GRN and PMR

[aircadet]

Now that the NSW ambo service seems to be settled into the digital GRN, does it mean it will close down its PMR UHF channels throughout NSW?

Cheers

[soupbones]

No.... They will use GRN in GRN coverage areas. The rest will be covered by PMR, as before.

[Longreach]

or in the case down my way. no change..... yet.
cheers
Matt

[ivahri]

The GRN does not cover most of NSW, despite what some might like to think. The Ambos & FRNSW will still have a heap of PMR networks for some years to come. Why would you think the Ambos would shut down their PMRs? What are they going to do in places like Taree, Wagga, or Armidale, or Broken Hill- or even places like Cootamundra or Jindabyne? My agency has about 140 PMR sites and that number might drop to about 100 in coming years- but that is optimistic.

The GRN dies at Yass, it dies at Bulahdelah, and Tamworth is only an isolated cell (same for Narrabri). Beyond these areas there is only PMR.

Cheers,


Richard

[Longreach]

Hi all, Although its suprising that Jindabyne got left out. It wouldnt solve the problem completely in the snowy mountains but would help a lot.
interestingly the SES has utilised the GRN as much as possible at Leesville (nr Jindabyne) by pointing a Yagi at Hudsons Peak and employing a smartbridge for that area. same said for Crookwell and Young.
Anyway i wait and see if the ambo's go to the GRN they have teased it though here.
cheers
Matt

[ivahri]

Hi Matt,

It wouldn't come close... most agencies have at least 3, often 4 UHF sites just to cover the area between Cooma, Thredbo, Perisher & Adaminaby. Even if there was a site in Jindabyne the others need to be done as well. This was the big mistake they made with Tamworth in thinking that by providing one site suddenly everyone would rip out their PMRs. It was never going to happen. You either do the job completely- or not at all- and to do the Monaro south beyond Cooma is going to cost them.

SES aren't exactly the example you should use... of all the agencies they have the patchiest radio coverage of all (but then they have never had the funding in the past). Jindabyne (Leesville is a little higher) to Hudsons Peak even with a yagi would be very dodgy.

Cheers,

Richard

[Longreach]

Hi Richard, yeah last i heard the SES up there it seemed to work, however your right a good windy day up there and it most likely would turn bad (and theres quite a few up there). they had a 12el Yagi pointing at it but its a bit of a stretch to Nimmatabel(80k's or so).
ive noticed too that there is a lot of different agency bases up there in my travels. its well covered.
Maybe its not an area that will see the GRN for quite some time.
cheers
matt

[aircadet]

My original question was in relation to the Illawarra... NSW ambo's used mainly PMR in this area but are moving over to P25, so was just wondering if the PMR sites will stay active...

[Bigfella237]

Hi Richard, yeah last i heard the SES up there it seemed to work, however your right a good windy day up there and it most likely would turn bad (and theres quite a few up there). they had a 12el Yagi pointing at it but its a bit of a stretch to Nimmatabel(80k's or so).
ive noticed too that there is a lot of different agency bases up there in my travels. its well covered.
Maybe its not an area that will see the GRN for quite some time.
cheers
matt

I would guess that it's an area that would be extremely difficult to cover because of the terrain involved? Put a site on the top of Kosciusko and you would only have to get behind the next mountain to lose the signal again, and there's plenty of mountains up there!

Next time you're passing through Cooma, stop at the park with the long row of flags and have a look at the 3D model of the Snowy Mountains, you'll get the idea?

Andrew

[centralcoastscanman]

My original question was in relation to the Illawarra... NSW ambo's used mainly PMR in this area but are moving over to P25, so was just wondering if the PMR sites will stay active...

I believe Richard answered that in relation to they may keep them but only as a disaster backup... The GRN might have government backing but if it does break down there has to be a level of redundancy for individual agencies to continue their own work...