyond the data that was gathered during the focus group sessions regarding the communications systems,. Users unable to attend the focus group sessions were able to utilize the Web survey to provide their feedback. INTEROPERABILITY INTERVIEWS Interoperability interviews were conducted with all of the jurisdictions that surround Broward County, in order to evaluate the interoperable capabilities that should be maintained and where interoperability can be improved. Additional information was gathered regarding pending migration plans for neighboring systems, in order to ensure that interoperability solutions are implemented that would accommodate any planned upgrades. RADIO SITE SURVEYS Radio site surveys were conducted to inventory the existing system infrastructure, assess the condition of the existing facilities and evaluate their ability to support new or upgraded equipment in the future. Radio site surveys were conducted starting in June 2015 and continued through July Current Broward County radio sites and dispatch facilities were surveyed. REPORT DEVELOPMENT MCP developed this radio assessment report based on the information collected. The report is divided into six primary sections: Introduction, Methodology, Findings, Analysis, Assessment Summary and Options, and Next Steps. The Findings section details all of the information gathered regarding the current system, and includes technical and operational baselines. The Analysis section includes a description of available radio communications technology and how it could be utilized to the benefit of Broward County. The Assessment Summary and Options section includes MCP s options for updating the County s radio communications system with an improved system targeted to addressing the County s needs. The Next Steps section includes the goals of the functional design and next steps for the procurement of the system. Mission Partners 7

11 3. FINDINGS This section of the report is split into two primary sections: the technical baseline and the operational baseline. The technical baseline identifies technical information gathered regarding the existing system, including equipment inventories, components, and other related information. The operational baseline identifies input from system users regarding the performance of the existing system, as well as the needs for the new communications system. TECHNICAL BASELINE The technical baseline identifies factual and objective information gathered regarding the existing communications system. Information has been provided for each of the four primary system components included within the study: the 800 MHz trunked radio system; the microwave network; the alphanumeric paging system; and the fire station alerting system. System Descriptions 800 MHz Trunked Radio System The 800 MHz trunked radio system is the primary means of communications for first responders operating on the Broward County regional radio system. The system is comprised of eight transmitand-receive radio sites, with two additional receive-only locations. All of the sites are arranged in a single simulcast cell, with 28 total channels. These channels allow for 27 concurrent talkgroup calls, with the remaining channel utilized for the control channel. The system operates primarily in analog mode, although five channels have been implemented with both analog and ASTRO Digital capability. The simulcast prime controller and system management terminals are located at the Broward County public safety building (PSB). The PSB previously housed the system s master site; however, the master site was removed once the County migrated to the Motorola P25 HMS. The Broward County simulcast cell is interfaced to the HMS through a SmartX gateway. All of the radio systems in Broward County are interfaced to the HMS, including those in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Plantation, and Hollywood. This configuration allows for wide-area talkgroups that are available on each of the various systems throughout the County. While Motorola now hosts the master site, the remaining devices are Model 6809 controllers. There is a backup co-located prime controller, but no backup site controllers. Each of the remote radio sites with transmit and receive capabilities are nearly identical. All sites, with the exception of two receive only tower sites (Deerfield and Tamarac), include a total of 28 Quantar transmit/receive repeaters, four separate 10-channel combiners feeding four transmit antennas, and two separate 24-port receive multicouplers connected to two receive antennas. A tower-top amplifier (TTA) is located on each receive antenna line. The repeaters are connected directly to the local Model 6809 site controller. Motorola TeNSr channel banks are utilized to interface site traffic to the microwave network. Mission Partners 8

12 The system s Master Site or Core location utilizes Motorola Quantro repeaters in place of Quantars due to the higher output power offered by the Quantro repeaters, which is needed to provide greater countywide coverage in the event of a system failure. Meanwhile, the receive-only sites utilize a combination of Quantar receivers and AstroTac receivers. However, the receive-only sites do not have combiners or transmit antennas, and interface to leased circuits rather than the microwave network. Figure 1 below displays the various locations on the trunked radio system. Figure 1 Broward County 800 MHz Trunked Radio System Sites Microwave A loop-protected Tadiran CM6 microwave network provides primary system backhaul. The Tadiran microwave equipment was manufactured by California Microwave and sold and labeled by Motorola at the time the equipment was installed; however, the equipment is now produced by Microwave Mission Partners 9

13 Networks. The microwave system utilizes the digital Time Division Multiplex (TDM) method to transmit and receive radio signals. The microwave links all operate in the 6 gigahertz (GHz) band, and utilize 8- foot microwave dishes. Neither Motorola nor Microwave Networks supports the Tadiran microwave equipment, so the availability of support and spare parts is limited. The network topology is arranged in a reversible dual-loop configuration, with the northern and southern loops connected through the PSB. With the exception of the PSB site, a failure at any location will not result in a loss of connectivity. Figure 2 below depicts the microwave network topology. Figure 2 Broward County Microwave System Sites Mission Partners 10

14 Alphanumeric Paging System The County s alphanumeric paging system is used as a backup dispatch system for various agencies within the County. The system operates on the Post Office Code Standardization Advisory Group (POCSAG) platform, and utilizes a UHF T-Band frequency. The system includes five radio frequency (RF) sites arranged in a simulcast configuration. The paging controller is a Motorola Unipage terminal located at the PSB. The transmitters are Motorola PURC5000 stations that have been out of manufacturer support since before Backhaul between the remote paging sites and the paging terminal is provided over the microwave network. The paging system is interfaced directly to the County s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. Separate CAD inputs are provided from each of the County s three dispatch centers. Pages are generated using information generated directly into the CAD system. No interface is provided between the paging system and the dispatch console system. The paging terminal and base station transmitters all are well beyond the vendor support period. At the time the study was conducted, only two paging transmitter locations were operational. The system has not been narrowbanded; the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required that all land mobile radio systems operating between 150 MHz 174 MHZ and MHz to convert to 12.5 khz-wide channels from 25 khz-wide channels by January 1, 2013, but excepted T-Band users. Nevertheless, the T-Band channel on which the Broward County paging system currently operates will need to be replaced prior to 2022, which is mandated by the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of The system is not supported by a maintenance contract. Figure 3 below depicts the paging system s transmitter locations. Mission Partners 11

15 Figure 3 Broward County Paging System Sites Fire Station Alerting The County maintains a fire station alerting system that is used for dispatching firefighters residing at fire stations. When a particular fire station is dispatched, the fire station alerting system sends a wireless signal that activates various sirens and lights at the appropriate station. The alerting system is based on the Zetron Model 6 and Model 26 platforms. When the CAD system recommends a fire station for dispatch, a signal is sent to the Zetron Model 6 unit, which encodes a frequency shift keying code unique to the station to be dispatched. The signal then is sent to a Motorola Quantar repeater for transmission of the wireless signal. Control stations located at each fire station receive the wireless signal. When a station receives an appropriate FSK signal, the Model 26 station unit activates the lights and sirens for that specific station. Mission Partners 12

16 Zetron Model 6 and Model 26 devices have been replaced with newer IP-based systems, and the Motorola Quantar repeater platform will reach end-of-life by Meanwhile, the wireless portion of the system, similar to the paging system, also operates on the UHF T-Band, so the frequency will need to be switched prior to 2022, as mandated by federal legislation. Coverage Radio system coverage is the most critical aspect of any communications system. Understanding the coverage provided by the existing systems is critical for determining the coverage that must be provided by their replacement systems. MCP has analyzed coverage utilizing a combination of coverage propagation modeling and user input to gain a complete understanding of how the system performs. This section summarizes MCP s findings pertaining to objective propagation modeling. 800 MHz System Coverage The 800 MHz system utilizes ten simulcast locations, with two of those locations being receive-only locations. The system initially was designed to provide in-building coverage for portable radios throughout the populated portions of Broward County. The original system was designed for 95 percent coverage within the County for 15 db medium buildings with a DAQ score of 3.0. During the original system design years ago, population was much less than it is today. The system was not designed to provide high levels of coverage in the Everglades, which covers approximately half of the County s geographic area. Capacity Capacity on the existing 800 MHz trunked system is based on the maximum number of simultaneous talkgroup calls. The current system operates in a single simulcast cell with 28 channels that support 27 concurrent talkgroups. When a talkgroup call is placed that exceeds the maximum number, the call is placed in a busy queue. Once a channel becomes available, the talkgroup is given access to the system and the call goes through. While the system as a whole supports up to 27 concurrent talk paths, only five channels on the system are configured for digital operation. Digital operation is required for encryption or interoperability with digital primary systems, such as that used by the City of Hollywood. The digital-capable channels can be dynamically assigned to either analog or digital talkgroups. The channels are set as a low priority for analog talkgroup assignments, so they will not be assigned to an analog talkgroup unless all other analog-only repeaters are active. A digital talkgroup call that exceeds the number of available digital channels will be placed in the busy queue. Based on observations of the ZoneWatch terminal, the system approaches the 27-channel capacity limit more often than preferred in random observations conducted during the assessment. Mission Partners 13

17 Significant system busies have been noted when school busses are on the road, due to the additional system load that they create. Motorola engineers also have identified that a large number of users attempting to access the system has caused an effect known as throttling in the Model 6809 site controller. When access requests exceed the capacity of the controller s buffer, the controller denies further affiliation attempts until the buffer is cleared. This results in system busy tones and/or NO COMMS error messages received by radios attempting to access the system. Lifecycle Considerations Lifecycle considerations are one of the driving factors regarding the need for replacing the County s 800 MHz system and the supporting paging, fire alerting, and microwave systems. Radio equipment vendors typically will manufacture a product for somewhere between five and ten years. After the equipment is no longer manufactured, the company will continue to support the product with spare parts, repair services, and technical support for an additional five to seven years. Once that support period expires, the manufacturer will support the product based on best effort, but will not guarantee the availability of spare parts or technical expertise to resolve any issues that occur. Parts and services may be available from third parties; however, such avenues of maintaining equipment are not reliable and may be cost prohibitive. The longer a system component goes beyond its lifecycle, the more likely the component will fail and the less likely the parts and expertise will be available to repair the component. With most of the Broward County system components being more than 15 years old, many of the components already are past their support dates. The remaining components will be approach end-oflife within the next several years. MCP completed a detailed review of critical components within the system, and confirmed the end-oflife dates associated with each component. Table 2 below identifies the implications of those end-of-life dates. Mission Partners 14

18 Table 2 Broward County Radio System End-of-Life Implications Component End of Life Date Implication 6809 Prime Site Controller December 31, 2009 The prime controllers coordinate traffic between all radio sites. Failures of the primary and backup prime controllers will result in a complete loss of system functionality. Failure of a controller at any single radio site will result in a loss of coverage from that site. Digitac Comparator December 31, 2018 Votes audio from the different tower sites. A failure of any one component will result in the channel being taken off the air across the system. Efratom GPS December 31, 2009 A failure of this component will result in a loss of coverage from the impacted site. The County mitigated the risk by having sufficient spares. Quantar Repeater December 31, 2020 Primary repeater platform used across the system. A failure of a repeater will result in the channel being taken off the air across the system. Gold Elite Console System December 31, 2018 Primary dispatch console platform used at each of the three primary County public safety answering points (PSAPs). A failure may impact individual positions, individual channels, or the entire center. Tadiran CM6 Microwave December 31, 2009 The system can accommodate the failure of any single microwave radio due to the loop configuration. A loss of multiple units on a ring will result in one or multiple sites going off the air. The County mitigated the risk by having sufficient spares. Quantro Base Station December 31, 2009 Quantro base stations are utilized at the Core radio site. A failure of any one station will take the channel off the air across the entire simulcast cell. PURC5000 Base Station No longer supported Base station platform used on the alphanumeric paging system. Equipment failures already have occurred with no spare parts or support available. The County advised users in 2012 to migrate to commercial based paging. Mission Partners 15

19 Component End of Life Date Implication Unipage Terminal No longer supported Single unit responsible for controlling the alphanumeric paging system. A failure will result in loss of the paging system. T-Bar Automatic Switch December 31, 2009 The T-Bar switch allows for the handoff from primary to backup components. This switch is utilized between the primary and backup prime controllers. A failure of this component will prevent the handover to occur in the event of a failure to the primary prime controller. Siemens Channel Banks December 31, 2009 The majority of channel banks in the system are Motorola TeNSr units. A pair of Siemens channel banks are utilized to connect the Tamarac site to the prime site. A failure of this unit will impact that one radio site. The County mitigated the risk by having sufficient spares. Badger Monitor System December 31, 2009 The Badger monitoring system is used to monitor radio site environmental alarms, such as site temperature, generator tests, and heating/ventilating/air-conditioning (HVAC) failures. A failure of this component will result in the inability to monitor events that could damage equipment. MCS2000 Mobile Radio No Longer Supported No Longer Supported MTS2000 Portable Radio No Longer Supported No Longer Supported Astro Spectra Mobile Radio No Longer Supported No Longer Supported XTS3000 Portable Radio No Longer Supported No Longer Supported XTS1500 December 31, 2019 Limited support and availability for flash upgrades to P25 Phase I ONLY by December 31, 2015 XTS2500 December 31, 2019 Limited support and availability for flash upgrades to P25 Phase I ONLY by December 31, 2015 XTS5000 December 31, 2018 Limited support and availability for flash upgrades to P25 Phase I ONLY by December 31, 2015 XTL1500 December 31, 2019 Limited support and availability for flash upgrades to P25 Phase I ONLY by December 31, 2015 Mission Partners 16

20 Component End of Life Date Implication XTL2500 December 31, 2019 Limited support and availability for flash upgrades to P25 Phase I ONLY by December 31, 2015 XTL5000 December 31, 2018 Limited support and availability for flash upgrades to P25 Phase I ONLY by December 31, 2015 Subscriber Units 800 MHz Trunked System Subscriber units represent a critical component of the Broward County communications system. With the average mobile or portable radio ranging in price from $4,000 to $6,000 per unit, the investment made in subscriber units often is near the cost invested in the system infrastructure. Subscriber radios on the County system vary greatly in vintage and model number. All subscriber radios operating on the system were manufactured by Motorola. This is due to the proprietary SmartZone technology on the existing system, which prevents third-party manufacturers from making compatible radios. Some radios date back to the original installation in the early 1990s. Some of these models include the MCS2000 and MTS2000 series radios. However, the majority of radios on the system are from the XTS/XTL series that was widely deployed during the 2000s. Some agencies have purchased newer APX series mobiles and portables, which are capable of P25 Phase II operations. Subscriber radio purchases, ownership, and maintenance are the responsibilities of the user agencies on the County system. Agencies have replaced radios over time based on their individual needs and subscriber replacement cycles. The only standard for subscriber radios on the existing system is that they must support 800 MHz SmartZone trunking. The County does not have any responsibilities pertaining to subscriber equipment. The existing subscriber radios are not consistently maintained to the same level of standards for all users. This has led to poorly tuned radios causing them to affiliate to the system much more than normal. This begins affecting reliability causing outages in the system controller. A preventative maintenance program for subscriber radios will help maintain the radios to consistent standards to avoid negative impacts to system reliability. As the County looks to implement a P25 system, many fielded radios will need to be upgraded or replaced. Many of the older fielded radios are no longer supported and cannot be upgraded to P25. Moreover, there are radios that are upgradeable to P25 Phase I, but not Phase II. The system migration path selected by the County ultimately will determine the subscriber radios that will need replacement. In addition to core hardware functionality, compatibility with P25 systems is dependent on the software options enabled in each radio. For most agencies, there is no clear record of whether their Mission Partners 17

21 P25-compatible radios were provided with the P25 features enabled. This will need to be provided by each end agency to completely determine the technical and financial impact. MCP reviewed subscriber inventory sheets from most agencies operating on the County system. Based on the total radio count from those individual inventories, MCP estimates that 10,427 primary subscriber radios are on the system, including 7,328 portable radios and 3,099 mobile radios. In addition to these units, MCP estimates there are an additional 3,000 to 4,000 subscriber radios programmed with the ability to access the Broward County system for interoperability purposes. Table 3 below summarizes the primary subscriber radios on the Broward County system by agency and model number. Mission Partners 18

22 Agency MTS 2000 Sa ber XTS 3000 Portable Radios XTS XTS XTS Table 3 Broward County Subscriber Radio Inventory APX 4000 APX 6000 Mobiles XTL 2500 Broward County Schools , Broward County Department of Detention APX 7000 MCS 2000 MAXT RAC Spe ctra XTL 1500 XTL 5000 APX 4500 APX 6500 APX 7500 Unknown Radios Broward County Fire Broward County Sheriff's Office , Coconut Creek Police Broward County Local Government 126 Dania Local Government 7 Davie Fire Davie Police Hallandale Fire Hallandale Police Hillsboro Beach Police Lauderhill Fire Lauderhill Police Lighthouse Point Police Lighthouse Point Fire Lauderdale by the Sea Fire Margate Fire Margate Police Miramar Fire Miramar Police Mission Partners 19

23 Agency MTS 2000 Sa ber XTS 3000 Portable Radios XTS XTS XTS Mobiles XTL 2500 North Lauderdale Fire Oakland Park Fire APX 4000 Pompano Beach Fire Pembroke Pines Fire APX 6000 Pembroke Pines Police Seminole Fire Sunrise Fire Sunrise Police Sea Ranch Lakes Police Tamarac Fire APX 7000 MCS 2000 MAXT RAC Spe ctra XTL 1500 XTL 5000 APX 4500 APX 6500 APX 7500 Unknown Radios Total , , , Table legend: Radios that are not upgradeable to P25 and will need to be replaced Radios that are upgradeable to P25 Phase I, but not to Phase II Radios that are upgradeable to P25 Phase I and Phase II Radios of unknown make and model. Mission Partners 20

24 MCP has included a description of each radio model documented to be in use on the Broward system, as follows: Portable Radios MTS2000 MTS2000 portable radios are older series 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold during the 1990s. These radios likely date back to the original installation. These radios have reached end-oflife and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. These radios are not upgradeable to P25 and will need to be replaced. Saber Saber portable radios are older series 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold during the late 1990s. Only a few of these radios were documented to be in use on the system. These radios have reached end-of-life and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. These radios are not upgradeable to P25 and will need to be replaced. XTS3000 XTS3000 portable radios are older series 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Only a few of these radios were documented to be in use on the system. These radios have reached end-of-life and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. These radios are not upgradeable to P25 and will need to be replaced. XTS1500 XTS1500 portable radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold primarily during the 2000s. The XTS1500 series was designed as a lower tier of trunked radios with more limited feature sets compared to higher-tier models in the XTS line of portable radios. These radios are no longer being manufactured but are still supported by the vendor. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I, but not to Phase II. XTS2500 XTS2500 portable radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold primarily during the 2000s. The XTS2500 series was designed as a mid-tier trunked radio. These radios are no longer being manufactured but are still supported by the vendor. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I, but not to Phase II. XTS5000 XTS5000 portable radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold primarily during the 2000s. The XTS5000 series was designed as a high-tier trunked radio. These radios are no longer being manufactured but are still supported by the vendor. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I, but not to Phase II. Mission Partners 21

25 APX4000 APX4000 portable radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios in current production. The APX4000 series is designed as a lowtier radio with fewer feature sets when compared with other radio models in the APX series. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I and Phase II. APX6000 APX6000 portable radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios in current production. The APX6000 series is designed as a midtier radio within the APX series. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I and Phase II. APX7000 APX7000 portable radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios in current production. The APX7000 series is designed as a hightier radio within the APX series, offering more feature sets when compared with other models. Most notably, the APX7000 is a multiband radio that can support operation in either the VHF or UHF bands, in addition to the 700/800 band. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I and Phase II. Mobile Radios MCS2000 MCS2000 mobile radios are older series 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold during the 1990s. These radios likely date back to the original installation. These radios have reached end-oflife and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. These radios are not upgradeable to P25 and will need to be replaced. MAXTRAC - MAXTRAC mobile radios are older series 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold during the 1990s. These radios likely date back to the original installation. These radios have reached end-oflife and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. These radios are not upgradeable to P25 and will need to be replaced. Spectra - Spectra mobile radios are older series 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Only a few of these radios were documented to be in use on the system. These radios have reached end-of-life and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. These radios are not upgradeable to P25 and will need to be replaced. Mission Partners 22

26 XTL1500 XTL1500 mobile radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold primarily during the 2000s. The XTL1500 series was designed as a lower-tier of trunked radios with more limited feature sets compared with higher-tier models in the XTL line of mobile radios. These radios are no longer being manufactured but are still supported by the vendor. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I, but not to Phase II. XTL2500 XTL2500 mobile radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold primarily during the 2000s. The XTL2500 series was designed as a mid-tier trunked radio. These radios are no longer being manufactured but are still supported by the vendor. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I, but not to Phase II. XTL5000 XTL5000 mobile radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios that were sold primarily during the 2000s. The XTL5000 series was designed as a high-tier trunked radio. These radios are no longer being manufactured but are still supported by the vendor. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I, but not to Phase II. APX4500 APX4500 mobile radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios in current production. The APX4500 series is designed as a lowtier radio with fewer feature sets when compared with other radio models in the APX series. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I and Phase II. APX6500 APX6500 mobile radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios in current production. The APX6500 is designed as a mid-tier radio within the APX series. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I and Phase II. APX7500 APX7500 mobile radios are 800 MHz trunked Motorola radios in current production. The APX7500 series is designed as a high-tier radio within the APX series, offering more feature sets when compared with other models. Most notably, the APX7500 is a multiband radio that can support operation in either the VHF or UHF bands, in addition to the 700/800 band. These radios are upgradeable to P25 Phase I and Phase II. Mission Partners 23

27 Paging Subscribers Paging subscribers for the alphanumeric paging system vary by model and vintage. Paging subscribers are the responsibility of each agency. Paging subscribers must meet the POCSAG standard in order to be compatible with the County s infrastructure. The current paging system operates in the UHF T-Band. The County s existing paging infrastructure is at end-of-life and will need to be replaced. The new system must be compatible with existing fielded POCSAG subscribers to ensure that replacement units are not necessary. Because the UHF T-Band must be vacated, an alternate UHF frequency must be identified in the public safety UHF general band. MCP reviewed the inventory of paging subscribers and determined compatibility with UHF frequencies in the general public safety pool (450 to 470 MHz). The primary pager model utilized throughout the County is the Apollo AL-A25 Gold. The AL-A25 Gold pager supports operation from 450 MHz to 473 MHz. This operational range will accommodate UHF channels that fall within the general public safety paging pools. Assuming an alternate UHF frequency can be identified, the County should be able to switch frequencies out of the T-Band without requiring agencies to purchase new pager units. MCP confirmed with the pager manufacturer that the subscribers can accommodate an alternate channel in the desired band. A pager retune will be required to reconfigure each unit. During the transition, the old and new paging systems will need to be operated in parallel until all units can be retuned to the new frequency and system. Frequencies The following sections detail frequency considerations for each of the Broward County systems: 800 MHz Trunked System The 800 MHz trunked system utilizes twenty-eight 800 MHz frequencies. Based on the current Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) design, these channels provide a total of 27 concurrent talk paths, plus one active control channel. The new system will require either 700 MHz or 800 MHz frequencies for operation. Depending on the specific design that the County chooses for implementation, it is likely that some reuse of the existing 800 MHz channels will be required. While there are 28 channels operating on the system, only 21 are licensed to Broward County. The Broward County School Board holds the license for the remaining seven channels. Depending on the system usage ultimately decided upon by the School Board, the seven channels licensed to them may or may not be available for use on the new system. The County has reported interference issues occurring on the existing frequencies, which may render certain channels undesirable for use in the new system. Further, if co-channel agencies have short- Mission Partners 24

28 spaced to the County s existing tower sites, it may prove difficult for the County to license additional tower sites. While all of the County s frequencies are in the 800 MHz band, the channels are split between the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC) range ( MHz) and the interleaved range ( MHz). Channels in the NPSPAC band are subject to regional planning and Region 9 must approve modifications. Channels in the interleaved range are subject to specific rules enforced by certified public safety frequency coordinators. In order to evaluate the presence of likely interferers or the ability to modify licenses in the future to add additional radio sites, MCP conducted frequency searches on each of the County s 800 MHz frequencies. Table 4 below summarizes the nearest co-channel and 12.5 khz adjacent-channel incumbent agencies. Table 4 Broward County 800 MHz Frequencies Evaluation Frequency Call Sign(s) Closest Co-Channel (km) Closest Adjacent- Channel (km) WQBC532, WQBC531 N/A N/A (School Board) WQBC532, WQBC531 N/A 42 (WPCJ404) (School Board) WQBC532, WQBC N/A (School Board) WQBC532, WQBC (School Board) WQBC532, WQBC531 N/A 42 (WPCJ404) (School Board) WQBC532, WQBC (School Board) WQBC532, WQBC531 N/A 42 (School Board) KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV305 N/A N/A KNJH368, WQAV305 N/A N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV305 N/A N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A Mission Partners 25

29 Frequency Call Sign(s) Closest Co-Channel (km) Closest Adjacent- Channel (km) KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV305 N/A N/A KNJH368, WQAV305, 140 N/A WNPH KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A KNJH368, WQAV N/A Based on its review of co-channel and adjacent-channel incumbents, MCP identified that the MHz frequency is licensed co-channel to the City of West Palm Beach. Based on the distance between the systems it is not likely that the frequency can be shared without causing destructive interference. Meanwhile, three frequencies licensed to the School Board were identified that are adjacent-channel to the system operated by the City of Coral Gables. Based on the current SmartZone system and Enhanced Digital Access Communications System (EDACS) operated by Broward County and Coral Gables respectively, the 20 khz channel bandwidth likely will cause interference. Once both of these systems have been converted to P25, the likelihood of interference occurring will be reduced greatly. Paging System The alphanumeric paging system operates on the UHF T-Band frequency. Based on the implications of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2012, the frequency will need to be vacated prior to With a replacement of the system planned, an alternate frequency will need to be identified in the general public safety pool (450 to 470 MHz) to allow reuse of the existing pagers. The channel was excluded from the narrowbanding mandate because it is in the T-Band. The license shows that only two locations are operating under the license, even though the channel actually operates at four sites in a simulcast configuration. There is currently a freeze on any licensing changes in the T-Band, so a correction of the license will not be possible. Fire Station Alerting System The fire station alerting system operates on the UHF T-Band frequency. This frequency also will need to be vacated prior to 2022 due to the implications of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of With a replacement of the system planned, an alternate frequency will need to be identified in the general public safety pool (450 to 470 MHz) to allow reuse of the existing pagers. Mission Partners 26

30 Microwave The microwave system operates in the licensed 6 GHz frequency band. Separate licenses are held for each fixed location. The microwave links will need to be reevaluated for the new system design. While some links might be reused within the new design, it is likely that new sites will require updating the microwave design and the associated path frequencies. Of the available licensed microwave bands, the 6 GHz band has the longest wavelength and therefore requires the largest microwave dishes. A reduction in dish sizes may be necessary if the County converts any paths to the 10 GHz or 11 GHz frequency bands. Backhaul Connectivity The County s microwave system utilizes Tadiran CM6 microwave radios powered by 48-volt, direct current (DC) power supplies. Each radio site includes a minimum of two microwave radios to allow continued operation in the event of a failure to any one radio. The system is arranged in a loop configuration, which can account for the loss of any one microwave path due to rain fade or a component failure, without impacting data flow over the network. The microwave system is based on a circuit-switched platform supporting DS1, DS3, and STS-3 connections, with up to Mbps of throughput per link. Motorola TeNSr channel banks are utilized to multiplex the various radio traffic sources to the microwave system. Figure 4 below depicts the microwave paths utilized by the Broward County system. Mission Partners 27

31 Figure 4 Broward County Microwave Paths Modern P25 networks operate on IP-based platforms. While IP networks can be configured to operate over legacy circuit-switched microwave links, an extra interface is required and additional latency is added. Regardless of whether the existing microwave system technically could support a P25 system, the system is no longer supported by the manufacturer and will need to be replaced. Backhaul to the HMS in Plantation is provided utilizing redundant leased Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) connections from the prime site located at the PSB. Connectivity is provided from the HMS to each of the regional dispatch centers utilizing redundant leased circuits. Figure 5 below summarizes the overall system connectivity. Mission Partners 28

32 Figure 5 Broward County Backhaul Connectivity Dispatch Dispatch centers served by the Broward County communications systems include three regional consolidated PSAPs serving most public safety agencies within the county; however, the cities of Coral Springs and Plantation operate their own PSAPs. The consolidated centers are located in Sunrise, Pembroke Pines, and Coconut Creek. The following sections provide detailed information regarding each of the centers. Mission Partners 29

33 Central Dispatch (Sunrise) Figure 6 Central Electronics Banks Equipment and Control Stations Central Dispatch is the largest of the three regional consolidated PSAPs, serving portions of the Broward Sheriff s Office, the City of Fort Lauderdale, and numerous other municipalities. The center operates on Motorola CENTRACOM Gold Elite dispatch consoles. The Central Electronics Bank (CEB) located in an adjacent equipment room provides control for the console system. The CEB is interfaced to the HMS utilizing a Motorola Gold Elite gateway to compensate for the varying signal formats and baud rates between the P25 IP master site and the legacy Gold Elite console system. The center operates 24 Gold Elite dispatch console positions. The equipment room has 17 backup consolettes, including ASTRO Spectra and XTL5000 models. Most of the backup consolettes connect to legacy systems that have since been replaced, and are Mission Partners 30

