Yuma, Arizona Contracts Federal Engineering for Spectrum Study

The City of Yuma, Arizona has granted Federal Engineering, Inc. (FE) a contract to provide spectrum monitoring and analyses to investigate intermittent interference issues impacting the Yuma Regional Communications System (YRCS). The YRCS is a regional, state-of-the-art Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system providing critical operable and interoperable two-way communications for public safety and public service agencies.

Mr. Jeremy Jeffcoat, Assistant IT Director for YRCS, said:

“The YRCS is a Project 25 (P25 digital standard) trunked radio system that provides wide area communications across several counties in Arizona as well as offering interoperability with some neighboring jurisdictions in California. The radio system is operational in Yuma, La Paz/Mohave, Maricopa, Pinal, Pima, Gila, Graham, Yavapai, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties as well as having fifteen (15) dispatch locations and forty-eight (48) dispatch operator positions. It is critical that interference that could negatively impact this critical radio network be minimized or eliminated.”

Mr. Rajit Jhaver, Associate Vice President at Federal Engineering, described the project:

“We are very pleased to be working with the City of Yuma and all the people involved with this project. FE will deploy monitoring equipment at two YRCS tower sites for three days to monitor thirty-six discrete frequencies. During this time, FE will compile the data collected onsite, process and analyze it for interference patterns and sources, and then perform a characterization of potential interferers. Upon completion of the analysis, FE will summarize the data collected and the analysis results and deliver an Interference Analysis Report to the City.”