This is
2006, is this Not a Repeater or am I missing something here, --- first-of-its
kind device -- Duh.
Happy
Repeater Building
De Don
KA9QJG
From a
newsletter called "Government Security"
Connecticut emergency responders create communication device
Connecticut emergency responders say they have created a
first-of-its kind device that will allow rescue crews from several agencies to
talk to each other at the scene of an emergency or disaster, The Associated
Press reports.
If the
invention proves successful, it could help clear one of the biggest obstacles
Homeland security officials have been trying to overcome since the 2001
terrorist attacks: the inability to communication across radio
frequencies.
Dubbed
STOC, for "on-Scene Tactical Operations Channel," the device combines a radio
and receiver into a single box that instantly receives a signal from one
frequency and sends it onto another frequency, officials
say.
Neighboring towns typically handle rescue communications on
different radio frequencies, hindering communication in a crisis. Many
municipalities around the country are trying to solve the problem by buying
new radios to get regional agencies on one
frequency.
"The
beauty of the device is, we don't have to buy more radios," says Wayne
Sandford, the state's deputy Homeland security
director.
A
prototype has been developed, another is in the works and state officials have
allocated nearly $2.1 million to build a box for towns across the state,
Sandford says.
Sandford
adds that he believes Connecticut is the first state in the nation to develop
such technology. He said the state should know within the next few months
whether it is successful.
