NEXTEL Radio?

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WuLabsWuTecH

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So I had my first interview today, and was offered a job on the spot! During the tour they gave me though, the told me about NEXTEL radios that they use instaed of the traditional Motorola talkgroups or 800 MHz systems. I didn't want to come off as ignorant then, but what is a NEXTEL radio? It seems to me like it was just a push to talk cell phone mounted on a land line instead of handsets for the dispatchers and I assume the medics would carry just regular cell phones?

Also, can you contact hospitals on these? The hospitals in our area all use a trunked motorola system...

Thanks!
-Wu
 
We use NEXTEL "Radio's" (and I use that term loosely) in my Transport job. Its just as you said, A Cell phone with a PTT feature. As for contacting the hospitals, All our rigs also have a regular radio in the front and back for contact to hospitals. We only use the NEXTELs for Dispatch purposes.

IE Enroute, Arriving, Departing, Clear. And any other problems we might come up upon.
 
Why od you guys use nextel radios over traditional? Wider coverage area? Won't you run into cellular dead zones at all?
 
Nextel used to have REALLY good coverage, because they had decent coverage and made it really difficult for "joe schmo" to get an account. Then they let anyone get an account... then they added prepaid... without major infrastructure changes to support it... so the service quality has been in a downward spiral for the last 3-4 years.

The reasons some EMS agencies (usually transport) use nextel is that the phones are usually durable, they still act like radios... and they DON'T need to invest in costly radio infrastructure. They pay Nextel an arm and a leg every month, and they don't need to maintain their own radio system with mobiles, portables, repeaters, multiple repeater sites, etc.... for the big company, a radio network may be cheaper... but it is cheaper for the smaller companies to just use Nextel. Same goes for coverage area... Nextel works most places traditional cell phones work, nationwide. This means if you go 100 miles away on a long-distance transfer, you can still talk to dispatch as easily as when you were in town... try doing that with your radio network.

One other plus for Nextel - they have long been attached to Public Safety clients... In New Orleans... the first "normal" communication method that returned was Nextel Direct Connect... because Motorola/Nextel have mobile Direct Connect repeater/cell sites that they drove into the affected area to get coverage back.
Additionally... because Direct Connect uses less data than a 2-way phone call, I had 99% success using Direct Connect to talk to people back home when I was in Baton Rouge (A city with 3-4x the normal population)... I'd often get busy signals when I tried to call out... but Direct Connect always worked. I have heard anecdotally that a friend was in New York on 9/11... and Direct Connect was the only network that wan't overloaded... but I'm not 100% sure on this.
 
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So does this also mean less noise pollution? As in when I call into dispatch no one else will hear me, and the calls I hear are only the ones intended for me?
 
I work on these sites. The dispatch can be setup as a group dispatch call, where everyone can hear you. But you can also two-way a individual person if you wish. Also one unique feature it has, is the ability for emergency responders to have priority access to the system. Meaning that if its setup on your account, and the site is to busy to handle calls, it will actually give that handset priority on the free channel instead of Joe Shmoe. Also we are always increasing equipment installations due to customer demands. At least in my area, I check stats everyday to see that everything is working great.

The reason direct connect works so well, is it doesn't depend on the public switch to set up calls like a cell phone to landline call does. It goes directly through the frame relay system. In a major emergency, loads can be pushed to open up more channels and equipment can be added rapidly.

Here is the map coverage tool, if you are curious about specific coverage in your area. Click on the next direct connect tab down at the bottom, and plug your city and stat you want to look at up top.

http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?language=EN
 
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rhan101277 said:
I work on these sites. The dispatch can be setup as a group dispatch call, where everyone can hear you. But you can also two-way a individual person if you wish. Also one unique feature it has, is the ability for emergency responders to have priority access to the system. Meaning that if its setup on your account, and the site is to busy to handle calls, it will actually give that handset priority on the free channel instead of Joe Shmoe. Also we are always increasing equipment installations due to customer demands. At least in my area, I check stats everyday to see that everything is working great.

The reason direct connect works so well, is it doesn't depend on the public switch to set up calls like a cell phone to landline call does. It goes directly through the frame relay system. In a major emergency, loads can be pushed to open up more channels and equipment can be added rapidly.

Here is the map coverage tool, if you are curious about specific coverage in your area. Click on the next direct connect tab down at the bottom, and plug your city and stat you want to look at up top.

http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?language=EN
Click to expand...
From that map, it looks like most of the nationis not covered then... including a large portion of the area this company i just interviewed with covers...
 
