[May 16, 2012] New microwave dish placed on Mt. Vaca Tweet May 16, 2012 (The Reporter - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- About a dozen people gathered high atop Mount Vaca on Tuesday for the installation of a new microwave dish aimed at improving communications for emergency responders across the state. As part of the push to make the switch from analog to digital communication, the installation by the California Technology Agency's Public Safety Communications Office (PSCO) marked a huge leap in the statewide attempt to upgrade the microwave network, said PSCO Director Karen Wong. "This is the first major step in going digital," Wong explained. Up a windy, single-lane road west of Vacaville, the communications site at Mount Vaca "serves as an important link in the communications network" for the state, according to PSCO. The mountaintop site is one of eight locations that make up the "Sacramento Microwave Ring." "It ties into everything we do," she said of the transition to digital communication. "It's the way everything is moving. The infrastructure for that technology has to come first before we can make all those leaps." After a weather delay pushed the ceremony from its original date in April, attendees enjoyed a clear sky, mild temperatures and the panoramic vista at the site off Mix Canyon Road. With more than 290 transmission sites across the state, PSCO owns and operates the California Public Safety Microwave Network (CAPSNET), which is used to support first responder voice and radio communications. The new dish will route traffic from all of the state's public safety agencies, although the majority will be communications for the California Highway Patrol. After spending years operating with "aging analog technology and aging digital circuits," PSCO launched a plan to upgrade its service and expand CAPSNET to provide high-speed data transmission, such as pictures and text messaging, as well as voice communication -- something microwave telecommunications supervisor Dave Clarke noted will be improved by the migration. Weighing in at an estimated 500 pounds, the dish was hoisted into its place on the tower, which measures nearly 120 feet tall, by a five-person team using a pulley at the top of the tower and a wench attached to a truck, Clarke said. Prior to the installation, Clarke said months had been spent doing engineering work to ensure the dish's placement was "right on" so that it would be able to communicate with other sites. According to a press release, the term "microwave" refers to the part of the radio spectrum utilized to transmit data from one radio site to another. Although very small, microwaves are high-powered, high-bandwidth radio waves capable of transmitting large amounts of information. However, because of what authorities termed "poor propagation abilities," such as not being able to penetrate structures or certain terrain features like dense vegetation or mountains, each transmitter is required to have a direct line of sight to the device it is communicating with. Because of this, a network of transmitters -- typically located at the top of tall buildings, transmission towers or mountaintops -- are required to connect across large distances. Once it is fully operational, the new dish at the top of Mount Vaca will be used to communicate with a similar dish that will be installed in Walnut Grove, Clarke explained. Follow Staff Writer Catherine Bowen at Twitter.com/cbowen4. ___ (c)2012 The Reporter (Vacaville, Calif.) Visit The Reporter (Vacaville, Calif.) at www.thereporter.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]