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Vendor recommends County-controlled VHF system with targeted supplemental technologies
Summary
Day Wireless advised keeping a County-controlled VHF network as the reliable rural baseline and adding satellite, Starlink, higher-frequency radios, fiber, or building-specific systems only where needed, cautioning against sole reliance on commercial services during emergencies.
Day Wireless representative Matt Weinberger told the Board that VHF is well suited to Josephine County’s mountainous and forested terrain because it travels farther with fewer sites and that UHF or 700/800 MHz systems generally require more towers in rural areas. He recommended maintaining a County-controlled VHF system as the primary network and layering supplemental technologies where appropriate.
Weinberger cautioned against relying exclusively on external satellite or commercial services in emergencies because the County would not control those systems’ availability. He recommended a modular design that would allow digital P25-capable equipment, simulcast, trunking, and additional sites to be added over time while keeping an analog VHF base where it preserves coverage in fringe areas.
