A Targeted Transformation

With 54,000-square-miles to cover, managing statewide radio communications for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Forestry Division is a demanding task. The diverse terrain includes 17 million acres of forestland that covers 40% of the state. And the system supports 1,800 users working in roles from wildland fire protection and state parks to law enforcement and search and rescue.

As the Forestry Division’s radio system network administrator, John Schrader’s mission is to ensure the system delivers flawless reliability and flexibility across Wisconsin, keeping users connected through changing conditions and life-or-death situations.  

In 2018, with an aging analog system and repeaters that were beginning to fail, Schrader and his team began planning a system upgrade. Given previous positive experiences with Zetron repeaters, they chose to begin their upgrade with Zetron’s MT-4E repeaters and base stations, before addressing command and control.

During the first phase of the upgrade, Zetron MT-4E repeaters and base stations – connected via microwave and fiber – were installed at 82 sites around the state. Designed to be rugged and reliable, they offer low-current draw and deliver uninterrupted connectivity, ideal for Wisconsin’s diverse terrain. Built to Project 25 (P25) standards, they provide interoperability across disparate radio systems and vendor technologies, which was important to Wisconsin.

The following year, Wisconsin purchased open standards-based IP connectivity (Universal Interface Cards or UIC) for the MT4E’s, allowing them to utilize their existing network. This made the transition of connecting the consoles seamless and easy, and removed the need to convert audio.  When reviewing options, Schrader’s team’s excellent experience with Zetron’s repeaters ultimately pointed them in the direction of ACOM Command & Control, which met all their communications requirements and provided the added benefit of having an end-to-end solution from one trusted vendor. The ACOM system was installed at eight dispatch center locations, with a total of 15 consoles. A year later, three mobile consoles were added to support remote and backup needs.