P25 VoIP boosts park communications

The National Park Service (NPS) has installed Zetron’s P25 VoIP radio dispatch system at two NPS dispatch centres: one at the Midwest Regional Ozark Communication Centre (MROCC) in Harrison, Arkansas, and the other at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Dispatch Centre, near Keystone, South Dakota.

The systems are P25 capable, support narrow banding and improve coverage without requiring additional microwave and hard-wired connections.

"We can communicate even with our remote areas and we’re better able to respond to emergencies," says Louie Stoops, lead dispatcher at the MROCC.

"I also like the system’s simplicity and user friendliness. If we get busy and need to add dispatchers, they can learn the console very quickly."

"Both systems are working flawlessly," says Joe Snyder, radio program manager for NPS, Midwest Region.

"VoIP RDS not only meets our requirements for P25 and narrow banding, but it’s so flexible that it allows us to eventually offer 24/7 dispatching to parks that don’t have their own centres."