System Architecture
The nine channels in the mutual aid build-out are not yet statewide and coverage is estimated at between 38 percent to 94 percent, depending on the frequency. The new base stations will be added to ninety-three tower sites currently used for the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS). The use of existing sites expedites the rollout of the additional channels and provides efficiency for system maintenance as M/A-COM is already servicing those sites. Combiners are used to minimize the number of new antennas needed and reduce the amount of tower space required.
The technology used for radio transmission and reception is very stable and has a long history of success. The life expectancy of the base stations is at least ten years and more with proper maintenance. Under the proposed contract, M/A-COM will provide maintenance and repair to all the new units. They are required to respond to any outages in two hours and have the unit restored in six hours.