State allots new radio channels for HPD system
By Frank Cho
Advertiser Staff Writer
The state is giving the city temporary use of six new radio frequencies to beef up the city's problem-plagued $40 million emergency radio system.
The city plans to use the frequencies for thousands of Honolulu police handheld radios for routine communications, freeing up channels on the emergency radio system to bring on other agencies such as the Fire Department and Civil Defense.
The emergency radio system was originally allocated 79 frequencies when it was installed seven years ago, but the city says that may not be enough and has been trying for nearly a year to acquire additional frequencies.
Honolulu city and police officials have been talking to their counterparts on the Big Island since last summer about sharing their radio frequencies.
In a letter sent last month to county and police officials on the Big Island, Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris requested use of 23 radio channels to help expand Honolulu's capacity.
"I am concerned that because of Honolulu's size and the number of agencies to be accommodated, we will be faced with a shortage in the number of allocated frequencies for the 800-megahertz radio system," Harris said in the letter.
Harris also offered to pay for the licensing and activation of the channels if Big Island Mayor Harry Kim agreed.
But this week, Honolulu officials said they were withdrawing the request.
"We couldn't wait any longer," said Gerald Hamada, chief of the mechanical and electrical design and engineering division at the Department of Design and Construction, which is heading the city's radio program.
Since the state has offered its six channels, which were also slated to be used as emergency channels by the state on the Big Island, Hamada said he no longer needs the Big Island frequencies.
"We believe it is enough for right now," Hamada said.
Myron Yamaki, head of the Honolulu Police Department's communications section, said the new frequencies from the state will be used for handheld radio communications, bypassing the troubled digital radio system that uses strategically placed retransmitting stations around the island.
The new frequencies will also provide a backup communications systems if a natural disaster such as a hurricane knocks out the emergency system.
Melvin Morris, a telecommunications planner with the state, said capacity has been a problem around the country for cities operating similar radio systems.
"There's a shortage of frequencies nationwide," Morris said. "The FCC is looking at allocating more frequencies."
But, experts said, any new frequencies allocated by the Federal Communications Commission would most likely be in a different range, requiring equipment upgrades, and are still years away.
The city bought the 800-megahertz digital radio system in 1993 for nearly $20 million. The system was installed the following year, but four years of technical problems delayed its launch until 1998. City emergency and transportation services are scheduled to convert to the system, but so far the police department is the only agency to make the move.
Fire department officials said their current radio system, which is more than 30 years old, works fine and they see no reason to move to the city radio system until capacity and coverage problems are solved.
"We decided to not go on the system until the police get the bugs worked out," said Honolulu Fire Chief Attilio Leonardi.
Reach Frank Cho at 525-8088 or fcho@honoluluadvertiser.com
