133-2000 LTC
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
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CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH. FLORIDA 33139
http:\\ci.miaml-beach.f1.us
133-2000
L.T.C. No.
LETTER TO COMMISSION
July 19, 2000
SUBJECT:
Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and .
Members of the City Commission
~
Lawrence A. Le~ ,i)-
City Manager ~
PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM BUDGET ISSUES
TO:
FROM:
At the Thursday, July 13,2000, Commission Budget Workshop, a number of questions were asked
by Commissioner Luis R. Garcia, Jr., regarding the proposed upgrade of the Public Safety Radio
System. This Letter to Commission is in response to those questions.
Several months ago, the Information Technology Department was notified by the Police Departmeri
regarding the lack of coverage or poor radio transmission quality in the northern portion of the City
of Miami Beach. As a result of these conversations, the Information Technology Department
contacted Motorola, the City's radio vendor, and asked what could be done to improve the radio
transmission quality in both clarity and penetration in the northern segment of the City.
Motorola engineers determined that there were some areas of the City, primarily in the northern
section and outlying islands, such as Fisher Island, where the coverage had deteriorated over the past
several years. The explanation for this deterioration was the dynamic explosion of construction of
buildings over 200 feet in height along the beach and throughout the City which inhibited complete
transmission to the City's radio towers.
The Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) in its Technical Systems Bulletin (TSB-88-1),
May 13, 1999, entitled "Wireless Communication System Performance in Noise and Interference
Limit Situations Recommended Methods for Technology Independent Modeling, Simulation and
Verification, Addendum I", sets out the minimum specifications for a Public Safety Data
Communication System.
Letter to Commission
RE: Public Safety Radio System
July 19, 2000
Page 2
Specfically in Section 4.6.2.2, "Propagation Modeling and Simulation Reliability", it states ". . . for
Public Safety agencies, it is recommended that the Channel Performance Criteria (CPC) be applied
to 97% of the prescribed area of operation in the presence of noise and interference". This standard
means that there could be a 3% failure anywhere within the covered area. In the fringe area, the
system could experience up to a 15% loss of transmission signal or a 85% reliability. Motorola has
refined this standard by referring to a contour reliability which ensures that the fringes of the
communication area have no less than 95% reliability.
A layout of the City's existing radio coverage has been prepared as Exhibit A that shows many areas
with the city are experiencing less than the 95% acceptable coverage required for the Public Safety
Communication System. These areas are shown in white. As documented in this exhibit, major
portions of the northern part of the City are in the white range and are less than 95% coverage
required.
The Information Technology Department then asked Motorola to investigate how coverage could
be enhanced and brought up to the minimum 95% contour coverage level. Motorola presented a
proposal in the amount of $6,500,000 to upgrade the existing radio system from an analog to a
trunked Digital Simulcast Smartzone Radio System with an additional transmission site to be located
at either Fire Station IV or the City's water storage facility at 75th Street and Dickens Avenue.
Exhibit B shows the coverage level of the City utilizing this upgraded system. Only a small portion
of Fisher Island has less than the required 95% contour coverage level with the rest of the City in the
98% - 100% range.
In order to further understand the background to the development of the Public Safety Radio System,
the following chronology is provided (see also Exhibit C):
The current Motorola 800MHz Radio System was a sole source analog system that was implemented
in 1987. This included both infrastructure as well as portable and base station radios. In 1996, at a
time when the City's 20Hz microwave system needed to be upgraded, PCS PrimeCo purchased the
City of Miami Beach's analog 20Hz microwave frequencies. In exchange for these frequencies,
PCS PrimeCo updated the City of Miami Beach to a new digital microwave system with 100Hz
frequencies, thereby saving the City over $800,000.
In 1997, the City authorized the upgrading of all of the existing Public Safety radios from Type I to
Type IIi. These new radios were able to function in both an analog as well as a digital mode and will
not require a hardware upgrade, only a minor software upgrade with a new digital radio system. lli
cost of this would be included in the total cost for the new system.
In 2000, Motorola informed the City that many of the individual components in the current analog
radio system were no longer manufactured and therefore would not be supported by Motorola. They
further indicated that the replacement of this obsolete equipment would cost the City approximately
$3,000,000. This expenditure would not have any impact in improving the coverage area of the
system. It would still leave the City with the same coverage problems as now exist.
Letter to Commission
RE: Public Safety Radio System
July 19,2000
Page 3
Therefore, it is recommended that the City upgrade the Public Safety Radio System from the curren
analog to the new digital simulcast system for approximately $6,500,000, which will include an
entirely new system with replacement equipment for all the designated radio sites. This will
eliminate the need to spend $3,000,000 to only replace components of the current system.
What follows is a brief description of the work that is to be done at each site:
Site Address Equipment
Rebecca Towers 150 Alton Rd.. Ten Receivers with voting accessories;
Antenna and Antenna Cable; Power Supplies and UPS
System.
Old City Hall 1130 Washington Ave Upgrade of a portion of the Premysis Microwave Channel
Bank.
New City Hall 1700 Convention Center Dr Upgrade of a portion of the Premysis Microwave Channel
Bank.
