Detroit City System Coming Online

mikey60 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-29-2005, 03:26 PM

The new Detroit City SubSystem of the MPSCS is just coming online. A control channel can be heard on 868.5375. Tower ID 701, SysID 796.

Mike

ThornyO5 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-29-2005, 03:41 PM

When are they going to start putting the new radios in the cars? Or are they going to be like OSP and just use the portables for now.

SEMTTP · #3 (**permalink**) 03-29-2005, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThornyO5

When are they going to start putting the new radios in the cars? Or are they going to be like OSP and just use the portables for now.

Something is telling me that if they are coming online that there are probably mobiles installed......just a hunch but I believe I am correct

Eric

ThornyO5 · #4 (**permalink**) 03-29-2005, 03:55 PM

I took "coming online" as the testing phase, no need to be rude to me. Just explain.

mikey60 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-29-2005, 03:57 PM

The control channel just came online today. There are a number of system users on a temporary site now that will move over to this system once it's ready to go.

There has been training ongoing for DPD and DFD over the last couple weeks. Once this site is completely up and operational, it probably won't be too long before DPD and DFD move over.

Mike

rcvmo · #6 (**permalink**) 03-29-2005, 06:05 PM

There are some mobiles installed already.
The rest of the city wants to be totally online by 09/05, including the sheriff. Sheriff secondary roads already have their mobiles and portables inplace, just a matter of when they will be re-programmed for the new digital system .

Jeffn8wb · #7 (**permalink**) 03-30-2005, 10:28 AM

I have been hearing quite a bit of testing on STATW7. There have been several training classes and I have heard several test patches. Will be interesting to see what happens over the next month or so.

Thunderbolt · #8 (**permalink**) 03-30-2005, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThornyO5

When are they going to start putting the new radios in the cars? Or are they going to be like OSP and just use the portables for now.

I remember when the Toledo Police Dept., first went to 800 MHz and they were using portables, but were laying them down in the seat next to them in a horizontal position. This really caused a lot of reception problems and finally the city council broke down and bought mobiles for the patrol cars. I really hope that Detroit doesn't follow the same path as Toledo did several years ago.

73's

Ron

ThornyO5 · #9 (**permalink**) 03-30-2005, 11:32 AM

Do you think MARCS has good enough coverage to just use portables?

FPO703 · #10 (**permalink**) 03-30-2005, 11:42 AM

OSP is using mobiles in all vehicles on MARCS. There are only certain areas that have '95% portable coverage'. One of those areas is Columbus. The OSP Portables talk back to a 'mini-repeater' of sorts in the trunk of the cruiser that then works with the MARCS system itself.

Further information about this is in the Ohio_MARCS yahoo group archives.

WTFD10 · #11 (**permalink**) 03-30-2005, 10:47 PM

Noob question: Will I be able to listen to Detroit from the Monroe/Toledo area with a Pro 96 and a RS 800 rubber duck antenna?

MetalManMI · #12 (**permalink**) 03-30-2005, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcvmo

Sheriff secondary roads already have their mobiles and portables inplace, just a matter of when they will be re-programmed for the new digital system .

Our current mobiles are Astro Spectras, true...however, most of the preps are still not digital capable (mainly MTS-2000's and even a few old MTX's). There are a few XTS's floating around, but there'd be a LOT of radios not compatible if the system were suddenly switched to digital! I'm not even sure that the consoles in dispatch are digital capable...they DO have mobile spectra units stuck under the consoles, so maybe they could test with those...not really sure...

Switching just secondary roads units wouldn't work...what about WEB units, LC units, FAST units, CTU units, Spotcheck units, CMV units, Marine units, morality units, HP units, etc., etc.???

There's a bit more to it than just re-programming existing radios!

8)

SEMTTP · #13 (**permalink**) 03-31-2005, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetalManMI

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcvmo

Sheriff secondary roads already have their mobiles and portables inplace, just a matter of when they will be re-programmed for the new digital system .

Our current mobiles are Astro Spectras, true...however, most of the preps are still not digital capable (mainly MTS-2000's and even a few old MTX's). There are a few XTS's floating around, but there'd be a LOT of radios not compatible if the system were suddenly switched to digital! I'm not even sure that the consoles in dispatch are digital capable...they DO have mobile spectra units stuck under the consoles, so maybe they could test with those...not really sure...

