The Statewide Radio System has Two New Tower Sites in 2019
Did you know the Statewide Radio System was expanding?
Since the SRS was built and went “live” across the state in 2011, we added 13 tower sites to the original 51, a rate of about two per year. Since 2011, only three towers needed to be relocated for better coverage.
How are new tower sites determined?
The user agencies determine locations of coverage challenges and bring these concerns to the monthly System User Group (SUG) meetings. Together, we discuss the options to add coverage such as adding more talk channels, adding a site, or moving an existing site. Then we prioritize to make plans for future expansion. When funding becomes available, we move forward with the improvement plans.
Where are the two new towers and how are they beneficial to users?
The Sutherland site in Lincoln County went live on June 21, 2019. The area previously had spotty coverage. The site added redundant coverage for the North Platte tower, which is one of our busier towers. Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is a full-time SRS user and really benefitted from this additional tower. NPPD owns the Gerald Gentleman Station that has an existing 350’ tower, so the practical option was to add the equipment there. The Sutherland site was funded by NPPD, a joint owner of the system.
The Ponca site in Dixon County, that went live on September 12, 2019, become the sixty-fourth site on the SRS. This is a brand new 300’ tower funded and built by the county to support their expansion onto the Statewide Radio System. We added equipment to this tower to help cover a troublesome narrow area with hills. Coverage has extended into South Dakota and probably the edge of Iowa. Nebraska Game and Parks is especially pleased with the coverage since Ponca State Park previously experienced spotty coverage due to the hilly geography. This site was funded by the Nebraska State Patrol.