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The backbone of the county owned and operated radio, telephone and data communications is its microwave radio system. It has grown over the years to keep pace with the growth of the population and government services.
The County's first microwave radio system, installed in 1952, carried only ten channels. By the mid 1970's it had grown to a large and complex system of ten hops with twenty radio terminals and a capacity of 480 channels. This system covered most of the county with 250 miles of microwave radio paths.
Starting in the early 1980's, a new growth in the microwave system began and continues even today. Currently the County's microwave system includes the original 480 channel system installed in the 1970's, and the following:
- One 48 channel spur to Tejon Peak.
- Two 120 channel spurs to the county facilities in Delano and Taft.
- Two 480 channel spurs to the county facility in Ridgecrest and the repeater site at McKittrick Peak.
- Two spurs to the Superior Courts Building on Truxtun Avenue, one a 300 channel analog and the other a DS3 (or 28T1, 672 channels) digital.
- Three 4DS1 (or 96 channel) digital spurs linking the Fire Department training center, and County facilities in Lamont and Shafter.
- Two additional microwave systems were recently added, one providing video arraignment and video teleconferencing between Bakersfield and the Lerdo prison facility, and one monitoring remote gate access at Buena Vista Lake.
The County recently replaced the entire system with state of the art DS3 digital microwave and digital radios. This system provides the County with 672 channels to any point and will interconnect a wholly County owned telephone system. This is also mandated by changes proposed by the Federal Communications Commission regarding public safety radio operation and frequency allocation.
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