Mobile radio systems applications in electric/gas utilities. I. PSCC Radio Subcommittee working group report

The Subcommittee conducted a survey of over 32 large Canadian and US electric/gas utilities in January 1988 to determine the status and value of existing mobile radio applications along with plans for future replacement or upgrade. The report is based on the results of the survey and includes a brief history of mobile radio telephone, the types and extent of mobile radio systems in use by electric/gas utilities since 1945 along with plans for replacement and/or upgrade in the next five years, synopsis of a report on a six-month field test of a state-of-the-art digital microprocessor-based mobile radio control system, and a discussion on the value of mobile radio telephone systems to electric/gas utilities. The survey found that utilities are between 20 and 40 years old in terms of the system configuration and signaling/control schemes used and that all of the utilities (100%) plan to replace or upgrade their existing mobile radio systems within the next five years