34 therefore not functional. Two consolettes connect to talkgroups on the Palm Beach County system for public safety interoperability between the two counties. The center dispatches for the City of Fort Lauderdale, which currently operates a SmartNet system and is in the process of implementing a P25 system tied to the HMS. If the County elects to implement a solution that does not require use of the Motorola HMS, a solution will be necessary to provide console connectivity for the Fort Lauderdale dispatch positions located at the center. North Dispatch (Coconut Creek) Figure 7 Central Electronics Bank Equipment Mission Partners 31

35 The Coconut Creek dispatch center serves portions of the Broward Sheriff s Office, and various municipalities operating in the northern portion of the County. The center operates on Motorola CENTRACOM Gold Elite dispatch consoles. The Central Electronics Bank (CEB) located in an adjacent equipment room provides control for the console system. The CEB is interfaced to the HMS utilizing a Motorola Gold Elite gateway to compensate for the varying signal formats and baud rates between the P25 IP master site and the legacy Gold Elite console system. The center operates 21 Gold Elite dispatch console positions. The equipment room has 12 backup consolettes, including ASTRO Spectra and XTL5000 models. The backup consolettes are programmed to the center s dispatch talkgroups for operation in the event radio consoles are inoperable. South Dispatch (Pembroke Pines) Figure 8 Central Electronics Bank Equipment Mission Partners 32

36 The Pembroke Pines dispatch center serves portions of the Broward Sheriff s Office, and various municipalities operating in the southern portion of the County. The center operates on Motorola CENTRACOM Gold Elite dispatch consoles. The Central Electronics Bank (CEB) located in an adjacent equipment room provides control for the console system. The CEB is interfaced to the HMS utilizing a Motorola Gold Elite gateway to compensate for the varying signal formats and baud rates between the P25 IP master site and the legacy Gold Elite console system. The center operates 18 Gold Elite dispatch console positions. The equipment room has 12 backup consolettes, including ASTRO Spectra and XTL5000 models. The backup consolettes are programmed to the center s dispatch talkgroups for operation in the event radio consoles are inoperable. The center dispatches for the City of Hollywood, which operates an ASTRO Digital system tied to the HMS. If the County elects to implement a solution that does not require use of the Motorola HMS, a solution will be necessary to provide console connectivity for the Hollywood dispatch positions. Logging Recorder Each dispatch center operates a Replay Systems logging recorder that records both radio and telephony traffic. The audio interface to the 800 MHz trunked system records traffic on a per-talkgroup and per position configuration. Once a new P25 system is installed, a new interface will be required for the radio system. These interfaces typically allow a direct IP connection between the trunked system and the logging recorder. A specialized programming interface will be required to connect the Replay Systems recording system to the radio system. Radio recording can be accomplished in this manner utilizing a single recorder at a centralized location. Neighboring Systems Interoperability with neighboring radio systems is critical to the operations of first responders. This section details the systems operated by neighboring agencies and any pending migration plans for those systems. City of Hollywood The City of Hollywood has a three-site, 800 MHz simulcast system that operates in a mixed mode configuration with public safety exclusively on digital. The system is tied to the Motorola HMS. While roaming (on wide area resources only) is technically possible between the Hollywood system and the County infrastructure, this method of interoperability should not be practiced in order to preserve capacity on the County system. Rather, because the County infrastructure adequately covers the City of Hollywood for most interoperable events, interoperability occurs on the County system. Mission Partners 33

37 The Hollywood system, like the County system, includes components that are at end-of-life and will need to be replaced. The City currently utilizes Broward County s system for interoperability and back up in case of a City system failure for public safety users only. While the County is responsible for the system equipment, the City is responsible for the towers, antennas, and ancillary systems (UPS, generators, HVAC, etc.). No plans exist at this time for replacement of the City system. Dispatch is provided for Hollywood by the County s South Regional Dispatch Center. City of Coral Springs The City of Coral Springs recently implemented an 800 MHz P25 Phase I Motorola trunked system tied to the HMS. Coral Springs subscribers are Motorola units programmed with Broward County talkgroups. Interoperability between County system users and Coral Springs users occurs on the County s interoperability talkgroups. The City currently utilizes Broward County s system for back up in case of a City system failure. Those radios that are P25 capable on the County system are not yet programmed to access the City system. Coral Springs operates its own dispatch center. Control station connectivity between the County regional s PSAPs and the Coral Springs system has not been configured. City of Plantation The City of Plantation currently utilizes Broward County s system for interoperability and back up in case of a City system failure. Plantation intends to continue to utilize the countywide interoperability talkgroups after the County s new system is implemented. The City is in the process of purchasing and implementing a new single-site, P25 Phase II system tied to the Motorola HMS. Estimated completion is first quarter Future discussion regarding the implementation of an ISSI connection will have to be directed to Motorola Solutions; however, the HMS does have an ISSI server available for use. Palm Beach County Palm Beach County operates a legacy Motorola SmartZone 3.0 countywide trunked system. Cross programming of the Broward interoperability talkgroups is provided on the Palm Beach system, with an Interlocal agreement (ILA). Users on the Broward system have radios programmed with talkgroups on the Palm Beach system based on need. Palm Beach County is in the process of procuring a new P25 system to replace its end-of-life infrastructure. Broward County also has radio consolettes programmed to Palm Beach County s public safety interoperability talkgroups for communications back to Broward County s dispatch center. Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County recently implemented a countywide P25 Phase I, 800 MHz system manufactured by Harris Corporation. The system replaces the County s aging 800 MHz Harris EDACS system. Mission Partners 34

38 Interoperability is accomplished between users on the Broward and Miami-Dade systems utilizing conventional interfaces. Miami-Dade has one control station configured to talk to a Broward County talkgroup for the police department. Broward County has four talkgroups set up on their system for Miami-Dade fire to come onto the County system. Miami-Dade fire also has the County s MEDCOM talkgroups ten, eight and five available. While some subscriber radios on the Broward system are P25 capable, none have been programmed on the Miami-Dade system at this time. Cross programming of the two systems will be readily available for all subscribers once the Broward system is converted to P25. Collier County Collier County is in the process of implementing a countywide P25 Phase I, 800 MHz system manufactured by Harris Corporation to replace its aging EDACS system. Interoperability between the counties typically occurs on mutual-aid repeaters. Subscriber radios historically have not been able to be cross-programmed due to the proprietary technologies operated by both counties. Cross programming of talkgroups will be available once both systems have completed their migrations to P25. City of Miami The City of Miami operates a legacy Motorola 800 MHz simulcast system. Subscriber radios are crossprogrammed between Broward County and City of Miami subscriber radios. The City currently is evaluating options for the replacement of its system with a new P25-compliant system. City of Miami Beach The City of Miami Beach operates a legacy Motorola 800 MHz simulcast system. While the systems are compatible, talkgroups currently are not programmed between Broward County and Miami Beach. The City is exploring funding options to replace its aging system with a P25-compliant system. City of Hialeah The City of Hialeah operates a legacy Motorola 800 MHz, 10-channel SmartNet 3.1 simulcast system. While the systems are compatible, talkgroups currently are not programmed between Broward County and Hialeah. The City is exploring funding options to replace its aging system with a P25-compliant system. Intra-county Interoperability Interoperability within Broward County is primarily conducted on the County s communications system because the system has both the capacity and coverage footprint required. Specific talkgroups have been defined for interoperable events, and are the primary talkgroups utilized for events involving multiple jurisdictions. In some instances, agency-specific talkgroups are utilized for multiagency Mission Partners 35

39 response. The regional interoperability channels are the primary talkgroups shared with neighboring agencies outside of Broward County for interoperability purposes. In addition to the regional interoperability talkgroups, dispatchers in certain circumstances may patch together two talkgroups in order to interconnect various agencies, utilizing the Florida Interoperability Network (FIN). Summary of Technical Requirements Based on the factual objective information gathered by MCP, the following list summarizes technical requirements for the County s radio communications system: Numerous system components already have reached end of life, the most critical of which are the Model 6809 prime and site controllers. Numerous other critical components will reach endof-life in the near future, including the Gold Elite dispatch consoles and the Quantar repeaters. With reduced system reliability due to age and a limited availability of support and spare parts, components replacement is necessary to refresh the system infrastructure. Several recent events occurred that resulted in the system failing to handle the traffic load of the subscriber base, which in turn resulted in dropped calls and failed call attempts. Motorola attributed the issues to the controllers failing to have the processing power needed to manage the system load due to the high amount of affiliations that are occurring because of improperly maintained subscribers. Several portable in-building coverage gaps were identified. Additional radio sites are necessary to fill in these gaps. Portable outdoor coverage gaps were identified in the western half and Northeast section of the county. An additional tower site is necessary to fill coverage within these areas. The system regularly approaches its capacity limits of 27 concurrent talkgroup calls. Additional capacity is necessary within the new system to account for current capacity levels and future growth. The microwave system has reached end-of-life, and should be replaced with a native IP system that will integrate with a new IP-based P25 system. There is a substantial number of fielded subscriber radios that are not P25 Phase II-capable. Any non-p25 Phase I-capable subscriber will need to be replaced. There is a substantial number of fielded subscriber radios that are P25 Phase I-capable but not Phase II-capable. These radios may be upgraded to operate on the new system if a Phase I solution is implemented, but will need to be replaced if a Phase II only solution is implemented. The alphanumeric paging is well past its end-of-life, and is barely operating with only limited functionality. A system replacement is required immediately to ensure continuous delivery of the paging service. The County s radio sites have been well maintained. Additional structural studies will need to be executed to validate that the towers can handle the load of both the existing equipment and the new equipment during the transition period. Mission Partners 36

40 Most of the County s existing radio shelters are in good condition. However, grounding and HVAC upgrades should be required at some locations. Most of the existing shelters have sufficient space to accommodate equipment for the new system. However, some equipment will need to be configured in a temporary manner until the old system can be decommissioned. Electrical loads and HVAC concerns need to be calculated to determine further risks of having existing and new systems operating simultaneously. Several frequencies were identified that pose a high risk of causing or receiving interference. Replacement channels will be necessary, along with additional channels to support added capacity if a P25 Phase I system is implemented. The County dispatches for the cities of Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. A dispatch solution must be implemented that can integrate with both the new County system, the Fort Lauderdale P25 system, and the legacy Motorola Hollywood system. The logging recorder will need to be integrated with the new P25 system. The paging system will need to be integrated with the County s CAD system. The fire station alerting system will need to be integrated with the County s computer aided dispatch software. OPERATIONAL BASELINE The operational baseline describes various user groups and feedback regarding the system. The purpose of the operational baseline is to determine the needs that the current communications system satisfies and those that it does not. Using this information, a set of requirements is established that defines what features the new communications system must provide. This section includes a summary of the agencies that utilize the Broward County radio system, feedback collected regarding the system during interviews with end-users and interoperability partners, feedback collected regarding the system from Web surveys and MCP s assessment of the most-critical system concerns that should be addressed in an improved or new communications system. User Agencies The Broward County regional communications system serves all public safety agencies in the county with the exception of the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Coral Springs, and Plantation. While all other municipalities are on the system, some have law enforcement and fire/ems services provided by the Broward Sheriff s Office. In addition to public safety responders, the system supports several County and municipal government operations, as well as operations for the Broward County School Board. Table 5 below summarizes user agencies on the system. Mission Partners 37

41 Table 5 Broward County Communications System User Agencies Broward County Schools Lighthouse Point Fire Broward County Department of Detention Lauderdale by the Sea Fire Broward County Fire Margate Fire Broward County Local Government users* Margate Police Broward County Sheriff's Office Miramar Fire Coconut Creek Police Miramar Police Broward County Local Government North Lauderdale Fire Dania Local Government (Ocean Rescue) Oakland Park Fire Davie Fire Pompano Beach Fire Davie Police Pembroke Pines Fire Deerfield (Ocean Rescue) Pembroke Pines Police Hallandale Fire Seminole Fire Hallandale Police Sunrise Fire Hillsboro Beach Police Sunrise Police Lauderhill Fire Sea Ranch Lakes Police Lauderhill Police Tamarac Fire Lighthouse Point Police *Broward County is migrating all County Local Government agencies to a local government only radio system by end of Summary of Operational Requirements The following list summarizes issues identified by system users or interoperability partners that need to be considered with the design of the system: Coverage The existing system does not adequately penetrate dense buildings, including highrises, schools, and hospitals. A greater level of in-building coverage should be considered to account for current buildings and future growth. Coverage also needs to be improved in the western half of the County (Interstate-75 and Everglades), and in Deerfield Beach (NE section of County). Capacity Capacity issues were noted by most user groups on the system. Capacity on the system needs to be improved. Many of the capacity issues are a result of subscriber issues, i.e. high number of affiliations and inefficient use of frequencies. In addition, users on other systems have the capability to roam to the Broward County system that starts utilizing channels on both systems. Reliability The system has suffered from numerous outages related to subscribers that have reduced confidence in the system. The new system must include added redundancy or capability in design to avoid similar issues. Maintenance Many agencies indicated that they do not have a preventive maintenance program for subscribers. Poorly maintained subscribers will contribute to the perception of poor Mission Partners 38

42 system coverage and performance. A preventive maintenance program is needed for all subscriber radios on the system. Paging Users of the paging system desire improved reliability, improved coverage back to original design levels, and continued support of the existing system until the point that the new system is installed. Fire Station Alerting Users had few complaints regarding the fire station alerting system. Requests were made for the new system to be backward compatible with the existing system. The system should support a flexible platform to allow stations to implement a variety of bells and whistles according to their needs. Dispatch Talkgroup capacity needs to be expanded to allow access to all possible tactical talkgroups that may be assigned. Data functionality Numerous features were identified as important or critical that require data functionality, including GPS, OTAR, and OTAP. Interoperability gaps were primarily with agencies on other systems, including State and Federal agencies. User training is necessary in the new system for both end users and dispatch personnel to review available and new interoperability capabilities. This would include when and how to use different talkgroups and other resources such as FIN. Opportunities were identified with interoperability partners for improved connectivity now that most systems are migrating to P25 and cross-programming of systems will be available Various subscriber radio esthetic features were identified as important to some agencies, including specialized knobs, screens, colors, etc. 4. ANALYSIS In order to establish a direction for the Broward County radio network, an analysis must be completed that reviews industry standards and trends, and determines which technologies will most benefit the Broward County user community. This section explores the various components and technologies that will determine the recommended specifications for Broward County. COVERAGE Coverage in Broward County was documented by MCP using a combination of radio propagation studies and feedback provided by system users (see Appendices E and F for user comments). MCP uses EDX SignalPro to conduct the studies by using the industry standard TSB-88 documents for as accurate studies as possible for public safety. Radio propagation studies indicate that the current system provides a high level of both mobile and portable outdoor coverage throughout the County s population center. However, portable outdoor coverage is unreliable throughout most of the western half of the county over the Everglades. Portable in-building coverage was evaluated at on street and 15 db of attenuation for medium-rated buildings and is located in Appendix G. Mission Partners 39

43 The in-building studies indicate that numerous areas exist that experience unreliable coverage on the existing analog system that appears as noisy or scratchy transmissions to users. Because every building is different, these studies do not guarantee that the radio system will cover any particular building. Conversely, buildings closer to tower sites will receive signal levels stronger than the minimum threshold on any particular study. Based on the in-building coverage studies, the portions of the county with the weakest coverage include the cities of Deerfield, Davie and Tamarac, as well as the western portions of Weston and Miramar. User feedback confirmed coverage problems within the areas identified in the propagation studies. In addition to these areas, numerous coverage gaps were identified in dense structures, such as high-rise buildings, hospitals and schools. Because these coverage problems are localized to specific buildings, it is likely that these coverage gaps are the result of building density. In areas where these in-building coverage problems are concentrated, it may be realistic to add a radio site or sites. However, it is not realistic to expect that sites can be added to every building. Once the new system is installed, coverage should be reevaluated in problematic buildings. If the coverage issues persist, Bi-Directional Amplifiers (BDAs) should be considered to improve in-building coverage. It is MCP s opinion that a greater coverage requirement is necessary along the eastern border of the county, where high-rise buildings are most prevalent. Additional in-building coverage is required in the cities of Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. Finally, coverage improvements are needed in the Deerfield Beach area and in the western half of the county over the Everglades, along I-75. Based on these requirements, MCP recommends the following coverage enhancements: 1. Replace receive-only sites in Deerfield and Tamarac with full simulcast transmit/receive sites 2. Add additional simulcast radio sites in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale to provide greater inbuilding penetration and ocean-front coverage 3. Add additional sites along the coast in the North Lake and Pompano Beach areas to provide greater in-building penetration and ocean-front coverage 4. Add a multicast site with five channels along I-75 in the western portion of the county This approach would result in 14 simulcast, transmit and receive sites and one multicast site, for a total of 15 sites. MCP will confirm the estimated number of radio sites during the design phase. CAPACITY Based on radio inventories, the Broward County system supports more than 10,000 subscriber radios from primary users on the system. In addition to the primary users, there are several thousand additional units that access the system for interoperability purposes, including regular access by incounty users from the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Plantation and Coral Springs. With 28 channels in the existing system, 27 active conversations can be supported at any given point in time. Feedback from radio system administrators indicates that the system regularly approaches its Mission Partners 40

44 capacity limit. User feedback confirms that busy signals are received on the system; however, users often cannot discern between a busy tone and a deny tone. Feedback provided by the radio system administrator indicates that the School Board is one of the heaviest users on the system. The system is busiest in the mornings and afternoons when school busses are active. Because trunked systems dynamically assign frequencies to active channels, capacity is defined as the probability that the system will not have an available frequency to accommodate a talkgroup request, resulting in the subsequent queuing of the call. Erlang C calculations can determine the appropriate number of channels for a trunked system based on the number of active users, the average number of calls per hour, and the average duration of each call. Based on the user survey results provided in Appendix F, MCP evaluated the GoS based on the reported number of active number of radio users that are on shift at any one point in time. This provides an approximate 4,848 active users with an average of five calls per hour and an average duration of four seconds. Table 6 below summarizes the results of the Erlang C calculations for the 4,848 active users. Table 6 Erlang C Calculations Reported System Erlangs # Of Users Average Call Duration # of Calls per Hour Acceptable Queued Call Delay (in seconds) Maximum # of Voice Channels , Number of Voice Channels Probability Call Request Blocked Average Queue Depth Average Call Delay Queued Call Delay (in seconds) Arbitrary Call Delay % Calls Exceeding Acceptable Queued Call Delay % % % % % % % % % Mission Partners 41

45 Consequently, additional capacity is required in order to: limit future busies; accommodate increased interoperability access from neighboring agencies migrating to P25; account for increased surge capacity; and account for the potential addition of Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood users. Additional capacity can be accomplished through multiple simulcast cells (or zones) if a P25 Phase I design is implemented, or through the implementation of time division multiple access (TDMA) technology with a P25 Phase II design. Capacity would be increased because TDMA provides two talk paths for every one frequency. SPECTRUM AND FCC LICENSING Frequency acquisition is one of the most challenging, time consuming, and uncertain aspects of any radio system implementation. In many cases, the availability of frequencies can dictate the frequency band in which a system is constructed. This section addresses the strengths and weaknesses of each available public safety frequency band, as well as the frequency availability in each band. UHF ( MHz) The UHF frequency band covers the range from 450 MHz to 512 MHz. The upper portion of the band (470 to 512 MHz) encompasses the UHF T-Band that Broward County currently utilizes for its paging and fire station alerting systems. The lower portion of the band (450 to 470 MHz) includes the general public safety and industrial/business frequency pools. UHF band is heavily utilized in the region by municipal public works systems, including the MOTOTRBO system implemented by Broward County. The UHF band provides fixed offsets between transmit and receive frequencies, thus supporting the use of repeater systems. As indicated previously, the federal government has mandated that agencies vacate the T-Band prior to 2022 as a condition of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of No information has been provided that would indicate public safety agencies will be provided relief for systems operating in the T-Band. Most recently, the FCC has prioritized portions of the 700 MHz band for agencies vacating the T-Band. MCP is aware of several agencies around the country that already are taking action to move operations out of the T-Band and to the 700 MHz band at their own expense. These changes require complete system overhauls involving subscriber unit and infrastructure replacements. Based on the pending requirement to vacate the T Band, the ideal option for the paging and fire station alerting systems would be to find UHF channels in the 450 to 470 MHz general public safety pool. An alternate frequency would ensure that the County does not need to consider another upgrade within the next five to seven years, would allow for the reuse of existing subscribers, and would permit a phased cutover where both the existing and new systems could operate in parallel until the new system is constructed. Mission Partners 42

46 MCP conducted a frequency search of the UHF public safety pool frequencies and identified the channels listed in Table 7 below for consideration. MCP notes that many of these channels already are licensed to municipalities in Broward County. Consequently, the County would need to work with these agencies to identify which channels are not in use and could be repurposed for the paging or fire station alerting systems. Table 7 Potential UHF Frequencies for Use by Broward County Frequency (MHz) Closest Incumbent Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue (WPGV944) Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue (WPGV944) City of Oakland Park (WQRJ623) Cooper City (WQGF266) Broward Sheriff s Office (WPUI538) City of Pembroke Pines (WQHI932) City of Coral Springs (WPUE349) Broward County (WQVQ763) Broward County (WQVQ763) Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue (WPGV944) City of Pompano Beach Utilities Department (WPGI658) Broward County (WQVQ763) Broward County (WQVQ763) Broward County (WQVQ763) Broward County (WQVQ763) City of Coral Springs (WPJZ727) Broward County (WQVQ763) Closest Co-Channel Excluding Incumbent (km) Mission Partners 43

47 Frequency (MHz) Closest Incumbent Broward Sheriff s Office (WPUI537) City of Pembroke Pines (WQJG980) City of Sunrise (KRA368) Broward County (WQVQ763) The School Broward of Broward Count, FL (KNBL836) City of Sunrise (KRA368) City of Hallandale Beach (WPHJ772) South Broward Hospital District (WPUH654) City of Miramar (WPAU930) City of Fort Lauderdale (KNCM867) City of Fort Lauderdale, (KNCM867) City of Fort Lauderdale (KNCM867) City of Fort Lauderdale (KNCM867) Broward County (WQVQ763) City of Lauderhill (WRU991) Broward County (WPKT964) City of Margate (WPLY494) Broward County (WPKT964) Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue (WPWD481) Broward County (WPTK964) Closest Co-Channel Excluding Incumbent (km) Mission Partners 44

48 Based on MCP s evaluation of these frequencies, the two that would be best for the fire station alerting and paging systems are MHz and MHz. Both of these channels already are licensed to Broward County and are clear with sufficient co-channel spacing to operate with minimal risk of causing interference. In the event that these channels cannot be used, the MHz frequency, also licensed to Broward County, likely could be licensed. The next best alternatives are MHz (licensed to the City of Margate), MHz (licensed to Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue), and MHz (licensed to the City of Fort Lauderdale). 800 MHz ( MHz) Frequencies in the 800 MHz band are pre-paired for repeater operations, with mobile frequencies 45 MHz below the base frequencies. The frequencies are assigned in two licensing pools: the interleaved band, which is governed by frequency coordination rules ( MHz); and the NPSPAC band, which is governed by regional planning committees ( MHz). The 800 MHz band is heavily encumbered and frequency acquisition will be more limited. The 800 MHz frequency band is the band used by the current trunking system. This frequency band has been widely deployed throughout the region, and is used by most of the primary trunked communications systems in south Florida. Broward County is licensed for 22 channels in the 800 MHz band, 21 of which are sufficiently clear to be relicensed for the new communications system. There are seven additional channels in use by the County that are licensed to the Broward County School Board that are sufficiently clear to be used within the new system. However, based on how highly encumbered the 800 MHz band is, it is not likely that additional 800 MHz channels could be secured to support increased capacity. 700 MHz ( MHz) Frequencies in the 700 MHz band are pre-paired for repeater operations, with mobile frequencies 30 MHz above the base frequencies. The 700 MHz frequency band provides the most likely source of spectrum for Broward County. The band is not heavily encumbered and frequency assignments already have been made to Broward County. Twenty-five 25-kHz channel blocks in this band are assigned for use within the County. Of those 25 channels, MCP identified applications submitted by Broward County to Region 9 for 20 channels. Those channels show an approval date of January 25, 2011, by the RPC, but do not appear to ever have been licensed. A frequency search confirms that those channels are still available should Broward County choose to implement them. Table 8 below summarizes the 700 MHz channel allotments for use in Broward County. Mission Partners 45

49 Table MHz Frequencies Available for Use in Broward County Class Bandwidth Channel Base Frequency Mobile Frequency Notation General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz RDSTF Project Reserved General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz RDSTF Project Reserved General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz RDSTF Project Reserved General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz RDSTF Project Reserved General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz RDSTF Project Reserved General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending General Use Voice 25.0KHz Application Pending Use of the 700 MHz frequency band requires systems to operate with digital modulation and to have radios that are capable of accessing the 700 MHz interoperability channels in the P25 conventional mode. There were limitations previously that required systems to operate with a 6.25 khz channel efficiency by 2018, which would require P25 Phase II systems with TDMA capabilities. This requirement has since been eliminated by the FCC, allowing the use of Phase I FDMA systems for the foreseeable future. Mission Partners 46

50 Spectrum and Capacity Based on the heavy loading levels on the existing 28-channel system and the potential for increased user groups on the system from the cities of Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale, a substantial increase in capacity is recommended. Based on the design options provided, the capacity increase will be accomplished through the addition of channels if a Phase I design is selected, or through conversion to TDMA if a Phase II design is selected. The maximum number of conversations supported by a single Phase I simulcast cell is 29 for a maximum 30 RF channels. The maximum number of conversations supported by a single Phase II simulcast cell is 36 for a maximum 19 RF channels. When more than maximum channels exist on any one cell, there is a higher probability that collisions can occur, which would result in subscribers being denied access to the system. The alternative approach to expanding capacity beyond a single simulcast cell is to construct a separate simulcast cell with the same geographic footprint. This approach essentially requires building a separate system with identical site locations and coverage footprint. An overlapping simulcast cell design is not recommended due to reduced trunking efficiency from splitting the channels, and the potential for cross-zone roaming between the two cells. Assuming a P25 Phase I design, 44 channels will be required for the primary zone and an additional five for the multicast site totaling 49 channels. The County could reasonably secure 20 channels in the 700 MHz band allocated for use to Broward County in the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) Computer Assisted Pre-coordination Resource and Database (CAPRAD). The remaining 29 channels would be pulled from the County s pool of 20 licensed 800 MHz channels that have sufficient co-channel spacing from incumbents. This still leaves an additional nine channels required to build the system yet to be identified. This introduces a risk factor to acquire all the channels necessary. This approach would require a combination of 700 MHz and 800 MHz antenna systems to accommodate repeaters operating in both frequency bands. Combiners and antennas are available that cover both bands, so this is a challenge that can easily be overcome but it will severely impact the equipment at the sites and loading on the towers. Likewise, a hybrid design with 35 channels would require the use of both 700 and 800 MHz spectrum. If a P25 Phase II design is selected, then 19 frequencies will be required for the primary zone and an additional five for the multicast site totaling 24 channels. For this approach, migration entirely to the 700 MHz band would be recommended for the primary zone. Migration to 700 MHz entirely would greatly simplify the cutover process since none of the existing channels would be utilized on the new system. This would allow both the old and new systems to remain entirely functional for an extended period of time, allowing users adequate time to cut over their operations. License modifications will be required regardless of the option selected. Acquiring the 700 MHz channels will require filing of an application with the Region 9 RPC. An application previously was submitted by Broward County in 2010 for 20 channels. The application was approved by the Region 9 RPC, but the County was not allowed to proceed due to the build out requirements. These channels still appear to be clear and Broward County still should be able to license them. Mission Partners 47

