- PSERN is expected to speak before the Regional Policy Committee in January of 2019. We will be reporting on the project's quarterly progress.
- Our construction team continues to work tirelessly on upgrading and constructing PSERN's 57 sites despite challenging weather conditions at high elevation sites.
- The External Affairs Team continues its outreach efforts. 45 out of 216 agencies have been contacted about the PSERN Project.
It is no secret that PSERN is a large scale project. To accomplish such a large project, there are hundreds of “mini” projects occurring simultaneously over the duration of the entirety of the PSERN Project. One of those, not so mini, mini projects is the install and testing of radio sites.
Radio site installs—what does that mean? First a power plant, the device that provides power to radio equipment, has to be installed at a site. Once installed, power is tested. Next we install microwave radios. These microwave radios provide point to point connections that enable radio waves to travel between towers. Testing of our microwave equipment occur once installed. Land Mobile Radio, LMR, is also installed at many sites. Remember last month’s LMR section? If not, LMR provides the 800 MHz radio coverage to the users.
We test at each phase of installation. We also conduct a final test with the system as whole. This type of testing is critical and ensures the PSERN radio system works right the first time, every time.
Have you noticed a radio tower in your neighborhood or maybe when driving down the highway. Did you know that these radio towers are not all the same? PSERN uses three types of towers for its network.
Monopole: is a type of tower that only uses a small footprint on the property while allowing heights up to 180’. PSERN uses monopoles in urban areas to manage disruption to your neighborhood.
Self-supporting: is typically used for heights up to ~300'. This type of tower requires a larger footprint and also has more areas to mount antennas. Self-supporting towers do not twist and sway as much in high wind and icing conditions. This make their use in wilderness and remote areas preferable.
Guyed: is a tower used for sites that have very high altitude performance requirements, normally 300’ and above. Some guyed towers may reach heights upwards of 2000’. Guyed towers have a small footprint at the base of the tower, but the guy wires, those large cables you see coming off the tower, require a much larger footprint. Guyed towers are usually seen in very flat areas of the country and are used to cover very large areas. They can sometimes be used to minimize the visual impact to neighboring properties. PSERN has one guyed tower that is used to cover the Woodinville and Duvall area, as well as one in Shoreline.
 From left to right: Monopole, Self-Supporting, and Guyed.
Photos courtesy of Valmont Industries
- End-User Radio Training-- more information to come.
- Install and testing of Radio Systems to be completed in August 2020.
- Deployment of radios to users from December 2020 -- September 2021.
- Dispatch Console Training from April 2019 -- July 2019.
If you would like to request more information about this project, or would like an in-person presentation for your organization, please contact the PSERN team via the information below. Include your name, title, organization, and the best way to contact you. Someone will return your inquiry within one business day.
General information about the PSERN Project:
For questions about In Building Coverage:
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