PORTLAND – State troopers say their aging two-way radio system is so unreliable and outdated that they cannot properly serve the public.

But they are about to get a fix. Public safety officials plan to spend nearly $10 million to overhaul the 30-year-old system.

Over the next several years, they plan to switch from an analog to a digital communications system, including laptop computers that provide access to multiple databases.

The laptops, the first of which is expected this fall, would allow troopers to retrieve information without a dispatcher, which would help free up airwaves.

“This would be a huge step forward,” said Col. Michael Sperry, head of state police.

Troopers say the deteriorating radio system was causing serious problems.

For instance, they said, a trooper looking into a hostage situation couldn’t talk to a dispatcher because of radio interference. Another trooper couldn’t summon a backup until several miles into a high-speed chase because the radio channel was too busy.

“What’s going on is a matter of life and death,” said Trooper Mike Edes, head of the 300-member Troopers Association. “That’s how serious this problem is and we need to fix it.”

The funding for the new system will come from several sources – and not all at once.

State lawmakers this year allocated about $730,000 for the lease and eventual purchase of the laptops. They also promised $287,000 for fiscal 2003 and agreed to allocate $1.7 million each fiscal year from 2004 to 2009, Sperry said.

Aid also may be coming from Congress. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, heavily lobbied by Sperry and Edes, have had $2 million for the project included in a proposed $41.49 billion spending bill for the Departments of Commerce, Justice and State.

State police say the $2 million would help provide immediate relief by allowing for upgrades to towers and equipment maintenance at regional communication centers.