BDA Building Survey - New Public Safety requirements for building owners.   

Having a BDA Building Survey done is not something that many contractors or building owners are aware of until they decide to make improvements that require a permit.  All buildings must meet NFPA and IFC requirements in the public safety arena, also known as Bi Directional Amplifier Systems (BDA),  Public Safety P25, Emergency Responder Radio Communication Systems (ERRCS), and DAS. 

A building meeting NFPA / IFC requirements and AHJ will need to have an initial building survey completed to confirm that public safety frequencies are being received within the building at acceptable levels.  The building survey must be done by a licensed contractor with the right equipment to ensure that the building survey is accurate.   

Each municipality can have their own set of governing rules overlaying standards, so experience in doing bda building survey services is crucial to ensuring you get accurate results.  Some BDA building survey equipment, such as an Anritsu can only perform single frequency readings in coverage mapping mode, and when requirements call out for multiple 700 and 800MHz grid testing, this requires the tech to key in the second frequency and perform the RF measurement twice, which is very time consuming. Furthermore, having to allow for signal fade, several captures are required with 20 seconds of pause between readings, which further adds to the time on site.   This can and will skew your results, and could possibly mean you pay more for coverage you may not need.

At National Data Contractor, we service Florida and nationwide clients using the appropriate tools for the job. We have various spectrum analyzers, from pocket testers to anritsu's, to one designed specifically for P25 systems; PcTel Seahawk Touch. When we provide results, they are accurate.  You will know where you lack coverage and have a complete test with BER and signal to noise, not just simple power measurements.