P25 Aviation Radio Training

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P25 Aviation Radio Training

• Oxford Suites
• Boise, Idaho
• March 10-14, 2008

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Welcome Housekeeping
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Why Interagency Fire is Requiring P25 Digital
Equipment in Aviation

• Frank Smith
• NIFC-FS
• Aviation Safety Inspector (Avionics)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Interagency Wildfire Requirement Letter
See www.fs.fed.us/fire/niicd/Hotsheet/Hotsheet.htm
l
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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.
• Cant get by with one P25 one analog

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Unintended Benefits of Requiring P25 by 1/1/2010
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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 Govt - 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz spacing)
• New 7.5 kHz narrowbanded frequencies incompatible
  with some existing radios.

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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

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Interagency Wildfire Requirement Letter
See www.fs.fed.us/fire/niicd/Hotsheet/Hotsheet.htm
l
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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

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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

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Acceptable P25 Digital Radios for Interagency Fire
NAT NPX136D
Technisonic TDFM-136
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• Avionics P25
• Jose Lopez
• USDA Forest Service
• National Interagency Incident Communications
  Division
• National Interagency Fire Center
• March, 2008

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.
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Benefits of P25 Continued

• 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.

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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

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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

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P25 DEMO

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

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Questions?