Participation in a regional P25 digital trunked radio system by a small to medium size city may cost at least 700% more than traditional analog voted repeater systems. Not only are digital trunked radio systems fragile and prone to performance problems, they are incredibly expensive when compared to more reliable alternatives. Here is an Excel worksheet to compare the cost of sustained use for three different types of radio systems that are commonly used by police and fire departments that serve cities with less than 250,000 population in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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