Coshocton commissioners considering service provider for MARCS radio reprogramming

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
·2 min read

COSHOCTON − Coshocton County commissioners are considering establishing a specific service provider as the go-to for MARCS radio reprogramming mandated by the State of Ohio.

The Multi-Agency Radio Communication System provides Ohio's first responders and public safety providers with state-of-the-art wireless digital communications while also promoting interoperability in order to save lives and maximize effectiveness in normal operations and emergency situations.

MARCS radios are supposed to have secure channels not accessible to the public, such as SWAT team operations. However, those channels have been able to be cloned so the public could listen.

The State of Ohio has mandated that state certified providers need to load new codes into the radios to prevent the cloning. If it doesn't have the correct code, one can't talk or listen on that frequency. The deadline to have the radios updated is July 1, 2025.

Coshocton County Engineer Fred Wachtel recently met with commissioners to discuss the possibility of having a provider county departments could use for the updates.

"Rather than me having to figure it out, EMS having to figure it out, EMA and all that, I wanted to see if there was some interest in having someone be that lead person," Wachtel said. "I'm not saying (the county) pays for that, but just making that service available for all of us that don't have radio people on staff."

Wachtel said his office has about 50 radios. Rusty Dreher, who works on communications for the county, said there are about 350 MARCS radios under the county banner. There are other radios in the county used by other agencies, such as local fire departments and township trustees. Estimated upgrade cost is about $150 per radio.

Commissioners said they would talk with Dreher about securing a service provider.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Service provider sought for Coshocton MARCS radio reprogramming