Talquin Electric Cooperative, FL, USA

Talquin had a 30 year old system that was no longer reliable. After their old system was narrowbanded, several of their channels had too much static and could not really be used. This left them with one usable channel. Tracy Bensley, General Manager of Talquin Electric Cooperative, described the issue this way, "With water, waste water, and electric, we need several different channels so we can split those groups up. Not having multiple channels available was a big problem."

Coverage was also a problem, the outskirts of their territory had poor reliability and there were certain areas with no signal at all. Dispatch had trouble connecting with employees, and safety was a concern. Because of these issues, Talquin decided it was time for an upgrade. Dane Clemons, Director of Technology, emphasized the need for reliable communications. 'We need to be at our best when the weather is at its worst."

Thanks to increased coverage and clarity and the new safety feature, Talquin Electric has improved communications and efficiency. Dispatch can connect to staff all over their coverage area, and the audio is clear throughout the coverage area. The Avtec Consoles have also been very well received by both Dispatch and the IT department.

Talquin is very happy with their interoperable, open-standard solution as well. Knowing they can communicate with neighboring organizations and their equipment can work with other DMR equipment provides a much simpler future.

Dane Clemons summed things up best, "Our staff can communicate with one another and it has improved efficiency. The Tait system has improved the way that we work and the way we communicate with our employees."