Batboard

Hello, i work as a FF and my department is discussing going from an analog system to a digital system. We currently have brand new APX 8000 portable radios. Some of us have a couple questions that people are unsure of at this early stage and was looking for answers without having to get a million sales reps from Motorola calling.
1) Will the APX portable radio support a digital frequency operation?
2) If it will, can we have our primary channel a digital frequency, then change to channel 2 and talk to a town that is operating an analog channel?
3) If we are dispatched from a public safety center that is already dispatching our PD on digital, will there be a huge cost to dispatch to switch to a digital frequency?
4) Is there any way for an analog radio to talk to a digital radio - (ie: if our mutual aid partners come to us and they are analog, will they need to be given a portable once on scene?
Thanks very much for any help -
AIE

First of all - in order to answer such questions we would need to know exactly
which type of digital system are you being changed to? P25 or C4FM?

Digital is good for most but for on scene analog is better

Your department's command staff should talk the managers in charge of the dispatch center, the mutual-aid committee, and other digital radio systems in your area. Some decisions need to be made at their level or higher, such as your state's SEIC or Fire Marshall. Folks who are not already experienced with digital often aren't sure what questions to ask and they tend to slow the definition and proposal stages of your migration project.

1 APX only supports P25 which is a digital format
2 Yes it is all done in the programming of the radio
3 no if they are using P25 they can use the same equipment
4 No. unless you have a common analog fireground channel to use

Now for the other questions when you say digital is this a trunking system? being you are using APX8000's that are all band there is a possibility that the " digital" that you speak of could be a trunked system and that is a whole other ballgame

So in short these are question better answered by who ever does your radio operations.

1. APX8000 radios include ASTRO P25, both Phase 1 and optionally Phase 2, along with analog mode. It does not include conventional (non-trunked) digital formats from other manufacturers. nor MotoTRBO.
2. Yes, it's all in the programming.
3' Depends on whether your existing channel can be converted to conventional digital mode or if a trunking system covers your service area.
4. If your county or state holds licenses for the 5 NPSPAC interoperability channels in your geographic area, you may be allowed to use them.
Again, this project is not something you can draw up on a restaurant napkin. You need to engage folks higher up who set the operational procedures and policies.