51 Modification of the County s 800 MHz allotments will require filing with a certified public safety frequency coordinator. All of the channels fall within the 800 MHz interleaved pool and therefore approval through the RPC is not required. Radio sites can be added on these channels as long as they are separated by more than 113 kilometers (km) from other co-channel incumbent licensees. Twenty of the County s 21 licensed channels will satisfy this requirement. Meanwhile, alternate channels are needed for the alphanumeric paging system and for the fire station alerting system if a wireless triggering solution is implemented. MCP identified two UHF channels in the general public safety pool that are licensed for low-power, mobile-only usage, and which are clear enough to support the paging and fire station alerting systems. MCP confirmed that these channels are used by the Broward Sheriff s Office for special weapons and tactics (SWAT) operations. MCP recommends repurposing these channels for the paging and fire station alerting systems, and licensing alternate channels for SWAT operations. The microwave system operates on the licensed 6 GHz frequency band. This frequency band is recommended for continued use due to its resistance to rain fade. Once the microwave design is finalized, a filing will need to be made with a certified microwave coordinator. INTEROPERABILITY ISSUES AND STANDARDS One of the primary goals of any communications systems is to provide interoperability for emergency response personnel. MCP s assessment of interoperable communications in the County is based on the Interoperability Continuum developed by the federal SAFECOM program and adopted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the national standard for evaluating interoperable communications. The Interoperability Continuum provides a basis for planning both tactical interoperable communications programs and strategic initiatives to improve interoperable communications. Federal grant programs that provide funding for interoperable communications initiatives use the goals and standards encompassed in the Interoperability Continuum. The information that follows provides a foundation for MCP s approach to assessing interoperable communications. Interoperability Continuum Interoperability planning should be based on the principles developed by the SAFECOM program including the Interoperability Continuum, which is depicted in Figure 9 below for achieving effective communications interoperability. Mission Partners 48

52 Figure 9 SAFECOM Interoperability Continuum The Interoperability Continuum was established to depict the core facets of interoperability, according to the stated needs and challenges of the emergency response community. It will aid emergency responders and policymakers in their short- and long-term interoperability efforts, as they plan and implement interoperability solutions. Making progress in all aspects of interoperability is essential, because the elements are interdependent. Therefore, to gain a true picture of a region's interoperability, progress along all five elements of the Interoperability Continuum must be considered together. For example, when a region procures new equipment, that region should plan training and conduct exercises to make the best use of that equipment. Technology on the Interoperability Continuum Since this assessment is based primarily on radio technology, MCP focused on how current and future technologies might support effective interoperability for first responders within Broward County. Mission Partners 49

53 Although technology is a critical tool for improving interoperability, it is not the sole driver of an optimal solution. Success in each of the other elements is essential to the proper use and implementation of technology, and should drive its procurement. Technology is highly dependent upon existing infrastructure within a region. Multiple technology solutions may be required to support large events. The Interoperability Continuum identifies five levels of technology from least effective to most effective: Swap radios Swapping radios or maintaining a cache of standby radios is an age-old solution that is time-consuming, management-intensive, and may provide only limited results due to channel availability Gateways Gateways retransmit across multiple frequency bands providing an interim interoperability solution as agencies move toward shared systems. Gateways, however, are inefficient in that they require twice as much spectrum because each participating agency must use at least one channel in each band per common talk path, and because they are tailored for communications within the geographic coverage area common to all participating systems within the region Shared channels Interoperability is promoted when agencies share a common frequency band, air interface (analog or digital) and are able to agree on common channels. However, the general frequency congestion that exists across the United States can place severe restrictions on the number of independent interoperability talk paths available in some bands Proprietary shared systems, and standards-based shared systems Regional shared systems provide the optimal solution to interoperability. While proprietary systems limit the user's choice of product with regard to manufacturer, standards-based shared systems promote competitive procurement and a wide selection of products to meet specific user needs. With proper planning of the talkgroup architecture, interoperability is provided as a byproduct of system design, thus creating an optimal technology solution Swapping Radios (Radio Caches) Swapping radios, by maintaining radio caches, is one way to provide interoperability among agencies jointly responding to an incident. Radio caches allow on-scene responders from all agencies to swap incompatible radios. This allows all responders to use a common, compatible set of radios. For a radio cache to be an effective shared resource, it should have the following characteristics: Be fully charged and maintained, ready for deployment at all times Include extra charged batteries for extended deployments Provide personnel to transport the radios to the incident scene Provide technicians for on-scene support during the deployment Provide check-out and tracking procedures during the incident to assure that the radios are properly returned to the cache following the incident Mission Partners 50

54 Radio caches are maintained by several agencies within Broward County. In addition to in-county caches, deployable assets equipped with radio caches are operated by numerous agencies in south Florida that are available to any requesting agency. Radio caches represent one of the primary tools available in Broward County to support interoperability with agencies operating in the VHF or UHF frequency bands, with radios not properly programmed to operate on the Broward County system, or with no radios at all. They represent the most reliable way to establish communications when no other radio infrastructure is present. However, the use of radio caches as the sole method to achieve interoperability is not desired. Properly maintaining a radio cache and assuring that radios are always ready to be used is labor intensive and time consuming. Also, users of cache radios may not be familiar with the equipment or the system. In addition, resources are limited to the number of cache radios, which typically is insufficient in the event of a major disaster when many users must operate on a neighboring system. While it certainly would be desirable to eliminate the need to maintain two radio platforms to provide mutual-aid communications with neighboring jurisdictions, it is important to point out that interoperable gateways require overlapping coverage from both systems to be effective. It is likely that this requirement will not be met when users are responding to another jurisdiction in order to provide mutual-aid. For this reason, cache radios can be an effective tool when other interoperability solutions are not available. During a major disaster, emergency response agencies from all over the state or country may respond. During these events, all aspects of the interoperability continuum become critical, including cache radios. Interoperable Gateways Gateway systems provide connections between two or more radio networks, allowing users on one network to communicate with users on other networks. For example, a group of users on an 800 MHz channel used by Agency A can be connected to a group of users on a VHF channel used by Agency B. The interconnection is created when two or more radio channels or voice paths are connected to each other via a gateway device, such as a console patch. Gateway systems can be configured to support any number of channels. Using gateway systems, usually through a dispatch console, a dispatch operator can select the appropriate channels to interconnect. With many gateways, multiple interconnect sessions involving distinct groups can be established at any given time by the gateway operator. The maximum number of simultaneous interconnect sessions in progress depends on the gateway system. Gateway systems typically are used in regions where there is overlapping coverage of participating radio communications systems. For example, two agencies responding to an incident can have channels from their respective communications networks interconnected; however, this is only useful if the coverage area of each network includes the incident location. An agency must be able to access its own communications network. Thus, the service areas for a gateway system generally are restricted to the overlapping service area of all participating agencies. Mission Partners 51

55 Mobile gateways refer to field-deployable devices that can be used to enhance tactical interoperability. Mobile gateways are the most useful when agencies do not have overlapping coverage and must respond to a localized event, such as a rural brush fire. The gateway allows for the interconnection of simplex channels in different frequency bands, and permits localized interoperability within the limited coverage area of the gateway transmitters and antenna systems. The problem with these systems is the time delay associated with deploying the equipment and training limitations due to the infrequent use of equipment. There are numerous gateway systems available in Broward County. The most commonly used gateway is the Gold Elite dispatch consoles operated at the consolidated Broward County PSAPs. Most neighboring systems have talkgroups tied to the console system through conventional gateways, allowing dispatchers to patch those talkgroups to talkgroups on the Broward County system. This patching solution is effective where there is overlapping coverage, particularly along the borders between Broward County and either Miami-Dade or Palm Beach counties. There are numerous deployable gateways maintained by various agencies throughout the county. In addition to gateways within the County, the State of Florida operates a network of MOTOBRIDGE gateways connected to various systems and interoperability repeaters throughout the state. The Florida Interoperability Network (FIN) provides a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) access portal where agencies can establish patches, remotely monitor station traffic, and activate repeaters that are otherwise left in the receive-only mode. While gateway systems can be an effective tool in certain circumstances, there are also challenges with gateway use. If too many channels are patched together, the result may be a single congested channel that is not operationally useable and which utilizes a large number of system resources. Also, patches typically can be removed only by the original creator. If someone forgets to disable a patch, communications can be impaired once the need is diminished. While gateways are an effective method to establish interoperability, they are not the ideal method due to the need for overlapping coverage and the loading of channels in multiple systems. However, situations certainly exist where patching is an effective interoperability tool. Consequently, continued use of patching systems would be an effective part of the solution to meet the interoperability needs of Broward County users. Shared Channels Shared channels refer to common frequencies that have been established and are programmed into radios to provide direct interoperable communications among disparate agencies. In order to use this option, all user radios must be capable of operating on the same frequency band with the same modulation scheme. Shared channels and shared systems are the only types of interoperable communications equipment that are always available, because no third-party intervention or overlapping system coverage is necessary. Mission Partners 52

56 Shared 8CALL and 8TAC frequencies in the 800 MHz band are deployed throughout Florida, and are accessible by any 700/800 MHz-capable subscriber radio, regardless of manufacturer. Most subscriber radios are programmed with these channels. These mutual-aid repeaters are used in circumstances where responding units within the coverage footprint of a repeater do not have compatible systems or overlapping coverage for gateway usage. The Florida Mutual Aid (MAFLA) frequency ( MHz) is another shared mutual-aid channel that is available statewide. While these shared channels provide an excellent resource for interoperability across the state, the available capacity in any given area is extremely limited. As agencies migrate to P25, the need for interoperability repeaters is diminished. However, there still will likely be scenarios where responding units have 700/800 MHz radios that are not properly programmed to access the local systems. In these circumstances, mutual-aid repeaters still will be required. Proprietary Shared Systems Proprietary shared systems refer to the use of a common technology among multiple agencies that is proprietary to a specific vendor. Examples of proprietary systems include the Motorola SmartZone system currently operated by Broward County. Multiple users operating with a proprietary technology have the ability, with proper permission, to access the talkgroups and features of the system. This has been the common mode of achieving interoperability for agencies within Broward County for many years. Seamless interoperability is available provided that all users are using the same proprietary technology in the same frequency band. Proprietary systems have the inherent limitation of being specific to an individual vendor. Use of proprietary systems as a regional interoperability solution requires the consensus of all stakeholders on the vendor and technology to implement. Individual agencies that choose to operate proprietary solutions without the consensus of interoperability partners within the region create an interoperability scenario that is limited to a gateway solution. Even if that consensus is achieved, regional proprietary systems limit the capabilities of users from outside the region to communicate. Interoperability has been limited between users of Motorola and Harris systems in south Florida for many years due to proprietary technologies, requiring the use of gateways or mutual-aid repeaters to establish interoperability. Most of these proprietary systems either have already been replaced or will be replaced in the near future with standards-based P25 systems. In the present public safety radio market, proprietary systems are not recommended as an interoperability solution. Proprietary systems became popular during the advent of trunking systems in the 1980s and 1990s. However, with the development of P25, proprietary systems are less desirable given their inherent interoperability limitations and vendor restrictions. Mission Partners 53

57 Standards-based Shared Systems Standards-based shared systems involve the implementation of a common standards-based technology. P25 is an example of a standards-based technology. By implementing standards-based shared systems, radio users have the flexibility to purchase equipment from different vendors and still maintain shared communications on trunking architecture. This allows users from different agencies to access shared talkgroups on neighboring systems in much the same way that shared channels are used. However, shared system access in this case provides the guest user access to the wide-area coverage, security and other feature sets provided by trunked systems. In addition, trunked systems are better able to manage system loading and capacity, and are thus better able to accommodate an influx of interoperability traffic. Because these systems are standards-based, it is more likely that users responding from outside the region that have radios based on a common standards-based technology will be able to operate on the system. The only interoperability limitation of standards-based shared systems concerns the frequency band. When users operate in disparate frequency bands, the only solutions available to allow cross-band communication are gateways or multiband radios. Most agencies in the region either have already implemented P25 systems or are in the process of implementing such systems. As additional agencies convert to P25, there are opportunities for shared talkgroup programming that was previously not possible. Examples of agencies with which Broward County will experience increased interoperability include Miami-Dade County and Collier County. Along with shared talkgroup programming, P25 offers additional features such as the ISSI that can be further leveraged to enhance interoperability. The system being proposed for Broward County is a standards-based shared system. Interoperability Requirements With the implementation of P25, there are opportunities to implement additional features and capabilities that did not exist on the previous system. The expansion of cross-system programming into Broward County subscriber units provides immediate capability to users. Cross-system programming exists today for the agencies within Broward County and within the Palm Beach and City of Miami systems. However, cross-system programming previously has never been available with the neighboring systems operated by Miami-Dade and Collier Counties due to proprietary technologies from a non-motorola manufacturer. With these agencies in the process of implementing P25 systems, there are increased opportunities for system sharing. In specific, cross-system programming can be supported with the following agencies: City of Fort Lauderdale City of Plantation City of Coral Springs Mission Partners 54

58 Miami-Dade County Palm Beach County City of Miami City of Miami Beach City of Hialeah Collier County Depending on the subscriber vendor selected, programming may or may not be possible with the City of Hollywood as long as it remains on a legacy Motorola platform. The APX subscriber radios operated by Hollywood can however operate on whatever P25 platform the County chooses to implement. Channel sharing is available for the Broward County Zones 12 and 14, which cover the countywide interoperability channels. Broward should confirm with the other system managers which talkgroups would be most appropriate to program. In addition to cross-system programming, the County can purchase an ISSI for connecting to the Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County 800 MHz systems. The ISSI will enable shared cross-system talkgroups, and system-to-system roaming, if that specific feature is implemented. Once system-tosystem roaming is implemented, talkgroups could be implemented that will operate anywhere within the three-county area. At the point that this feature becomes available, the region should consider implementing region-wide talkgroups that can be used for cross-border events, police chases, prisoner transports, or other events that traverse multiple systems. In addition to the ISSI, the implementation of the Console Subsystem Interface (CSSI) component of the P25 standard provides an interface to various console systems in the region to the Broward County system. The CSSI will enable connected console systems to access any authorized talkgroups on the Broward County system without requiring control stations for each channel. The following PSAPs are recommended for CSSI connectivity, at a minimum: 1. HMS-connected agencies (Plantation, Coral Springs) 2. Miami-Dade County Law Enforcement 3. Miami-Dade County Fire 4. Palm Beach County MCP recommends that the County proceed with implementing the Regional Domestic Security Task Force (RDSTF) 700 MHz overlay system as a standalone trunked P25 Phase I location. This system will provide some backup capability to the Broward County system in the event of a system failure, and provide an alternate means to communicate for responders that do not have access to the primary Broward County system. However, procurement of this system must be expedited in order to have funds expended before they expire at the end of Mission Partners 55

59 MCP recommends that the County continue to maintain 800 MHz repeaters on the national 800 MHz interoperability calling and tactical channels, as well as the Florida MAFLA channel. There are additional opportunities to simulcast the MAFLA and NPSPAC interoperability channels to simplify their use and provide improved coverage. The repeaters currently operated by Broward County are MSF5000 or Quantar stations that will need to be replaced. When the system is replaced, agencies operating radio caches and gateways will need to ensure that all radios are updated with the new Broward County programming information. Replacement subscriber radios may be retained for use as cache radios in the future. However, older MTS/MCS series, Astro Spectras, XTS3000 radios will not support P25; therefore, they likely will be used in the future only on the conventional interoperability channels, or in the simplex mode. SYSTEM LIFECYCLES Two-way radio equipment always has had a replacement lifecycle. The lifecycles of today s robust, feature-rich radio systems particularly have been impacted by rapidly advancing and changing technologies. Replacement cycles may vary based on factors such as the need for new technology and general wear and tear. Once equipment reaches the end-of-life, it is time to upgrade that equipment. Table 9 below shows lifespan expectations. Table 9 Equipment Lifespan Facility Equipment Building Towers Generators and Transfer Switches HVAC and Shelter Components UPS UPS Batteries Microwave Equipment Digital Microwave Equipment and Antennas Radio Equipment Base Stations and Antennas Network and Control Equipment System Software IP-Based Operation Equipment Subscriber Equipment Mobile Radios Portable Radios Vehicular Repeaters Consoles Lifespan Years Years Years 7-10 Years 7-10 Years 2-4 Years Lifespan Years Lifespan Years Years 2-3 Years 5-7 Years Lifespan 6-8 Years 5-7 Years 6-8 Years Years Mission Partners 56

60 Much of the radio infrastructure equipment in use within Broward County is approximately 15 years old, which is past the end of typical replacement periods. Consequently, this equipment already has begun to suffer from higher failure rates and the risk of obsolescence from the equipment vendor. Subscriber radios vary in age greatly depending on the replacement cycles of the various user agencies. Subscriber unit obsolescence is primarily driven by vendor lifecycles and compatibility with modern systems. While mobile and portable units in the XTS/XTL family may already be 7 to 10 years old (towards end of life), these units still will operate on the new system if a Phase I solution is implemented. In contrast, the County s dispatch consoles have passed their recommended lifespan and are approaching the end of vendor support. The supporting facilities including shelters, towers, backup power systems, and HVAC systems are in some instances 23 years old, dating back to the original system installation. The towers and shelters have been maintained well and should support the new system with some minor upgrades. However, backup power systems range in age and condition, and will require some replacements. Meanwhile, HVAC systems have been serviced regularly, and were noted to be in good working order for the most part. However, heat-dissipation calculations will need to be determined once equipment vendors are selected to ensure that the systems are adequately sized. Some replacements will be required based on older units that were noted to be operating poorly. RADIO SITES MCP evaluated radio sites to determine what upgrades are necessary to support the additional equipment. Based on a 44-channel, P25 Phase I design, it is anticipated that the system would require six racks of repeaters, a single rack of control equipment and multicouplers, two racks of combiners, and two racks of microwave equipment, for a total of eleven racks. There is more than ample space at each radio site to accommodate this equipment after the old system is decommissioned. The challenge will be configuring the sites during the cutover to handle both systems simultaneously. If a Phase II system is implemented, it is anticipated the repeaters could be confined to three racks, and the combiners to one rack, for a total of seven equipment racks. The antenna count would be reduced to two transmit and two receive. The following sections detail findings required to each radio site. Coconut Creek MCP documented room for five to six additional equipment racks in the current configuration. If a Phase I solution is implemented, additional space will be necessary to accommodate the old and new equipment simultaneously. One option to address this challenge would be to replace the microwave system first, and then proceed with the radio equipment installation. This would free up three to four equipment racks to make room for the additional equipment. Alternatively, there is room onsite for a temporary trailer or shelter, if necessary, to support swing equipment until the old equipment is Mission Partners 57

61 decommissioned. Once the old equipment is decommissioned, the new equipment can be positioned in the ideal location within the shelter. The primary antenna entry port is at capacity within the shelter. The secondary port has room to accommodate the antennas for the new system. Some minor upgrades to the grounding system will be required, including adding a tower ground bar for feed lines to be grounded at the base of the tower. The internal ground system is a five-point system that should be considered for conversion to a singlepoint system per the latest revision of Motorola R56, Standards and Guidelines for Communications Sites. The generator recently was replaced and should accommodate the new equipment. A tower-loading study will be required to ensure that the tower can handle the load of both the old and new system antennas simultaneously. The study should be conducted at both the Class 2 and Class 3 levels, with and without the existing equipment, in order to determine if the tower will pass at a Class 2 rating during the transition period, and pass at Class 3 after the old equipment has been decommissioned. This is largely dependent on how many antennas will be required for the system selected. Core MCP documented room for six to seven additional equipment racks in the current configuration. If a Phase I solution is implemented, additional space will be necessary to accommodate the old and new equipment simultaneously. One option to address this challenge would be to replace the microwave system first, and then proceed with the radio equipment installation. This would free up three to four racks to make room for the additional equipment. Alternatively, there is room on-site for a temporary trailer or shelter, if necessary, to support swing equipment until the old equipment is decommissioned. Once the old equipment is decommissioned, the new equipment can be positioned in the ideal location within the shelter. The primary antenna entry port is at capacity within the shelter. If ports cannot be freed up by identifying unused lines, a secondary entry port will be required. Some minor upgrades to the grounding system also will be required, including adding a tower ground bar for feed lines to be grounded at the base of the tower. The internal ground system is a multipoint system that should be considered for conversion to a single-point system per the latest revision of Motorola R56. The generator recently was replaced and should accommodate the new equipment. The shelter s HVAC system was noted to be performing poorly. Because the site utilizes larger and higher-power Quantro stations instead of Quantar stations, heat generation is higher and air circulation is poorer. Replacement of the HVAC system should be considered to provide additional cooling within the shelter. A tower-loading study will be required to ensure that the tower can handle the load of both the old and new system antennas simultaneously. The study should be conducted at both the Class 2 and Class 3 Mission Partners 58

62 levels, with and without the existing equipment, to determine if the tower will pass at a Class 2 rating during the transition period, and pass at Class 3 after the old equipment has been decommissioned. Davie MCP documented plenty of available floor space at this site, which should be sufficient to handle all of the equipment for either a Phase I or Phase II design. Once the old equipment is decommissioned, the new equipment can be positioned in the ideal location within the shelter. The primary antenna entry port is at capacity within the shelter. If ports cannot be freed up by unused lines, a secondary entry port will be required. Some minor upgrades to the grounding system also will be required, including adding a tower ground bar for feed lines to be grounded at the base of the tower. The internal ground system is a multipoint system that should be considered for conversion to a singlepoint system per the latest revision of Motorola R56. Access was not available to the onsite Baldor generator. The unit is estimated to be 10 years old and should be inspected to ensure that it is still operating to design specifications. The shelter s HVAC system was noted to be performing poorly. An inspection of the HVAC system should be conducted to ensure that it is properly cooling to rated levels and will accommodate the load provided by the new equipment. A tower-loading study will be required to ensure that the tower can handle the load of both the old and new system antennas simultaneously. The study should be conducted at both the Class 2 and Class 3 levels, with and without the existing equipment, to determine if the tower will pass at a Class 2 rating during the transition period, and pass at Class 3 after the old equipment has been decommissioned. Markham Park MCP documented room for three additional equipment racks in the current configuration. Additional space will be necessary to accommodate the old and new equipment simultaneously. One option to address this challenge would be to replace the microwave system first, and then proceed with the radio equipment installation. This would free up three to four equipment racks to make room for the additional equipment. Alternatively, a vacant shelter exists onsite that could be used to house equipment for the new system temporarily. Once the old equipment is decommissioned the new equipment can be positioned in the ideal location within the shelter. The primary antenna entry port is at capacity within the shelter. If ports cannot be freed up by identifying unused lines, a secondary entry port will be required. Some minor upgrades to the grounding system also will be required, including adding a tower ground bar for feed lines to be grounded at the base of the tower. The internal ground system is a single-point system that is compliant with the latest revision of Motorola R56. The generator recently was replaced and should accommodate the new equipment. Mission Partners 59

63 The surrounding tree line was noted to be approximately 100 feet, near the height of the microwave dishes. Raising the height of the dishes for the new microwave system should be considered, to ensure clearance of the tree line and to accommodate future growth. A tower-loading study will be required to ensure that the tower can handle the load of both the old and new system antennas simultaneously. The study should be conducted at both the Class 2 and Class 3 levels, with and without the existing equipment, to determine if the tower will pass at a Class 2 rating during the transition period, and pass at Class 3 after the old equipment has been decommissioned. Playa Del Mar MCP documented room for two additional equipment racks in the current configuration. Additional space will be necessary to accommodate the old and new equipment simultaneously. One option to address this challenge would be to replace the microwave system first, and then proceed with the radio equipment installation. This would free up three to four equipment racks to make room for the additional equipment. Alternatively, an empty portion of the equipment room could be built out to handle additional equipment during the transition period. However, an additional HVAC unit likely would be necessary to provide adequate cooling in this portion of the room. Once the old equipment is decommissioned, the new equipment can be positioned in the ideal location within the shelter. The primary antenna entry port is at capacity within the equipment room. If ports cannot be freed up by identifying unused lines, a secondary entry port will be required. The internal ground system is a single-point system as recommended by R56. There is no onsite generator in the event of a prolonged power outage. A generator is recommended, if the building owner will allow it. If a generator cannot be placed on the rooftop, a larger UPS unit is recommended to provide continued operation over a greater time period. Antennas are mounted on the equipment room roof, and are therefore not a concern for loading. There is room for additional antennas at the rear of the equipment room, facing the ocean. While this location is not ideal for coverage, it will be acceptable for a temporary configuration until the old system can be decommissioned. At that point, antennas should be relocated to the side of the equipment room that faces land. To the extent possible, horizontal isolation should be added between the transmit and receive antennas, as 700 MHz channels provide a smaller separation between transmit and receive frequencies, and are therefore more susceptible to transmitter/receiver desense. Points of America MCP documented limited room for additional equipment racks in the current configuration. Additional space will be necessary to accommodate the old and new equipment simultaneously. One option to address this challenge would be to replace the microwave system first, and then proceed with the radio equipment installation. This would free up three to four equipment racks to make room for the additional equipment. There is an adjacent equipment room that could be built out to handle additional Mission Partners 60

64 equipment during the transition period. Once the old equipment is decommissioned, the new equipment can be positioned in the ideal location within the shelter. The primary antenna entry port is at capacity within the equipment room. If ports cannot be freed up by identifying unused lines, a secondary entry port will be required. The internal ground system is a single-point system. The main ground lead is wrapped around the building before it reaches building ground, which is not ideal. A more-direct path to the ground should be investigated. The primary ground lead is bonded to a water main with a painted ground lead. The ground lead should be stripped of paint before being bonded. There is no onsite generator in the event of a prolonged power outage. A generator is recommended, if the building owner will allow it. If a generator cannot be placed on the rooftop, a larger UPS unit is recommended to provide continued operation over a greater time period. Antennas are mounted on the roof of the equipment room, and are therefore not a concern for loading. There is room for additional antennas in between the existing antennas. To the extent possible, horizontal isolation should be added between the transmit and receive antennas, as 700 MHz channels provide a smaller separation between transmit and receive frequencies, and are therefore more susceptible to transmitter/receiver desense. Channel 2 MCP documented plenty of room for additional equipment racks in the current configuration. The current layout should accommodate the additional equipment for either a Phase I or Phase II design. The primary antenna entry port is at capacity within the shelter. The secondary port has four available slots for additional antennas. If a Phase II design is selected, additional ports will need to be freed up, or another entry port will be required. Some upgrades to the grounding system will be required as well, including adding a tower ground bar for feed lines to be grounded at the base of the tower. The primary equipment room ground lead wraps around the building before reaching ground, which is not ideal. Consequently, a direct path to the subterranean grounding system should be added. The master ground bar does not connect directly to ground, but rather connects to the equipment room grounding halo. A ground lead was found from the master ground bar that was never connected to outside ground. The internal ground system is a four-point system that should be considered for conversion to a single-point system per the latest revision of Motorola R56. The generator recently was replaced and should accommodate the new equipment. An abandoned shelter was inspected onsite for potential use. The shelter shows significant environmental decay and is not suitable for renovation. MCP recommends that this shelter be demolished. The onsite building includes space that is currently being used for equipment storage. This facility is not cooled and is openly exposed to pest entry. This space could be utilized for an additional storage room or office space. If the building will be inhabited, significant upgrades would be required, including insulating and adding dry wall to much of the building, and adding a suitable HVAC system. Mission Partners 61

65 A tower-loading study will be required to ensure that the tower can handle the load of both the old and new system antennas simultaneously. The study should be conducted at both the Class 2 and Class 3 levels, with and without the existing equipment, to determine if the tower will pass at a Class 2 rating during the transition period, and pass at Class 3 after the old equipment has been decommissioned. Miramar MCP documented room for four additional equipment racks in the current configuration. Additional space will be necessary to accommodate the old and new equipment simultaneously. One option to address this challenge would be to replace the microwave system first, and then proceed with the radio equipment installation. This would free up three to four equipment racks to make room for the additional equipment. Alternatively, a vacant shelter exists onsite that could be utilized to house equipment for the new system temporarily. Once the old equipment is decommissioned, the new equipment can be positioned in the ideal location within the shelter. The primary antenna entry port is at capacity within the shelter. If ports cannot be freed up by identifying unused lines, a secondary entry port will be required. Some minor upgrades to the grounding system also will be required, including adding a tower ground bar for feed lines to be grounded at the base of the tower. The internal ground system is a single-point system that is compliant with the latest revision of Motorola R56. The generator is 14 years old and likely will need replacement in the near future. A tower-loading study will be required to ensure that the tower can handle the load of both the old and new system antennas simultaneously. The study should be conducted at both the Class 2 and Class 3 levels, with and without the existing equipment, to determine if the tower will pass at a Class 2 rating during the transition period, and pass at Class 3 after the old equipment has been decommissioned. EMS The EMS site is used primarily as a backup site and for ancillary systems that require good coverage from a single site location that would not otherwise fit in the heavily loaded Core site. The EMS site is not used as a trunked location due to its close proximity to the Core site. The site includes ample space to accommodate additional equipment. The occupied floor space primarily is used by an inoperable backup system with MSF5000 stations that can be removed if necessary. The UPS and generator at this location recently were replaced and should have sufficient capacity to handle the new equipment. There were signs of pest entry at the time of the inspection. The shelter should be sealed and treated for insects. Mission Partners 62

