Ulster County Public Radio System

The County is working on an emergency communications systems upgrade because the existing analog radio system has gaps and a lack of coverage to meet the needs of emergency service providers who are serving county residents. In 2019, Motorola Solutions, Inc. proposed communications solutions and equipment for the upgrade. The County is now implementing these solutions.

Why Simulcast

When a wide geographical area requires communications throughout the system, simulcast provides a solution. Simulcast is the simultaneous broadcast of the same voice or message from multiple transmitter sites on the same frequency. Simulcast was developed by MotorolaSolutions to meet the needs of users who were outgrowing their single-site radio systems. These systems provide consistent communications throughout a large city, metropolitan area, county, or even country. Simulcast systems are a frequency-efficient and user-friendly technique of providing wide-area coverage.

Ulster County’s Simulcast System

Ulster County’s proposed simulcast system includes sites in Kingston, Sams Point, Overlook, Illinois, Belleayre, Shandaken, Tonche, Saugerties, Rosendale, and Marlboro. Additional sites will be needed in the Shandaken Area as well is along the Route 209 Corridor. The map below shows the current areas either completed, under construction, or under study. These study areas may change depending on site availability and several other factors. The system goal is to provide a 95% area reliability coverage for a portable radio in the areas served and to close gaps where this is not achieved. The system components must also be situated to ensure that there is no interference with systems in adjoining Counties. Finally, Ulster County will, where practical, design new towers to accommodate cellular carriers. Cell service is critical to public safety. Currently, more than 90% of calls to the County’s E911 System are from cell phones.