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Daniels County gets detailed plan for Motorola/RedTail public‑safety radio upgrade and tower move
Summary
Motorola, RedTail and state partners presented a design review for Daniels County’s dispatch upgrade: new 7500E consoles, a planned microwave link and a proposed 150‑ft tower relocation pending Nov. 12 approval by a neighboring county; officials outlined procurement, testing and training steps.
Motorola representatives and partner contractors delivered a technical customer design review to Daniels County commissioners Oct. 21, outlining equipment, testing and site work for a planned upgrade of the county’s public‑safety radio and dispatch system.
Connie Cummings, Motorola project manager, opened the briefing: “I’m Connie Cummings the Motorola project manager for the this project,” and led a team that included systems engineer John Hogan and RedTail Communications’ Brian Mayus. Presenters said the county will receive two MCC 7500E consoles to replace legacy 5500 units, a new rack and logging/instant‑recall recorders, and a set of spare components for operational continuity.
A central element of the plan is a microwave backhaul and a tower to support the link. RedTail and state contractors reported they are pursuing relocation of a 150‑ft, self‑supporting tower from the Billings area to Daniels County after the Yellowstone County commission meets Nov. 12 to consider decommissioning and relocation. Brian Mayus said the relocation could proceed quickly if approved: “if it’s approved on the 12th then we could literally start that work the following week,” and described potential cost‑sharing for decommissioning and crane work.
The presentation covered power, surge protection, climate control and a proposed equipment room layout; the team emphasized that the migration can be tested in parallel to avoid interrupting dispatch operations in day‑to‑day use. RedTail and Motorola also committed to operator and supervisor training during cutover and to sending detailed PDFs with power and foundation specifications. Officials discussed contingencies: if microwave equipment procurement or tower approval slips, the timeline will shift.
Why it matters: The upgrade aims to modernize county dispatch and link Daniels County into the statewide trunked system, which would improve coverage and interoperability for law enforcement, EMS and fire agencies across the region.
What remains unresolved: The tower relocation depends on an outside approval process (Nov. 12 committee meeting noted). The team said they will provide concrete cost estimates and foundation dimensions once that approval is clear; vendors may need multi‑month lead times for some equipment.
Next steps: Project team to send detailed tower base/foundation specs and equipment PDFs, confirm microwave pricing once tower transfer is authorized, and pursue procurement for Motorola equipment with county sign‑off. Training will be scheduled ahead of the planned cutover testing.