66 Deerfield The Deerfield location is a receive-only site on a leased tower. There is no room in the existing shelter to accommodate additional equipment, and no room onsite for temporary equipment during a transition. Space may be available near the base of the tower if an additional shelter is required. MCP recommends converting the site in the Deerfield area to a transmit/receive location at a taller tower site. Therefore, the existing location ultimately would be abandoned. Tamarac The Tamarac location is a receive-only site. There is no room in the existing shelter to accommodate additional equipment, although there is room for an additional shelter if authorized by the Tamarac Police Department. The current shelter and tower are not suitable for mission-critical applications and should be abandoned. A full transmit/receive location on a different tower should be pursued. Public Safety Building The Public Safety Building previously served as the hub for the existing system, housing the master site, prime site, and County dispatch. The master site and County dispatch since have been removed from the building, leaving only the prime site. The building serves no critical need to house the system moving forward or to provide RF coverage. Consequently, MCP recommends that this location not be utilized for future radio equipment other than for control stations utilized in-building by the Sheriff s Office. The existing equipment should be decommissioned once cutover has been completed to the new system. Any existing conventional resources will be relocated to the optimum site identified in the design phase. Grounding MCP inspected the above-ground grounding systems at each of the County s existing radio sites. Most sites appeared to have acceptable grounding systems, with in-shelter grounding completed to Motorola R56 standards in most circumstances. However, some issues were noted across the system, including a lack of a tower ground bus bar at the base of the tower at some sites. Some additional issues were identified at the Channel 2 location. Previous grounding issues were discussed at the Core location, which had suffered from numerous lighting strikes that caused equipment damage. MCP could find no immediate grounding deficiencies that would cause the level of damage experienced. There was evidence that the subterranean grounding system recently had been excavated. Mission Partners 63

67 Several sites were identified with four- and five-point grounding systems, as opposed to the single-point in-shelter grounding system recommended in the latest release of Motorola R56. MCP recommends that the grounding systems be updated to single-point at the time the new system is installed. Site Security Site security is critical, especially with copper theft from radio sites being a fairly common occurrence. Copper theft can result in deactivation of equipment at a particular site, or result in less-detectable disruption of the site s grounding system, which can jeopardize technician and equipment safety. Barbed wire fencing and lighting at all radio tower sites is appropriate. If copper theft becomes a recurring problem, a higher level of security is recommended. Examples of higher security levels include onsite cameras, higher fencing, and/or motion-activating lighting. Uninterruptable Power Supplies A UPS system is typically used to power radio equipment for typically 30 minutes until the facility or equipment generator is able to start and provide backup power. Radio equipment is at risk of system crashes upon the loss of power, even if the generator starts immediately. A sudden loss of power could result in permanent damage to radio equipment. Every site included a properly used UPS to handle the equipment load. However, the run-time estimators on many UPS display showed a run time of several minutes. MCP understands that the runtime predictions are not always accurate. Ideally, UPS units will provide enough capacity to run equipment for several hours in the event power fails to switch to the onsite generator. Most sites were equipped with older-model Best Ferrups UPS units. Based on the age of these units, replacement is recommended with a DC power supply. DC Power Supplies Direct current (DC) power supplies are an alternate form of backup power to UPS units. DC power plants include a combination of rectifiers, inverters, and battery banks to provide a -48 V power source for DC-compliant equipment. Modern radio infrastructure typically can be purchased with either the alternating current (AC) or DC option. Compared to AC, DC power eliminates a single point of failure, and is less expensive to maintain due to the ability to purchase off-the-shelf batteries. A DC power plant is required for the microwave system, so the plant easily could be expanded to accommodate additional radio equipment. For Broward County to implement DC power as the primary power source, existing breakers would need to be rewired to interface with the DC power source. The primary challenge is how to handle existing equipment that is AC-based. DC sources can utilize inverters to power AC equipment; however, the power conversion is not very efficient. Mission Partners 64

68 Some sites were identified as having new UPS units. It is preferred that a single solution with DC power to be implemented at all sites due to ease of maintenance and portability of spare parts and field replacement units. If DC power is implemented, some of these newer UPS units may be minimally used. Each site will be independently reviewed to accommodate the approximate four racks. The sites have space available for the final design. Temporary relocation of equipment and shelters have been accounted for in the case they are needed. DISPATCH CONSIDERATIONS Interviews and site inspections were completed at each of the County s three primary dispatch centers. Each center operates Motorola CENTRACOM Gold Elite console systems that will need to be replaced. Dispatch representatives identified multiple desirable features sets for the replacement console systems. These features include: 1. Unit private call 2. Interoperability with tribal units 3. Access to all talk groups 4. Call alert (radio page) 5. Touchscreen consoles 6. Instant recall recorder (IRR) 7. Console-originated text messaging/instant messaging 8. Intercom between positions and centers 9. Light pole for dispatcher status 10. Unit ID and alias 11. Ability to change, add, delete talkgroup patches at any console, rather than just the one that set it up 12. Talkgroup menu search by talkgroup name 13. Buttons for alert tones 14. Storm plans 15. Standardized programming for backup portables and consolettes 16. Busy-channel marker tone 17. Clear-to-talk indication/tone for fire station alerting 18. Knox box tones 19. Activity reports 20. Untethered headsets 21. Indication of patch originator Most of these features typically can be accommodated through current-market console systems. Some additional features, including light bars at each position, are independent of the radio system. Other Mission Partners 65

69 capabilities, such as access to all talkgroups and radio programming configurations are settings dependent, and do not rely on the console system. The primary challenge with the replacement console system is how the system will interface with the new Broward County P25 system, the Fort Lauderdale Motorola P25 system, and the legacy Hollywood Motorola system. P25 systems have the ability via the CSSI to interface with third-party consoles that are CSSI-compliant with minimal loss of functionality. While this will permit an interface to the Fort Lauderdale system, the legacy Hollywood system cannot be interfaced to a third-party console via the CSSI. Alternatives to direct IP connectivity include the use of consolettes, which require many units to interface all possible talkgroups and would provide reduced functionality compared with a direct IP solution. In addition, the existing Replay Systems logging recorder will need to be updated to allow recording of radio traffic with the new system. The application programming interface (API) also will need to be licensed to allow a direct IP interface to the recorder from the selected radio system vendor. The new system will support centralized logging compared with the PSAP-specific logging performed today. CONNECTIVITY Typically, connectivity for a public safety communications network is comprised of one or a combination of the following: Leased telephone lines Fiber-optic cables Wireless links (e.g., microwave or RF links) In most situations, connectivity is a combination of analog and digital circuits that carry voice, data and control tones between the radio consoles and network of radio communication sites. Backhaul on the existing Broward County network is provided primarily by microwave links, with leased fiber and copper circuits utilized for master site and dispatch center connectivity. Leased Phone Lines Leased telephone lines are the simplest form of backhaul connectivity. To interconnect two radio sites, or a radio site and a PSAP, an agency may lease a copper pair or T1 line from the local telephone company. A single T1 line is typically capable of supporting the bandwidth requirements of a small to moderately sized trunked system, while a two-wire circuit only can support a single voice channel. By leasing the T1 line for a monthly fee, the user has guaranteed bandwidth on the network. The specific fee depends on the length of the connection. T1 lines are subject to the reliability of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), which utilizes a combination of copper wires and other media, such as fiber. Mission Partners 66

70 Broward County currently depends on leased telephone circuits for connectivity between the HMS and the three PSAPs. Additional leased circuits are utilized to provide connectivity between the HMS and the two receive-only sites in Deerfield and Tamarac. These leased circuits to the dispatch centers have been used since late 2014, when the County agencies migrated to the consolidated PSAPs. These circuits have been configured to provide redundant paths between each PSAP and the HMS. While these circuits have proven to be acceptable for the time being, a more reliable form of backhaul to the dispatch centers is desired. Fiber-optic Networks Fiber-optic cables provide the highest bandwidth of any medium available today. Extensive fiber-optic networks, however, are not heavily implemented for various reasons: Single points of failure within a fiber network require the use of redundant network paths to mitigate the loss-of-service risk Running new fiber-optic cable is very expensive and not typically justified solely for a radio project Bandwidth on a fiber system can support many broadband data systems far more than is necessary for a radio system Fiber-optic networks that have been implemented primarily are found in major metropolitan areas Fiber-optic infrastructure is very expensive, and is certainly in excess of what is required to run a trunked radio system. Typically, radio systems may be piggybacked on existing municipal or leased fiber networks. There are extensive fiber networks in Broward County that could be leased if necessary. However, it is difficult to guarantee the reliability of a leased network, regardless of the medium. A leased synchronous optical network (SONET) is the current backhaul medium between the HMS and the prime site at the PSB. This link includes redundant paths that should be able to accommodate a single-point-of-failure configuration. However, network control is not within Broward County s authority or oversight. Microwave Microwave networks provide a means to wirelessly connect radio sites and dispatch facilities. Bandwidth on a microwave network is typically greater than or equal to a leased T1 line. Microwave networks are an excellent alternative where no fixed-line infrastructure is present. In addition, a microwave network can be owned entirely by the agency, will not require the monthly fees of leased T1 or fiber lines, and restoration to service is within the control of the County. Microwave networks, however, do have disadvantages that can be mitigated. Microwave networks are not subject to reliability concerns resulting from line breakage, but are subject to wireless phenomenon such as rain fading. Good design will mitigate this hazard. In addition, Mission Partners 67

71 microwave dishes may be misaligned in high winds, potentially impacting link connectivity. Good design that requires a higher wind-speed survival rating will mitigate this hazard. Microwave network capacity is generally higher than the bandwidth requirements for radio systems. The additional bandwidth provides options for other data applications on the network. Microwave links are used on the existing system to provide connectivity between the prime sites and all radio sites. Microwave has proven to be a reliable backhaul method for the County to date. Replacement of the existing microwave system is required due to the age and supportability of the equipment. When the replacement system is installed, backhaul connections should be considered to include each of the regional PSAPs and any added tower sites, in order to eliminate dependence on leased circuits altogether. MCP recommends a complete replacement of the existing Tadiran CM6 microwave system with a new IP-based microwave system providing a minimum of percent reliability. The system should be loop-protected to eliminate any single points of failure. Backhaul routing should be installed that operates on the multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) platform, in order to allow dynamic routing to run on microwave and alternate mediums, including fiber and copper connections to be utilized as backups. Continued use of the 6 GHz band is recommended for its resistance to rain fade. MCP recommends that the microwave cutover be completed in advance of the system cutover. In order to accomplish this, the microwave system must provide backward compatibility to the circuitswitched protocols used by the existing Tadiran CM6 microwave system. Replacing the microwave system first will provide additional room in each equipment shelter and minimize risk during cutover of the P25 system. In addition, microwave connectivity should be provided to each of the tower locations and the three County dispatch centers. Microwave paths will be evaluated for a loop configuration during the design phase. Any locations that do not have two viable paths should be connected with hot-standby locations. Paths to dispatch centers initially will be modeled with roof-mounted microwave dishes. If the roof of each building does not provide sufficient clearance of obstructions, then tower sites will be considered. The network should provide a minimum of 150 Mbps of throughput on each link. This capacity will provide room for the radio traffic and plenty of overhead to accommodate additional traffic, such as a redundant path for PSAP-to-PSAP connectivity. Likewise, existing backhaul links connecting PSAPs can be incorporated into the MPLS network to provide a backup path for radio traffic. ALPHANUMERIC PAGING The alphanumeric paging system is utilized by various law enforcement and fire agencies across Broward County. The system is based on the POCSAG encoding format that utilizes a single analog channel to pass data wirelessly from the dispatch centers to the remote users. The POCSAG format is Mission Partners 68

72 still the industry standard for alphanumeric paging; therefore, a modern replacement system can be purchased that will allow the users to continue using existing pagers. The system in its current configuration includes four simulcast radio sites. Of those radio sites, only two are operational due to base station equipment failures. The paging equipment is ancient by technology standards, and well beyond its support period. Replacement of the system is recommended immediately to prevent the loss of service altogether. The primary challenge with replacing the paging system is finding a solution that will allow field users to continue to operate on their existing Apollo AL25 Gold pagers. The existing paging system operates on a UHF T-Band channel that will need to be vacated prior to Reuse of this paging channel would require a subsequent system modification at the point that the channel would need to be vacated. MCP confirmed with the equipment manufacturer that the fielded pagers can be retuned to operate on frequencies in the 450 to 470 MHz range, which includes general public safety pool channels. Several channels were identified that are candidates for replacing the current T-Band channel. In addition to ensuring that the system channel will not need to be vacated, a replacement channel would allow the County to operate both systems concurrently, providing time for users to retune their pagers without disrupting service. Paging messages are generated directly from the County s CAD system. This level of functionality needs to be maintained. Once a vendor for the new paging system is selected, the API will need to be licensed between the paging vendor and the CAD vendor to allow this capability to continue. The current paging system includes a single controller, the failure of which would result in the entire system being disabled. MCP recommends redundant controllers for the new system such controllers allow the system to continue to operate in the event of a failure to any one controller for the new system to eliminate a single point of failure. The alphanumeric paging system is only partially operational, and in danger of a failure that will disable the system entirely. MCP recommends that this system be replaced as soon as possible to ensure continued service for first responders. MCP evaluated coverage for the existing four-site design, and determined that the existing site placement provides adequate in-building coverage throughout the populated areas of Broward County. FIRE STATION ALERTING Users indicated that they generally were happy with the capabilities offered by the existing fire station alerting system. Specific features that were identified include the ability to implement buttons in the bunk rooms to display the apparatus to which a user is assigned, and color light displays. In addition, the Zetron Model 26/6 system still is supported by the manufacturer, and replacement parts continue to Mission Partners 69

73 be readily available. However, two primary system components will need to be addressed: the transmitting repeater system and the frequency. The fire station alerting transmitter is a Motorola Quantar station located at the PSB. The Quantar repeater platform will reach end-of-life in 2020, and therefore needs to be replaced. In addition, the fire station alerting signal utilizes a narrowband analog waveform, and therefore a multitude of transmitters can be utilized to serve this purpose. With the PSB serving no critical radio functions moving forward, it is recommended that the fire station alerting transmitter be relocated to the EMS tower site, with a backup location at the Core tower site. These locations should provide coverage levels sufficient to serve receivers at fire stations throughout the county, and provide geographic diversity in the event of a failure to either station or location. The frequency of the system will need to be updated as well, in order to comply with the aforementioned federal government s T-Band mandate prior to A candidate UHF frequency in the general public safety pool has been identified that can serve this purpose. Reconfiguration will require the reprogramming of control station radios at each fire station. To simplify the process, control station radios should be programmed with the new channel in advance. When the new base stations are activated, users at each fire station will change the control station to the new channel, providing a cutover process with minimal risk. 5. ASSESSMENT SUMMARY AND OPTIONS Based upon MCP s findings concerning the existing system, user feedback regarding requirements for a new system, and analysis of existing technologies and trends, MCP has provided options to address the communications system issues faced by Broward County. This section outlines the specific system design alternatives for the new system. Following the completion of the assessment phase of the project, a design phase will take place where specifics are applied to the design alternatives. Based on MCP s assessment of the existing system and user feedback, the following criteria have been defined as the top priorities of the new system: Replace existing 800 MHz SmartZone trunked system with a new, modern, standards-based P25 system Improve coverage through the addition of radio sites Improve capacity through the expansion of channels or the conversion to P25 Phase II TDMA Improve reliability by eliminating single points of failure Replace the aging microwave system with a new system that will connect all radio sites and dispatch centers on the new system Upgrade existing towers, shelters, and backup power systems to support new equipment Repurpose frequencies prone to interference Mission Partners 70

74 Implement a dispatch solution that will provide increased capabilities and ease of use to dispatchers, as well as seamlessly integrate with the various City and County radio systems that are dispatched from the regional PSAPs Establish a maintenance plan that includes preventive maintenance for both the system and subscriber units Replace the paging system infrastructure with a new system that offers improved reliability, uses a non-t-band channel, and allows for the reuse of existing pagers Replace the fire station alerting system with a new system that offers improved reliability, uses a non-t-band channel, and provides agencies with additional interface and zone-expansion options Migration of supporting conventional resources (NPSPAC, MAFLA, etc.) to supported platforms. SYSTEM FEATURES System Technology It is MCP s assessment that the system end of life, capacity and coverage are far and above the main critical aspects of the Broward County communications system that must be addressed. MCP has identified design options that satisfy the majority of requirements identified by system users. MCP has identified a P25 trunking system as the only viable system option for Broward County. The design alternatives are based primarily on whether the system will operate in the P25 Phase I, P25 Phase II, or hybrid modes. All design options will include equivalent coverage requirements. The sections that follow identify the different technology options that MCP believes would satisfy the needs of B County system users. Option 1 700/800 MHz P25 Phase I Trunked Simulcast System A P25 Phase I trunked simulcast system will satisfy the majority of requirements defined by system users. Most notably, the system will replace aging components that have reached end-of-life, providing a more modern and reliable platform for first responders in Broward County. The platform will be flexible to accommodate additional radio sites for increased coverage, and provide the ability to add channels for increased system capacity. The maximum number of RF channels available in a single simulcast cell is 30, allowing for a 29 talk paths once the control channel is considered for P25 Phase I FDMA. This option allows the County to expand capacity on the primary simulcast cell to this number of talk paths to resolve some capacity issues that exist with the existing 28-channel system but does not provide room for future growth or provide room for users that may join the system from either Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood. To accommodate the peak times when Broward County Schools are active, additional simulcast cells or geographic zones will have to be reviewed to reach the 36 talk paths required for reported active users. Mission Partners 71

75 In the design phase, the exact configuration would be analyzed for optimum performance. When the second simulcast cell or zone is incorporated in the new system, this requires additional RF channels to accommodate roaming above the 29 talk paths. MCP estimates approximately 20 percent roaming depending on the final configuration. This places the total number of RF channels at 44 across the two cells or zones. Compared with alternate design options, a Phase I system would require more frequencies and base stations. Both the County s existing 800 MHz channels and CAPRAD-allotted 700 MHz channels would need to be licensed to support the system. It is estimated that four equipment racks would be required to accommodate this number of repeaters, the same number of racks occupied by the existing system repeaters. The primary benefits of a Phase I system are the flexibility for end users to upgrade their current XTS/XTL subscriber radios to operate on the new system, which would avoid radio replacements. However, the most notable limitation is that flash upgrades to P25 are only available until the end of 2015 and are already at their end of life replacement cycle. The system will offer seamless compatibility with Phase I interoperability subscribers from Fort Lauderdale, as well as neighboring agencies in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. In addition, a Phase I system would offer additional fallback capacity if the system were to revert to the failsoft mode, and only result in the loss of one channel if only a repeater failure were to occur. Table 10 below summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of this option. Table /800 MHz P25 Phase I Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Reuse of existing XTS/XTL subscriber units Flexibility to accommodate Phase I subscribers from interoperability agencies without risk to capacity Improved coverage through radio site addition Improved capacity with two cells/zones through channel expansion up to 60 channels or 58 talk paths Flexibility to use overhead capacity for data applications such as GPS, OTAP and OTAR Improved interoperability with other agencies migrating to P25 (Miami-Dade, Collier) Slightly improved coverage compared to Phase II design Access to all channels during failsoft scenarios Weaknesses Increased infrastructure cost for base stations Required licensing or acquisition of 49 frequencies with 9 frequencies not yet identified. Increased space requirements for base stations Cutover would require channels from the existing system Roaming introduced to the system that requires additional base stations and tightly managed fleet mapping Cost of flash upgrading subscribers that have a short lifecycle, then new P25 Phase II subscribers will be required Increase in loading of towers Mission Partners 72

76 Option MHz P25 Phase II Trunked Simulcast System A P25 Phase II trunked simulcast system would offer the same levels of coverage and feature sets offered by a Phase I system. The primary difference between this option and a Phase I system is the use of TDMA, which would provide two talk paths for every one frequency. Consequently, a Phase II design could offer a different level of capacity with 36 talkpaths, which would require only 19 channels and provide a single simulcast cell design. This approach would result in savings from reduced infrastructure and lower physical space requirements. The reduced number of base stations would result in fewer antennas, thus reducing tower loading. Based on the available 700 MHz channels, the County would have the ability to vacate the 800 MHz band altogether, providing access to primarily unused spectrum free of interference. Moving to the 700 MHz band also would allow the existing and new systems to operate entirely in parallel, thus providing a more seamless cutover approach. Conversely, a Phase II system would not inherently provide backward compatibility to Phase I subscribers. Existing XTS/XTL series subscribers would need to be replaced with Phase II-compliant radios. While there is a large number of fielded XTS/XTL radios, MCP notes that these radios no longer will be supported by the manufacturer after 2019, with some models reaching end-of-life in Many of these units were noted to be more than ten years old, thus being more susceptible to failures. Even if all user agencies on the Broward County system purchase Phase II subscribers, Phase I interoperability still be required from Fort Lauderdale users and users from neighboring counties. Based on equipment lifecycles, it could be five to seven years before most Phase I subscribers are phased out completely. In order to support backward compatibility with Phase I subscribers during the transition, certain channels would need to be configured to handle Phase I talkgroups. Because each Phase I talkgroup now occupies the station that normally would support two Phase II talkgroups, a high number of Phase I talkgroups active on the system will quickly drive down system capacity. Restrictions would need to be placed on the number of Phase I talkgroups and the number of repeaters in the simulcast cell that can support Phase I backward interoperability. With the number of talk paths restricted to 36, construction of a Phase II system with more than 19 repeaters at each site would result in stations that could not be accessed much of the time. At some point in the future, when all subscribers are Phase II-capable, the stations would lay dormant. One example of an approach that balances the need for Phase I interoperability on a Phase II system would be to allow five channels to operate in the Phase I mode, ensuring that the remaining 13 channels available for voice communications remain in the Phase II mode, providing 26 talk paths. The five Phase I-capable repeaters could dynamically carry Phase II traffic if a Phase I talkgroup call was not active. The system would carry between 31 and 36 maximum talk paths depending on the number of active Phase I talkgroup calls, still providing a significant capacity improvement compared with the Mission Partners 73

77 existing system. The primary limit would be that the system could not support a surge of Phase I talkgroup calls. Table 11 below summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of this option. Table MHz P25 Phase II Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Reduced infrastructure cost for base stations Approximately half the number of required frequencies Ability to have backward compatibility with Phase I subscribers through use of dynamic base stations Improved coverage through radio site addition Improved capacity through channel expansion from 27 to 36 talk paths Flexibility to use overhead capacity for data applications such as GPS, OTAP and OTAR Improved interoperability with other agencies migrating to P25 (Miami-Dade, Collier) Reduced space requirements in equipment shelters Weaknesses XTS/XTL series radios would need replacement More limited backward compatibility with Phase I talkgroups Phase I talkgroups would occupy two resources instead of one Failsoft only would provide 19 channels, as compared with 37 in a Phase I design The number of Phase I capable talkgroups and users would need to be tightly controlled through administrative and operational policies to ensure capacity is maintained at designed levels Option 3 700/800 MHz P25 Phase II Hybrid Trunked Simulcast System A P25 Phase II hybrid trunked simulcast system would operate similarly to the Phase II option, but with additional channels to support the prolonged use of Phase I subscribers by some agencies. This would allow a phased migration to Phase II as the remaining agencies with Phase I subscriber units replace their radios over time. The hybrid design assumes that at least two-thirds (67% percent) of the subscriber units on the system could be converted to Phase II, accounting for 6,933 units. This equates to 3,232 report active subscribers during the busy hour. Using 3,232 active users as a reference point, a 1 percent GoS can be achieved for this number of users with 26 Phase II talk paths and using 1,616 active users (33 percent), a 1 percent GoS can be achieved with 16 Phase I talk paths. To achieve this capacity, the system would need 30 total channels. Alternatively, the number of Phase I-capable channels can be reduced if the number of fielded Phase I subscribers from primary agencies can be further reduced. For these purposes, MCP has considered an alternative design utilizing 25 total channels. This approach would require most primary agencies to Mission Partners 74

78 operate in the P25 Phase I mode, but allow additional capacity to support Phase I traffic from interoperability users and dual-system dispatch from the City of Fort Lauderdale. As additional XTS/XTL subscribers are replaced, additional channels can be configured for Phase II operation. Ultimately, at the point that all Phase I subscribers are phased out, 19 channels can be converted for exclusive Phase II operation, providing the maximum allowable capacity of 36 talk paths. At this point, there will be between six (6) and 11 additional channels that cannot operate on the primary simulcast cell due to the maximum number of talk paths being reached. In order to benefit from these channels, a separate simulcast zone will be required. These channels then could be configured in a separate cell specifically allocated for interoperability purposes, for data applications, or for nonpublic safety traffic such as that generated the School Board. Table 12 below summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of this option. Table MHz P25 Phase II Hybrid Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Allows extended use of Phase I subscribers by some user agencies and interoperability partners Balance between Phase I and Phase II options Infrastructure in place for second overlay system once Phase II conversion complete Ability to have backward compatibility with Phase I subscribers through use of dynamic base stations Improved coverage through radio site addition Improved capacity through channel expansion Flexibility to use overhead capacity for data applications such as GPS, OTAP and OTAR Improved interoperability with other agencies migrating to P25 (Miami-Dade, Collier) The 6 to 11 additional channels available after complete Phase II transition can be repurposed for additional sites Weaknesses Cost of flash upgrading subscribers that have a short lifecycle, then new P25 Phase II subscribers will be required Phase I talkgroups would occupy two resources instead of one Potential for minimally used channels after Phase II conversion is completed Increased infrastructure cost for base stations Cutover would require channels from the existing system Increase in loading of towers Increased space requirements for base stations Some XTS/XTL series radios would need replacement Mission Partners 75

79 REDUNDANCY AND SURVIVABILITY Reliability of the existing 800 MHz system is a major performance gap, with extended outages reported by many system users. Indeed, there are several performance gaps with the existing system that the new design will correct, which will greatly enhance network reliability. Most notably, MCP recommends a design with no single point of failure across the entire network. This includes geographically separated master sites and prime sites, as well as co-located redundant components for all network equipment, site controllers and ancillary equipment. MCP further recommends that the master sites be housed at dispatch centers, and that the prime sites be housed at radio sites, in order to provide optimum capabilities in the event of a backhaul failure. Locations for this equipment will be explored during the design phase. A major worry with the existing system concerns the system failure events, reported by Motorola, that occurred because the Model 6809 controllers could not keep up with the level of system traffic. The issue is exacerbated by frequent affiliation attempts from subscriber radios that are not maintained properly. The new system will be designed properly to handle the capacity load; however, it is critical that subscriber radios are maintained properly to ensure that they do not cause a negative impact on system operation. In addition to the resiliency built into the primary communications system, backup capabilities are recommended in the event of a partial or complete failure to the primary communications system. MCP s recommendation regarding backup communications is based on a comprehensive approach that provides the appropriate capabilities based on various levels of possible system failures. Aside from individual component failures that may impact individual channels and not the overall operation of the system, the most likely service-impacting failure to occur is the loss of communication to an individual tower site. These failures may result from copper theft, lightning strikes, wind events, and various other circumstances. Not knowing exactly when and where these types of failures may occur, or the number of radio sites that may be impacted, requires a combination of fixed backup and deployable communications capabilities in order to provide the most flexible way to address these types of outages. A fixed solution provides the best operational solution for backup scenarios because no setup time is required before users can access those systems. However, in order for a fixed backup solution to be effective, it must not rely on the same shared infrastructure or connectivity that is utilized by the primary system. Otherwise, a failure that affects the primary system also could affect the backup system. In an ideal scenario, user agencies on the Broward County system could work out agreements with the Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, and Coral Springs systems to allow access to those systems in the event of a failure to the Broward County system. These systems rely on separate radio sites and backhaul networks, and therefore would not necessarily be affected by events that could compromise the County system. Because of the limited capacity offered by the systems, however, the backup scenarios would require consolidation of Broward talkgroups so as not to overwhelm those systems. Mission Partners 76

80 In addition to these systems, a standalone backup trunked system is recommended to provide widearea portable in-street coverage. The RDSTF 700 MHz system is an already-identified, grant-funded project that provides an alternative that would both enhance interoperability and provide backup capabilities to the County. This system would provide a 3-channel trunked system primarily intended to service the Interstate 95 (I-95) corridor, complementing similar systems in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. Implementing this system utilizing P25 Phase II technology and expanding it to 7 channels, the system would provide 12 talkpaths for backup operations by agencies on the County system. The grant project provides funding to support a single radio site, which would provide primarily mobile coverage and some portable in-street coverage through the populated areas of Broward County. MCP recommends that this primary site be located at the EMS tower site, which is not planned for use in the primary system and thus would have a better chance of being functional in the event of a failure to the primary system. To build upon this grant-funded project to expand coverage, MCP recommends adding additional simulcast sites located at the EMS, Coconut Creek, and Davie locations. These sites will provide portable in-street coverage and some in-building coverage. To complement the primary microwave backhaul network at these locations, a redundant Ethernet connection is recommended to provide alternate pathing in the event there is failure of the microwave network. In addition to the fixed trunked backhaul network, conventional stations provide fixed capabilities that continue to operate independent of any connectivity requirements. The NPSPAC interoperability channels dispersed throughout the county meet this need, although these stations primarily are intended for backup purposes and provide a limited amount of capacity. Adding additional stations will provide another level of fixed backup capabilities without requiring a substantial investment. It is recommended that two additional conventional stations be placed at the EMS, Coconut Creek, Channel 2, and Davie locations. Deployable communications capabilities, including portable gateways, sites on wheels, transportable repeaters, and cache radios are essential for establishing communications in ad-hoc environments in the event of widespread infrastructure failures. While there are regional assets with these capabilities, none are owned and operated by Broward County. This is significant because priority for usage is received by the owner agency. Consequently, Broward County should consider acquiring mobile communications assets to better serve its user agencies. It is further recommended that a comprehensive continuity-of-operations plan (COOP) be developed across the County to identify standard operating procedures (SOPs) and priorities for all interoperability resources. The COOP should include regular training and exercises for both system users and dispatchers. The following list indicates the recommended technology for the communications trailer: Graphical user interface (GUI)-based gateway system Rack-mounted radios in VHF (1), UHF (1), and 700/800 MHz (8) bands Two (2) 700 MHz conventional repeaters Two (2) spare 700 MHz repeaters to be installed at radio sites as needed Mission Partners 77

