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Radio Services

Campus Radio System Upgrade

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Originally called the 800MHz Radio System, the Campus Radio System is the UCI approved radio system for campus. It is used for our day to day operations, special events and emergency communications. The system was over 20 years old prior to the upgrade.

The Campus Radio System has been upgraded to a standards-based P25 700/800MHz digital radio system.  We have augmented our six 800MHz channels with four new 700MHz channels for increased capacity.  The new system provides digital voice communications, encryption security, new radio models, and IP-based features.

To enable compatibility with the new radio system, our customers’ portable and mobile radios were replaced with new units or upgraded to provide digital radio communications with clearer, static-free voice transmission.

We will continue to support our Campus Radio System with a focus on availability and reliability.  In addition, we will be introducing new features and functionality (such as integration with smartphones) and working with each radio user group to understand your needs and interest in the new options.

We are in the process of updating our radio website content to include our new naming convention, new hardware requirements, repair procedures, training documents and user manuals.  Technical details about the radio upgrade are available on the OIT website.

Radio Rental Program

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The radio rental program provides 800MHz hand-held radios to campus departments requiring radios for special events or other short-term use.

NACS has a pool of 12 radios available for rent. The rental fee is $10 per radio, per day. The maximum rental period is two weeks. The rental includes one radio, a battery, and a charger. A single desktop charger or a 6 pocket charger will be provided based on the number of radios rented.

Radios will be programmed with your department’s standard template unless otherwise specified. Custom template programming is also available.  Programming services are $60/hr with a 1-hour minimum.  The radios will be fully charged, tested, and ready to operate at time of pick up.

To order rental radios, please submit the NACS Service Request Form .  Select “800MHz Radio” for the type of service requested. Use the comments section at the bottom of the form to request radio rental and include the desired rental dates. Brian Chrisman, NACS Radio Systems Specialist, will contact you to finalize the rental details.

If you have any questions regarding this rental program, please contact Brian at (949) 824-8151, or email brian.chrisman@uci.edu.

Telephone/Radio Consulting

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Did you know that NACS has a wide variety of telephone sets and related features available to the campus? We are here to serve your individual department’s needs. We are happy to make a site visit to your department to review your service needs and to help you select the features that can make your job easier. If you have the services you need, but are unsure of how to use the telephone and voice mail systems to the fullest extent, we offer training free of charge. Please contact NACS Telephone Customer Service at (949) 82-5123 to request a consultation or to sign up for training.

Departments using 800Mhz radios as part of their daily communications can benefit greatly from a consultation with our 800Mhz radio system specialist. He will meet with you to review the current programming in your radios, and he will ask questions to determine what programming changes would enhance the functionality of your radios specific to your department needs. In addition, we offer training from the basic daily use of the radio system, including handy system features, as well as specialized training for radio use in an emergency. Please contact Brian Chrisman at (949) 82-5123 for more information.

Radio Systems Specialist

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Brian Chrisman

Brian Chrisman

In 2002, Network and Academic Computing Services (NACS) created the Radio Systems Specialist position, in order to better serve our clients. The new position consolidated management of the 800MHz radio system and cellular carriers’ cell sites on campus, responsibilities which at that time were shared among several NACS staff. Brian Chrisman was hired to fill the new position.

Brian was previously employed by the Motorola vendor that maintains the radio infrastructure on campus. He was able to transition into the new position quickly because of prior experience with UCI’s 800MHz radio system.

Brian has diverse responsibilities, but some key ones are:

  • 800 MHz radio system administration, vendor coordination, performance analysis, and system maintenance/upgrades.
  • Customer service, analysis of campus radio needs for daily operations and emergency use, communications consulting, and radio training for campus departments.
  • Assessment of need for additional cell sites on campus with campus administration. Coordination with all responsible parties for planning and construction of sites.

Brian Chrisman is available on campus Monday through Friday. He can be reached at (949) 824-8151 or bchrisma@uci.edu for assistance with campus radio communications.

Please visit the radio area on the NACS web page at http://www.nacs.uci.edu/network/ for additional information.