Are the radios intrinsically safe?

• No, intrinsic safety is a requirement that may be applicable to devices that are being operated in areas with flammable gases or fuels. It means that the device is incapable of igniting those gases. In short, an intrinsically safe piece of equipment won't ignite flammable gases.

How do I charge the battery?

• Before using your battery for the first time, you must charge it for 14 hours (subsequent charges should be complete in two hours or less). This first charge is important because it prepares the battery for use.
• Ensure that the charger is connected to the correct power adaptor.
• Put the battery in the charger.
• For optimal charging results, the radio should be turned off while in the charger. The red "Charging" LED glows to indicate the battery is being charged.
• Leave the battery in the charger for 14 hours. When the green "Ready" LED on the charger glows, the battery is ready for use.
• You can safely leave the battery in the charger when charging is complete, the charge will not overcharge the battery.

How do I cycle the battery?

• All Tait radios have NiMH batteries. These batteries should be fully discharged once every three months.

Why is it important to cycle the battery?

• To prolong the life of the battery.

Why am I getting feedback?

• The most common cause of radio feedback is having two radios on the same frequency too close together when one is transmitting. If this occurs, try moving one of the radios farther away from the other or turning one of them off.

What is the difference between wideband and narrowband?

• Narrowband frequencies use ½ the bandwidth of wideband.
• Normal wideband spacing is 25 Khz
• Narrowband spacing is 12.5 Khz
• Narrow banding essentially doubles the number of available frequencies in the VHF spectrum.

What is P-25?

• Recognizing the need for common standards for emergency response professionals, the industry created a common system standard for digital public safety radio communications. P25-compliant systems are being increasingly adopted and deployed. Radios can communicate in analog mode with legacy radios and in either digital or analog mode with other (brands) P25 radios. Additionally, the deployment of P25-compliant systems will allow a high degree of equipment interoperability, compatibility and economy of scale.

Who's on the Radio Interoperability Oversight Committee?

When does the Radio Interoperability Oversight Committee meet?

• At 8:00 a.m. on the 1st and 3rd Thursday's of every month. These are usually held at the Sheriff's Department.

Can I attend the Radio Interoperability Oversight Committee meetings?

• Yes, these are open meetings.

When is the cut-over?

• The "cut-over" is planned to begin in the fall of 2011 with Wausau Fire and Wausau PD.

What's the deadline for getting radios?

• Spring of 2010

What's the deadline for pagers?

• Spring of 2010

Will our pagers work when cut-over occurs?

• By the spring of 2010 all pagers must be narrowband. At this point, the Motorola Min V and Apollo brands are the only pagers that will be compatible with our paging system. 

Why can't we just rely on cell phones rather needing to carry a pager?

• Marathon County would then have to rely on the private sector to provide emergency notifications to responding personnel. Many areas of the county do not have cell towers or have poor reception. Also, if a major disaster does occur, chances are the cell towers may be damaged or may be operating at above maximum capacity. There is no guarantee emergency personnel would receive their notifications.

I don't think my radio is working what do I do?

• Refer to your owner's manual.
• Follow your department's chain of command and report the problem.
• Contact your local vendor.

Who will pay for volunteer fire department individual pagers and local weather siren controller upgrades.

• It is the responsibility of local municipalities to purchase pagers for their personnel and to upgrade their communities weather siren controllers.

Do the new police radios have DVP programmed in them?

• No, the new mobiles and portables have DES/OFB encryption. This feature will not be available until the new narrowband radio system is implemented.

When the new narrowband radio system is functional will the P25 radios we are now installing in our squads work or will they need to be reprogrammed?

• If all the frequencies and the PL’s are known prior to the cut over date a separate zone with the new cannels could be installed before cut over.  If not, the radios will need to be reprogrammed with the narrowband frequencies. This leaves a very small window to do this during the cutover process.

Does all P25 mobiles and portables need a unique 7 digit identifyer programmed into the unit? How do I know which number to use?

• All P25 radios must have a 7 digit identifyer programmed into it. This will enable a radio to be turned off with software if it is ever lost or stolen. It will also let Dispatch know which department is transmitting on a particular radio. This unique 7 digit ID’s must be programmed into all P25 radios and will be used once the new radio system is turned on later this year. If your department received any radios through the grant process it is P25 compliant. Radios that are not P25 compliant do not need a 7 digit identifyer.
  
  The State has recommends using the P25 Unit Identification Plan to number all P25 radios statewide. Due to the existing county wide numbering system for Law Enforcement, Fire & EMS Marathon County will be using a version of this plan.

FIRE & EMS SERVICE ID NUMBERING PLAN

The radio ID number consists of 7 digits:

a) The first two digits identify the county using its numonic (37)

b) The next digit identifies the unit as a mobile, portable, base or control station (0,1,2,3)
    #0 signifies the unit as a mobile
    #1 signifies the unit as a portable
    #2 signifies the unit as a base control station (stations that talk to a repeater)
    #3 signifes the unit as a fixed station/bases/consoles (non repeated)
c) The next two digits will identify a fire department Call # (example: 90 Weston FD)

d) The last two numbers 00 to 99 will be used by the department for their internal number designation

Example: Unit # 3715501
    (37) signifies this radio is from Marathon County
    (1) indicates this is a portable
    (90) indicates this unit is assigned to Weston FD
    (01) Internal number a department assigns to a unit (Each department is required to keep an updated inventory of  their radios/ID unit numbers and who is assigned them).

LAW ENFORCEMENT ID NUMBERING PLAN

* A 4 digit block of numbers has been assigned to your department for the use of badge numbers, squad numbers and to satisfy the new requirement of having a unique radio ID number for all P25 radios. This particular block of numbers has been selected for your agency so in most cases your badge & squad numbers will stay the same or change slightly. For those agencies that currently have 3 digit badge & squad numbers an additional digit (see list) has been placed at the beginning of your current number.

Once the new radio system goes on-line and the 7 digit radio identifier is activated Dispatch will begin using your officer’s new 4 digit badge numbers. CAD will also be change to reflect these new badge and squad number assignments.

This will affect Athens PD, Edgar PD, Marathon PD, Mosinee PD, Spencer PD & Stratford PD.

The radio ID number consists of 7 digits:

a) The first two digits identify the county using its numonic (37)

b) The next digit identifies the unit as a mobile, portable, base or control station (0,1,2,3)
    #0 signifies the unit as a mobile
    #1 signifies the unit as a portable
    #2 signifies the unit as a base control station (stations that talk to a repeater)
    #3 signifes the unit as a fixed station/bases/consoles (non repeated)

c) The next four digits will will identify the officer’s badge # (portables) or the squad # (mobiles).
    All badge numbers and squad numbers must have a 4 digit identifier.

Example: Unit # 3701042
    (37) signifies the radio is from Marathon County
    (0) indicates this is a mobile
    (1042 ) This is the squad number of an Everest Metro squad. (Each department is required to keep an updated inventory of their radios/ID unit numbers and who is assigned them).