Hidalgo County Judge’s Office

Division of Emergency Services

 Communications Plan
• To establish a region-wide seamless
“wireless” communications system capable of
operability and interoperability among all
local first responder agencies, that can be
utilized by State and Federal partners, and by
any First responders coming into the area to
help us help our residents. It will be capable
of voice, data, streaming video, and
automatic vehicle locator.
 Current Situation
• Two major 800 systems in the Valley
– Motorola
– Ma/Comm
– Cameron County, McAllen, Mission,
Hidalgo
– Edinburg, Pharr & Alamo
– All others on some form of VHF or UHF
– Some interoperability is available
 Interoperability Issues
• Statewide Interoperable Channels
• 800 MHz, VHF, & UHF
• Must have some kind of “GATEWAY” to
get them to communicate with each
other.
• Present deployment of permanent
“Gateways” throughout the RGV.
• Portable Gateways – ACU1000 -
Deployable
 Future Needs
• One system capable of complete
interoperability throughout the region
• Due to investments it is not cost effective to
change everyone over to one system
• Build out as many as possible on one and
let technology connect the disparate
systems.
 Future Needs
• Our regional system shall be capable of
providing interconnectivity (interoperability)
with other systems from Brownsville to El
Paso, and should have the capabilities of
eventually linking into other like systems
throughout Texas, and into existing disparate
systems. It should also eventually provide
direct communications with our neighbors to
the South.
 Plan
• Replace present communications
infrastructure with Project 25 (digital)
communications systems and build
infrastructure where none exists. Utilize those
“subscriber” units that are already P25 ready
to start migration to the Project 25
infrastructure.
• Urban areas are moving to 800 MHz with
future potential of 700 MHz trunked systems.
 Why 800 MHz Trunking
• Level 6 Interoperability
• P25 Infrastructure for entire Valley
• Meets Border Communications Plan
• Meets State Communications Plan
• Allows for Backward migration to 700
MHz through equipment replacement
& programming.
 Phase 1
• Use Homeland Security Grant 2007
monies to purchase and install 2 P25
sites
• Cameron County - 1 site
• Hidalgo County - 1 Site
 Phase 2
• Use Grant monies from PSIC (2.5 million) to
purchase and install an additional 5 sites.
• Cameron County – 2 more
• Hidalgo County – 2 more
• Willacy County – 1 more
• Add a controller (switch) to start linking those
site systems to each other.
• Use some of monies to enhance present
Edinburg/Pharr systems to P25.
 Phase 2-a
• Use Firefighters assistance grants to
purchase P25 “subscriber” radio
units for:
• McAllen
• Mission
• Pharr
• Edinburg
• Linn-San Manuel
 Phase 3
• Use Homeland Security Grants (2008) to
purchase 2 more sites.
• Cameron County – 1 site
• Hidalgo County - 1 site
• Now we have a total of 9 sites for
coverage throughout the Lower Rio
Grande Valley.
• Some of those monies were used to buy
subscriber units.
 Phase 4
• Use any future grant monies to
continue enhancing the system
• 1. Purchase Point-to-Point microwave
for each site.
• 2. Establish connectivity with PSAPs /
Dispatch Centers
 Future Plans
• Add a VHF layer with direct
connectivity to our LRGV
communications infrastructure to
allow those first responders coming
into the area to communicate
“seamlessly” through our system.
First 2 Sites
5 PSIC Site
State of Texas - Border Communications System
150 MHZ
800 MHZ
150 MHZ - CONSTRUCTED
800 MHZ - CONSTRUCTED
150 MHZ - ALT. / LOCAL FUNDING
800 MHZ - ALT. / LOCAL FUNDING

Radio Coverage Areas

1200+ Miles of Border
5 COGs - 23 Counties
 Federal Partnership in Communications

San Diego/
Tijuana San Luis/
El Centro/
San Luis Rio
Mexicali Colorado
Nogales/
San
Fernando
Douglas/ El Paso/
Agua Prieta Juarez

Del Rio/Acuña

Laredo/
Nuevo Laredo

McAllen/Reynosa
 Contact Information

Office of the County Judge – Hon. J.D Salinas,

III
Hidalgo County Emergency Services
Division,
100 E. Cano, 2nd Floor
Edinburg, TX 78539
956.318.2615