[FedCom] Re: Dept of Homeland Security Comm Systems

Sun, 9 Jun 2002 09:15:10 -0700 (PDT)

Don't forget, Tom Ridge (Mr. Homeland Security himself) was instrumental in
pushing along the Pennsylvania statewide radio system project.  Surprisingly,
this project is not under Big M.  The chosen technology is Open Sky, develpoed
by M/A-COM.  This technology is not APCO-25 compliant and does not resemble any
of the other trunking technologies out there.  It is a digital communications
system.

Maybe Mr. Ridge will choose M/A-COM to design an brand new, trillion dollar
national radio network for the feds!  

Those of us keeping track in Pennsylvania know that the Open Sky testing is
going veeerrryyy smoothly (yeah right!).

Ben

--- [email protected] wrote:
> Send FedCom mailing list submissions to
> 	[email protected]
> 
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> 	http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/fedcom
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> 	[email protected]
> 
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> 	[email protected]
> 
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of FedCom digest..."
> 
> 
> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. Dept of Homeland Security Comm Systems Re: [FedCom] Homeland
>        Sec Units (ken windyka)
>    2. RE: Dept of Homeland Security Comm Systems Re: [FedCom] Homeland  Sec
> Units (gary)
>    3. Re: Dept of Homeland Security Comm Systems Re: [FedCom] Homeland Sec
> Units ([email protected])
> 
> --__--__--
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 08 Jun 2002 12:53:55 -0400
> To: [email protected]
> From: ken windyka <[email protected]>
> Subject: Dept of Homeland Security Comm Systems Re: [FedCom] Homeland
>   Sec Units
> Reply-To: [email protected]
> 
> Hello group!!!
> 
> I'm sure that most of you are already hearing most of the fed going to
> encryption/digital type radio systems.  I would assume that the new
> department will probably budget for these type of radio comm sytems.  I
> think that on one of the talk shows/nightly newcasts, there was an
> interview with one of the members of the comission that had been formed to
> look at terrorism in the US & even one of the members mentioned that a lack
> of a common communications system was a strong commission concern.
> 
> Perhaps initially what will be done will be cross band type repeater
> systems and/or the ability for certain areas to enable select cross band
> operations...     Also there's a fairly large presence of government NEXTEL
> users as well as the use of other digital cellular/pcs systems.......
> Law enforcement agencies that only have in the clear radio systems and/or
> are experiencing encryption problems usually go to the digital cellluar/pcs
> systems and/or mobile data terminals for backup....  I think there's going
> to be a definite move to inhibit hobbyists from monitoring this federal
> department via various technical measures available!!
> 
> Also there's a distinct difference between surveillance and response.
> Covert Surveilliance IMHO is actually best carried out by using
> cellular/pcs portables rather than radio equipment because one wouldn't
> stand out in a crowd or in a vehicle if one were using it, nor would there
> be any encryption signals that might be a tip off to those under
> surveillance!!!!   Response on the other hand probably doesn't require even
> encryption because at that time it's too late.  Also if it's a medical
> (DMATS) response to a weapons of mass destruction/other explosive incident,
> than everyone already knows what happened so encryption probably isn't
> going to be needed.
> 
> Hopefully, before they buy any new radio equipment/systems they do a test
> to make sure it will work for them.  At least with the old systems (VHF/UHF
> analog) they already know what the limitations of the systems are........
> 
> Ken Windyka
> Springfield MA Monitoring Area         

=====
Ben R. - Norristown, PA
http://home.earthlink.net/~benandchrisie

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com