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Motorola UHF trunked system links West Virginia counties

May 13, 2005 1:17 PM

Motorola said it has deployed a UHF trunked system that provides interoperable communications to public-safety agencies in three West Virginia counties--Harrison, Marion and Monongalia--located along a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 79. Three of the state’s largest cities--Morgantown, Fairmont and Clarksburg--are located in these counties.

The deployment was the result of a joint homeland security initiative between the county and the state. Fred Smart, chief of the Harrison County Communications Center, said in a statement that the new regional communications system has exceeded expectations.

"Previously, for about 90 percent of that road, law enforcement officers could not communicate because there was no radio communication,” Smart said. “With the completion of this system, those same officers are able to communicate seamlessly with their home county from the start of the transport to its finish.

The system--which replaces each county’s low-band VHF system--also utilizes 6 GHz and 18 GHz microwave technology. Public-safety personnel are being equipped with Motorola XTS 5000 portable and XTL 5000 mobile two-way radios. Dispatchers will monitor radio traffic with the use of Centracom Gold Series Elite consoles, Motorola said.