81 Cache of 700/800 MHz radios (retired XTS/XTL series) totaling 50 units, in addition to bank chargers and spare batteries Vehicular repeater system 4G commercial air card for local Wi-FI and backup backhaul For each of these systems, access must be provided back to the three regional dispatch centers to allow dispatchers to access these respective systems. For the backup trunked system, IP backhaul should be established between the prime EMS site and the three dispatch centers using a combination of microwave and Ethernet. For the fixed and mobile conventional stations, control stations will be required to provide connectivity to each of the dispatch centers. The following table summarizes cost estimates for the recommended backup capabilities. Table 13 P25 Phase I Preliminary Cost Estimate Backup Capabilities Cost Estimate Expansion of RDSTF Trunking System $1,484,000 Conventional Interoperability Stations $296,800 Mobile Communications Trailer $637,000 Backup Capabilities Total $2,417,800 Equally important as the backup capabilities are the accompanying governance, SOPs, training, exercises, and usage plans to ensure that these resources are utilized effectively during a systemfailure situation. These plans must include dispatch procedures and personnel, because contingency plans in the event of system failures are initiated first and foremost at the dispatch level. MCP recommends that these details be developed as part of a comprehensive COOP. MAINTENANCE Proper maintenance of a communications system is critical to ensure that the equipment continues to operate as it was designed, and to ensure the full life of the equipment is realized. System maintenance can be broken down into several levels, i.e., infrastructure, subscriber and software maintenance. Based on the limited number of County personnel available to maintain the system, MCP recommends that the County pursue a comprehensive maintenance package. The maintenance and software costs are estimated at approximately three to five percent of the infrastructure total cost. Software should be refreshed every two or three years to maintain reliability and security. The package should include the following elements: Mission Partners 78

82 1. Onsite infrastructure response for critical failures within two hours 2. Infrastructure repair for failed components, County will need to have a sparing level that will allow for immediate replacement while the defective component is repaired. 3. Remote system monitoring and technician dispatch 4. Technical support 5. System software and security updates 6. Yearly preventive maintenance for all system infrastructure There is currently no comprehensive maintenance plan for subscriber units. Many instances have been reported where fielded subscribers are significantly out of tune. Out-of-tune subscribers perform poorly, and often experience issues that are perceived as poor system coverage. These units also place unnecessary strain on the system infrastructure. Consequently, MCP recommends implementation of a mandatory preventive maintenance program for all primary subscriber radios on the Broward County system. This program should include a retune of subscribers at least once every other year. Above and beyond preventive maintenance, agencies may choose to implement extended warranties or subscriber repair plans. Software subscriptions ensure that equipment is maintained with the latest available software releases. The updates fix bugs within the network software, and expand feature sets that were not available with previously releases. Typically, vendor support is tied to system release levels. The current standard for supportability of a release level is about five years. Updates are therefore required once every five years to ensure that systems have the proper technical support and resources available to resolve issues should they occur. Regular software update plans are offered that include any required hardware upgrades to accommodate the software update. This approach is recommended to ensure that the county does not experience any unanticipated upgrade costs. MCP recommends that the County include within its specifications package a requirement for vendors to provide a complete 15-year, cost-of-ownership quote for system maintenance. This approach ensures that maintenance costs are competitively bid, and not negotiated at a later point once a vendor already has been awarded the contract. In addition, maintenance costs can vary greatly from vendor to vendor. Consequently, vendor selection should be based on the total system cost over the life of the system, not just the initial purchase price. MCP anticipates the County will require an increase in staff to accommodate the new technology, increased radio sites, and the need for IP backhaul technical expertise. In addition, there are multiple operational changes in the system that will require additional training and standard operating procedures. Over the implementation of the new system, these operational changes may also require additional staff. Mission Partners 79

83 COST ESTIMATES MCP has developed preliminary cost estimates based on the system options identified. These estimates will be further refined during the design phase once specific design considerations are more finalized. Estimates have been provided for both all three-system options. Option MHz P25 Phase I Trunked Simulcast System includes the following considerations: total simulcast transmit/receive locations a. One 5-channel multicast site along I-75 in the western portion of the county b. Construction of two new 300-foot tower sites in Tamarac and Deerfield c. Lease of four additional locations 2. Total of 44 available talk paths across two simulcast cells or zones 3. Construction of 100-foot towers at each dispatch center 4. Geographically diverse, redundant system controllers and prime sites 5. New console systems to replace each existing dispatch position 6. ISSI for connectivity to HMS, Miami-Dade County and Palm Beach County 7. CSSI connectivity to HMS/Fort Lauderdale, Miami-Dade Police, Miami-Dade Fire, Palm Beach 8. Replacement microwave system 9. Replacement alphanumeric paging system 10. Replacement fire station alerting system 11. An additional $16,880,400 for subscribers is expected over the next 5-7 years when replacing XTL/XTS models Tables 14 below summarize the estimated cost for each of the Option 1: Table 14 P25 Phase I Preliminary Cost Estimate Budgetary Cost Estimate Site/RF Equipment $29,709,000 Backhaul Network $3,200,000 Physical Infrastructure $4,900,000 Project Management, Engineering and Implementation $12,287,925 Contingency $1,890,450 Backup Systems $1,780,800 Communications Trailer $637,000 Infrastructure Total $54,405,175 Mission Partners 80

84 PM, Engineering, & Implementation 23% Contingency 3% Backup Systems 3% Communication s Trailer 1% Site/RF Equipment 55% Physical Infrastructure 9% Backhaul Network 6% Mission Partners 81

85 Option MHz P25 Phase II Trunked Simulcast System includes the following considerations: total simulcast transmit/receive locations 2. One 5-channel multicast site along I-75 in the western portion of the county 3. Construction of two new 300-foot tower sites in Tamarac and Deerfield 4. Lease of four additional locations 5. Total of 36 available talk paths (19 base stations) 6. Construction of 100-foot towers at each dispatch center 7. Geographically diverse, redundant system controllers and prime sites 8. New console systems to replace each existing dispatch position 9. ISSI for connectivity to HMS, Miami-Dade County and Palm Beach County 10. CSSI connectivity to HMS/Fort Lauderdale, Miami-Dade Police, Miami-Dade Fire, Palm Beach 11. Replacement microwave system 12. Replacement alphanumeric paging system 13. Replacement fire station alerting system 14. All subscribers are replaced Tables 15 below summarize the estimated cost for each of the Option 2: Table 15 P25 Phase II Preliminary Cost Estimate Budgetary Cost Estimate Site/RF Equipment $19,692,000 Backhaul Network $3,200,000 Physical Infrastructure $4,900,000 Project Management, Engineering and Implementation $9,032,400 Contingency $1,389,600 Backup Systems $1,780,800 Communications Trailer $637,000 Infrastructure Total $40,631,800 Mission Partners 82

86 Contingency (5% of system cost) PM, 3% Engineering, & Implementation 22% Backup Systems 4% Communication s Trailer 2% Site/RF Equipment 49% Physical Infrastructure 12% Backhaul Network 8% Option MHz P25 Hybrid Trunked Simulcast System includes the following considerations: total simulcast transmit/receive locations 2. One 5-channel multicast site along I-75 in the western portion of the county 3. Construction of two new 300-foot tower sites in Tamarac and Deerfield 4. Lease of four additional locations 5. Total of 42 available talk paths (30 base stations) 6. Construction of 100-foot towers at each dispatch center 7. Geographically diverse, redundant system controllers and prime sites 8. New console systems to replace each existing dispatch position 9. ISSI for connectivity to HMS, Miami-Dade County and Palm Beach County 10. CSSI connectivity to HMS/Fort Lauderdale, Miami-Dade Police, Miami-Dade Fire, Palm Beach 11. Replacement microwave system 12. Replacement alphanumeric paging system 13. Replacement fire station alerting system 14. An additional $8,511,600 for subscribers is expected over the next 5-7 years when replacing XTL/XTS models 15. Alternate pricing included for 25-channel system, providing approximately 42 available talk paths Mission Partners 83

87 Tables 16 below summarize the estimated cost for each of the Option 3: Table 16 P25 Phase II Hybrid Preliminary Cost Estimate (30 Channels) Budgetary Cost Estimate Site/RF Equipment $24,334,000 Backhaul Network $3,200,000 Physical Infrastructure $4,900,000 Project Management, Engineering and Implementation $10,541,050 Contingency $1,621,700 Backup Systems $1,780,800 Communications Trailer $637,000 Infrastructure Total $47,014,550 Contingency (5% of system cost) 4% Backup Systems 4% Communications Trailer 1% PM, Engineering, & Implementation 22% Site/RF Equipment 52% Physical Infrastructure 10% Backhaul Network 7% Mission Partners 84

88 Table 17 P25 Phase II Hybrid Preliminary Cost Estimate (25 Channels) Budgetary Cost Estimate Site/RF Equipment $22,234,000 Backhaul Network $3,200,000 Physical Infrastructure $4,900,000 Project Management, Engineering and Implementation $9,858,550 Contingency $1,516,700 Backup Systems $1,780,800 Communications Trailer $637,000 Infrastructure Total $44,127,050 Contingency (5% of system cost) 4% Backup Systems 4% PM, Engineering, & Implementation 22% Communication s Trailer 2% Site/RF Equipment 50% Physical Infrastructure 11% Backhaul Network 7% It should be noted that it is common to expect actual competitive prices to be discounted below the budgetary cost estimates provided above. However, these levels are recommended for budgeting purposes to ensure that sufficient contingency funds are available. Mission Partners 85

89 6. NEXT STEPS MCP has identified the available feature sets and provided options to the County regarding possible system solutions. Working with its stakeholders, the County and MCP should focus on the specific desired feature sets and decide on a system option to pursue. Based on these decisions, MCP will develop a comprehensive system design document. The functional design should accomplish the following goals: Define specific coverage requirements and geographical bounded areas Identify candidate locations for new tower sites and validate that the coverage requirements are satisfied by those locations Identify locations for critical infrastructure, including master site and prime site locations Identify specific feature sets that will be implemented Identify preliminary cutover plans Identify specific site-by-site requirements to be incorporated into the specifications Complete preliminary FCC license filings Complete preliminary tower-loading studies Once the design phase has been completed, MCP will confirm the design with the County and project stakeholders. Once confirmed, MCP will incorporate the aspects of the design into a functional specification that will be utilized for the procurement of the systems. 7. CONCLUSION MCP completed a comprehensive analysis of the 800 MHz trunked, paging, fire station alerting, and microwave systems operated by Broward County. MCP confirmed that these systems are based on platforms and equipment that have all reached end-of-life or will do so in the near future. Based on these criteria, as well as other deficiencies identified by system users, MCP recommends replacement of these systems. MCP gathered feedback from system users which is contained in the appendices that follow this section regarding improvements and feature sets that the replacement systems could offer that would improve the level of service provided to system users. Improved coverage, capacity and reliability were the most requested areas of improvement. Based on those requirements and additional needs stated by users, MCP surveyed available technologies and identified three options for the County: a P25 Phase I system, a P25 Phase II system, and a Phase II Hybrid system that allows a phased migration of subscribers. These options offer substantial improvements to coverage and capacity, and offer the majority of the feature sets desired by system users. The primary difference between the options is that the Phase I Mission Partners 86

90 solution allows agencies to upgrade their existing subscriber equipment, but requires more base stations, and therefore more room within equipment shelters and more antennas on each tower. While the Phase I option has increased costs for fixed infrastructure, the Phase II option has significantly higher costs for replacement subscriber units. A third hybrid option requires the replacement of some Phase I subscribers, but allows the majority of Phase I subscribers to be phased out and converted to Phase II operation over time. Mission Partners 87

91 Appendix A Radio Site Evaluations Radio sites are a vital extension of the radio system in that they provide a secure space to house the equipment that provides communications to first responders. They also provide protection from natural and manmade threats in order to allow communications equipment to run at optimum performance. Radio sites are also an important factor when designing a new communications system, as it relates to site reliability, availability and function. Using Motorola R56, Standards and Guidelines for Communications Sites as a resource, our team evaluated the equipment installation and site maintenance practices to determine the level of reliability based on site configuration. Broward County utilizes ten tower sites for the primary trunked system. Additional locations with radio equipment include the Public Safety building and the EMS tower site. The County owns all of its tower sites, with the exception of the Points, Playa, and Deerfield locations. The leased sites require monthly payments, but do not require regular site maintenance. The County uses its own shelters at all radio tower locations. The Point of America and Playa Del Mar locations are leased building tops, with radio equipment located in equipment rooms on the building roofs. All ten sites have most of the same equipment at each site. Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and generator equipment are maintained through a maintenance service contract. The sections that follow describe with more detail MCP s findings at each radio site. Mission Partners 88

92 COCONUT CREEK Mission Partners 89

93 Table 1 below outlines key radio site information regarding the Coconut Creek site. Table 1 Coconut Creek Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates 26 18'10"N, 80 11'45"W Address 5150 Regency Lakes Drive, Coconut Creek, FL Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type Tower manufacturer 400 feet Self-Supporting Lattice Pirod Tower condition Good constructed in 2004 UPS model Best Ferrups X 2 Generator model and capacity Generac 60 KW Diesel with 300 Gallon Tank Shelter type Prefabricated Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Good 20 feet x 30 feet (approximate) Badger Broward County None Table 2 below outlines radio equipment located at the Coconut Creek site. Table 2 Coconut Creek Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Repeater Motorola Quantar 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Mission Partners 90

94 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 1 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 2 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 3 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 4 24-Port Multicoupler TXRX MHz Receive Antenna 1 24-Port Multicoupler TXRX MHz Receive Antenna 2 Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Coconut Creek to Playa Del Mar Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Coconut Creek to Core Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from site controller to microwave Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from site controller to microwave GPS Reference TRAK 9100 N/A GPS reference for simulcast timing Mission Partners 91

95 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Paging Transmitter Motorola PURC5000 UHF Alphanumeric simulcast paging transmitter 8TAC92 Motorola MSF / TAC92 interoperability repeater Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 1 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 2 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 3 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 4 (Not in use) Key points regarding the Coconut Creek site are as follows: The shelter is shared with the City of Coral Springs P25 Phase I system The County s MOTOTRBO UHF system is co-located in the shelter There is room for 5-6 additional equipment racks in the current configuration There will be room for at least five additional equipment racks once the legacy system is decommissioned The primary antenna entry port is at capacity. There is additional capacity on the second antenna entry port installed for the Coral Springs system There is no tower ground bus bar. Antenna lines are grounded directly to the tower using ground kits 60-foot to 80-foot trees are located on all sides of the tower Shelter five-point ground with halo in good condition There is physical room on the tower to accommodate additional antennas The generator recently was replaced. Manufacture date is January 22, 2015 Mission Partners 92

96 CORE Mission Partners 93

97 Table 3 Core Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates Address Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type 26 08'56.8"N, 80 11'44.2"W 1725 NW 31 st Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 300 feet Self-Supporting Lattice Tower manufacturer Rohn Tower condition Good Evidence of significant structural enhancements UPS model Powerware/Eaton 9170 x 2 Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Generac kw Prefabricated Good 22 feet x 32 feet (approximate) Badger Broward County None Table 4 below outlines radio equipment located at the Core site. Table 4 Core Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Repeater Motorola Quantro 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Repeater Motorola Quantro 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Repeater Motorola Quantro 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Repeater Motorola Quantro 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Repeater Motorola Quantro 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Repeater Motorola Quantro 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Repeater Motorola Quantro 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Repeater Motorola Quantro 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Repeater Motorola Quantro 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Repeater Motorola Quantro 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Repeater Motorola Quantro 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Repeater Motorola Quantro 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Mission Partners 94

98 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Repeater Motorola Quantro 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Repeater Motorola Quantro 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Repeater Motorola Quantro 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Repeater Motorola Quantro 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Repeater Motorola Quantro 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Repeater Motorola Quantro 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Repeater Motorola Quantro 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Repeater Motorola Quantro 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Repeater Motorola Quantro 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Repeater Motorola Quantro 851/ Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantro 851/ Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantro 852/ Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantro 852/ Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantro 853/ Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantro 853/ Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantro 853/ Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 1 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 2 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 3 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 4 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 1 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 2 Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Core to PSB (North Loop) Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Core to PSB (South Loop) Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Core to Markham Park Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Core to Coconut Creek Channel Bank Motorola Multiplex traffic from site TeNSr/800 N/A controller to microwave Channel Bank Motorola Multiplex traffic from site TeNSr/800 N/A controller to microwave GPS Reference TRAK GPS reference for simulcast 9100 N/A timing Paging Transmitter Motorola Alphanumeric simulcast paging PURC5000 UHF transmitter Mission Partners 95

99 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Motorola 8TAC94 interoperability 8TAC94 MSF / repeater Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 1 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 2 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 3 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 4 (Not in use) Key points regarding the Core site are as follows: The site is referred to as core because it is centrally located within the County s population center and provides the best overall single-site coverage in the event connectivity is lost and the system reverts to failsoft The site serves as a hub for the northern and southern microwave loops The repeaters at this site are Motorola Quantro stations with dual amplifiers. Quantro stations are used because they have an output power of 150 watts, allowing better single-site coverage in the event the system reverts to single-site operation. Each Quantro station occupies a cabinet that occupies one half of an equipment rack There is limited space in the shelter due to extensive floor space occupied by the Quantro stations There is room for approximately six to seven additional equipment racks in the current configuration. Additional equipment racks can be added if existing equipment is consolidated and the Datatac repeaters are decommissioned The site is co-located with the Broward County Transit system based on the MTR3000 platform The FBI has conventional equipment located in the shelter The shelter HVAC system was noted to be performing poorly. Numerous fans are placed throughout the shelter The current shelter entry port is at capacity. An additional port will need to be added or existing feed lines will need to be removed to support additional feed lines There is no tower ground bar on the tower. Feed lines are grounded directly to the tower There are insufficient spare power outlets on the equipment racks. There is additional room on the breakers to accommodate additional outlets The generator was manufactured in 2015 and is in good condition Mission Partners 96

100 DAVIE Mission Partners 97

101 Table 5 Davie Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates Address Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type 26 03'55.5"N, 80 20'19"W 4501 SW 142 nd Avenue, Davie, FL 315 feet Self-Supporting Lattice Tower manufacturer Pirod Good Structural studies demonstrate Tower condition passed structural at TIA222 Rev G Class III UPS model Powerware 18 kva x 2 Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Baldor 100 kw Prefabricated Good 20 feet x 30 feet (approximate) Larse Broward County None Table 6 below outlines radio equipment located at the Davie site. Table 6 Davie Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Repeater Motorola Quantar 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Mission Partners 98

102 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 1 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 2 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 3 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 4 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 1 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 2 Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Davie to Markham Park Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Davie to Miramar Motorola Multiplex traffic from site Channel Bank TeNSr/800 N/A controller to microwave Mission Partners 99

103 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Channel Bank GPS Reference Paging Transmitter Repeater Repeater Repeater Repeater Motorola TRAK Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A 9100 N/A PURC5000 UHF Quantar Quantar Quantar Quantar Multiplex traffic from site controller to microwave GPS reference for simulcast timing Alphanumeric simulcast paging transmitter Datatac Channel 1 (Not in use) Datatac Channel 2 (Not in use) Datatac Channel 3 (Not in use) Datatac Channel 4 (Not in use) Key points regarding the Davie site are as follows: There is plenty of floor space in the shelter to support additional equipment The shelter is shared with the PURC5000 paging system and the four-channel Datatac system There is no ground bar on the tower. Feed lines are grounded directly to the tower The shelter entry panel is at capacity. A new entry panel will be necessary to support additional feed lines It was noticeably hot inside the shelter. The HVAC system should be serviced and considered for replacement There was evidence of pest entry inside the shelter. The shelter should be sealed and treated for insects Access was not available to the Baldor generator Mission Partners 100

104 MARKHAM PARK Mission Partners 101

105 Table 7 Markham Park Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates 26 08'43"N, 80 20'44"W Address W. State Road 84, Sunrise, FL, Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type 415 feet Guyed Tower manufacturer Pirod Tower condition Good Structural studies demonstrate passed structural at TIA222 Rev G UPS model Powerware PW kva x 2 Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Generac 80 kw Diesel Prefabricated Good 12 feet x 32 feet (approximate) Larse Broward County None Table 8 below outlines radio equipment located at the Markham Park site. Table 8 Markham Park Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Repeater Motorola Quantar 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Mission Partners 102

106 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 1 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 2 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 3 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 4 16-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 1 16-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 2 Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Markham Park to Davie Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Markham Park to Core Channel Bank Motorola Multiplex traffic from site TeNSr/800 N/A controller to microwave Channel Bank Motorola Multiplex traffic from site TeNSr/800 N/A controller to microwave GPS Reference TRAK 9100 N/A GPS reference for simulcast timing Mission Partners 103

107 Key points regarding the Markham Park site are as follows: The site is the most western site within the system, providing primary coverage of the western half of the county There is an immediately adjacent tower owned by the State of Florida An abandoned shelter is located on the compound. It may be possible for the County to take possession of the shelter Room was identified to potentially support 3 additional equipment racks The tree line is close to 100 feet in each direction and is close to obscuring the microwave path. Heights should be verified on the surrounding trees. Trees should be cut if an obstruction is likely in the near future The shelter is shared with numerous supporting systems, including a five-channel MOTOTRBO system operated by the City of Sunrise, MED5 and MED 10 repeaters, a four-channel Kenwood NXDN system, a VHF control station tied to the Seminole Nation FD, and a West Palm Beach Civil Air Patrol station There are plenty of additional outlets to support additional equipment There is physical space on the tower to support additional antennas Structural studies conducted in 2014 show the tower passing at TIA222 Rev G Mission Partners 104

108 DEERFIELD Mission Partners 105

109 Table 9 Deerfield Radio Site Information Tower Specification Coordinates Address Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type Tower manufacturer Tower condition UPS model Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Details 26 19'11.6"N, '55.5"W 300 NE 2 nd Street, Deerfield, FL N/A 200 feet Self-Supporting Lattice Rohn Could not inspect. Good according to 2013 report from Kirms Communications. Emerson 15 KVA None present Prefabricated Fair 12 feet x 16 feet (approximate) AT&T Leased from AT&T. Table 10 below outlines radio equipment located at the Deerfield site. Table 10 Deerfield Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Receiver Motorola Quantar 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Receiver Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Receiver Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Receiver Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Receiver Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Receiver Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Receiver Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Mission Partners 106

110 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Receiver Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Receiver Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Receiver Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Receiver Motorola Quantar 851/ Receiver Motorola Quantar 851/ Receiver Motorola AstroTac 852/ Receiver Receiver Receiver Receiver 16-Port Multicoupler 16-Port Multicoupler Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola TXRX TXRX AstroTac AstroTac AstroTac AstroTac 852/ / / / Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) MHz Receive Antenna MHz Receive Antenna 2 Mission Partners 107

111 Key points regarding the Deerfield site are as follows: The site is a receive-only location on the 800 MHz system Site shelter is located in a small enclosure on the side of the Deerfield Police Department. There is a long distance between the County shelter and the tower There is no microwave connectivity to the site. Backhaul is provided by a leased T1 circuit There is no on-site generator The shelter is at capacity. The existing equipment will need to be removed if the existing shelter is used for the new system There is no room within the current compound for a new shelter. Access to the base of the tower was not provided, and therefore MCP could not assess if there is room for an additional shelter at that location There is little room on the tower for additional antennas. Because this site is currently used in the receive-only mode, there are only two antennas on the tower. It is unknown whether the tower could accommodate the additional antennas to make this location a full transmit/receive site Water damage was identified inside the shelter that impacted a number of the Quantar receivers. The County indicated that the leak had been repaired One of the HVAC units looks to have been replaced. The second HVAC unit looks like the original shelter unit There is room on the shelter entry panel to accommodate additional feed lines 23 of the receiver stations are Motorola Quantars, while the other five are AstroTac receivers. Mission Partners 108

112 PLAYA DEL MAR Mission Partners 109

113 Table 11 Playa Del Mar Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates Address Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type 26 10'34.3"N, 80 05'54.7"W 3600 Galt Ocean Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL N/A 280 feet Building Tower manufacturer N/A Good Antennas mounted on Tower condition equipment room located on roof of highrise condominium UPS model BEST Ferrups 18 kva x 2 Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease None Equipment Room Good Approximately 30 x 20 (odd-shaped equipment room) Badger Playa Del Mar Room leased from Playa Del Mar Table 12 below outlines radio equipment located at the Playa Del Mar site. Table 12 Playa Del Mar Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Repeater Motorola Quantar 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Mission Partners 110

114 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) 10-Port Combiner TXRX 57445G MHz Transmit Antenna 1 10-Port Combiner TXRX 57445G MHz Transmit Antenna 2 10-Port Combiner TXRX 57445G MHz Transmit Antenna 3 10-Port Combiner TXRX 57445G MHz Transmit Antenna 4 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 1 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 2 Microwave Tadiran Playa Del Mar to Public Safety CM MHz Building Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Playa Del Mar to Coconut Creek Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from site controller to microwave Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from site controller to microwave GPS Reference TRAK 9100 N/A GPS reference for simulcast timing Mission Partners 111

115 Key points regarding the Playa Del Mar site are as follows: The site is located on the rooftop of the Playa Del Mar condominium There are two spare entry ports for additional feed lines. An additional entry panel will be needed if more than two addition feed lines are needed There are 12 free ports on the existing combiner system and 20 free ports on the multicoupler The equipment room is an odd shape with numerous obstructions on the floor that prevent effective use of floor space. There is a section of the equipment room that is currently vacated and may be built out to accommodate additional equipment. Air flow in that section of the room was noted to be poor. Upgrades to the HVAC system may be necessary if that section of the room is to be used Transmit and receive antenna are located at the same height with limited horizontal separation. This configuration is not ideal due to the risk of transmitters overloading nearby receivers. Testing should be conducted to ensure there is proper isolation between the antenna systems There is room for additional antennas on the roof of the equipment room. However, there is not space on the side of the shelter facing the County. Coverage from the site may be reduced during cutover if the existing system antennas are moved to the far side of the equipment to allow room for the new antennas There is no generator on-site. The UPS units only provide a limited runtime The ground lead from the equipment room Master Ground Bar to the building ground has a bend. Ideally this should be a straight connection with no bends Mission Partners 112

116 POINTS OF AMERICA Mission Partners 113

117 Table 13 Points of America Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates Address Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type 26 05'46"N, 80 06'26"W S Ocean Lane, Ft. Lauderdale, FL N/A 250 feet Building Tower manufacturer N/A Good Antennas mounted on Tower condition equipment room located on roof of highrise condominium UPS model BEST Ferrups 18 kva x 2 Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease None Equipment Room Good Approximately 10 x 20 (odd-shaped equipment room) Larse Points of America Crown Castle Table 14 below outlines radio equipment located at the Points of America site. Table 14 Points of America Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Repeater Motorola Quantar 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Mission Partners 114

118 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) 10-Port Combiner TXRX 57445G MHz Transmit Antenna 1 10-Port Combiner TXRX 57445G MHz Transmit Antenna 2 10-Port Combiner TXRX 57445G MHz Transmit Antenna 3 10-Port Combiner TXRX 57445G MHz Transmit Antenna 4 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 1 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 2 Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Points of America to Channel 2 Microwave Tadiran Points of America to Public CM MHz Safety Building Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from site controller to microwave Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from site controller to microwave GPS Reference TRAK 9100 N/A GPS reference for simulcast timing Mission Partners 115

119 Key points regarding the Points of America site are as follows: The site is located on the rooftop of the Points of America condominium There are two spare entry ports for additional feed lines. An additional entry panel will be needed if more than two addition feed lines are needed There are 12 free ports on the existing combiner system and 20 free ports on the multicoupler The primary equipment room is at capacity. A second equipment room has space available for additional equipment There are numerous antennas located on the roof of the equipment room. There should be room for additional antennas, however isolation between transmit and receive antennas must be maintained The equipment room ground lead from the Master Ground Bar undergoes numerous bends before reaching the building ground. The connection to building ground is made with both the water valve and the ground lead painted, potentially reducing the effectiveness of the connection There is no generator onsite. The UPS units only provide a limited runtime Mission Partners 116

