Testimonials

Testimonials

HOUSTON, TX (February 27, 2008)
Tait Radio Communications along with Tait Solution Provider, Durham Communications of Mesa, AZ, has installed a TaitNet P25 VHF Simulcast network solution for the Cochise County Border Alliance along the Mexico border. Tait Radio Communications' Tait TB9100 base stations, configured in a P25 Simulcast mode, will be implemented throughout the three-site county area.

"Cochise County Border Alliance Group is very pleased with the Tait P25 Simulcast Network. The install went smoothly and effortlessly and the outstanding coverage, especially along the border, has far exceeded our expectations. To say that we are extremely impressed with the effectiveness and success of the Tait system is an understatement," says Pablo Duarte, Communications Engineer for Cochise County Informations Technologies.

According to Bill Fredrickson, President of Tait Radio Communications in North America, "Tait Radio Communications is extremely proud to be part of the effort to secure our borders. The thought that the Tait network will help save the lives of the people who protect our borders is extremely gratifying to all who work for Tait."

The Border Alliance Group (BAG) is a Multi-agency Task force with the host agency being the Cochise County Sheriff's office, Arizona Department of Public Safety, United States Border Patrol and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). The BAG Task Force is a participating agency of AZ HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area), which is a federal agency that provides funding for the Task Force. To learn more about this organization, visit www.cochise.az.gov

For more information on Tait's P25 Simulcast Network, visit www.taitworld.com. Tait Radio Communications is a leading international manufacturer and provider of worldclass mobile voice and data communications equipment. Tait Radio Communications, a subsidiary of Tait Electronics, Ltd. based in Christchurch, New Zealand, has been a growing presence in the North American radio communications market for more than 20 years.
Paul Middleton, VP of Marketing Services. Tait Radio Communications
Brad Reed, Public Relations. Group 3

PAGE, Ariz.
A project that began with the installation of a wireless mesh video surveillance network at the Page Municipal Airport here is set to expand its coverage to include video surveillance installations in other city departments by the end of the calendar year.

The wireless mesh network system, provided by Firetide and installed by Durham Communications of Phoenix, can be monitored internally by airport officials, but can also be monitored by local police. "We wanted to be able to monitor airport activity at the police department," said Mike Bergner, IT manager for the city. "The police can monitor in real-time and if there is a real emergency, they can look and see what's going on."

Over the last six months the city has expanded the mesh video network to include the monitoring of other city-wide departments including the water treatment and sewer plants and is currently in the testing phase for integrating both the fire and police departments into the network. "The police are looking into the system ... and will eventually be able to utilize video from their vehicles," Bergner said. Bergner said he expects the fire and police departments will be up and running on the network before the end of the year.

Les Longshore, Sales Manager for Durham Communications, said this system will allow "video to get to the right people at the right time. Officer safety is of highest priority and when police are dispatched they know all the information."

The citywide network currently includes 29 cameras and incorporates analytic technology, which allows police to remotely monitor different city locations.

Officials chose to go with a wireless mesh system because of its easy expandability. "Wireless systems are much more cost effective and able to expand as additional funds are made available or as needs arise," said Ksenia Coffman, marketing manager for Firetide. "The flexibility of wireless mesh allows growth of the network gradually."

While it is relatively simple to expand the mesh network to include the monitoring of additional city departments, Bergner said providing enough bandwidth and storage capabilities was important to the project's success. "For this project we had to be aware of back-up storage capacity since video takes up a large amount of bandwidth, but in addition to streaming, if you store any amount of video, it takes up a significant amount of hard drive space," he said.

Other challenges of the project included keeping the different departments on the same page. "It was a challenge to coordinate all the different players," Bergner said. "Everybody had their own idea of time tables." Bergner said the most important element is to plan ahead and set realistic time frames. "Make sure multiple departments each understand time tables, otherwise issues arise where they expect something done faster than it can be done."

As Administrator for Botetourt County, Virginia, I deal extensively with many companies which provide a variety of products and services, and I am charged with matching the correct company to each project. Near the close of each such undertaking, I reflect upon the original decision, to see how close we came to reaching our goals. I am pleased to say that we are very happy that we decided to employ Durham Communications for implementation of our new, UHF radio system.

During the procurement process, we were pleasantly surprised by Durham's bid on our radio project. As it was much lower than several other well know companies, however, we were initially somewhat skeptical and decided to select Durham only after extensive research revealed that the bid was both solid in design and fair in price. As with any project of this scope, there were stumbling blocks and setbacks along the way, but by working together, we overcame all on our way to success. I am happy to say that Botetourt County's Emergency Service providers can now communicate in a truly clear and effective manner for the first time.

We have been impressed with the knowledge and professionalism of each of your employees that we have dealt with and appreciate the continued dedication to our project. I have come to realize what a good choice we made in Durham, and we would of course, highly recommend your company to anyone who desires a quality project at a fair price.
Gerald A. Burgess, County Administrator.