Switching just secondary roads units wouldn't work...what about WEB units, LC units, FAST units, CTU units, Spotcheck units, CMV units, Marine units, morality units, HP units, etc., etc.???

There's a bit more to it than just re-programming existing radios!

8)

You got it!! When the time comes, you will see a semi truck arrive just like in monroe county with the new consoles and new preps. The preps are more than likely going to be xts 3000 or xts 5000 or god fobid Johnson digital preps! The current radios that are being used for Wayne County's TRS are not compatible with the new digital radios, and with Detroit coming online I am sure that most of the radios are installed, or at least whatever precints are going to go online first. Detroit and Wayne county will both have to replace BASE CONSOLES, MOBILE RADIOS, and PORTABLES.

Eric

Josh · #14 (**permalink**) 03-31-2005, 10:22 AM

"The current radios that are being used for Wayne County's TRS are not compatible with the new digital radios,"

Have you been to the airport lately? There isn't a single Airport Police officer that doesn't have an XTS3000. Every pic I can find of a Wayne County Sheriff (online, and that was at some local union website) the XTS3000 and 2500 are shown.

They're not far behind. The digital switch is getting close I think.

-Josh

SEMTTP · #15 (**permalink**) 03-31-2005, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh

"The current radios that are being used for Wayne County's TRS are not compatible with the new digital radios,"

Have you been to the airport lately? There isn't a single Airport Police officer that doesn't have an XTS3000. Every pic I can find of a Wayne County Sheriff (online, and that was at some local union website) the XTS3000 and 2500 are shown.

They're not far behind. The digital switch is getting close I think.

-Josh

Airport police are different....we were talking about Wayne County Sheriff. Which by the way Metro Airport PD are no longer a part of. 6 months ago they decided to go their own way, they even changed uniforms to blue!! and yes their radios are compatible because they were already planning to switch to the MPSCS. However, Wayne County Sheriff to my understanding has not even begun new installations!

Eric

MetalManMI · #16 (**permalink**) 03-31-2005, 10:59 AM

The Airport PD comes out of a different budget...we won't get into all of that here...

Dispatch for the Airport PD and Wayne Co. SD is all in the same room. There are four consoles that are all interoperable. I can't see how switching one console (Sheriff) and not the others would work out.

We (Sheriff Department) currently have some XTS-5000's and XTS-3000's floating around...mainly with command and administrative staff. The bulk of the preps are still MTS-2000's. ALL of our mobiles are Astro Spectras, but they have been for quite a while...not a recent change.

If it was simply a matter of reprogramming existing equipment that has already supposedly populated the department already, don't you think there'd have been some ongoing testing by now? Detroit has been testing, not Wayne County.

8)

medicsup1 · #17 (**permalink**) 04-15-2005, 12:19 AM

I work for the Fire Department and we are being told the we will not be on the system till Aug. first, but we were also told we would be online by last June so we will see......

mikey60 · #18 (**permalink**) 04-15-2005, 12:33 AM

I heard some training today (well, yesterday now). Based on what what said it sounded like FD training, specifically in the operation of the Emergency button.

I also hear the control channel back on 868.5375. It was there for about a week and then gone again for awhile.

Mike

mikey60 · #19 (**permalink**) 04-15-2005, 12:40 PM

The simulcast system is now being used. There are some minor issues I'm seeing with configuration (I'm seeing them on Pro96Com, eg. no Neighbors being advertised) that most users wouldn't probably notice, but it is carrying voice traffic at this time.

I currently see 60 affiliations since I started monitoring it, and 22 frequencies that have been used. (Including 868.725, the control channel for the temp site).

Mike

mikey60 · #20 (**permalink**) 04-15-2005, 01:17 PM

Ok, so there are bigger issues present...

Somehow, the control channel for the Detroit MPSCS tower is in the rotation for the system (T209, 868.9375). The Temp site control channel is also in the rotation, but still on the air (T226, 868.725) so the users of both the Temp site and the Detroit MPSCS site are going to be having issues on and off...

Mike