Falcon Direct March 2010 eNewsletter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Communications News You'll Find Nowhere Else!

Announcements and commentaries to help you do what you do, a little better!

March 2010

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

in this issue

-- What in the world is a Hytera?

-- New VHF Pager-Radio now available!

-- We couldn't help but notice.......

-- New Site Protection System Announced!

-- We've been looking for money again!

-- New antennas can DOUBLE range!

-- A surprising message about AFG Communications Grants!

-- A closing note.......

Greetings!

February was an interesting month with lots of news about grants, narrow banding, digital conversion, new technology, new products, and new ideas especially for wireless communications users.

February was the month when we took it upon ourselves to get the real facts about what qualifies and what does not quality for funding of communications equipment under the guidelines of the 2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grants now being released.

If you have been awarded an AFG communications grant, we urge you to review the comments in this months eNewsletter before making a decision based on vendor recommendations that may not be to your best interest.

This eNewsletter is the first in a series that will specifically address you in your planning over the coming months for efficiently migrating to narrow band, then choosing the best digital technology, followed by a logical integration of communications and computers to help you do what you do, a little better!

What in the world is a Hytera?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of the few assurances in life is that when there is something new in wireless communications, you will always here about it first from Falcon Direct! Now for the news about Hytera.....

Hytera is a new product offering from HYT America, one of the fastest growing communications companies in the USA. As the battle lines are drawn between differing narrow band technologies, one fact is very clear. Like it or not, 2-way radio communications is going digital. Not only is it going digital, it is also moving toward the fusion of communications and computers.

Click here for the full story......

New VHF Pager-Radio now available!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are delighted to introduce the smallest, lightest, rugged, full featured and affordable Pager-Radio ever offered. The new ICOM F3001, along with the previously introduced F4001 UHF model gives you everything you need for reliable 2-tone paging and a full 5 watt MIL-SPEC radio with IP54 moisture and dust protection.

The price? An incredibly low $238 with your choice of a 5 year factory warranty, spare alkaline battery pack for extended use where chargers are not available, or a 3 hour rapid charger in lieu of the standard overnight charger. Or, if you prefer, get it with all three options for just $288!

Want to know more? Click here!

We couldn't help but notice.......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As many of our readers know, we are aware of the efforts of some suppliers to divert prospective customers from P25 technology to alternatives. Many of these prospective customers have been awarded 2009 AFG awards based specifically on the purchase of P25 communications equipment. Without getting technical, we will simply say that if your mother sends you to the store to buy bread, and you come back with candy, there COULD be a problem!

That's why we couldn't help but notice the comments of an executive of a major communications vendor in a recent publication. We thought these comments were worth sharing along with a few comments of our own.

Click here to get the facts.......

New Site Protection System Announced!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hardly a day goes by that we don't get a call from a 2-way user with an emergency need to restore service of a base station or repeater that was damaged by lightning.

For the cost of LESS than the cost of the average power related service call, you can have full time protection continuity of service, and peace of mind!

Read on...

We've been looking for money again!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something new, just for you, from Falcon Direct!

One of our primary tasks is finding potential sources of revenue for those we serve. We recently learned about a small legislative award program for Alabama public safety users. It wasn't for a whole lot of money ($2,500 or less), but that's not the real news.

The real news is that we were above to come up with a number of products and services for under $2,500 that could be of interest to any of our readers regardless of location. Check this out. There may be something here just for YOU!

Read on...

New antennas can DOUBLE range!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Double Range Antennas from Falcon Direct!

We've searched all over the world to find mobile, portable, and base stations that could provide improved performance and reliability at reasonable cost for those we serve.

We found them! We call them the XYZ antenna family. I guess we could have called them the ABC family, but that would have only been the beginning. We wanted to spare you the trouble of trying the rest before finding the best. If you would like to know more about our XYZ antennas, just click on the link below.

Read on...

A surprising message about AFG Communications Grants!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Surprises come in all forms. Some are good, some are bad. Some are true, some are not! Some equipment vendors are suggested that those who have received AFG grants for P25 interoperable equipment can substitute other "digital" equipment for P25 which will result in significant cost savings and "better" operating capability.

Just remember - it is not your communications supplier that FEMA looks to for grant compliance. It is the one receiving the grant! Having said that, you should know that it is entirely possible that you CAN get P25 equipment and still stay within your budget. Click on the link below for more information.

Tell me more about affordable P25 Communications!

A closing note.......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of our major objectives in the past month has been to obtain clarification on issues relating to misinformation providing to substitution of equipment on P25 grants. We contacted DHS at the State, Regional, and Federal levels for a simple answer to a simple question. Can an applicant with an approved communications grant switch from P25 to something else? Our direct question to DHS is as follows:

Since the guidelines for the 2009 AFG program specifically stated that all communications equipment had to be P25 compliant, this would indicate that the guidelines meant exactly what they said (i.e. that the equipment must be capable of operating in both analog and P25 Phase 1 digital modes). With that understanding, it would appear that the only alternative for the applicant would either be (a) select equipment from a compliant manufacturer meeting the P25 standard at the budgeted amount, (b) reduce the number of units to be purchased, or (c) cancel the award. The answer from DHS Washington DC office received on February 12, 2009 is a as follows: follows: You are correct, you have to purchase the equipment that was awarded in the grant. You also have to follow the verbage in the program guidance. Is that clear enough? A copy of the original correspondence is available on request.

We recently merged several of our mailing lists. In the process, your name may have been included more than once. If this happened to you, or if you have been inadvertently included and you do not wish to receive our eNewsletters; please accept our apologies and use the SafeUnsubscribe link at the bottom of this eNewsletter for correction.

Our objective is to make things easier for you - not to add to the confusion! Have a great March and please call on us if we can be of service in any way.

Have you seen our new web site? Click here!