Jon said:
Nextel used to have REALLY good coverage, because they had decent coverage and made it really difficult for "joe schmo" to get an account. Then they let anyone get an account... then they added prepaid... without major infrastructure changes to support it... so the service quality has been in a downward spiral for the last 3-4 years.

The reasons some EMS agencies (usually transport) use nextel is that the phones are usually durable, they still act like radios... and they DON'T need to invest in costly radio infrastructure. They pay Nextel an arm and a leg every month, and they don't need to maintain their own radio system with mobiles, portables, repeaters, multiple repeater sites, etc.... for the big company, a radio network may be cheaper... but it is cheaper for the smaller companies to just use Nextel. Same goes for coverage area... Nextel works most places traditional cell phones work, nationwide. This means if you go 100 miles away on a long-distance transfer, you can still talk to dispatch as easily as when you were in town... try doing that with your radio network.

One other plus for Nextel - they have long been attached to Public Safety clients... In New Orleans... the first "normal" communication method that returned was Nextel Direct Connect... because Motorola/Nextel have mobile Direct Connect repeater/cell sites that they drove into the affected area to get coverage back.
Additionally... because Direct Connect uses less data than a 2-way phone call, I had 99% success using Direct Connect to talk to people back home when I was in Baton Rouge (A city with 3-4x the normal population)... I'd often get busy signals when I tried to call out... but Direct Connect always worked. I have heard anecdotally that a friend was in New York on 9/11... and Direct Connect was the only network that wan't overloaded... but I'm not 100% sure on this.
Click to expand...





Another thing and correct me if I am wrong but my buddy owns an ambulance service with 35 plus trucks and he used them. I'm pretty sure they have a program that is like a GPS feature also. As in he can bring up a screen on his computer and see where all his trucks currently are.
Big brother is watching in his place.... Really it helps to see who is closest to a location but if you screw off they can see that also.
 
Pittsburgh Proud said:
Another thing and correct me if I am wrong but my buddy owns an ambulance service with 35 plus trucks and he used them. I'm pretty sure they have a program that is like a GPS feature also. As in he can bring up a screen on his computer and see where all his trucks currently are.
Big brother is watching in his place.... Really it helps to see who is closest to a location but if you screw off they can see that also.
Click to expand...

Yes if the proper equipment is installed, ambulances can be located via GPS as long as the ambulance is in the Nextel service area. If you go out of the coverage area, the equipment still keeps up with your location and that data is relayed once coverage is re-established. The customer can go to a website that updates every so many seconds, the location of their trucks. It comes in really handy for lots of dispatch centers, like trucking companies etc.

For major cities/suburbs, i think it would be rough to drive out of nextel coverage. Most ambulance companies have back-up systems to I think. It helps to zoom in on the map to really see how good the coverage is. Its misleading in the nationwide view. It is true however that some areas have no coverage, as is that case with any cell phone company.
 
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Pittsburgh Proud said:
Another thing and correct me if I am wrong but my buddy owns an ambulance service with 35 plus trucks and he used them. I'm pretty sure they have a program that is like a GPS feature also. As in he can bring up a screen on his computer and see where all his trucks currently are.
Big brother is watching in his place.... Really it helps to see who is closest to a location but if you screw off they can see that also.
Click to expand...
Nextel has a dispatch solution that uses GPS/CAD so that dispatchers can see where units are. This works nicely, as it's based on the cell phone, and not a mobile unit.

It is my personal belief that Nextels should not be used as a primary means of contact for emergency responders. When the power goes out, the system is down, or you have no coverage, you lose all communications. A traditional radio works when the power is out (depends on repeaters) and usually has better coverage.
 
rhan101277 said:
Yes if the proper equipment is installed, ambulances can be located via GPS as long as the ambulance is in the Nextel service area. If you go out of the coverage area, the equipment still keeps up with your location and that data is relayed once coverage is re-established. The customer can go to a website that updates every so many seconds, the location of their trucks. It comes in really handy for lots of dispatch centers, like trucking companies etc.

For major cities/suburbs, i think it would be rough to drive out of nextel coverage. Most ambulance companies have back-up systems to I think. It helps to zoom in on the map to really see how good the coverage is. Its misleading in the nationwide view. It is true however that some areas have no coverage, as is that case with any cell phone company.
Click to expand...


