$2 million communications project boosts base radio signals

  • Published
  • By Jake Shaw
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD ARB, Fla --  A $2 million dollar project that will enhance communication and provide greater security for base-wide radio frequencies is scheduled to be completed Jan. 27 here at Homestead Air Reserve Base. 

The Department of Defense mandated project, performed under contract by Motorola, will move the base from outdated wide-band frequencies to more secure narrow-band frequencies, according to Gary Scherer, Chief of Plans and Implementation, 482nd Communications Squadron. 

The narrow-band frequencies can use new encryption technology, which means that scanners off base will no longer be able to pick up our conversations, said Vic Gran, Personal Wireless Communication Systems Manager, 482nd Communications Squadron. 

The project, nearly two years in the works, includes the erection of a 165 foot communications tower, and a facility housing frequency repeaters that will boost the signals of radios on base. 

As part of the project, all radio infrastructure is being replaced, including repeaters, mobile and base station radios, so everyone who uses a radio will be affected by this transition, said Gran. 

Besides the more clear and secure communication capability, the centralized infrastructure for the radio systems will make it much easier to manage. 

“When we’ve had problems with the frequencies in the past, we’d have to visit several buildings before we found the problem. Now we’ll only have to visit one area to fix a problem when one occurs,” said Leo Castellano, Assistant Personal Wireless Communication Systems Manager, 482nd Communications Squadron. 

Though the project is near completion now, there were some minor setbacks during the planning process. 

“We had to get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before the tower was erected,” said Gran. 

“Things happened throughout this project that we didn’t expect, and that required quick responses from base agencies including the civil engineers, contracting and communications personnel as well as off-base agencies including the FAA, Florida Power and Light, and Motorola” he said. 

The project also makes the infrastructure of the radio system self-sustaining, according to Gran. 

“The facility that houses the frequency repeaters is completely self-sustained, so if the power is lost on base, our radios will continue working and the communication lines will remain open,” he said. 

Obviously, the details of the project are complex, but for the average radio user here at Homestead ARB, the outcome of the upgrade is simple, according to Castellano. 

“This [system] will provide higher quality and more secure communications for your radio, and that’s what makes this project important,” he said.