Daniels County officials approve funding for triband dispatch antennas and schedule installations next week

Daniels County officials approved funding during an April 2 meeting to replace dispatch console and base-station antennas with triband units and scheduled Red Tail Communications to complete the work next week.

The motion, recorded in the meeting transcript as “to cover this 345950 for the triband antenna,” was seconded and approved by voice. The transcript does not identify who moved or seconded the motion; the vote was taken by voice and three affirmative responses were recorded.

Why it matters: Red Tail representatives told officials that the county can save substantial lift and travel costs by combining the console-antenna replacement with a previously scheduled siren project visit. The triband antennas proposed would support additional frequencies in the future and avoid replacing antenna infrastructure if the county later adds an 800 MHz channel.

What the vendor said: Brian Mayus of Red Tail Communications, who joined remotely, summarized Red Tail’s recent work and schedule, and Jared (Red Tail) detailed technical findings. Jared said the Flaxville site’s original water-tower antenna had visible lightning damage discovered during removal, and that damage likely contributed to the failures experienced in that area. Jared urged the county to authorize the console antenna work so crews can use an already scheduled lift during next week’s visit.

Technical details and costs: Red Tail described the console antennas currently in dispatch as Yagi directional units that are ill-suited to the county’s distances and operating needs. The firm recommended triband antennas and said the cost for the console/base-station antenna work was included in quotes Red Tail provided; the motion approved a cost figure stated in the transcript as “345950” (the transcript did not include currency punctuation or formatting; the amount is reported here as spoken in the meeting record).

Next steps: Red Tail said two technicians will travel Monday and, weather and logistics permitting, will replace the temporary Flaxville antenna with the permanent unit, install and test the new GTR (base radio) at the Tower Hill power site, and complete console antenna installs and testing at dispatch. Red Tail also said the two identical antennas for the GTR and Flaxville were expected to arrive at its shop the day after the meeting.

Outstanding work and limitations: The vendor noted remaining work to bring several systems fully online, including testing subscriber radios and addressing configuration issues. The meeting record shows the county and Red Tail agreed to document tower equipment and ownership to avoid future confusion about site access or responsibilities.

The meeting adjourned after final procedural business; recorded action on the triband antenna was the only formal procurement vote noted in the transcript.