Main Radio Site 2300 Pine Tree Dr 10 Transmitters; 10 Receivers; CEB (Central Electronics
Bank) (Dispatcher and SIMS equipment); 2 Transmit
Tower Antennas; and Receive Antennas (including Coax
Cables).
Tower 41 4101 Pine Tree Dr The present backup site at this location will be changed
with the upgrade. The obsolete SIMS trunk equipmert will
be replaced by a tronked Digital Radio Receiver
Transmitter System with 10 Receivers with voting
accessories and 2 Receive Antennas. In addition, the
backup redundancy will be changed to a new 10 channel
standalone transm it system which will operate
independently with 10 Receivers and 10 Transmitters.
75th Street Water 75th Street & Dickens The present La Gorce Palace Receiver Radio site will be
Station on Dickens Avenue dismantled and the equipment removed as it is obsolete.
A venue Due to the configuration of the City'snew Simulcast Digital
Public Safety Radio System, a different radio site has been
chosen. This site will be located on City-owned property.
The new equipment will be a 300 ft
Receiver/TransmitterlMicrowave Standalone Tower; 10
Transmitters with voting accessories; 10 Receivers; and 2
Tower Antennas.
. .
Letter to Commission
RE: Public Safety Radio System
July 19,2000
Page 4
When completed, the City will have a totally modernized Public Safety Radio System which
provides the quality and security Police officers, Fire fighters, and other City workers in the field
have corne to expect and our citizens deserve. In addition, the upgrade will ensure that the City
continues to meet industry/government standards for excellence in their Public Safety mission.
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);XttIBIT 5
EXHIBIT C
PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEMS CHRONOLOGY
Date Item Responsible Party Amount
February 16. 1987 Commission Memorandum - $6,500,000.00 Bond Motorola $6,500,000.00
Fund for Replacement of Antiquated UHF Police,
Fire and Local Government Radio System
June 9,1994 FCC modified 2GHz PCS Spectrum Allocations FCC
which changed the way the 2GHz Radio Service
was affected. This meant that cellular providers
could purchase 2GHz local government
microwave frequencies and in exchange the
cellular providers would provide the local
governments with new I OGHz frequencies and
equipment.
December, 1995 The City was notified by Motorola that they
would no longer support the following
equipment: SIMS Radio System, STX Handheld
Radios, and SYNTOR Mobile Radios.
March 20, 1996 The cellular providers began auctioning the local PCS PrimeCo
government microwave frequencies. As a result
of the auction, PCS PrimeCo was awarded the
City's Broadband 2GHz Microwave Frequencies.
In exchange, PCS PrimeCo agreed to provide the
City with new 10GHz frequencies, a new digital
Alcatel microwave system ($800,000.00 gratis)
and agreed to pay the City's Omnicom consulting
fees for the conversion. The timing for this
auction came at the right time, as the City was
notified by Motorola that they were no longer
supporting the existing 2GHz system.
April 30, 1996 Completion scheduled for the PCS PrimeCo's PCS PrimeCo
installation of the new Alcatel Digital Microwave
System. Completion date extended to November
1,1996
November I, 1996 PCS PrimeCo and Omnicom detennined that the PCS PrimeCo
Aleatel System would not work in the City of
Miami Beach context. An interim solution was
the use of BellSouth T-I telephone lines which
was paid by PCS PrimeCo. The system was
thereby replaced with a new Harris Digital
Microwave System.
February 19, 1997 Commission Memorandum No. 114-97- Motorola $2,881.431.53
Lease/Purchase Upgrade of the City's Motorola
Portable/Mobile Public Safety Radios in the
amount of $2,88 I ,431.53 & maintenance in the
aount of $192,000.00 per year. This upgrade
from Type I to Type iii Analog with digital-ready
components was for 1997-2000.
May 13, 1997 Omnicom made their first inspection of the new Omnicom
Harris Digital Microwave System.
EXHIBIT C
PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEMS CHRONOLOGY
Date Item Responsible Party Amount
November 8, 1999 Omnicom made their final inspection of the new Omnicom
Harris Digital Microwave System. They insured
that the remaining 50 punchlist items were
resolved.
March 8, 2000 Request from Commissioner Luis R. Garcia, Jr.
For information regarding the Public Safety
Microwave System.
March 21, 2000 Response to Commissioner Luis R. Garcia, Jr. Information
Regarding the Public Safety Microwave Radio Technology
System.
May, 2000 City Administration determined that due to the Motorola
extensive new growth on Miami Beach, the Radio
communication system was being compromised.
A new means of communication would have to be
developed. This new system is the two tower
Simulcast Smartzone System. The City staff
investigated and approved the siting of the two
new towers for the Simulcast System at the
existing Fire Station II and the 75th Street Water
Station at Dickens A venue.
May 10, 2000 Motorola informed the City that certain Motorola
equipment in the Public Safety Radio System
would no longer be supported during 1999/2000.
The infrastructure would have to be replaced and
upgraded to the Simulcast Smartzone System.
July 13,2000 Commission Budget Workshop - Questions from Information
Commissioner Luis R. Garcia, Jr., regarding the Technology
upgrade.
July 18,2000 Motorola presented a quote for upgrading the Motorola/Information $6,500,000.00
Public Safety Radio System to a new digital Technology
Simulcast Smartzone System with additional
backup site.