Waco, TX - Dropped, delayed signals disrupt radio system shared by area police

[Thunderbolt]

WACO, Texas — Three local police departments want some changes to their new shared digital radio system because of ongoing issues with dropped or delayed broadcast signals.

Dropped, delayed signals disrupt radio system shared by area police departments | Wacotrib.com

[trunktracker71]

just goes to show you just how sorry those new 800 mhz systems really are nothing beats a good vhf system nothing you make a good vhf system into a p 25 and have a pretty good system

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by trunktracker71

just goes to show you just how sorry those new 800 mhz systems really are nothing beats a good vhf system nothing you make a good vhf system into a p 25 and have a pretty good system

Umm...it IS VHF.

Woodway P25 Trunking System, Woodway, Hewitt, Lorena, Texas - Scanner Frequencies

[johnoconnor98]

Originally Posted by Thunderbolt

WACO, Texas — Three local police departments want some changes to their new shared digital radio system because of ongoing issues with dropped or delayed broadcast signals.

Dropped, delayed signals disrupt radio system shared by area police departments | Wacotrib.com

If the database is correct, it is a 4 channel (1 CC+ 3 voice) P25 system. With 3 PD's and 1 FD it seems like it could get busy quick. Especially if 1 freq gets taken out for interference.

[mrlindstrom]

I was in Hewitt this past weekend with my PSR-800 and was listening to the Woodway system. I don't recall actually hearing any of the garbled speech but I might have only been hearing that car radios. I can also verify that the DB freq's are correct.

[mikepdx]

Originally Posted by the article

Under the analog system, officers ... would have to trade messages
through their dispatchers, which would be time-consuming in a crisis situation.

Did they ever hear of multi-channel analog radios?
They've been around for decades.

P25 = interoperability about as much as AM = interoperability.

It's not the modulation type,
but the differences in the various system's frequency bands
that makes interoperability difficult to impossible.

Stop throwing the taxpayer's money away
on the manufacturer's new and "improved" gadgets.

We all know what new and "improved" usually means:
Cutting corners and increasing the prices.
Less for more.

[grem467]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Umm...it IS VHF.

Woodway P25 Trunking System, Woodway, Hewitt, Lorena, Texas - Scanner Frequencies

Now Kevin, dont you go letting pesky facts get in the way of a good ole "anti 800" radioreference rant!

[dcr_inc]

Oh no... A motorola system thats not 100%.. Rip it apart just ike a harris system !!!!!!

[wtp]

did anyone notice the subtle "motorola OWNS" some frequencies in the article?

[loumaag]

What is interesting to me is that they are obviously having trouble with interference on the input channels for the TRS repeaters. A quick scan of the 4 channels shows they (they being the folks that made those choices) could have been a little more intelligent with the selections. Of the 4 frequencies, 3 of them are common statewide use TX CDJ (prison system for out of state readers) channels and the 4th is a common fire department channel, including right there in McLennan Co.

If they were going to upgrade, why not just join TxWarn? I'm sure there were reasons, but I'll bet I am not the only person wondering that right now.
(Oh wait, that would be joining a dreaded 700/800 MHz TRS, that would never work. )

[nd5y]

Originally Posted by wtp

did anyone notice the subtle "motorola OWNS" some frequencies in the article?

Yes. I commented on that in this thread: Woodway, Texas Trunking

[M_T]

This is the same problem that the VHF P-25 Trunking system that Lacy-Lakeview PD, FD and TSTC PD have. That system crashed shortly before coming online due to interference from other VHF frequencies in the area. It is also a 4 channel trunking system on a 325 foot tower located on Browns lake off of Old Dallas road. Has 6dBd antennas for both transmit and receive. Motorola and Bearcom Communications had to place filters on the receive side to correct some of the issues. They also had to Test and Align all of the mobile and portable radios to fix issues and a lot of the problems causing coverage issues, WHICH THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE IN THE PROGRAMMING PHASE. The in-building coverage of this system sucks! My opinion is they should have joined the 800MHz TxWarn system, but the admin thinks they know everything and think VHF is better in a city environment. From my understanding, the TxWarn system in Waco will eventually have 3 sites. It will become a 3 site simulcast, The first tower being the current site located on the HOT Fair Grounds, The second the Browns Lake Tower site, where the Lacy-Lakeview P-25 system is located, and the third site being located at 12th and Primrose.

[Ensnared]

Originally Posted by mrlindstrom

I was in Hewitt this past weekend with my PSR-800 and was listening to the Woodway system. I don't recall actually hearing any of the garbled speech but I might have only been hearing that car radios. I can also verify that the DB freq's are correct.

Since I have been analyzing this system with my PSR 500, I don't know the parameters of these radio systems. You might also note that some of the operating systems come from the trunking licenses for both Woodway Fire and PD.

But, since I don't own a PSR 800 yet, I cannot properly analyze. I would appreciate some help on this one. I have a thread already going for Woodway. Please, share your findings.

[Ensnared]

Originally Posted by mrlindstrom

I was in Hewitt this past weekend with my PSR-800 and was listening to the Woodway system. I don't recall actually hearing any of the garbled speech but I might have only been hearing that car radios. I can also verify that the DB freq's are correct.

I have observed problems on the portable units from time to time. But, I've heard transmissions on some of these portable units which were not fully charged when they've experienced garbled speech. Perhaps, there is a difference between battery life for analog and digital that they are not used to yet. I'm sure that a low battery on analog might have a chance of being heard. But, with digital, I bet there is an increased need for a good strong battery.

Please, when you analyze this TSYS, submit any changes you find or post a comment on the existing Woodway TSYS thread. With the PSR 500, due to purposeful design, VHF P25 trunking systems show blank spaces in analyze mode. I could use some help here.

[n9rdc]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Umm...it IS VHF.

Woodway P25 Trunking System, Woodway, Hewitt, Lorena, Texas - Scanner Frequencies

800 mhz is higher than UHF, so it's most certainly not VHF.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by n9rdc

800 mhz is higher than UHF, so it's most certainly not VHF.

Say what? Did you look at the link??? The system is VHF.

[Spitfire8520]

Originally Posted by n9rdc

800 mhz is higher than UHF, so it's most certainly not VHF.

I see 155.31 MHz, 155.535 MHz, 155.73 MHz, and 155.955 MHz...I certainly agree that 155 MHz = 800 MHz and not VHF at all!

I think people need to realize that P25 does not automatically mean 800 MHz...

[n9rdc]

My apologies, I didn't check the freq's, based on what I was reading it sounded like another 800 system. And yes I agree, P25 means nothing anymore, finally. It just inherently is associated to 800.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by Spitfire8520

I see 155.31 MHz, 155.535 MHz, 155.73 MHz, and 155.955 MHz...I certainly agree that 155 MHz = 800 MHz and not VHF at all!

I think people need to realize that P25 does not automatically mean 800 MHz...

I guess the definition of VHF changed in the last week or so.

[motorola_otaku]

Tropo propagation to and from that part of the state can get pretty intense at times, moreso than other regions of the state. We can argue 800 versus VHF for semi-rural low-population density areas 'till the cows coming home, but using shared VHF channels for a P25 trunk was probably not the wisest decision. If someone needs to take a little heat, it should be the frequency coordinator that assigned those channels.