120 CHANNEL 2 Mission Partners 117

121 Table 15 Channel 2 Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates 25 58'50.2"N, 80 11'45.6"W Address 3300 SW 52 nd Ave, Pembroke Pines, FL Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type 390 feet Guyed Tower manufacturer Unknown Good Structural study completed in Tower condition 2015 indicates site passed at TIA222 Rev G UPS model BEST Ferrups 18 kva x 2 Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Tradewinds Marathon 97 kw Equipment Room Fair Approximately 40 x 40 (estimated) Larse Broward County N/A Table 16 below outlines radio equipment located at the Channel 2 site. Table 16 Channel 2 Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller Repeater Motorola Quantar 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Mission Partners 118

122 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) 10-Port Combiner TXRX A MHz Transmit Antenna 1 10-Port Combiner TXRX A MHz Transmit Antenna 2 10-Port Combiner TXRX A MHz Transmit Antenna 3 10-Port Combiner TXRX A MHz Transmit Antenna 4 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 1 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 2 Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Channel 2 to Miramar Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Channel 2 to Points of America Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from site controller to microwave Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from site controller to microwave GPS Reference TRAK 9100 N/A GPS reference for simulcast timing Paging Motorola Alphanumeric simulcast paging PURC5000 Transmitter MHz transmitter Mission Partners 119

123 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Motorola 8TAC93 interoperability 8TAC93 MSF / repeater Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 1 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 2 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 3 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola Quantar Datatac Channel 4 (Not in use) Repeater Motorola GTR8000 MED5 MED5 repeater Repeater Motorola GTR8000 MED10 MED10 repeater Key points regarding the Points of Channel 2 site are as follows: The site is located on an old television transmitter tower. The equipment room is built on to a larger building previously occupied by the television company The portion of the building not utilized for the equipment room is largely vacant and used for the storage of old radio equipment. This portion of the building is not cooled and would require significant renovations if it were to be used for operating equipment, office space, or another purpose Based on the age and condition of the building, an inspection is recommended to ensure the equipment room is properly sealed and the roof is in good condition There is no ground bar on the tower. Feed lines are grounded directly to the tower The external ground bar on the outside of the shelter has a ground lead that does not go straight down to ground. The ground lead is routed around the building before termination An adjacent shelter is located on the property that is unoccupied. After inspection, it was determined that the shelter is not salvageable and should be demolished The ground lead from the master ground bar inside the shelter does not direct straight down, but rather bends and exits the equipment room at another location There is plenty of floor space within the equipment room to accommodate additional equipment The site is co-located with the MOTOTRBO public works system The tower is an older style guyed tower with 3 anchored bases rather than a single base. This configuration limits the ability of the tower to switch to absorb forces Structural studies completed in 2015 show that the tower passed at the TIA222 Rev G for the antennas associated with the UHF public works system Mission Partners 120

124 TAMARAC Mission Partners 121

125 Table 17 Tamarac Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates Address Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # 26 12'43.4"N, '20.5"W 7515 NW 88 th Ave, Tamarac, FL N/A Tower height 100 Structure type Tower manufacturer Tower condition UPS model Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Monopole Rohn Fair Extremely lightweight monopole that cannot likely support additional loading Best FERRUPS 18 kva x2 None present Custom building Fair 10 feet x 8 feet (approximate) None Broward County Property owned by Tamarac PD. Table 18 below outlines radio equipment located at the Tamarac site. Table 18 Tamarac Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Receiver Motorola Quantar 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Receiver Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Receiver Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Receiver Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Receiver Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Receiver Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Receiver Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Receiver Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Mission Partners 122

126 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Receiver Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Receiver Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Receiver Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Receiver Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Receiver Motorola Quantar 851/ Receiver Motorola Quantar 851/ Receiver Motorola AstroTac 852/ Receiver Receiver Receiver Receiver 16-Port Multicoupler 16-Port Multicoupler Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola TXRX TXRX AstroTac AstroTac AstroTac AstroTac 852/ / / / Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) MHz Receive Antenna MHz Receive Antenna 2 Mission Partners 123

127 Key points regarding the Tamarac site are as follows: The site is a receive-only location on the 800 MHz system The shelter and tower are located on a small hill on the back of the Tamarac Police Department. There is no fence surrounding the tower and shelter. Limited access is provided at the entrance to the Tamarac Police Department parking lot The tower is a lightweight monopole that is unsuitable for a mission critical radio system The building is a custom building that lies on uneven grade. The building shows signs of pest entry, and is unsuitable for critical infrastructure There is no microwave connectivity to the site. Backhaul is provided by a leased T1 circuit There is no on-site generator The shelter is at capacity and is unsuitable for a mission critical radio system There is an adjacent heavy-duty monopole immediately behind the equipment shelter The HVAC units are residential grade window units not designed for critical infrastructure Twenty-three (23) of the receiver stations are Motorola Quantars, while the other five are AstroTac receivers Due to the odd nature of the equipment shelter, tower, and uneven ground, it is unclear whether the subterranean grounding system is in good order. Testing of the grounding system is recommended if the site is to continue to be used A new tower and shelter is recommended if the location is to continue to be utilized Mission Partners 124

128 MIRAMAR Mission Partners 125

129 Table 19 Miramar Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates Address Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type 25 57'31.6"N, 80 20'18.2"W SW 55 th Street, Miramar, FL 315 feet Self-Supporting Lattice Tower manufacturer Pirod Tower condition Good Structural studies demonstrate passed structural at TIA222 Rev G UPS model Powerware PW kva x 2 Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Generac 100 kw Diesel Prefabricated Good 12 feet x 32 feet (approximate) Badger Broward County None Table 20 below outlines radio equipment located at the Miramar site. Table 20 Miramar Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Repeater Motorola Quantar 854/ Trunking Channel 1 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 2 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 3 Repeater Motorola Quantar 855/ Trunking Channel 4 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 5 Repeater Motorola Quantar 856/ Trunking Channel 6 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 7 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 8 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 9 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 10 Repeater Motorola Quantar 857/ Trunking Channel 11 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 12 Mission Partners 126

130 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 13 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 14 Repeater Motorola Quantar 858/ Trunking Channel 15 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 16 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 17 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 18 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 19 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 20 Repeater Motorola Quantar 859/ Trunking Channel 21 Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 851/ Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 852/ Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola Quantar 853/ Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 1 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 2 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 3 10-Port Combiner TXRX K MHz Transmit Antenna 4 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 1 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 2 Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Miramar to Davie Microwave Tadiran CM MHz Miramar to Channel 2 Channel Bank Motorola Multiplex traffic from site TeNSr/800 N/A controller to microwave Channel Bank Motorola Multiplex traffic from site TeNSr/800 N/A controller to microwave GPS Reference TRAK 9100 N/A GPS reference for simulcast timing Mission Partners 127

131 Key points regarding the Miramar site are as follows: The site is located on the back of a County community center. Access is provided by a small road/sidewalk running between the baseball fields There is room for three to four additional equipment racks in the current configuration. There will be more room once the current equipment is decommissioned There are 20 free multicoupler ports and 12 free combiner ports The tower is in good condition, having passed structural studies conducted at TIA222 Rev G within the last two years There is room on the tower to support additional antennas Site grounding was in overall good condition. The subterranean grounding system was not inspected and resistance measurements were not conducted Microwave waveguide pressure readings were at 0 psi at the time of inspection. The microwave dehydrator and waveguides should be inspected for proper operation and air leaks. Mission Partners 128

132 EMS Mission Partners 129

133 Table 21 EMS Radio Site Information Tower Specification Details Coordinates Address Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type 26 9'14.2"N, 80 10'37.9"W 3150 NW 26 th Ave, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 420 feet Guyed Tower manufacturer Pirod Tower condition Good Structural studies demonstrate passed structural at TIA222 Rev G UPS model Mitsubishi M2033CP 50 kva x 2 Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Generac 180 kw Diesel Prefabricated Good 23 feet x 30 feet (approximate) MOSCAD panel, unsure of usage Broward County None Table 22 below outlines radio equipment located at the EMS site. Table 22 EMS Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Site Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Assign voice calls to appropriate repeater. Communicate with prime controller. Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 1 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 2 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 3 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 4 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 5 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 6 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 7 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 8 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 9 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 10 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 11 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 12 Mission Partners 130

134 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 13 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 14 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 15 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 16 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 17 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 18 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 19 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 20 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 21 Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 22 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 23 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 24 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 25 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 26 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 27 (License held by school board) Repeater Motorola MSF / Trunking Channel 28 (License held by school board) 10-Port Combiner TXRX C MHz Transmit Antenna 1 10-Port Combiner TXRX C MHz Transmit Antenna 2 10-Port Combiner TXRX C MHz Transmit Antenna 3 10-Port Combiner TXRX C MHz Transmit Antenna 4 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 1 24-Port TXRX Multicoupler MHz Receive Antenna 2 Repeater Motorola GTR8000 UHF MED5 Repeater Motorola GTR8000 UHF MED8 Repeater Motorola GTR8000 UHF MED10 Mission Partners 131

135 Key points regarding the EMS site are as follows: The site is not utilized as a simulcast site on the 800 MHz system The site originally was designed to function as a backup trunked system in the event of a failure to the primary system 800 MHz system using the same frequencies and MSF5000 repeaters. The system never functioned as anticipated. The antennas tied to the backup system have subsequently been removed The site has newer UPS and Generator units with very high capacity There is plenty of floor space to support additional equipment. Much more space will be available if the backup system is decommissioned There were signs of pest entry inside the shelter. The shelter should be sealed and treated for insects The generator was in the alarm mode when we arrived on site The site is co-located with the County public works system The site is in close proximity to the core site, and is centrally located within the County populated area Two Motorola PTP300 microwave units are located inside the shelter. It was reported that these units were used for a Motorola demonstration at some point in the past, but were never removed Power still was connected to the MSF5000 units, despite antennas being disconnected. Power should be removed from these units to save on utility costs Mission Partners 132

136 PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING Mission Partners 133

137 Table 23 Public Safety Building Radio Site Information Tower Specification Coordinates Address Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) # Tower height Structure type Tower manufacturer Tower condition UPS model Generator model and capacity Shelter type Shelter condition Shelter dimensions Site alarming Tower owner Lease Details 26 07'20.7"N, 80 10'38.7"W 2601 W Broward Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL N/A 180 feet Monopole Unknown Good based on visual inspection. Building UPS Building Generator Multiple equipment rooms (prime site, paging controller, microwave, monopole) Equipment rooms range from good to fair. Access not heavily constricted to critical infrastructure rooms. Monopole equipment room is very small. Equipment rooms range in size. Location for central BADGER alarm panel Broward County SO None Table 24 below outlines radio equipment located at the Public Safety Building site. Table 24 Public Safety Building Radio Equipment Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Prime Controller Motorola 6809 N/A Backup Prime Controller Voter Voter Voter Motorola 6809 N/A Motorola Motorola Motorola SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac Control simulcast traffic countywide. Interfaced with hosted Master site. Control simulcast traffic countywide. Interfaced with hosted Master site. 854/ Trunking Channel 1, sites / Trunking Channel 1, sites / Trunking Channel 2, sites 1-8 Mission Partners 134

138 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac Trunking Channel 2, sites / Trunking Channel 3, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 3, sites / Trunking Channel 4, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 4, sites / Trunking Channel 5, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 5, sites / Trunking Channel 6, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 6, sites / Trunking Channel 7, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 7, sites / Trunking Channel 8, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 8, sites / Trunking Channel 9, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 9, sites / Trunking Channel 10, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 10, sites / Trunking Channel 11, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 11, sites / Trunking Channel 12, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 12, sites / Trunking Channel 13, sites 1-8 Mission Partners 135

139 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Voter Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola Motorola SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac SECURENET Digitac Astrotac 3000 Trunking Channel 13, sites / Trunking Channel 14, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 14, sites / Trunking Channel 15, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 15, sites / Trunking Channel 16, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 16, sites / Trunking Channel 17, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 17, sites / Trunking Channel 18, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 18, sites / Trunking Channel 19, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 19, sites / Trunking Channel 20, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 20, sites / Trunking Channel 21, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 21, sites / Trunking Channel 22, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 22, sites / Trunking Channel 23, sites 1-8 Trunking Channel 23, sites / Trunking Channel 24, sites 1-10 Mission Partners 136

140 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Voter Motorola Astrotac / Trunking Channel 25, sites 1-10 Voter Motorola Astrotac / Trunking Channel 26, sites 1-10 Voter Motorola Astrotac / Trunking Channel 27, sites 1-10 Voter Motorola Astrotac / Trunking Channel 28, sites 1-10 Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Coconut Creek Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Coconut Creek Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Miramar Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Miramar Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Davie Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Davie Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Channel 2 Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Channel 2 Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Core Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Core Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Points Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Points Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Playa Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Playa Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Markham Park Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Markham Park Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Tamarac Channel Bank Motorola TeNSr/800 N/A Multiplex traffic from Deerfield System status monitor Motorola Systemwatch N/A Monitor system activity System Reporting Genesis Genwatch N/A Generate system usage reports and statistics Alarm Panel Badger Badger N/A Receive system environmental alarms Central Supports 1 remaining console Dispatch Motorola Electronics N/A position at the PSB and spare Controller Bank (CEB) parts Paging Controller Motorola Unipage N/A Unipage controller for County alphanumeric paging system Paging Controller Zetron 640A N/A Not in use Microwave Tadiran CM MHz PSB to Playa Del Mar Mission Partners 137

141 Equipment Type Make Model Frequency Usage Microwave Tadiran CM MHz PSB to Core Microwave Tadiran CM MHz PSB to Core Microwave Tadiran CM MHz PSB to Points of America Repeater Motorola MSF MHz MAFLA Repeater Repeater Motorola Quantar MRC Medical Resource Channel Repeater Repeater Motorola Quantar MHz Fire Station Alerting Transmitter Key points regarding the Public Safety Building site are as follows: The location originally hosted the master site for the system. The site now connects to the hosted master site at the Motorola facility in Plantation via a SmartX gateway The site hosts the prime site for the countywide simulcast cell. The prime controllers and voters reside at this location The system management, system watch, Genwatch, and BADGER panels all reside in a room immediately adjacent to the prime controllers and voters The BADGER alarm panel runs on a Windows 98 PC The Sheriff s Office dispatch center was located adjacent to the prime controller equipment room prior to the PSAP consolidation The Unipage controller is located in an adjacent equipment room to the prime controllers. The controller is extremely old by inspection A Zetron 640A paging controller is rack mounted next to the Unipage controller. The Zetron controller is not in operation A single Gold Elite console position is in operation in the equipment room. There are several racks of CEB equipment that are available for spare parts A separate equipment room on the roof of the building houses the microwave radios A separate equipment room on the ground floor houses radio equipment for the MAFLA and MRC stations. The equipment room is cluttered and extremely space limited At the time of inspection, the backup controller was in operation. Status was not available on the primary controller, although it appeared to be in working condition The County has no intention of having any radio equipment at the PSB following cutover to the new system Mission Partners 138

142 Police, Fire and EMS Meeting July 15, 2015 Appendix B Focus Group Session Attendees: In alphabetical order by organization/city. Name Organization Name Organization Eric Caudwell Broward County Sheriff Jorge Hernandez Pembroke Pines Fire Michael Kane Broward County Fire Andrew Texiera Pembroke Pines Fire Tim Keefe Broward County Fire Jose Vargas Pembroke Pines Police Ryan Marken Coconut Creek Police Barry Stearns Plantation Fire Gary Gray City of Fort Lauderdale Chester Bolton Pompano Fire Karl Maracotter City of Fort Lauderdale Enrique Torres Sea Ranch Lakes Mark Ellis Hallandale Beach Fire Mario Leiva Seminole Tribe Gregg Paglianuto Hallandale Beach Fire Brian Swartout Seminole Tribe Sonia Quinones Hallandale Beach Police Tim Lanham Seminole Tribe Fire Christoph St. Luce City of Hollywood Mary Negrey Seminole Tribe Police Jeff Levy Lauderhill Fire John McNamara Sunrise Fire Rick Donahue Margate Fire John Brooks Sunrise Police John Savaiko Miramar Police David McCann Sunrise Police Key points noted during the focus group session with fire and EMS personnel follow. System Coverage Coverage problems exist in high rises and parking garages throughout Broward County but specifically along the coast where they expect 30 or more new high-rise towers in the next five years. Implementing fire code based on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for the interim, would like to see building penetration improved without secondary systems. Hospitals and schools are two leading causes of communications failures in this County. Most hospitals experience poor radio communications and once the crews get 20 feet inside the building, they lose communications. There were users that expressed a desire to use simplex channels for fire ground operations because the simplex is considered a more secure way for users to assure communication. However, other users would like to see a system that would not require use of a simplex channel on a regular basis. Beyond the capabilities of technology, this involves operational policy. In a dynamic event active shooter users found out they had no coverage inside the schools. Even if using simplex channels, mutual aid units do not know what those channels are. Schools are primary shelters as well and field personnel have no communications with their staff. Mission Partners 139

143 The school board is responsible for providing adequate radio coverage for public safety users rather than the County and if not, to have Bi-Directional Amplifiers (BDAs) purchased and installed. Active incidents involving bordering agencies is challenging when responders do not have communications with bordering agencies. There are console connections with Aventura, Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue, however, users specifically mentioned, Miramar and Miami Gardens. This is amplified when staff cannot get the Florida Interoperability Network (FIN) console to work properly due to inadequate education for end users. In addition to system design, initial and on-going user training is critical to maximize system capabilities for effective incident management in these scenarios. Because of all the high-rises, even on the beach in an open area, users stated they are not getting coverage on the sand or out into the ocean for the marine units (1-2 miles, state boundary 3 miles). Some users indicated more issues around the North East area of the County where the tower site is receive only. Fort Lauderdale gave the Coast Guard one of their radios, which is in the Coast Guard s communications center. Broward County has also provided the Coast Guard with the mutual aid resources (zones 14 and 12). Fort Lauderdale expressed they have a very serious concern about in-building coverage, including lower floors such as parking garages. Fort Lauderdale has numerous BDAs installed and stated they are nothing but a pain. For signal penetration, considering how a building is constructed (i.e., low-e glass used in windows (which is a metallic film) or a home constructed with stucco mesh on the walls) is more important than the type of building (i.e., high-rise). The key to maximizing signal penetration is to build systems with enough street level coverage first, and then build capacity. Increased street coverage means more sites. MCP is conducting an independent coverage study, looking at the whole county and the delivered signal to the street. The number of transmit/receive sites needed will be considered in the new system design. Big Cypress Reservation experiences coverage issues when utilizing 800 MHz Med Com system. Coverage issues do not happen often and there is a Very High Frequency (VHF) backup system in place. However, spare vehicles do not have these radios. There are Broward County radios in the vehicles in Big Cypress but it would be good to have access to Broward County s primary system. Seminole Tribe primarily uses Broward County system, but there is a 5-10 minutes wait after entering the Broward County area to be in range to get access to system. Mission Partners 140

144 There are coverage concerns out West along alligator alley. Weston law enforcement units around mile marker (MM) 37 experience coverage loss - MM 40 on a good day - but the Broward County boarder goes all the way to MM52. Users expressed the need for coverage into Dade County. Building enough infrastructure for penetration comes down to cost possibly $1 Million per site. With the building codes in south Florida, even cellular service does not work in all buildings, and needs amplification. BDAs are great options until a building is compromised or service is needed outside of buildings where BDAs do not help. It could be more challenging to get Government buildings to put boosters and transmitters than private owned high rises. Because there are needs for both new and existing buildings, users may want to consider portable repeaters for fire ground operations. Vehicle repeaters programmed to automatically turn on and switch from a trunked system to a conventional system are another option. An in-vehicle dual band repeater achieves two goals dispatch and on-scene communications (ability to do PAR and recording). In theory, there can be trunked systems for main operations and then conventional systems for tactical purposes; however, in order for conventional systems to repeat, two infrastructures are needed. For tactical purposes, users would like to evaluate the cost of two systems. Putting the simplex channel in the radio is less expensive; however, you need to have frequencies available. When designing systems, engineers try to look at redundancy in engineering the system. Another consideration is building the towers to meet the wind load and keeping everything tightened down microwave dishes to achieve % reliability and resiliency. In addition to Cells on Wheels (COWs) considered for redundancy, additional frequencies and having assigned frequencies per region in the event of a radio system failure are also being considered. System Capacity The users expressed that they experience a high number of system busies. Because the school board is still on the primary system, and therefore during the school year the number of system busies is worse in the morning and afternoons when school buses are on the road Multiple major incidents such as a pursuit and SWAT incident and then a structure fire resulted in multiple busies. Field users get frustrated and keep trying to access the system which further exacerbates that problem. Mission Partners 141

145 Users expressed that there are too many non-public safety users on the system. They asked if a new system would reduce the number of voice channels if governmental users, i.e. the school board, are taken off the system. There are currently 27 talk paths and users want to maintain or maximize the number of talk paths in a new system. Broward County s intent is not to minimize talk paths. System usage is quite reliant on user devices. Issues occur when user devices are Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) only and not Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), which will throttle the system down A combined system can be designed for both. It will be a joint effort infrastructure and subscribers To maximize system coverage and capabilities, purchasing and maintaining end users radios mobile and portable subscriber units with the appropriate accessories is essential Currently subscribers exceed system capabilities, but in the future, the system will exceed subscriber unit capabilities. Users expressed a desire for the County to allocate funding to help agencies with subscriber needs Users noted that it is difficult to determine if denial of access to the system is the results of a coverage, capacity, or interference situation because the bonking sound is the same for all situations. Suggest speaking to manufacturer and ask them to assign different tone to each of those events Users asked if the Regional Domestic Security Task Force (RDSTF) 700 MHz regional system could be used as a backup once it is functional. Broward County responded that this is one of the options being evaluated for that purpose. Numerous systems have a mix of 700/800 channels but for multiple bands to work, the infrastructure needs to be in place to support the subscribers. Need to provide a product that is seamless to the end user and not one that has been pieced together. Users expressed they think we can do better than patching and bridging dynamic events. Collectively on the user end, they have done many work-arounds, patches, coming off trunked systems. Users stated they need simple ease of use overall but also need to improve response to low frequency events that occur 364 days after annual training. Public Safety should have priority over nonpublic safety at all times, however, users still want communication with non-critical personnel even if they move off the main system public works, school buses, etc. Mission Partners 142

146 Users wanted to know if the system included tactical channels that are conventional, could you add a fifth channel that was just for local government that was not repeated so it would not interfere? If frequencies are available, could look at it, but it will likely be expensive Need for GPS mandatory item in the infrastructure. End user will need to ensure subscriber units can accommodate it. Over the Air Programming (OTAP) is a need to help update the subscriber units. Users understand it takes up system resources but users think the system needs to be built that way. Currently have kiosks for portables but that does not help for mobiles It needs to be fire fighter and officer proof Wi-Fi capable during roll call so it is seamless to the user Currently two databases need to be touched when making updates to radio aliases. Users want to make it easier to change the alias for the radio and to make database updates. When discussing incident management/accountability an example of new technology was given where using simulation of a Personnel Accountability Report (PAR). The incident commander pressed a button in the command vehicle, and the only response needed from field personnel was to key the radio. This turned the unit green on the board while anyone not keying stayed red. This is a capability that the user expressed could be good to have. The County would provide the infrastructure and capacity while implementing these types of features would be up to the individual agency Biometrics capability over the life span of a 30-year radio system would be desirable. Can the system be designed to be digital on a main channel and revert to analog on a tactical? Yes, this is a radio programming issue with a lot of that being mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). For example, for 700 MHz systems the FCC is mandating that those systems be TDMA and digital to maximize the use of the band. Fire users expressed they are not supporters of a digital system for fire ground operations. A user mentioned there is a recent report from a respected fire association supporting digital fire ground operations that should be reviewed. Interoperability Capability for mutual aid with state and Federal agencies is required. Stated desire for permanent patching to accommodate interop with Federal agencies (e.g. United States Coast Guard (USCG), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), etc. Aviation Mission Partners 143

147 Forestry (they are all VHF, red, white, blue), Coast Guard, customers, border patrol. Many federal agencies are running APX 7000s and have programmed some talk groups in them. Simplex is not always efficient and really only good for point to point, peer to peer for fire ground, so still need another talk path. Could make a single zone with all the mutual aid talk groups in it that an agency knows it needs. The emergency operations center (EOC) will have access to zones 14 and 12 and NPSPAC 800 MHz All agencies should have Palm Beach County mutual aid channels in their radios. To do this, all agencies need to have a signed memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Palm Beach County. In Miami-Dade for interoperability and coverage, they are all on handheld radios. There needs to be an ability to communicate with the local agencies. Agencies stated they have tried to foster relationships with those agencies but they want to be reciprocal. For Miami-Dade, agencies wanting to interoperate need a Harris or P25 radio. Miami- Dade Fire side is Motorola UHF Broward County does have relationships with all of local agencies Need reciprocity for ID sharing with Miami-Dade. Broward County does have cross system activation of IDs. The 700 MHz overlay project may help but users were skeptical Paging Coverage Users acknowledged that paging companies are going out of business and it is the County s preference to control its own paging system. The paging system would have its own coverage area, which would be at least the County. Users advised there are many coverage gaps, maybe 50% of the units are receiving pages on a regular basis, and that is because they are at an incident near the Core site. Currently one out of four County paging system sites are operational Bands are so congested may need to go to other bands VHF, 900 MHz, etc. For staff that live in Palm Beach County, the radios work but not the pagers. Users would like pager coverage outside Broward County to accommodate those employees. Check and see if there are statewide frequencies Pager works with current Ultra High Frequency (UHF) system but also has a cellular number attached to it so if staff go outside the coverage area it goes with the employee. Mission Partners 144

148 It also works with the current Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, which can also send a text to a smart phone Currently pagers receive address and a couple of lines from CAD but they do not get updates. Users would like to have the ability to get updates and text messaging from dispatch into the radio. Users asked about possibility of using radios to accept pages for another level of back up. They acknowledged there is value to receiving text messages but were not keen on being able to send messages Some agencies are opposed to paging through the P25 system. Fire Station Alerting (FSA) Goal for fire station alerting is to be radio frequency (RF) based with internet protocol (IP) back up. Recommend two level signaling one RF and one IP. When central dispatch puts fire stations that do automatic aid (e.g. Hallandale) on a call, they only hear south dispatch voice, but they are not being dispatched by south, they are being dispatched by central. Users advised there are times when you have good or no audio so lighted display capabilities are desired. For example, distinct colors, lighted displays, and screens can give them the call information that would improve situational preparation. Users discussed how color light displays and other features have been available for years, and want to look at new features that track time factors such as count down timers and displays in the apparatus bays. Times can be captured in other ways, but users just want the display. Users discussed bunkroom alerting capabilities including a switch or button in the bunkroom so they can indicate what apparatus they are on that day Some fire stations/departments have their staff rotate so they are not in the same station or assignment every day This functionality can be built into the system but all the station functionality will be the agencies responsibility Broward County advised that the current inter-local demark is to the station and everything from the door into the building is the agency responsibility. The Inter-local Agreement (ILA) includes FSA. Broward County has the core and infrastructure to alert, and then everything else is the responsibility of the end agency Users stated in their opinion the ILAs need modification and changes in the demark Currently use T1 lines for multi company dispatch, but those are going away to IP. If agencies want Ethernet as a primary then that can be looked at. Mission Partners 145

149 Users noted the need for lead-time from County to agencies so that they can prepare their budgets. Users want the system to be backward compatible for agencies to be able to budget and migrate. Some agencies have plus stations Agencies see some push back from the cities to replace their alerting system, when they have an existing Zetron that is functioning The County noted that implementation will not be easy but they want to make sure the core meets user requirements with the options. Additional Comments Users wanted to confirm if the system recommendations would include recommendations for subscriber units. Assistance is needed in this area to assist in leveraging limited funds. MPC provides vendor neutral specification requirements for subscriber units and then it is the users responsibility to procure that quality level of units Users requested the County publish a buyer s guide of acceptable radios Users indicated that there needs to be greater discussion on project governance, however, they expressed appreciation for the effort to maintain transparency and keep partners engaged in developing what the new system will be. Some thought more agencies might have attended if they knew it was going to be as in-depth and open as it was. Mission Partners 146

150 Appendix C Interviews with Dispatchers Held June 9-11, 2015 Key points noted during the focus group session with dispatch staff follow. Coconut Creek (North) Dispatch noted several issues: Frequent system outages Intermittent no audio but ID Unit ID and alias not appearing Radios not programmed with all talkgroups Consoles configured for certain talkgroups only There is too much clutter at each dispatch position from the various mice, keyboards, and microphones required for each of the console screens. Touchscreens would help alleviate this clutter Coverage problems were noted in the following areas o Western areas (Weston/Davie) o Northern Pompano o Lauderdale by the Sea Dispatch can t communicate with the Coral Springs or Plantation centers o MARS is required Dispatchers at this center indicated that it would be beneficial if the new system provided these features: Console-originated text messaging/im Intercom between positions and centers Light pole for dispatcher status Instant recall recorder in console Unit ID and alias Ability to change, add and delete talkgroup patches at any console, rather than just the one that set it up Event talkgroups in addition to tactical talk groups Talkgroup menu search by talkgroup name Buttons for alert tone Storm plans Talkgroup alias and number Touchscreen Standardize programming for backup portables and consolettes Busy Channel Marker tone Clear-to-talk indication/tone for FSA. Now alert status only on CAD screen Knox tones Mission Partners 147

