Mitchell County, NC: New radios, no radio IDs from state

[robkermit]

From Mitchell News-Journal,

Mitchell County has purchased $163,000 worth of new radios for law enforcement that will provide better coverage and more reliable communication between deputies and communications.

Rest of article can be read from: http://www.mitchellnews.com/edition/demo/

[robkermit]

Source: WKYK

After purchasing 50 portable VIPER radios for use by law enforcement, county employees and forest service personnel, Mitchell County was notified that the state does not currently have radio ID's for the devices. The County had purchased $160,000 worth of the new radios but must now wait until the state legislature expands the number of radio ID's, a process that could take months. In the meantime law enforcement agencies are sharing VIPER radios, which were purchased through a Homeland Security grant, that belong to emergency management and county fire departments. The new radios will provide better coverage and more reliable communications for county agencies and will replace the older VHS systems now in use.

URL: Mitchell County Waits For New Radio ID's - WKYK / WTOE

[trumpetman]

Does everyone live under a rock these days? Any one with half a brain dealing with communications in this state knows VIPER has been out of IDs for months and will be a few more months until the 7.X system is expanded.

[dupree617]

Someone has lost me. My understanding in a Motorola Type II system there is only 65,535 possible ID available. This unless they expand there P-25 system out more. Which I believe will give them 1,048,575 possible ID's there. But I not think there going to get the funds to do that. Any rate someone who knows what there talking about please explain this one to me.

Thanks,

Mike Dupree

[trumpetman]

That's pretty much it.

There are ~65,300 IDs left on the VIPER system. There are also several hundred/thousand IDs requested across NC (Brunswick County, Mitchell County, Cherokee County, to name a few). Funds are in limbo right now and the P25 build out is being delayed, there are only 6 sites online, all in the Raleigh area (state capital) with a limited number of users (university medical center police and some surrounding counties for testing purposes).

Once the funds are allocated, sites will be switched over across the state step by step, then hopefully everyone can be happy and able to talk to each other.

[robkermit]

You would think since the state wanted all the agencies to use VIPER, they would've had ample resources for users coming online in place from the start.

[rapidcharger]

VHS systems?

[robkermit]

Yes, lol, apparently the people at the radio station doesn't know the difference between VHF and VHS. We secretly poke fun at them for all their media mistakes on a daily basis.

[dupree617]

Originally Posted by rapidcharger

VHS systems?

Just how did I manage to miss that one. It really doesn't surprise me at all.

Mike Dupree

[trumpetman]

Originally Posted by robkermit

You would think since the state wanted all the agencies to use VIPER, they would've had ample resources for users coming online in place from the start.

The state didn't want them to though. It was an available option to go to full time use for those agencies, but the sole purpose that each county has 6 talkgroups is for interoperability (what the "I" in VIPER stands for). VIPER wasn't and still isn't meant to be a full time solution for every agency that doesn't want to pay for narrowband equipment.

Mitchell County didn't need VIPER, that was a poor decision in my opinion. They are mountainous, no one else around them is on it, nor are they on 800, and they don't even have patches in place to keep VHF & 800 on the same page!!! $160,000 could have easily...EASILY...built out a voted simulcast VHF system with amazing coverage and added an extra channel or two for each discipline/agency, not to mention you have the ease of "Put your radio on this channel and leave it". That extra money could have gone to other departments to aid in buying radios too. It blows my mind.

/rant

[dupree617]

Originally Posted by trumpetman

That's pretty much it.

There are ~65,300 IDs left on the VIPER system. There are also several hundred/thousand IDs requested across NC (Brunswick County, Mitchell County, Cherokee County, to name a few). Funds are in limbo right now and the P25 build out is being delayed, there are only 6 sites online, all in the Raleigh area (state capital) with a limited number of users (university medical center police and some surrounding counties for testing purposes).

Once the funds are allocated, sites will be switched over across the state step by step, then hopefully everyone can be happy and able to talk to each other.

With all of the Talkgroups on the system it seems that it would be the other way around. That being 65,300 ID's being used with only 235 left. Which would leave a balance of 65,535 ID's. I would indeed see the problem there.

As for as the P-25 as funds come available I think they need to work on it more. I think it will better serve them in the future.

Thanks,

Mike Dupree

[robkermit]

trumpetman-
First, the tower on Woody's Knob serves Mitchell, Yancey, McDowell, and Burke County. So Mitchell County is not the only agency in the mountains using VIPER.

My guess is Mitchell County found it to be a more feasible solution to just drop their VHF system, because the tower on Locust Knob needed repair after a bad storm over the summer, and the Radio Maintenance team never got around to fixing it (or didn't want to fix it and used it as a reason to justify jumping ship).

Also here is a c/p from the VIPER Q/A...

Q: Will local agencies be mandated to use VIPER?

A: No, there are no mandates to participate in VIPER. The VIPER project is an effort to assist in the efficiency and effectiveness of state and local public safety agencies by using a common interoperable communications system. Optimally it would be more effective if all agencies were on VIPER, however we realize that some agencies have recently invested in their own systems and have not realized a return on that investment. And we understand that there are agencies that have no desire to be a part of VIPER at all.

[KE4OHP]

I live in Avery County April to November herd from there EM director telling me that they will switch to viper full time sometime this year.

[dupree617]

I wish them the best of luck on that.

Mike Dupree