Lexington Fire

SOCCERCOACH · #1 (**permalink**) 08-19-2011, 12:25 PM

Since Lexington Fire has multi issues with 482.0875 dpl 271 they were using backup for about 1 week 154.34. There are now back on 482.0875 but the DPL has changed. I am running it wide open and getting them l/c. Did a search for the tone but nothing is popping up, maybe someone else would have better luck than me searching for the new tone. Thank you

gordon115 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-20-2011, 12:03 PM

Hearing them fine on two different radios programmed for 482.0875 DCS271. I have heard this same comment from other listeners recently, this may be some type of idiosyncrasy with certain makes/models of scanners.

Gordon

SOCCERCOACH · #3 (**permalink**) 08-20-2011, 12:40 PM

That is really strange using 2 BC 780xlt's and always heard them on both L/C until last week, I turned off the DCS 271 and getting them L/C again. No idea why but thanks for that info. Will try the tone again and see what happens

SOCCERCOACH · #4 (**permalink**) 08-21-2011, 7:08 AM

tried putting that tone back in DCS271 and its not working, take it out and Lexington is L/C so I have no answers to the issue. Many of you out there have more background with these sort of things. Will listen with the tone off for now and thank you all

zerg901 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-21-2011, 8:36 PM

My guess is that they really dont need the DPL on the output of the repeater, and they figure that they get better audio quality without it. But thats just a hunch.

lfd8e4 · #6 (**permalink**) 08-27-2011, 3:59 PM

The radio system is a mess! The DPL doesn't work on any of my new or old radios. It won't even search and decode it. The radio problems have been a work in progress since the activation of the UHF, but I am sure someone "has a guy" who can figure this out. NOPE........The audio quality is not better!

Alarmroom · #7 (**permalink**) 08-27-2011, 7:49 PM

The problem is that on some DPL's in narrow band there isn't enough audio to open up some radios. I know that D311 is one of them. You may just have to listen in open carrier.

lfd8e4 · #8 (**permalink**) 08-27-2011, 9:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alarmroom

The problem is that on some DPL's in narrow band there isn't enough audio to open up some radios. I know that D311 is one of them. You may just have to listen in open carrier.

Since it worked fine from the activation of the UHF frequency and stopped working about a month ago I guess the systems audio must have decreased. Now that we have figured out what's wrong with monitoring it with a scanner, maybe someone can figure out why the mobiles, portables and the dispatch center can't talk to each other. The system seems to lack any consistency and reliability.

zerg901 · #9 (**permalink**) 08-29-2011, 10:56 AM

I got one strong hit on 482.0875 with DPL 271 this morning.

Can anyone confirm that the 482.0875 repeater was NOT transmitting any DPL for the last month or so?

The system seems to work just as good as any other UHF repeater system that I monitor. The VHF repeater (154.34R) seems to work OK also. Sometimes things sound a little off freq. There are dead spots in some buildings on both VHF and UHF, but that happens everywhere in the world I imagine.

I have not heard anyone doing any extensive testing in buildings, so I cant say what their inbuilding coverage is like as a percentage.

Are they using a voter system? How many remote receiver sites are in use?

gordon115 · #10 (**permalink**) 08-30-2011, 6:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zerg901

I got one strong hit on 482.0875 with DPL 271 this morning.

Can anyone confirm that the 482.0875 repeater was NOT transmitting any DPL for the last month or so?

They have been transmitting the PL tone all along, I have been hearing them on two separate radios (NOT scanners) with the receive PL activated all along. The problem, as stated by previous posters, is that the PL tone level isn't high enough to open the receivers on some scanners.

Gordon

ecps92 · #11 (**permalink**) 08-31-2011, 6:53 AM

and maybe not high enough to open the RX on the Dept Radios

Quote:

Originally Posted by gordon115

They have been transmitting the PL tone all along, I have been hearing them on two separate radios (NOT scanners) with the receive PL activated all along. The problem, as stated by previous posters, is that the PL tone level isn't high enough to open the receivers on some scanners.

Gordon

zerg901 · #12 (**permalink**) 08-31-2011, 8:10 AM

I have not heard the dispatcher having problems raising the field units on UHF. And I have not heard field units having problems calling other field units on a regular basis. I will keep a closer ear on 482.0875 today.

If the "level" of their DPL signal is low, maybe it would explain some of their radio "problems", and it might explain why I dont see any DPL on my Pro 106.

I usually hear their UHF repeater at 5 bars (max). I think it is only 5 miles from my location.

I seem to remember Lexington FD having radio problems in the past few years - possibly related to a lightning strike on the water tank that has their repeater site.

N1BHH · #13 (**permalink**) 08-31-2011, 10:10 AM

If the PL or DPL deviation level is too low, it won't be properly sensed by any scanners, but their radio will be able to depending upon the threshold level of the radios.

zerg901 · #14 (**permalink**) 08-31-2011, 10:18 AM

Today they seem to be using UHF just to announce calls - nothing else

zerg901 · #15 (**permalink**) 08-31-2011, 3:22 PM

420 PM - I think they just announced that they were going back to using the UHF channel - I didnt catch any testing or anything on UHF today

zerg901 · #16 (**permalink**) 09-07-2011, 5:37 PM

Today - UHF is primary - VHF is just carrying the initial dispatches

zerg901 · #17 (**permalink**) 10-15-2011, 1:45 PM

Today I got DPL 271 from their UHF repeater again - but there might have been 2 different repeaters transmitting at various times.

zerg901 · #18 (**permalink**) 10-19-2011, 10:33 AM

And yesterday I was back to no DPL being decoded

Interesting

jim202 · #19 (**permalink**) 10-27-2011, 8:57 PM

I guess it is time to ask the question here, has the system been narrow banded? They will have to do it before the January 01, 2013 date.

Maybe your seeing some of the migration pains they are having. Best way to find out is to ask someone in the town that is on the radio system.

Going to narrow band will drop the transmitter deviation down on both the voice and the CTCSS tone that is being used. Some receivers may have a hard time decoding the CTCSS tone as a result.

The best way of figuring out if they have gone narrow band is to note if the voice audio is now lower than what it was on your receivers in the past. Maybe compare it to another UHF system that is still using wide band deviation.

garys · #20 (**permalink**) 10-27-2011, 9:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim202

I guess it is time to ask the question here, has the system been narrow banded? They will have to do it before the January 01, 2013 date.

They moved from VHF (or are in the process) so the answer is yes as all of the new equipment is narrow band. I expect you know that part, but probably didn't know about the move from VHF. A number of FDs in the greater Boston area got interoperability grants to migrate to UHF and I think this is part of that. The Lexington PD stayed on the same frequency, but their new system is P25.