151 Sunrise (Central) Dispatch noted several issues: Coverage Deerfield Beach ICW to ocean Coverage Heavy structures Coverage Pompano, Ft. Lauderdale, Parkland, Everglades Need access to all talkgroups, including those that are primarily utilized at different centers Standardize subscriber templates users get lost and dispatchers do not have a guide to tell them where to go Log-off/log-on an issue Too many mice Missing talkgroups in an incident There are many subscriber IDs that appear with no associated alias Dispatchers at this center indicated it would be beneficial if the new system provided these features: Access to all talkgroups Call alert Private call to units Interoperability with tribal units Use for more than three alert tones and a wider selection of tones Light stack at each position to report status Instant recall recorder Search function for talkgroups Touchscreens to eliminate clutter on desks Pembroke Pines Dispatch noted several issues: Inbound call ID display but no audio System going into site trunking reverts to consolettes Several instances noted where the radio system was down for substantial periods of time Tethered headsets Noisy inbound calls Not enough training on the radio system mostly on the job There is no way to identify a unit when only the subscriber ID appears, but no alias Dispatchers can t access tactical channels used primarily by other dispatch centers Patches only can be modified by the position that created the patch Static appears on headsets this appears to be locally generated interference rather than poor radio coverage Microphone jacks stick out too far and are often loose Dispatchers at this center indicated it would be beneficial if the new system provided these features: Activity report Touchscreen Mission Partners 148

152 Fewer mice Light stack Access to all system talkgroups Intercom between centers Ability to add/modify a patch at the supervisor level Indication of who initiated the patch Untethered headsets Buttons for alert tones Mission Partners 149

153 Appendix D Interoperability Partner Interviews MCP conducted interviews with numerous interoperability partners to solicit feedback regarding interoperability and the communications system. Interviews were conducted either onsite or by telephone. City of Coral Springs Responses from City of Coral Springs representatives are summarized below. Coral Springs has its own three-site system tied to a Motorola HMS and currently plans to remain there The City indicated the following regarding interoperability: o Console access to Broward County talkgroups through the HMS. This will need to be addressed if the County goes to its own core Has Zones 12 & 14 programmed in subscribers Has neighboring jurisdiction talkgroups programmed in user radios North Lauderdale Tamarac Coconut Creek Margate Control stations with NPSPAC 8Call and 8TAC channels in console with patch capability Control stations with Palm Beach Commons in console with patch capability Has Command Bus with mobiles installed City of Fort Lauderdale Responses from City of Fort Lauderdale representatives are summarized below. Fort Lauderdale is moving forward with a stopgap solution in anticipation of Broward County putting in a good full-coverage network o P25 3 sites that should provide the in-city coverage needed o Fort Lauderdale is licensed for 26 channels, with only 12 moving to the new system o Eventually will migrate more channels over o Systems will run in parallel and plan to stay tied to the HMS The City indicated no desire to pursue P25 Phase II for multiple reasons o Subscribers would need to be replaced o No additional failsoft channels in Phase II o Signal quality issues on Phase II additional receive antennas needed City seriously would consider joining the County master site if the County implements a Motorola solution o If County will have their own master site County will need network management access to it Mission Partners 150

154 APX radio that could do MOTOTRBO, VHF/UHF/700 MHz Ability to manage users dispatch from anywhere; may be changes to that Representatives indicated the following information regarding system coverage: Needs in-building City completed study to compare coverage deficiencies on both systems New system strongly encouraged to have in-building coverage everywhere; not sure if City will have a radio system at some point Process started with County board of rules and appeals to develop countywide bidirectional amplifier (BDA) ordinance Concerns with going Phase II limited talk paths, failsoft, etc. Limited value to Phase II: o Trouble to marry to other resources o Failsoft City/County went into failsoft many times o Lightning storms base station failures result in loss of 2 talk paths Problems on wide-area talk groups SmartX possible concern causing reliability issue o Problems started happening after SmartX migration o SmartX only can handle 64 talkgroups at one time The City indicated the following regarding interoperability: Not sure if they have access to Broward Sheriff s Office talkgroups o Everything secret with Broward Sheriff s Office talkgroups Interoperability agreements are an informal understanding rather than formally developed Zone 14 available to police or fire Zone 12 available to fire but they said they need more County did not want to run a patch to teletype Frequencies for MERS trailer using channels out of their system; MSF5000s and Model 6809 controllers Two trunked systems analog MTC3600, GTR8000s on P25; could go on 700 MHz Mutual-aid as needed agreements in place; everybody does what is needed to get the job done o Deployables Fort Lauderdale has the regional deployable cell on wheels (COW) The City stated that some entities are not happy with how dispatch is done today o Maybe some pullback from regional dispatch plan o Ability to make those changes and incorporate into the system design o Need to be able to accommodate end-user requirements o County wanted to pull out of inter-local agreements (ILAs) without input from end-users City of Hialeah Responses from City of Hialeah representatives are summarized below. Mission Partners 151

155 The current City of Hialeah system is: o SMARTNET 3.1 o 10-channel 800 MHz o Three sites, adding 4th o Upgrade to P25 on hold for budget; Motorola bid winner o Approximately 1,200 subscriber radios o All subscribers are P25 ready The City indicated the following regarding interoperability: o Hialeah currently has 16 interoperability talkgroups available for Broward County to program Suggests all 3 systems exchange ID activations; current ID system is a mess EMS needs hospital talkgroup for Cleveland and 2 hospitals on Broward County system Does not use Broward County system for mutual-aid Investigations in Broward County swap radios No ILA/memorandum of understanding (MOU) in place Needs Broward IDs and system key o Deployables: Vehicle with all bands, 40-foot mast, ACU1000 installed Suitcase repeaters for police, fire, and public works o Broward County has not provided mutual-aid to Hialeah within the last 13 years o Cross-programming of subscribers between Hialeah and Broward County is desired o The regional 700 MHz P25 overlay system may be beneficial for wide-area interoperability City of Hollywood Responses from City of Hollywood representatives are summarized below. Hollywood manages its own radios, towers, and antennas; however, the County owns the repeaters o Nine frequencies per site not managed at all o Three sites only time the City communicates with the County to address infrastructure o ASTRO Digital only agency o County code plug needs to be followed creates a problem for fire o Three sites 9 channel simulcast at all sites 1 site is receive only o Looking for City to purchase repeaters Quantars o No discussions to date concerning a P25 migration o Fire 139 radios, police 400+; not all work o Fire 97 in use, police in use o Local government Almost 400 radios in use o Wanted local government to go to MOTOTRBO system City turned it down o Parking enforcement not on county system moved them under the police department for City of Fort Lauderdale same thing with Park rangers no ID changes Mission Partners 152

156 o APX7000XE and APX4000 all radios in use over a year now o Serious lack of backup capability if City systems go away, where does the backup system go? o City manager will not allow City to buy new radios o Several hundred potentially available spare radios from Hollywood o No budget for radio upgrades o Would like to have separate backup system in event of failure to primary system The City indicated the following regarding coverage: o Coverage worked fine issue with Scott mask speak easy working with special microphones problem with digital, mainly o Coverage testing on County system repeater on the beach was a problem on the City channel o Working on making East site transmit and receive o BSO/MERS o Hollywood City hall 50 foot, up to 100 feet to get coverage o Station foot 50-foot pushup pull on top of station o Mobile repeaters for fire The City indicated the following regarding interoperability: o Do not call the County for talkgroup wanted County to go down to analog not going back to analog o Agencies cannot talk directly to City because of ASTRO Digital o Two channels where local government can talk to police/fire o Police virtually no City of Hollywood need to switch to County channels; Zone 14 available, but rarely use it o Fire 14 tactical channels in switch C, got when switched to County; fire department utilizes those channels on a regular basis o Fire dispatch on County system digital o County has 5 ASTRO channels on infrastructure o Hollywood PD East, Hollywood West, Fort Lauderdale SID limited capacity for digital talk groups; busies a frequent issue. o Almost no switching from the County system to the City of Hollywood system o Just go to tactical channels very rare that patches occur o Interoperability needs to be maintained with Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade County o Fort Lauderdale not currently programmed on Harris system Harris not allowing other vendors radios until system accepted o 3600 Baud system interoperability still an issue o Talks of ISSI in Plantation HMS wanted to connect to Palm Beach and Miami-Dade o ACU 5000 and a bunch of control stations Region 7 resource, one in each region now City of Hollywood no longer dispatches: o Dispatch will not put local government talkgroups on consoles o Patching not available from consoles o Access database with names and IDs; lookup table in case they get an emergency Mission Partners 153

157 o o o Hollywood was previously dispatching bad for users the first month with analog; used to do a lot of patching Patching still occurred if other agencies came to Hollywood; had to patch analog talkgroups to digital talkgroups Patches were better with own dispatch center talkgroups City of Miami Responses from City of Miami representatives are summarized below. Miami s current system has 2 Tx/Rx sites and 3 Rx-only sites, with 20 channels to support approximately 4,000 users o System is currently a Motorola SmartNet system o Currently developing specifications for upgrade to P25 Phase I o Will be adding sites o Additional users include Coconut Grove and Key Biscayne The City indicated the following regarding interoperability: o All Miami radios have the Broward County Zone 14 installed and Broward has access to Miami talkgroups Broward County digital IDs provided for Miami SIS talkgroups The City is considering ISSI for interoperability needs with P25 systems Has FIN in place and operational Has Broward Sheriff s Office access from dispatch via control station o Backup dispatch in Coconut Grove o The system is self-maintained with technicians that perform all aspects of system maintenance, including bench-level component repairs o Deployables: 10-channel trunked system in PEPRO trailer 2 system IDs selectable ACU1000 pelican case ACU 1000 mobile gateway in police and fire departments City of Miami Beach Responses from City of Miami Beach representatives are summarized below. Current Miami Beach System is SmartNet with 4 sites and 10 channels supporting appxoimatlely1,500 users The City indicated the following regarding interoperability: o Interoperability used to occur between Miami Beach and Broward County users on a daily basis o Miami Beach gave Broward County 300 system IDs; the IDs never were allocated and have since been removed from the Miami Beach system Interoperability with Broward County users today typically occurs using cache radios Mission Partners 154

158 The 8TAC93 mutual-aid repeater is used when cache radios are not available The Miami Beach, City of Miami, and City of Hialeah systems are all Motorola systems with the full cross-programming of subscribers No MOU is in place for interoperability Removed Broward IDs from North Miami Beach radios When in Broward County swap radios Uses 8Call and 8TAC for incidents Does not have control stations on Broward County system in consoles Interoperability with Broward County occurs on a daily/weekly basis There is a 700 MHz P25 overlay system deployed on top of the Miami-Dade County administration building The City is exploring options for migration to P25, including migrating to the County system; however, the County system does not adequately cover Miami Beach with its current radio sites City of Plantation Responses from City of Plantation representatives are summarized below. Plantation expects completion of its own 4-channel, P25 Phase II system in first quarter of 2016 o New system on HMS o New system built for in-building coverage o All new APX radios Plantation has its own primary PSAP The City indicated the following regarding interoperability: o Plantation has neighboring jurisdictions talkgroups Has ILA for 8 talkgroups 4 fire, 4 law enforcement Zone 12 in mobiles and portables K9 mutual-aid goes to others talkgroups Collier County Responses from Collier County representatives are summarized below. Current Collier County System serves 8 fire departments, 2 municipal departments, several independent o Each agency has responsibility for subscribers o Sheriff s units have portable and mobile new portables and mobile o Trying to get all portables switched to P25-capable units o New radios Phase II capable going straight to Phase II o XG-75 radios being deployed pretty much a Harris shop; need Harris radios for the migration o ISSI not planned for system; Symphony consoles o Everglades deputies now have Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) Mission Partners 155

159 o Programming shared with Miami-Dade, Miccosukee; shared programming o State working on national LID regardless of system Domestic security taskforce committee on interoperability communications Each region has representatives Representatives indicated the following information regarding system coverage: Broward County s footprint does not make it to the county line Broward system does not make it to mile marker 50 Collier can get coverage well into Broward on its system Coverage is an issue 700 MHz mutual-aid coordinated build out of some of those channels across south Florida work on LID structure Aviation units Collier air unit will go into other counties deep into the county if chopper is out of commission, need wide-area solution SLERS in 700 MHz for chopper; done for law enforcement, not mutual-aid. Collier County indicated the following regarding interoperability: o Incidents rough for fire rescue being on two systems; fire has one of their radios No cross-programming Collier is on Harris system, Broward is on Motorola system During a major evacuation would have to be a large amount of coordination Cross-programming would help A few pursuits into Broward County generally tried to use the FIN did not want them switching to mutual-aid Fire recently had station built Broward would handle it, but big mutual-aid incidents have not occurred yet Automatic-aid agreements never seen anything formal; some between fire agencies, but nothing known in Broward County would like to see some mutual-aid systems o Once a week on average EMS probably the most often for crashes on I-75 o Collier/Broward some investigative activity every now and then, they need coordination on radio, but usually use cell phones o Seminole Nation they have Collier talkgroups (on SLERS) o FIN gateway connection repeater control through FIN network, with exception of TAC93 tied to console console patches into the FIN o Mutual-aid NPSPAC repeater; activate it o County has Tac 3, 8TAC92 East, 8TAC94 East o Do they have a bank of interoperability channels? law enforcement talkgroups each agency has the other agency s talkgroups 3 law fire has fire/ems o Deployables: Mutual-aid trailer PEPRO Trailer with 65-foot mast Repeaters for all public safety bands Mutual-aid dispatch truck with 9 dispatch positions and Zetron consoles; consoles all connected to a rack of 19 radios (low band, high band, all NIFOG channels); Collier talkgroups, interop talkgroups; can deploy anywhere for use as a dispatch talk group; have not used with Broward used primarily in Region 6 Mission Partners 156

160 Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue 700 MHz interoperability channels programmed into subscribers and trailer (5 of them in radios, all in trailer) all deployable; would be nice to do something statewide SLERS 700 MHz sites are trunked 7 or 8 sites statewide Air units 2 helicopters and a fixed wing through Sheriff s Office; EMS has one helicopter Choppers available for mutual-aid as needed Responses from Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue representatives are summarized below. The current Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue system used for day-to-day operations is a conventional simulcast system with 11 simulcast channels: o Hospital communications transitioning to fully P MHz; already using 800 MHz system in Broward County when transmitting to Broward hospitals. o All trucks have Motorola APX, which have UHF and 700/800 o UHF system in 450 MHz range o All personnel have UHF and multiband, and trucks by end of year with multiband radio o Allocated 2 or 3 talkgroups just to Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue o Connected via P25 ISSI to Miami-Dade County s P25 system o Do not use the 800 MHz system for any situation where firefighters may be in a hazardous environment (fire, day-to-day operations); 800 MHz used for hospital communications and special events o UHF system preserved has 47 sites; better than half have transmit capability o Designed for -21 db of attenuation; includes strip malls County fire system much better. o Designed and built for firefighting, period o When law enforcement responds to fire scene, they have unified command presence to provide greatest utilizing of resources o Analog UHF K Core Motorola master site mix of repeaters Quantars and GTR800s o Some GTR, some Quantar Quantar at end-of-life in 2020, so transitioning to GTRs. o Fire dispatch independent and geographically independent state-of-the-art fire dispatch center designed specifically for your needs MCC7500s ISSI version 1 on console dispatchers can use a conventional resource or Harris resource The County indicated the following regarding interoperability: Personnel have Broward County talkgroups just for them; in addition to them, ISSI would be beneficial Broward channels 3 allocated to Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue One resource available where you can switch between different talkgroups All of Broward 800 MHZ Medcom channels 14 call, 14 op 1, 14 op Users would switch to Broward talkgroups Could stay on Miami-Dade system for the most part Mission Partners 157

161 o o South Broward probably stay on Miami-Dade system, if working autonomously in reverse they would stay autonomous or patch if necessary ISSI access at dispatch to Broward talkgroups Minimal need for interoperability channels, but thinks they are necessary dedicated Input/Output on 800 MHz system stopped putting in UHF interoperability radios will have 800 MHZ and stay on that plenty of allocated IO talkgroups have not used them in mission-critical environment From an end-user perspective, place different bands on a single zone Dispatchers have all P25 talkgroups on their consoles communicate with their units via 800 or UHF Deployables: Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue has regional assets gateways, portable and fixed Fire has UHF, 800 MHz P25 caches; largest cache is UHF, about radios HT1250s, XTS 5000s, XTS 2500s Radios out in the field 500 deployed 800 MHz (moving from mobiles to multiband) 135 front line units 500 (total units) Covers all of Miami-Dade County has the ability to respond anywhere Miami-Dade County Law Enforcement Responses from Miami-Dade County Law Enforcement representatives are summarized below. The current Miami-Dade County Law Enforcement system is completely P25, Phase I, with the technology to go to Phase II. o When switched to P25, did not look at coverage in the County and growth of the County now currently adding more sites o Did not see a coverage reduction and users used to hearing static before o Two separate simulcast cells overlapping o A little different footprint depending on the antenna placement o Multiple multi-sites that are not on the trunked system o 120 talk paths between the different sites o Two simulcast, both 20-channel systems o Believe they have the capacity to handle roaming if possible Each of the systems are countywide systems with some overlap into the other systems The County indicated the following regarding interoperability: Outside end of the County, radio programmed with the Broward County system. Channel brought through console to patch to Miami-Dade talkgroup Broward County has same capability, talkgroup through console Used heavily on a weekly basis FIN patches (CPATCH) CPATCH talkgroup only on the FIN, patch only on talkgroups Mission Partners 158

162 Would just add radios to add functionality best to move to one of your talkgroups when they roam in, they could switch talkgroups would be best Both have proprietary system best to go through shared talkgroups One thing Miami-Dade did Broward Sheriff s Office 5-channel trunked COW on Miami-Dade County resources Aventura has their own system, so they switch back and forth Opa Locka Miami Gardens both on County system Miami-Dade has ISSI does not solve all their problems Testing would have to verify 8CALL/8TACS used frequently MATAC2 and MATAC4 and simulcast countywide turned on or off if needed; does get needed 700 MHz interoperability nothing built out yet Fixed wing and choppers provide mutual-aid still hit the Miami-Dade system when roaming Mutual-aid throughout Florida 8CALL/8TAC able to go to different spectrum Air units do not have SLERS; no connection to SLERS SLERS in Miami-Dade is much reduced they can roam to Miami-Dade if need be Miami-Dade, none that are regional or grant-funded County maintains and owns, deployed to multiple counties as needed 10-channel P MHz 5-channel P MHz 700 MHz, 10-channel 700 MHz, 5-channel 95 agencies on the County s radio system, and 30,000 radios Really depends on what the need is everything is self-maintained; generate their own fuel; do not reside on outside venue able to respond fairly quickly and rotate staff across Mutual-aid agreements for police and fire very limited radio discussion Could share dispatch centers redundant if possible o Two dispatch centers; not both live capability of going both if need be that is the backup now o Not aware of any two-radio solutions everything is done through dispatch. Palm Beach County Responses from Palm Beach County representatives are summarized below. Palm Beach County has an ISSI server in place and available The County indicated the following regarding interoperability: Interoperability is done by cross-programming all mobiles on Broward County Zones 12 & 14, and Broward on the Palm Beach commons zones Boca Raton PD may not have Commons programmed in their radios Mission Partners 159

163 With the move to P25, Palm Beach will need to know the Broward IDs to turn on in their switch A subset of the Commons talkgroups will be encrypted will need to coordinate encryption keys No deployable assets Does have a state EDACS deployable garaged in Palm Beach County 8Call and 8TAC repeaters deployed in Palm Beach County Delray, Boynton, Boca and Belle Glade MAFLA at Westlake and West Palm sites Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Responses from Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue representatives are summarized below. The Seminole Tribe conducts all dispatch and tactical operations on SLERS o May be room on the Hollywood Casino roof for a Broward County site, if location is needed o Seminoles are not a PSAP, with dispatch managed by Seminole Tribe Police Department The Tribe indicated the following regarding coverage: Tribal coverage requirements include Big Cypress reservation, Hollywood reservation, Coconut Creek reservation, and smaller communities in Hendry, Okeechobee, and Martin County Coverage in the western end along Interstate-75 (I-75) and in the Everglades to the Broward County line is inadequate lose system coverage around Mile 41 on I-75, and the 14-mile marker on Snake Road Broward 4.1 system coverage in the Hollywood casino is poor in building overcame on the state system with a dedicated SLERS site on the casino roof Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue indicated the following regarding interoperability: Primary interoperability requirement is for access to Broward County system MED talkgroups for communication with hospitals, and interoperability with Hollywood and County fire and police for incidents in Hollywood and Coconut Creek Currently Harris SLERS radios will not accommodate the Broward 4.1 system. A second radio is needed to access the Broward 4.1 system. Broward has a VHF control station at the Markham Park tower site connected to Central Dispatch to access the VHF repeater on the Big Cypress reservation; would like a permanent patch with a 800 MHz talkgroup for law and fire interoperability Station 106 currently has VHF radios in the engine for interoperability Fire Station Alerting o Requested addition of Seminole Fire Rescue Station 108 to FSA system o Very happy with Westnet for FSA provider Mission Partners 160

164 Appendix E Web Survey User Summary Input MCP conducted a Web survey to solicit additional input from primary users on the Broward County communications system. This section summarizes key issues collected from the surveys. A complete listing of the survey responses is provided in Appendix F. Web surveys were completed by the following agencies: Mission Partners 161

165 Agency Dept. Full Name Phone Broward County Schools Other Ed Kessler Broward County Sheriff's Office Other Eric Caldwell Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue Fire Michael B. Kane City of Fort Lauderdale Other Gary Gray City of Hallandale Beach Law Dwayne S. Flournoy City of Hollywood Other Christophe St. Luce City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue Fire Donald P. Widing City of Sunrise Police Department EMS Roger Krege Coconut Creek Police Department Law Ryan Marken Lauderhill Fire Rescue Fire Jeff Levy Lighthouse Point Police Department Law Ross Licata lkajkda Fire llll llllll Miramar Fire Rescue Fire Carlos Vazquez Miramar Police Department Law John Savaiko North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Fire Rodney Turpel Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Other Andrew Teixeira Pembroke Pines Police Department Law Captain Jose Vargas Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Fire Chester Bolton Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Law Enrique Torres Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Fire Tim Lanham Seminole Tribe Police Department Law John Auer Mission Partners 162

166 Surveys were not received from the following agencies: Agency Dept. DAVIE TAMARAC TOWN OF HILLSBORO BEACH WILTON MANORS POLICE DEPARTMENT LAUDERDALE BY THE SEA CITY OF POMPANO BEACH MARGATE User Mtg User Mtg The following list summarizes information collected critical to the requirements of the new radio system: Approximately 39,947 full-time, 421 part-time, and 420 volunteer personnel were identified from user agencies on the system. Of those employees, 10,810 were identified as radio users, with up to 4,848 users on shift at any one point in time. During a typical day, it is estimated that 2,079 radio calls are responded to, with an average of 2 units responding per call. Budgets vary dramatically from agency to agency for equipment purchases and radio maintenance. Equipment purchase budgets range from $0 to $100,000, and maintenance budgets range from $0 to $400,000. Approximately half of responding agencies indicated use of a preventive maintenance program for subscribers Most agencies indicated they agreed with the coverage estimated on the propagation studies provided. Those that did not agree indicated in-building and beach coverage was worse than estimated. Numerous areas were identified where coverage is inadequate. The following list recurring areas identified with poor coverage: o Western part of the County o Deerfield Beach o I-75 to mile marker 52 o In-building coverage in dense buildings (hospitals, schools, high rise buildings, fire stations) o Issues were identified with high-rise buildings that require greater penetration than the medium rating of db attenuation typically applied to design criteria o Areas along the beach o Big Cypress reservation Interoperability gaps were identified with the following agencies: o FHP Mission Partners 163

167 o FMP o PBSO o Miami-Dade County o Seminole Tribe Police o Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue o US Coast Guard o Border Patrol o Dispatch connectivity to all Fort Lauderdale talkgroups o Coral Springs o Plantation o Hollywood o Miami Gardens o Miccosukee and Big Cypress Reservations Most agencies they felt they had enough talkgroups to adequately perform their duties. Most issues noted relate to interoperability talkgroups or talkgroup access on dispatch consoles. The following list summarizes the level of importance respondents identified for current and potentially new subscriber features o Emergency Alert and Emergency Call Most agencies agreed this is an absolute Necessity o Encryption Most agencies indicated this feature was either critical or would be useful for day-to-day operations. A greater need was identified by law enforcement agencies. o Lapel Microphones Most agencies indicated this was either an absolute necessity or useful for day to day operations o Mobile Radio GPS Most agencies indicated this would be beneficial, being either an absolute necessity or useful for day to day operations o Portable Radio GPS Similar needs reported for Mobile Radio GPS o Cordless headset for speaker/microphone for portable radio Most agencies indicated this would be nice to have but not critical o Cordless Bluetooth microphone for mobile radios Most agencies agreed this would have limit benefit o Hands-free operation Most agencies agreed this would be nice to have but not critical. Some agencies indicated this was an absolute necessity. o Over the air programming Most agencies indicated this was either an absolute necessity or would be nice to have. o Scanning Most agencies indicating scanning would either be nice to have or would be useful for day-to-day operations. o Over the air Rekeying Most agencies indicated this was either a necessity or would be useful for day to day operations o Bright Colored radios - Most law enforcement agencies indicated this was not important, while fire agencies indicated it would be either useful for day to day operations or nice to have. o Larger Displays Most agencies indicated this was either a necessity or would be nice to have but not critical. Mission Partners 164

168 o Larger Knobs Most agencies indicated this was either nice to have but not critical, or useful for day-to-day operations. o Operation wearing gloves Identified as critical for responding fire agencies and not important for most law enforcement agencies. o Private call Most respondents indicated this feature was either useful for day to day operations or would be nice to have but not critical o Private radio alert Most users indicated this was either useful in limited circumstances or nice to have but not critical o Text Message Most respondents indicated this would be nice to have but not critical o Waterproof/submersible radio Strongly supported by responding fire agencies o Stealth mode Identified as an absolute necessity or useful for day to day operations by most responding law enforcement agencies o Radio-to-radio direct communications Identified as either an absolute necessity or useful for day to day operations o In-car repeaters Responses ranged across available options, from not important to absolute necessity o Biometrics Most respondents indicated this was not important or would be nice to have but not critical o Private talk groups not on dispatch consoles Responses ranged across all available options o Ability to make and receive telephone calls Most respondents indicated this was not important or would be useful in limited circumstances o Ability to use a smartphone to make radio calls Responses ranged across available options Scanning was identified as a need by approximately one quarter of responding agencies Those agencies that use the paging system indicated issues with coverage that has degraded and maintenance of the existing system Most agencies on the system do not feel that the system provides a high level of reliability. Most cited numerous instances of prolonged failures. Approximately half of users indicated an issue with system busies, which typically occur during peak times. It may be difficult to distinguish between a deny tone when the radio is not given system access, and a busy tone that will grant talkgroup access when the channel is available, usually after several seconds. Multiple responses indicated that non-public safety agencies should not be on the system to preserve capacity. Approximately half of responding agencies indicated instances of congestion on their primary talkgroups Mission Partners 165

169 Appendix F Web Survey User Detailed Input Mission Partners 166

170 User and Agency Information (Q1-Q3) Agency Dept Full Name Phone Broward County Schools Other Ed Kessler Broward County Sheriff's Office Other Eric Caldwell Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue Fire Michael B. Kane City of Fort Lauderdale Other Gary Gray City of Hallandale Beach Law Dwayne S. Flournoy City of Hollywood Other Christophe St. Luce City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue Fire Donald P. Widing City of Sunrise Police Department EMS Roger Krege Coconut Creek Police Department Law Ryan Marken Lauderhill Fire Rescue Fire Jeff Levy Lighthouse Point Police Department Law Ross Licata lkajkda Fire llll llllll Miramar Fire Rescue Fire Carlos Vazquez Miramar Police Department Law John Savaiko North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Fire rodney turpel Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Other Andrew Teixeira Pembroke Pines Police Department Law Captain Jose Vargas Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Fire Chester Bolton Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Law Enrique Torres Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Fire Tim Lanham Seminole Tribe Police Department Law John Auer

171 No submitted Responses Agency Dept DAVIE TAMARAC TOWN OF HILLSBORO BEACH WILTON MANORS POLICE DEPARTMENT LAUDERDALE BY THE SEA CORAL SPRINGS CITY OF PLANTATION CITY OF POMPANO BEACH MARGATE Interview Interview User Mtg User Mtg

