Boston 800 MHz Trunked System

[fog]

Is the City of Boston trunked system worth listening to? It seems like it's mostly agencies I'm not interested in listening to (code and traffic enforcement, parking, recreation), but there are also some public safety talkgroups. Does anyone monitor the system? Is it worth taking up a bank on my scanner?

For that matter, has there been any discussion about Boston PD or other agencies moving over? It seems like a citywide trunked system might be an improvement over their current hodge-podge of repeaters, though I guess it works for them.

[Citywide173]

Originally Posted by fog

Is the City of Boston trunked system worth listening to? It seems like it's mostly agencies I'm not interested in listening to (code and traffic enforcement, parking, recreation), but there are also some public safety talkgroups. Does anyone monitor the system? Is it worth taking up a bank on my scanner?

For that matter, has there been any discussion about Boston PD or other agencies moving over? It seems like a citywide trunked system might be an improvement over their current hodge-podge of repeaters, though I guess it works for them.

The 800 system is available to all three public safety agencies in their dispatch consoles, but is very rarely used.

You will not see any large scale move, as the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region has decided to support the UHF infrastructure, and the feds just put all new UHF XTS2500's on the hips of all PD and EMS personnel (yes, issued portables to each member) and put UHF XTS5000's at every riding position of every piece of fire apparatus in the city, as well as XTL5000's in every new vehicle as well as some older ones. Crossbanding capabilities were added to those very few agencies that happen to be on 800, and any fire departments left on VHF have been, or will shortly be moved to UHF. When it's done, UHF will provide complete interoperability across multiple municipalities, state authorities and state agencies.

[garys]

Originally Posted by Citywide173

When it's done, UHF will provide complete interoperability across multiple municipalities, state authorities and state agencies.

All without moving to an 800 system that was never intended for the channel loading of three public safety agencies. All three Boston agencies can talk to each other on the radio in the rare cases where it's needed. They can also talk to all of the adjacent cities and towns in the even rarer circumstances where that is needed.