City facing replacement of core radio system in FY17

OCEAN CITY — After several years of having the purchase looming in the so-called “right-hand column” of unfunded initiatives, city government is about to commit to replace its aging radio infrastructure.

It’s more complicated than just picking up some walkie-talkies at Wal-Mart.

Replacing the city’s core radio network is arguably the most important infrastructure purchase one could make, Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald argued, given that the system handles nearly every vital function in the municipality.

The current system was purchased in 1992 from Ericsson (then a GE company) and installed in 1993-1994. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the technology is now owned by the Harris Corporation.

“The system is now 23 years old,” Theobald said. “The name has changed seven times. What we then bought from GE is now a Harris product. But come July 1, 2017, Harris will no longer be providing parts or technical support. They’re simply not making these anymore.”

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