P25 Aviation Radio Training

Oxford Suites

Boise, Idaho

March 10-14, 2008

Welcome & Housekeeping

Why Interagency Fire is Requiring P25 Digital Equipment in Aviation

Frank Smith

NIFC-FS

Aviation Safety Inspector (Avionics)

P25 Background
        - A national standard for digital radio communication.
        - Created by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials.
        - Specifications agreed upon by several communication companies and government organizations.

Why Was It Created
        - Law enforcement agencies around the country were using proprietary digital radio systems.
        - These systems could not communicate with each other.
        - A deputy sheriff would have to roll their window down to talk to the local police.

Federal Involvement
        - Congress required the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop a compliance assessment program (CAP) for P25 equipment.

Millions of dollars for first responder communications.

How to make these radio system interoperable?

NIST could create a standard or use an existing one.

NIST adopted P25.

Department of Homeland Security specifies what tests are important.

If P25 does not work, NIST will create a system that does.

P25 Digital Implementation
        - Required by DOI & USDA ( and other federal agencies) for all new radio purchases.
        - Required by 1/1/2010 for interagency wildfire aviation.
        - Required by 1/1/2010 for all DOI aviation.
        - Required in 2005 for federal law enforcement.
        - FS non-fire operations (i.e. forest health) not required to implement P25*.

Interagency Wildfire Requirement Letter

See www.fs.fed.us/fire/niicd/Hotsheet/Hotsheet.html

Interagency Fire P25 Digital Implementation
        - No waivers for contractors or fleet aircraft.
        - Contractors unavailable until they comply.
        - All analog-only radios are boat anchors.
        - If mission or contract requires two or more FM radios, then they all must be P25.

Can’t get by with one P25 & one analog

Unintended Benefits of Requiring P25 by 1/1/2010

New Narrowband FCC VHF-FM Frequencies
        - FCC started issuing to states, local governments, and private organizations in 2005.
        - Narrowbanding from 15 kHz to 7.5 kHz channel spacing with 12.5 kHz bandwidth.

 (Federal Gov’t - 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz spacing)
        - New 7.5 kHz narrowbanded frequencies incompatible with some existing radios.

New Narrowband FCC VHF-FM Frequencies
        - Incompatibilities effect radios designed prior to 1997.
        - Radios manufactured after 1997 using a pre-1997 design also effected.
        - Known problems in Georgia, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
        - All states likely effected.
        - Examples: 151.1525, 158.7825, 159.2925

Interagency Wildfire Requirement Letter

See www.fs.fed.us/fire/niicd/Hotsheet/Hotsheet.html

New Narrowband FCC VHF-FM Frequencies
        - Radios known to be 7.5 kHz incompatible

B/K: LPH & EPH

NAT: NPX138

Wulfsberg: 9600

Eureka Radio: ERS96000

New Narrowband FCC VHF-FM Frequencies
        - Radios known to be 7.5 kHz compatible

B/K: GPH & DPH

Motorola: XTS2500 & XTS5000

Thales (Racal): P25

EF Johnson: 5113, 5123, & 5133

Datron: Guardian

Technisonic: TFM-138B & TDFM-136

NAT: NTX138 & NPX136D

Acceptable P25 Digital Radios for Interagency Fire

NAT NPX136D

Technisonic TDFM-136

 Avionics P25

Jose Lopez

USDA Forest Service 

National Interagency Incident Communications Division

 National Interagency Fire Center

March, 2008

What is Project 25?

What is Project 25?

A joint development project to develop a public safety digital land mobile (LMR) standard.

Why are we (the Federal Government) using P25?

Congress mandated all federal agencies to change to 12.5 khz (narrowband) by Jan. 1st of 2005.

P25 Phases

P25- compliant technology is being deployed in several phases.

Phase 1: Radio systems operate in 12.5 kHz analog, digital or mixed mode.

Phase 2: Currently under development, will use 6.25 kHz bandwidth efficiency. 

Phase 3: Currently under development, high-speed data for public-safety use.

Benefits of P25

P25 has many various benefits

Interoperability: 

	Radios that are P25 compliant will allow users from different agencies or areas to communicate directly with each other.

Backwards Compatibility:

	P25 radio standard is backward compatible with standard analog FM equipment.

Encryption Capability:

	P25 Standard includes a requirement for protecting digital communications with encryption capability.

	Over the Air Re-keying (OTAR)

Benefits of P25 Continued

Spectrum Efficiency:

	P25 maximizes spectrum efficiency by narrowing bandwidths.

	The RF spectrum is a limited resource used by every county in the world.

	Spectrum efficiency frees up more channels for radio system use.

Improved Audio Quality:

	P25 digital signals have greater voice quality over standard analog signals.

	Audio is digitally encoded, so background noise typically present in analog systems is removed.

Enhanced Functionality:

	P25 radio systems have signaling capabilities.

	Allows a vast array of additional functions and features to be standard in any P25 radio system.

	Selective calling, Talk Groups (TGID), NAC, emergency flags, GPS, other data.

Benefits of P25 Continued

Analog Tones vs P25 NAC/TGID
        - Analog CTCSS Tones

64 CTCSS Tones (standard & non-standard)

83 DCS Codes
        - P25 Digital

4096 NAC codes

65535 TGID
        - A different way of doing the same thing

When you need a tone, use it

When you need a NAC/TGID, use it

Analog Tones vs P25 NAC/TGID
        - Analog Modes

No tone

Tx only tone

Rx & Tx tone
        - P25 Digital Modes

Monitor mode (analogous to analog no tone)

NAC only

NAC + TGID

P25 DEMO
        - Analog to Analog
        - Analog to Mixed-Mode (Shadow Channel)
        - P25 to P25
        - P25 to Analog
        - Analog to P25

Questions?