172 Agency Agency Personnel (Q4-Q13, Q18) What is the battery life How many individuals are How many individuals are If assigned to an How many full-time How many part-time How many volunteer Are radios assigned per Does the user have a What type of battery does What type of battery does What type of battery does cycle plan your If yes, please specify Does the agency have a assigned a radio to assigned a radio to Are radios assigned to an individual, does the user What type of battery does Does the user have a How often are the Does the user have an invehicle charger members does your members does your members does your shift from a pool of spare battery assigned your radio use: Lithium- your radio use: NiCd - your radio use: NiMH - organization uses- How type (inverter, 12v radio user training perform his/her dutiestotaper shift with the radio perform his/her duties- individual user have a charger assigned your radio use: Other battery conditioner battery's inspected agency employ? agency employ agency employ radios with the radio Ion Nickel cadmium Nickel metal hydride often are the batteries adapter) - comment program replaced or refreshed Broward County Schools 30, ,600 3 Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Quarterly As needed No Yes Broward County Sheriff's Office 5, , Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Every use or annually months No Yes Chargers have maintainers that recondition batteries Chargers have built in and if battery is end of life it Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes maintainer is replaced Yes 12v adapter No City of Fort Lauderdale 1, , Yes No No Yes Yes No No Yes Daily Per manufacturer No Yes When they begin to show signs of not holding an City of Hallandale Beach Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes When warranted adequate charge No Yes Partial charger issue to City of Hollywood Yes No Yes No Yes No No Yes Weekly As needed Yes staff City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Weekly on Mondays Every two years Yes No City of Sunrise Police Department Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes As needed As needed No Yes Coconut Creek Police Department Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No As needed No Inverter No Lauderhill Fire Rescue Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yearly Yearly replaced Yes Travel No Lighthouse Point Police Department Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Annually As needed No No Batteries are replaced when needed per damage or per the Motorola lkajkda Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes Daily Charger's instructions No Yes During Probation Class Typically every 8 to 12 Miramar Fire Rescue Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Every 6 month months Yes 12v adapter Yes Miramar Police Department Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No No Unknown No No Law Enforcement and Maintenance have in North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Annually Approx. 3 years Yes vehicle chargers No Users are given a walk through of their radio at Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes On an as needed basis Yes 12v adapter Yes distribution Formally-No. Training is completed on FTO for Pembroke Pines Police Department ,250 Yes No Yes Yes No No No Li-ion and NiCd Yes As needed Approx 1/yr Yes 12v adapter No sworn units. It is covered during in house training for new Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Yes No Yes Yes No No Yes No As needed, no set times Every two years No Yes recruits Yearly replacement is recommended, however we do see officers retaining their older batteries that still provide adequate service. If the battery does not meet This was attempted but As needed. we recommend the usage requirements, it Advancetec 12 volt end users were not Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No yearly replacement gets turned in. Yes powered. No receptive. No specific time aside from Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue No Yes N/A N/A No Yes No N/A daily use As needed No No Seminole Tribe Police Department Yes N/A Yes Yes Yes N/A Yes Yes Daily As needed Yes 12V Motorola OEM Yes Yes Totals: 39, ,810 2,498 Does the agency have a radio user training program - comment

173 Agency Agency's Call Volume (Q14) During a typical day, what is the maximum number of radio users in your agency that are on shift at any one point in time? During a typical day, what is the average number of radio calls you receive and/or respond to? How many units respond to a typical call? Broward County Schools 2, Broward County Sheriff's Office 1, Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Fort Lauderdale City of Hallandale Beach City of Hollywood City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Miramar Fire Rescue 40 1,000 2 Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Police Department Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Seminole Tribe Police Department Totals: 4,848 2,079 41

174 Agency's Budget (Q15-Q17) Agency What is your agency's annual budget for radio equipment purchases? What is your agency's Does the agency have a annual budget for radio preventative equipment maintenance? maintenance program Does the agency have a preventative maintenance program - comment Broward County Schools varies varies Yes Broward County Sheriff's Office $100,000 $20,000 Yes Annual MOS contract Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue 0 $15,000 No Radios are currently in warranty but looking into getting a maintenance program at this time. City of Fort Lauderdale $50,000 $400,000 Yes City of Hallandale Beach 0 $14,000 No City of Hollywood 0 $40,000 City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue $12,000 $3,000 No City of Sunrise Police Department $1,800 $55,000 Yes Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department Buy radios as needed. No set budget. $5,000 No Included in recent new $6000-$7000 for batteries purchase 2 yr Motorola and accessories Service Contract No $1,000 or more when $1,000 or more when needed needed No lkajkda $50,000 $10,000 No Miramar Fire Rescue $7,500 $67,000 Yes Miramar Police Department 0 $33,000 No North Lauderdale Fire Rescue 10,0000 $10,000 Yes The City is currently gathering information for a preventative maintenance program, however, we have no program in existence as of yet. We found it less expensive to maintain in-house and use Motorola's Depot for things beyond our capabilities. Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue It varies. Probably less than $20,000 No Pembroke Pines Police Department 0 $24,100 No Fix and repair as needed Pompano Beach Fire Rescue $56,000 $47,000 No Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Not a line item - as needed Not a line item -as needed Yes Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue $50,000 $20,000 No Seminole Tribe Police Department Yes Send to control communications for preventative

175 Radio System User Feedback Question 20-21: Does your experience with system coverage agree with the above maps? If not please explain in detail and provide locations: Refer to Q19 map Agency Response 20 Response 21 Broward County Schools No Portable coverage better than the map Broward County Sheriff's Office Yes Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue No Many fire stations, hospitals, schools and commercial buildings are hardened/reinforced buildings. In many cases, radio coverage is too weak to penetrate these types of structures. In addition, we experience dropoff of the complete inability to communicate during inclement weather (i.e. NO COMMS). City of Fort Lauderdale Yes City of Hallandale Beach No transmission and reception on the beach is poor City of Hollywood Yes City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue Yes City of Sunrise Police Department Yes Coconut Creek Police Department Yes Lauderhill Fire Rescue Yes Lighthouse Point Police Department Yes lkajkda Yes Miramar Fire Rescue Yes Miramar Police Department No in building coverage is lacking North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Yes Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Yes N/A Pembroke Pines Police Department Yes Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Yes Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Yes Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Yes Seminole Tribe Police Department N/A

176 Radio System User Feedback Question 22: Please list areas (address or general description) where you do not have coverage on the existing system. Agency Response Broward County Schools Broward County Sheriff's Office Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Fort Lauderdale City of Hallandale Beach City of Hollywood City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Miramar Fire Rescue Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Police Department Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Seminole Tribe Police Department Western part of the County (MM37>County Line). All hardened facilities (schools, EOCs, shelters). Deerfield Beach along the beach. West of US HWY 27 to the County line is questionable at times. BSOFR runs to mm52 on I75 and sometimes runs mutual aid well beyond that (I have been to mm70 before). We have a station at mm35 on I75 and service there is questionable at times, especially in the Everglades where our airboat responds to. This is very frustrating because many of our most emergent cases involve rescues in the everglades. Current radios are NOT effective in the following environments: Hospitals (most) Schools (nearly all) High Rise Buildings (many, especially the lower floors) Fire Stations (more than half) Too many to list here. In-building is an issue. S.Fla buildings are much more dense than "medium". With the low-e glass requirements that are coming, in-building coverage will get worse, not better. More sites are needed in the built up areas of the County. I've heard there are issues on the western side of the County. N/A Map difficult to review. Sorry 8000 NW 44th St, Sunrise, FL NW 50th St, Sunrise, FL NW 21st Manor, Sunrise, FL NW 54th Ct, Sunrise, FL NW 50th St, Sunrise, FL Hiatus Rd, Sunrise, FL N Nob Hill Rd, Sunrise, FL N Pine Island Rd, Sunrise, FL NW 70th Ave, Sunrise, FL NW 8th St, Sunrise, FL NW 104th Ave, Sunrise, FL Lauderhill City Hall 5581 W. OPB (intermittent) Target University and Commercial (intermittent) Publix 5855 W. OPB (intermittent) Broward General Hospital (Motorola APX) N/A North and East All schools in the city, inside some office buildings with portables Public schools and hospitals N/A On the beach around high-rise buildingsand inside of some high-rises. Big Cypress reservation and Alligator alley.

177 Radio System User Feedback Question 23: Does your agency have any special circumstances that would require enhanced in-building radio coverage such as schools and malls. Please list those areas and any specific buildings that require additional enhanced coverage. Agency Broward County Schools Broward County Sheriff's Office Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Fort Lauderdale City of Hallandale Beach City of Hollywood City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Miramar Fire Rescue Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Police Department Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Seminole Tribe Police Department Response Yes, various locations All schools and public buildings require full time, reliable coverage Publix: 777 SW 12th Ave, Deerfield Beach, FL Broward General Medical Center: 1600 S. Andrews Ave, Ft. Lauderdale Boyd Anderson High School: Lauderdale Lakes All schools, the Federal and County Courthouses, high rise buildings within the City All Hallandale school and condos on the beach Beach front properties along Hollywood Beach; especially stairwells of those buildings Too numerous to list but generally high rise buildings The BB&T Center - 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise Sawgrass Mills Mall W. Sunrise Blvd, Sunrise Every Broward County School in the city. (The school address are listed above) Our schools have BDAs in them and our police station also has one Need coverage in all schools, and commercial occupancies No No Mainly we need better coverage in school like installing a repeater to increase the coverage All public schools No Schools, Hospitals, Etc. Hospitals and Schools Two lengthy to list on such short notice. No Hollywood Hard Rock casino and hotel. Coconut casino.

178 Radio System User Feedback Question 24: Please list any interoperability needs that you have on the existing radio system (agencies you need to communicate with that you do not currently have this capability or cannot communicate with effectively): Agency Response Broward County Schools Broward County Sheriff's Office Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Fort Lauderdale City of Hallandale Beach City of Hollywood City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Miramar Fire Rescue Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Police Department Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Seminole Tribe Police Department FHP, FMP, PBSO, Miami-Dade County Inability to cohesively communicate with the following agencies: Florida Hwy Patrol Seminole Tribe Police Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue US Coast Guard DOHS Border Patrol ATF and Marshals have programmed our system into their radios. USCG uses VHF and there's no interoperability short of using a VHF radio. State Agencies that assist during high profile events cannot use their State radios, we provide loaner cache radios for them. With the recent changes to the dispatch centers and console programming, the dispatchers do not have access to all of the Fort Lauderdale Police or Fire talkgroups. This inhibits coordination within our departments for both the daily and special event activities. None Need to be able to communicate with Miami-Dade County, W Palm Beach, and Federal agencies. None N/A Coral Springs, Plantation, Hollywood, Palm Beach, Miami Dade, State N/A Miami Dade, Miami Gardens We have (8) 400 mhz channels that we own and are currently bringing up to be active. It would be a good idea for your system to be able to patch into our frequencies. N/A Coast Guard and marine patrol None Western Broward County. Alligator Alley, Miccosukee and Big Cypress Reservations

179 Radio System User Feedback Question 25: Do you feel there are enough radio talkgroups to adequately perform radio communications? If not, why? Agency Response 25 Response 25a Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Coconut Creek Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department Seminole Tribe Police Department Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department lkajkda Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Miramar Fire Rescue City of Hallandale Beach Broward County Schools City of Hollywood No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes From time to time it would be advantageous to have local channel for use by the Sea Ranch Lakes Police Only Need a FD BCINFO Channel at all 3 Regional Centers We are currently operating on the old code plug. There are very few times when we need additional talkgroups. Except in emergency situations that cover several jurisdictions. Broward County Sheriff's Office Yes Pembroke Pines Police Department Yes With the recent changes to the dispatch centers and console programming, the dispatchers do not have access to all of the Fort Lauderdale Police or Fire talkgroups. This inhibits coordination within our departments for both the daily and special event activities. No Local Government talkgroups in the consoles prevents patching when our LG units are working with either Police or Fire, i.e. after the hurricane when public services do road clearing City of Fort Lauderdale No before the police and fire units can roll into an area. City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue Yes Miramar Police Department No Talk group for Dade County LE agencies

180 Radio System User Feedback Question 26-27: Please use the follow ing table to rate how important the identified features are to your agency. Please identify any other radio features not listed above that w ould be beneficial to your agency. Agency Emergency Alert and Emergency Call Encryption Lapel Speaker/microphones Mobile Radio GPS Portable Radio GPS Cordless Bluetooth headset or speaker/microphone for portable radio Cordless Bluetooth microphone for mobile radios Hands-free operation Over-the-air Programming (OTAP) Scanning - Also see #28 Over-the-air Rekeying (OTAR) of encryption keys Bright-colored radio Larger displays Larger Knobs Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Lauderhill Fire Rescue Absolute Necessity Circumstances Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Circumstances Absolute Necessity Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Coconut Creek Police Department Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Not Important Not Important Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Not Important Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful in Limited North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Circumstances Circumstances Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Lighthouse Point Police Department Absolute Necessity Circumstances Circumstances Not Important Circumstances N/A Seminole Tribe Police Department Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Not Important Circumstances None Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Ability to communicate w ith State and Brow ard Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue Absolute Necessity Circumstances Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Not Important Absolute Necessity Circumstances Circumstances Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Circumstances Circumstances Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Federal agencies as listed previously Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not City of Sunrise Police Department Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Not Important Circumstances Circumstances Not Important Not Important N/A Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not lkajkda Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Absolute Necessity Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Absolute Necessity Circumstances Absolute Necessity Circumstances Not Important Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Not Important Not Important Not Important bluetooth capability Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Miramar Fire Rescue Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day City of Hallandale Beach Absolute Necessity Circumstances Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Circumstances Absolute Necessity Not Important Absolute Necessity Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Brow ard County Schools Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Not Important Not Important Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Circumstances Not Important Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not City of Hollyw ood Absolute Necessity Not Important Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Circumstances Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Brow ard County Sheriff's Office Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Circumstances Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Not Important Circumstances Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Nice to Have but Not Pembroke Pines Police Department Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Not Important Not Important Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Circumstances Not Important N/A Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not Useful in Limited Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Useful in Limited Nice to Have but Not Useful for Day to Day Nice to Have but Not City of Fort Lauderdale Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Not Important Circumstances Circumstances Not Important Circumstances Circumstances Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Not Important Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day Useful for Day to Day City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Absolute Necessity Miramar Police Department Operation w earing gloves Private unit-to-unit or unit-to-dispatch calling Private radio alert/horn honk to individual radios Text messaging Waterproof/submersib le radio unit Stealth mode (turns off lights and beeps) Clear-to-talk tones or indication Radio-to-radio direct communications In-Car repeaters for extended portable range Ability to monitor user biometrics (skin temperature, heart rate, etc) Private talk groups not appearing on other radios or dispatch Ability to make and receive telephone calls Ability to use a smartphone to make radio calls instead of a portable/mobile radio Please identify any other radio features not listed above that would be beneficial to your agency

181 Radio System User Feedback Question 28: If scanning is needed, please list the departments and agencies you need to scan? Agency Response Broward County Schools Broward County Sheriff's Office Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Fort Lauderdale City of Hallandale Beach City of Hollywood City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Miramar Fire Rescue Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Police Department Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Seminole Tribe Police Department All County law enforcement agencies. All main dispatch TG's in Broward County (for regional services units; HAZ MAT, TRT, Air Rescue) Fire desires to scan all BroCo fire dispatch TGs. Police desire to scan their dispatch and street crimes tactical TGs. Priority Monitor Scan is strongly desired. City of Fort Lauderdale, Tamarac, Lauderdale Lakes, Pompano Beach, Lauderhill Sunrise PD N/A We just need the ability to scan our frequencies N/A NA Departments that provide us service or mutual aid response. BSO, Coconut Creek/Margate, Hollywood, and Davie

182 Pager System Feedback Question 29-30: Do you use the Broward County pagers? If so, please list any issues that you have with the Broward County paging system. Agency Response 29 Response 30 Broward County Schools No Broward County Sheriff's Office No Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue Yes Over the past several years there has been a pronounced degradation in the paging signal that was once very robust and effective-reaching deep into Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties. Now coverage suffers insomuch that local reception is often difficult. There have been countless outages and failures of the paging system within the last 18 months. Prior to this, the paging system was one of the most rock-solid performing systems in place. Our agency is extremely dependent on paging for alerting and sending sensitive information which may not want to be verbally broadcast. City of Fort Lauderdale Yes In building coverage, slow for pages to come out. City of Hallandale Beach No City of Hollywood No City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue Yes None City of Sunrise Police Department No Coconut Creek Police Department No Lauderhill Fire Rescue Yes Works great when it is operational! Needs to remain a privately owned system, owned by the County. ORCAT needs to maintain existing system until a new system can be built. Lighthouse Point Police Department No lkajkda Yes Old and slow not reliable means of communication Miramar Fire Rescue Yes We only have them as backup and we haven't had the need to use them Miramar Police Department N/A N/A North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Yes No Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue No N/A Pembroke Pines Police Department No Pompano Beach Fire Rescue No Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department No Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue No Seminole Tribe Police Department N/A

183 Radio System User Feedback Question 31: Do you feel that the current radio system provides a high level of reliability? If not, please explain why. Agency Response 31 Response 31a Broward County Schools No Multiple PTT's required to talk sometimes, static common. System outages cause issues. Broward County Sheriff's Office No There seems to be a 10-15% failure rate inclusive of peak times. Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue No There have been well-document critical failures of the current radio system; some lasting more than 30 minutes in duration. This has necessitated developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to give guidance in such situations. There have been times that severe interference or complete radio failure has occurred several times in one day. City of Fort Lauderdale No I don't have enough time to list all of the issues. The system is old and is becoming more difficult to obtain parts. The spectrum is becoming more congested causing a rise in noise floor and the spurious appearances of interfering signals from unknown sources that can include cellular sites, computers, microprocessor controlled devices such as the traffic lights, new high efficiency lighting products, the multiplicity of BDA systems (correctly working or not...) and God only knows what else we're competing with to get our radios to work. City of Hallandale Beach No City of Hollywood Yes City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue No Issues develop during severe weather conditions City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue No No No Spontaneous and sporadic communication failures. At times officers will attempt to communicate but there is not any response from the dispatch center. Conversely, there are times when dispatch attempts to contact the officers, and when the officers attempt to respond dispatch does not hear the officers. These issues along with sporadic widespread failures have shaken the confidence in the reliability in the communication system as it is currently configured. Additionally, we have experienced intermittent transmission within officer's transmissions, where some of their transmissions come across choppy. Radio system for the most part is reliable but it does have issues at times. Cannot pinpoint dates and times. Age of the system, and limited talk channels, with an abundant amount of users. Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Yes Yes For the most part, the current radio system has provided us with acceptable reliability. On occasion, we have experienced outages, but they are infrequent. Miramar Fire Rescue No Current system goes down and sometimes is not reliable Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue No Too many breakdowns Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Yes Yes but I feel we need a backup radio system. Pembroke Pines Police Department No There is still a need for stronger signals within certain buildings such as hospitals. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue No Fails too frequently. Inadequate redundancy. Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Yes Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Yes Seminole Tribe Police Department

184 Radio System User Feedback Question 32: Do system-busy signals create an issue for your agency? If yes, please explain the circumstances and typical days and times. Agency Response 32 Response 32a Broward County Schools Yes Early AM and early afternoon Broward County Sheriff's Office Yes In mission critical applications, busy signals are an officer-safety issue and a detriment to effective operations. These most often occur during the peak times (6A-9A and 2P-4P, M-F). Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue Yes Public safety communications should have the highest priority to communicate. Public Safety should have their own radio system. Public Safety should not compete for air time with public works, animal control, traffic engineering, etc. City of Fort Lauderdale Yes Only briefly at this time. Usual complaints are from our encrypted users where there are only 5 channels available for all to share. City of Hallandale Beach No City of Hollywood No City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue No Occurs occasionally, no specific days or times City of Sunrise Police Department Yes The system busy signal is a good and bad option depending on the scenario. Of course, it is positive to inform the officers that can't communicate because they system is busy thereby preventing communication that isn't heard and forcing the officers to repeat their transmissions. However, in the event of an emergency and/or tactical situation the delay and the audible tone can present problems like alerting the officer's position, and/or delaying an urgent message due to the length of the tone and time to reset before the officer can talk. Coconut Creek Police Department Yes Intermittent issues but no set dates and times Lauderhill Fire Rescue Yes Busy signals poses an officer safety issue, when unable tx. Lighthouse Point Police Department No On occasion, but it's not a regular problem. lkajkda No Miramar Fire Rescue No Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue No Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Yes This happens sometimes, but it s not often. Pembroke Pines Police Department Yes Officers constantly receive "busy" signals throughout the course of their shifts. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Yes When six plus units are on calls the traffic will cause a delay. No specific time of the day has been noted. Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Yes Sometimes, we are within a very heavy radio traffic district and it is sometimes impossible to use radio on both Alpha and Bravo channels Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Yes Yes, if it is an emergecy situation. Seminole Tribe Police Department

185 Radio System User Feedback Question 33: Does your agency often experience congestion on your primary channels to the point that your ability to communicate effectively is negatively impacted? If so, please provide details. Agency Response 33 Response 33a Broward County Schools Broward County Sheriff's Office Yes Yes We've consolidated bus dispatch and have reduced to fewer dispatchers increasing the radio traffic on used talk groups. On some of the channels, there are too many users assigned to an individual channel. Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Fort Lauderdale City of Hallandale Beach City of Hollywood City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Yes No No No Yes No No Yes No No Rarely and only during peak times of day (school buses) or when a local emergency event is ongoing (weather event affecting the entire county). Otherwise, traffic is busy at times but still reasonable. Only if the Broward system is having issues, and when it is, we can switch to TGs that are only on the FTL radio system. Too many agencies on same channel causes arrival time and other data related delays and important information There are times when communication volume causes congestion, however, on the majority of days this is not an issue. At peak times, users have a difficult time getting talk time, due to being on a bust channel. There are times that radio traffic is very busy, but the benefit to share the radio channel with Pompano Beach overshadows other concerns. Miramar Fire Rescue Yes We share our current main channel with Hallandale and we haven't had any issue where channels are been congested. Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue No Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Yes This happens sometimes, but it s not often. Pembroke Pines Police Department No Pompano Beach Fire Rescue No With the use of TAC channels this has been averted. Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Yes See my response above Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue No Seminole Tribe Police Department

186 Radio System User Feedback Question 34: Please list any other issues that you have with the Broward County radio system. Please be sure to indicate the specific talkgroup that pertains to each issue. Agency Response Broward County Schools Broward County Sheriff's Office Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Fort Lauderdale City of Hallandale Beach City of Hollywood City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Miramar Fire Rescue Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Police Department Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Seminole Tribe Police Department The largest would be system stability as mentioned above. Also, the issue with interference must be controlled. It has caused safety issues in the past. Digital channel access when all of the digital users are active. Power outages or severe weather interruption N/A Our issues are more with the Dispatchers than with the radio system. N/A Just the frequency of radio system failures.

187 Additional User Feedback Question 35: What operational and technological issues do you think should be considered in the planning and implementation of a County wide radio network for public safety and emergency preparedness? Agency Broward County Schools Broward County Sheriff's Office Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Fort Lauderdale City of Hallandale Beach City of Hollywood City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Miramar Fire Rescue Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Police Department Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Seminole Tribe Police Department Response Better in building coverage, Over the Air Programming is very important. The ability of users to monitor their radio traffic better and not rely on others to generate reports for them. The new infrastructure should be robust enough to include ALL users within the County, without limitation. The system should be designed around worst-case scenarios, not average use. More tower sites to improve footprint and quality of communications. The ability to communicate in both digital and analog mode. Analog mode when digital drop-off is prevalent such as during high rise vents or confined space operations. REDUNDANCY!! Prepare for the failure of major components and segments of the system during a hurricane and have enough redundant sites to continue to provide coverage. System/subscriber management must take into consideration the needs of the County's client users. Failover ability to other nodes or individual cities functioning as a regional backup. Ability to communicate in high rise buildings Include input from end-users in the field, dispatchers, officers, and fire fighters. I would like to ensure that our agency maintain the CAD connection we have in our Dispatch center. We are a very service oriented agency and find great value in having the CAD connection in our building. Aside from that, I'm very satisfied with the direction Broward County is heading in developing an upgraded and advanced radio system for public safety. I don't have any other technological issues outside what is already being considered. Better security and good back up system for when radio system goes down. Continuity for all users, training and good warrenties. How much this is going to costs the end used when they have to purchase equipment to be able to use the system. Consider that the network be upgradable in order to accommodate future standards and equipment Sufficient backup systems and a solution for the buildings that do not have coverage inside even with the new system in place.

188 Additional User Feedback Question 36: Please provide any other information that you feel we should consider during the assessment of the radio communications system. Agency Broward County Schools Broward County Sheriff's Office Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue City of Fort Lauderdale City of Hallandale Beach City of Hollywood City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue City of Sunrise Police Department Coconut Creek Police Department Lauderhill Fire Rescue Lighthouse Point Police Department lkajkda Miramar Fire Rescue Miramar Police Department North Lauderdale Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Pembroke Pines Police Department Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue Seminole Tribe Police Department Response The standards for radio and radio maintenance should be established by the partners of the regional communications system. These standards should then be tightly held to. Continue with utilization of Alpha pagers. Some 70% of the radio users currently use Alpha Pagers. They are a nice back-up and bode a sense of security when fully operational. Also, ISO credits agencies which use them as a back-up notification device which helps to keep insurance rates lower for commercial occupancies. The redundancy and back-up capabilities that are currently provided by the independent 800 MHz FTL infrastructure will be going away. The County MUST address the ability for ALL law and fire agencies to perform their duties when the "big one" hits. And I don't mean use the NPSPAC Mutual Aid conventional channels as they will be overwhelmed. The lack of direct interoperability between the proposed local government UHF radio system and the proposed 700/800 MHz public safety system will come back to bite us all. These two systems will not provide any level of back-up redundancy for each other. Ensure interoperability among all agencies that work in South Florida, and ensure portability coverage when traversing through other jurisdictions regardless of distance from home jurisdiction. Lastly, improve on level of service and ORCAT should be the main radio program group to provide a level of consistency throughout County. The majority of Broward County police and fire agencies have already completed, or are in the process of purchasing new Motorola APX radios, and Motorola should be the system vendor, to maximize the features and functions of the radios. There are many law enforcement agencies that have recently invested a great deal of money in the replacement of their aging portable radios. Two years ago, the Lighthouse Point Police Department replaced all portable radios with the Motorola APX 6000 portable (at a cost of $130,000). If Broward County were to select a different radio vendor (i.e. Harris Communications or other company) I would like to see if you could negotiate a return/replacement plan so that our agencies could obtain the manufacturer specific portable radios to maximize the use of portable radio options/features. Thank you for your efforts in working to bring about a state-of-the-art radio system for all Broward County system users! Proper training for dispatchers None at this point.

189 Appendix G Existing Coverage Maps Mission Partners 186

190 EDX SignalPro : BrowardCo_FL Prop. model 1: Anderson-2D v1.00 Time: 50.0% Loc.: 50.0% Prediction Confidence Margin: 10.2dB Climate: Continental Temperate Land use (clutter): none Atmospheric Abs.: none K Factor: Sites Received Power at remote >= dbmw DAQ 3.4 or better to dbmw DAQ 2.0 to 3.4 < dbmw Unsatisfactory Performance Display threshold level: dbmw RX Antenna - Type: ISOTROPIC Height: 3.0 ft AGL Gain: 0.00 dbd MILES Broward County, FL Existing Coverage - SmartNet Analog Portable Talk Out Outdoors

191 EDX SignalPro : BrowardCo_FL Prop. model 1: Anderson-2D v1.00 Time: 50.0% Loc.: 50.0% Prediction Confidence Margin: 10.2dB Climate: Continental Temperate Land use (clutter): none Atmospheric Abs.: none K Factor: Sites Received power at best base from remote >= dbmw DAQ 3.4 or Better to dbmw DAQ 2.0 to 3.4 < dbmw Unsatisfactory Performance Display threshold level: dbmw RX Antenna - Type: ISOTROPIC Height: 6.0 ft AGL Gain: 0.00 dbd MILES Broward County, FL Existing Coverage - SmartNet Analog Portable Talk In Outdoors

192 EDX SignalPro : BrowardCo_FL Prop. model 1: Anderson-2D v1.00 Time: 50.0% Loc.: 50.0% Prediction Confidence Margin: 10.2dB Climate: Continental Temperate Land use (clutter): none Atmospheric Abs.: none K Factor: Sites Received Power at remote >= dbmw DAQ 3.4 or Better to dbmw DAQ 2.0 to 3.4 < dbmw Unsatisfactory Performance Display threshold level: dbmw RX Antenna - Type: ISOTROPIC Height: 3.0 ft AGL Gain: 0.00 dbd MILES Broward County, FL Existing Coverage - SmartNet Analog Portable Talk Out w/15db Building Loss

193 EDX SignalPro : BrowardCo_FL Prop. model 1: Anderson-2D v1.00 Time: 50.0% Loc.: 50.0% Prediction Confidence Margin: 10.2dB Climate: Continental Temperate Land use (clutter): none Atmospheric Abs.: none K Factor: Sites Received power at best base from remote >= dbmw DAQ 3.4 or Better to dbmw DAQ 2.0 to 3.4 < dbmw Unsatisfactory Performance Display threshold level: dbmw RX Antenna - Type: ISOTROPIC Height: 6.0 ft AGL Gain: 0.00 dbd MILES Broward County, FL Existing Coverage - SmartNet Analog Portable Talk In w/15db Building Loss