The Experience Behind ChiComm

      I recently asked Rich what  he thought was ChiComm’s greatest strength. He answered, “It has to be the combination of younger and older generations benefiting from each other. A lot of the old guys have RF and component expertise while the new guys are experienced with networking and computers, so we all learn from each other. The younger guys come in very eager to learn from us and when the team gets to hear the old way of doing something vs. hearing a newer different perspective, everyone’s helping each other find the best solution.” Rich hits his 29 years of working with Chicago Comm this November. By this measure that qualifies him as one of the “older guys” around the shop. He started back when cellular had just launched commercially.

The Importance of Housekeeping and the Happy Radio

As brought up in one of our Tech Talks, preventative maintenance is crucial in keeping your two way radios optimized to their full potential.

• Most important is keeping the units clean and free of physical defects.

When I say clean I really mean CLEAN. A simple wipe down with a damp cloth over a portable can prevent dust and dirt from collecting inside internal microphones and speakers. Keeping these free of debris can ensure you won't have TX (transmit) or RX (receive) issues. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen a portable come in and the complaint was "POOR TRANSMIT AUDIO" and we've come to find out the microphone was compacted with dirt, grime or debris blocking it. The same goes for mobile radios. Internal speakers jammed with debris causing "POOR RECEIVE AUDIO."

 Tech Talk - IP Delay and DMR

      With the ever changing two way radio market migrating toward “Digital Mobile Radio” (DMR for short), we are challenged with a different set of issues: Networking. Networking is the highway of the future for communications, commerce and now two way radio. What we learn is that although we have blinding “gigabit” speeds, we actually run slower than traditional analog. We found this out the other day by putting in a radio channel at a remote site. This site is connected to the dispatch end by a fiber optics network. In order to use the fiber network we have to convert the analog audio to digital, convert the digital to IP and route this digitized audio to the other end through network switches and routers. At the other end we convert this IP digitized word back to analog to be rebroadcast over the transmitter.

Our specialist Rich Nowakowski (RCN Consulting) says, “Grants: A lot of agencies just don’t get it.”

     Applying for grants is like applying for a job; you have to follow many specific rules to even be put into the submit pile. The decision maker starts sorting through a stack of grant proposals like a stack of resumes and if the proposal doesn’t fit the right font or format requirements, they’ll toss it out. Before you go after grants, there are some important things to know.

 6 Myths are busted by the facts!   

     So first let's address: Is Wireless Broadband for real? Yes, it very much is. It's being deployed in every type of business from Education to Retail to Manufacturing to Public works.  Wireless PTP solutions are ruggedized for 99.999% reliability to deliver exceptional performance at the most extreme temperatures and under the most difficult weather conditions. They deliver the speeds to support today’s in-demand bandwidth-intensive solutions, including high-speed residential and business access, streaming video and VoIP. The following are 6 common myths associated with wireless broadband revealed in truth by Cambium Networks.

#1 Is Wireless Broadband Complicated?

Myth: "These systems must take months to design and install."

Fact: A leased line replacement can be designed in minutes (with a free software tool). Installation is typically one day.

We're Proud to Support the RMHC!

Recently I was lucky enough to receive a tour of the new Ronald McDonald House, now the world's largest, which opens officially on June 26 in downtown Chicago. The 14-story, 86-room facility at 211 E Grand includes “nurturing communal areas to provide a home away from home” for families of the patients seeking vital care at The Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.

Tom's Tech Talk #16: What's New with MOTOTRBO

     I have to say, in my 32 years of being in radio, the MOTOTRBO product line is one of the best ideas I have seen come out from Motorola Solutions in a long time. Back in 2007 I remember seeing it for the first time. When I heard 2-for-1 channel usage, it immediately made me think of reducing our customers capital outlay for radio systems. In addition with many users still using Micor vintage equipment, the time was right for this product.

     MOTOTRBO’s ability to cross both the analog and digital platforms really gave the customer a choice. It allowed the end user to migrate from a legacy platform of equipment operating on analog to a digital platform that allowed 2 simultaneous voice conversations over one radio frequency. DOUBLE CAPACITY with one system!! Purchasing an upgraded infrastructure backbone can allow a customer to operate analog until the customer gets enough mobile and portable radios; and with a simple programming to digital, the customer effectively has two repeaters in one system.

     Motorola Solutions went one step further by allowing Application Developers to write software code to the radios to allow it to act as a modem or input/output device. By creating this digital platform, these binary ones and zeros carry more information than just voice.

For Those Seeking Clarification On the World-Wide Web of Wireless Broadband Confusion

     Broad-band is also a broad term. Typically used to identify large amounts of data transferred from one location to another, this can also be accomplished wired or wireless-ly. For most of us we know broadband in the form of the cable TV modem that comes to your home. The more bandwidth the faster your download and upload speeds for surfing the web. For business, it usually means a T1 or some other type of data circuit between two locations acting as a pipe to transfer information.

     Years past, a simple phone line was sufficient to provide a voice connection to talk with someone at another location. From the inception of the Internet, we have taken that simple analog voice line and attempted to cram 1000’s of squarewave bits through it. The problem lies in the configuration of the wave form. Back in the early internet days, slow speeds could be easily achieved as simple modems could send data at speeds of up to 56Kbps (kilobits per second). That 56Kbps line equated to 56,000 bits per second. Today we are sending 1,000,000,000 bits per second.

Meet Our Techs: The Experience Behind ChiComm

John Syron started working at Chicago Comm in March of 2011, so he may be considered a rookie around here. But he could certainly fool you into thinking he’s been doing tech work for much longer. If the Chicago Comm technician's were a baseball team, he’d probably get rookie of the year with his track record so far.

     John graduated high school in 2008, and immediately enrolled in DeVry’s networking and communication management program (going on to earn his bachelor’s in just 2 ½ years). His ambition and eagerness to get started in the industry led him to a career fair before concluding his time there. Ever heard the saying: Luck is when preparation meets opportunity? John's luck must have paid off at the fair because he received 4 job offers! Ultimately though, John chose Chicago Communications and the company was thrilled to bring him on board.

Critical Communications Lessons Learned From NATO

 The recent events of the NATO summit in Chicago has a number of very important lessons that can be applied to our own communications plans for our businesses.

#1 - Effective communication requires immediate access in critical situations.  Messages cannot be delayed by network congestion or distances when situations are rapidly changing.

As protestors got more and more aggressive in demonstrating during the NATO summit, the Chicago Police relied on two-way radio communications to obtain orders directly from Police Supt. Garry McCarthy.  Despite the radio communications amongst officers, miscommunications did occur, and without direct access to clarify, a potentially dangerous situation did not escalate any further than absolutely necessary.  The Police maintained their professionalism, and the demonstration was allowed to resume in an appropriate manner.