Subject: [NEXTEL-1] AlertCast system for Police, Fire, EMS overides AM/FM broadcast radio in emergencies

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 08 Dec 2002 16:26:47 -0500

Alertcast System
For Emergency Vehicles Set For Launch In California

El Dorado Hills, CA.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will join the
California Highway Patrol (CHP) and seven northern California
police and fire departments in the first deployment of its
revolutionary emergency vehicle alert system, Alertcast announced
today.

Forty of the new Alertcast 2000 mobile transmitters will be
installed in emergency response vehicles of the CHP, the El Dorado
County Sheriff's department, the Sacramento, Folsom and
Placerville police departments, and the Sacramento Metro, Folsom
and El Dorado Hills fire departments.

"This will be the first operational use of Alertcast," says Howard
Katano, CEO of Alertcast. "We look forward to working with these
agencies to perfect a system that will enhance public safety and
the safety of emergency service personnel."
Prototypes of the Alertcast mobile transmitter have been
demonstrated at four California emergency services trade shows,
including the F.D.I.C. West exhibition in Sacramento, and the IAFC
show in Kansas City.

"The response to our demonstrations has been incredible," says
Katano. "Emergency service professionals have been quick to
recognize Alertcast's value, and they're enthusiastic about
utilizing our technology in their vehicles."

Overrides Vehicle Radios

The Alertcast system utilizes a low-power radio transmitter that
momentarily interrupts the commercial radio broadcast being
listened to by motorists in the path of emergency vehicles. The
message warns drivers of the approach of a police, fire or medical
vehicle running "code three" before drivers might hear the
vehicle's siren or see its flashing lights. The transmissions are
sent via a signal that extends 360 degrees around the emergency
vehicle and reaches between 750' and 1200'. No special equipment
is required to receive Alertcast messages.

National surveys* of radio use find that up to 90% of motorists
are listening to their car's radio during peak traffic times.
Modern automobiles are heavily insulated to minimize road noise,
and emergency vehicle sirens are harder to hear from the driver's
seat, especially when the radio is in use.

"Alertcast penetrates the isolation many motorists experience as
they drive along listening to their radios," says Katano. "It
helps clear the way for vehicles on emergency trips, and will
reduce the number of accidents involving motorists who cannot hear
or see an emergency vehicle's approach."

Numerous Safety Applications

Alertcast technology can assist public safety professionals in
dealing with dangerous situations that develop along the roadway.
These include accident scenes, crime scenes, fires and severe
weather conditions.

The transmitter, a box about the size of an average Citizen Band
radio, can be installed in a number of locations inside the
emergency vehicle. The antenna can be mounted conveniently on an
exterior surface. The system's control panel features numbered
keys and a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The panel can be attached
to reachable surfaces around the emergency vehicle driver's seat.
An alternative option would be the single-message control switch
that can be hard wired into lights or sirens.

Alertcast 2000 overrides the signals of radio stations on the FM
and AM bands. The FM/AM transmitter is expected to be available in
September 2002.

"We believe drivers will understand that the brief inconvenience
they experience is worthwhile," says Katano. "It's about personal
safety, public safety and helping others who need assistance in a
hurry."

Let them through..... It could be you!

*Arbitron and Maximizer national reports on radio trends, 1999 &
2000 respectively.

For further information, please contact:
Heather Gendreau
Director of Sales & Marketing
5120 Robert J. Mathews Parkway
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
Phone: 916 939 2337 Ext. 107
Fax: 916 939 2473
Email: [email-masked]

http://www.alertcast.net/index.htm

FM STATION APPLICATIONS
FOR EXPERIMENTAL STATION
ACCEPTED FOR FILING

07/19/02
----------------------------------------

CA  BNPEX-20020710AAV
NEW  137313

CP FOR NEW EXPERIMENTAL STATION
FILED BY:

ALERTCAST COMMUNICATIONS, LLC,
EL DORADO HILLS, CA
FREQ:
88 MHZ - 108HMZ,  5 WATTS
535 KHZ - 1705KHZ, 15 WATTS

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---

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 08 Dec 2002 16:33:24 -0500

------- Original Message --------
   From: "radiosystemspro <[email-masked]>" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: AlertCast system for Police, Fire, EMS overides AM/FM broadcast radio in
         emergencies

What? People still listen to AM/FM broadcast radio?? And just how
will this system overide all those cruising around with their high-
powered, multi-speaker, bass-boost CD systems cranked up so far that
you can feel them coming long before you see 'em? Not to mention, of
course, what the FCC might have to say about the legalities of the
idea.

RSP