SBIR-STTR Award

Forest Service and other first responder dispatchers need a tool to manage the migration from analog conventional to digital P25 transmissions and to link P25 control stations. In the long-term, conventional audio should be converted to the P25 format before it is routed across the network. In the short-term, some forests will need P25 audio converted to the analog format that they are using today for network connectivity. In Phase I of this SBIR, Catalyst Communications Technologies will work to demonstrate the feasibility of routing P25 voice and control messages to standard PCs and legacy radios across a shared IP network. The voice will be decoded on an external board to postpone the licensing and development costs associated with decoding within the PC. Phase I will also demonstrate the feasibility of controlling a P25 radio across a shared IP network and allow forests and other agencies to begin leveraging P25 functionality in the next three years instead of waiting ten to fifteen years when all radio equipment has been converted to P25. Finally Catalyst would develop a standard for all radio and console manufacturers for controlling control stations across a shared IP network.

Government mandates require federal agencies to purchase digital radios compliant with Project 25 standards, but these new radios do not work with the radios currently in use by the USFS. Significant audio degradation occurs when links are attempted between different radios from different manufacturers. Existing P25 solutions require expensive dedicated circuits and do not meet the needs of the USFS. Catalyst proposes to develop new technology that will link the P25 digital radios to already existing analog radios and dispatchers, using already existing IP networks. Our solution will save millions of dollars in dedicated circuit costs, accelerate the deployment of P25 objectives, and provide critical reliable connectivity for firefighters and other first responders