Why the Switch?
The current radio system, a VHF system has served Bay County for decades. While the system isl sufficient, there are many instances where agencies have trouble communicating when they are on the fringe of their radio's limits. For example, Sheriff units have been heard with "choppy" or "broken up" conversations in far eastern and southeastern areas of Bay County. Another example would be firefighters working a fire inside a building, having trouble communicating back to dispatch on their HT (walkie-talkie) radios, due to their low power.
The current system also requires seperate frequencies for each agency, which requires more transmitter/repeater equipment, antennas, licensing costs, etc.
The 800Mhz Digital system runs on a group of frequencies which carry many different digital "streams", called TalkGroups. Every radio within the system communicates with the same one tower, while each agency would have their own specified TalkGroup.
More information on Michigan's MPSC Digital Radio System can be found at the Michigan Public Communication System's website.
For more information on how 800Mhz effects this website, please see the entire 800Mhz category HERE.