He is in the City Of Pittsburgh so range is no and issue.... B)
 
MMiz said:
Nextel has a dispatch solution that uses GPS/CAD so that dispatchers can see where units are. This works nicely, as it's based on the cell phone, and not a mobile unit.

It is my personal belief that Nextels should not be used as a primary means of contact for emergency responders. When the power goes out, the system is down, or you have no coverage, you lose all communications. A traditional radio works when the power is out (depends on repeaters) and usually has better coverage.
Click to expand...

Not real sure what happens during that kind of problem I do think they go back to radios. He likes it because he can see where his trucks are and the supervisors on duty or not. If something happens they know who is the closest supervisor to respond.
 
MMiz said:
Nextel has a dispatch solution that uses GPS/CAD so that dispatchers can see where units are. This works nicely, as it's based on the cell phone, and not a mobile unit.

It is my personal belief that Nextels should not be used as a primary means of contact for emergency responders. When the power goes out, the system is down, or you have no coverage, you lose all communications. A traditional radio works when the power is out (depends on repeaters) and usually has better coverage.
Click to expand...

During a power outage, the system does not go down if there are backup generators at the site. In major cities there are generators sitting at sites and they exercise once a week to verify they work. Also EVERY site has battery backup that last 8 hours. While it is true you can drive out of coverage or sites can go down due to other reasons, it is good to have back-up communications. I used to work on 450Mhz repeater systems, only one person could talk at a time. If you have several repeater stations, they have to be linked all together via some type of leased line, that way when dispatch keys up, it keys up all of the repeater systems connected.
 
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I can only speak from experience, but if you work with radios/communications, you know that there is a big difference between what is supposed to happen and what actually happens during a power outage.

When the power goes out we traditionally did a ton of business, as our biggest competitor was dispatched via Nextel, and those always went down. A few years ago they added a UHF radio system as a backup, but I still think they're vulnerable.
 
MMiz said:
I can only speak from experience, but if you work with radios/communications, you know that there is a big difference between what is supposed to happen and what actually happens during a power outage.

When the power goes out we traditionally did a ton of business, as our biggest competitor was dispatched via Nextel, and those always went down. A few years ago they added a UHF radio system as a backup, but I still think they're vulnerable.
Click to expand...

Some sites can go down due to T1 issues during bad weather. You may think since its storming its power related. The batteries always work around here.
 
rhan101277 said:
Some sites can go down due to T1 issues during bad weather. You may think since its storming its power related. The batteries always work around here.
Click to expand...
Ok. And as you said, they have battery and generator backup that will last from 8 hours to a day or more.

What happens when you get THIS:
katrina-08-28-2005.jpg
Yep... that would be Hurricane Katrina as it made landfall.

Radio networks and cell phones BOTH failed because even if they survived the storm... and the storm surge flooding... they ran out of gas for the generators.

Radio sites have the same issues... I guess my point is that NOTHING works as it should when you get slammed like that... and you need at least 1 backup plan (2 or 3 are better).

Jon
 
jon, you're screwing with my window size!

How can you be sure you're not transmitting over each other if you can't hear others' transmissions?
 
If someone is talking to the person you are trying to talk to, it won't connect.

Actually, the place I work PRN has Nextels. Dispatch has 2 nextels for our region's ambulance, 2 additional nextels for wheelchair vans, and radios for our Pittsburgh ops, our DC metro ops, etc.

On weekends... 1 dispatcher has 6 or 7 nextels on the desk in front of them. They never ALL talk at once. When we call, we just say our unit ID... as in "2301 to base"... we wait to be acknowledged, then proceed with our traffic.
 
Ok, I'm uinderstanding the system more and more as I work with it. I tried using PTT to connect to the hospital and was really confused when it wouldn't work. I told the medic that it wouldn't work and he thought I was doing it right so we showed up on the hospital doorstep w/o prior notice.. I learned they are not happy about that. Later found out that you have to make a phone call to get the hospital--which wasn't much better, their phone just kept ringing!

The one issue I have is being able to hear the trans'm clearly when on the PTT feature. It seems really static-y when I'm getting messages from dispatch, even more so than a traditional motorola radio system, anyone know why?
 
We too use Nextel’s for my Transport job. But that’s just to contact Dispatch or Supervisors. We also carry a County Radio to contact hospitals or whatnot.
 
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