Berrien & Cass Counties MI; and St. Joe Co. IN to share radio freqs?

[whacker]

I heard a news item on the local South Bend, IN stations a few nights ago about these counties' law enforcement agencies making an attempt to share some level of radio communications to help their mutual need to combat interstate crime elements. No detail about what that means, so I'm posting to ask what anyone might know. Michigan with a few Safe-T handhelds, in cars or at dispatch? Or Indiana with a few MPSCS radios somewhere? It'd be good to find out, and what talk groups this will show up on. BTW, isn't this what the old VHF high-band mutual aid freqs were originally for? Although I'm sure these days most of the only VHF high-band action in units on both sides of the state line here is from scanners they use to monitor their own local fire depts.

[jimsokol]

A couple of years ago, I had heard the same type of thing that was going to be done between MI and IN on this side of the state and MI and OH on the east side. Not sure if this was going to be accomplished via talkgroups on MPSCS, SAFE-T, and MARCS or what. Current story in some of the links below state up to 10 Berrien County officers could be equipped with radios to talk to Saint Joseph county, Indiana.

See the following:
Herald Palladium > Archives > Local News > Sheriffs tout cross-state line mutual help
Police departments join forces to fight crime - wsbt.com
WSJM AM 1400 & FM 94.9 - Regional Sheriffs Departments Form Investigative Partnership
Radios help fight crime in Indiana and Michigan | ABC57 | South Bend IN News, Weather and Sports | Top Stories
Indiana and Michigan Police Departments Improving Communication - Fox 28: South Bend, Elkhart IN News, Weather, Sports

[scannerfreak]

Originally Posted by abc57

Both states are currently using an 800 radio system, but they’re not interchangeable

They must have never heard of NPSPAC. I mean it's nice they want access to the talkgroups, but they have the ability to talk now. Granted it's low power. I would bet SJCPD is putting MPSCS in their radios and the MI agencies are putting SAFE-T into theirs. We have something similar in my area where my local agencies have the Cincinnati TRS in their SAFE-T radios for mutual aid.

[whacker]

Thanks for the links, Jim; good to see you're still around!

Based on copy in one of them, it appears the MI side is opting to get some HTs that run on Safe-T (at least Berrien Co.). And I saw the figure $25K! How much are those things each? I can imagine the budgetary strain that'd put on a department, especially one like Cass Co. I still wonder what happened to the mutual aid VHF-High stuff though. And it would seem there could be a solution using some feature of either system's digital capabilities to use existing equipment. Like a network link between Safe-T and MPSCS that would appear as a particular Talk Group on each system; officers just need to dial in and use the proper ID and terminology. Link could be either over IP or point-to-point microwave.

Whatever. I'd prefer it be receivable over MPSCS, as I'm just a bit too far away from the nearest Safe-T tower to receive, except when I visit South Bend.

[jack3726]

Based on the last reply, why couldn't they just do a bridge on the communications side and have it a TGID via MPSCS.

[drdispatch]

With a microwave link between a Safe-T tower & an MPSCS tower, they could have a talkgroup on each system patched in to one another. That's what they did over in the Toledo/Monroe area, I believe.

[rdale]

That's what they planned in the Toledo/Monroe area - I've never heard that they actually did it though?

[jack3726]

I am sure there is more to it on the software side of MPSCS to make it work for a county and its users, I am trying to understand the 25K number. Is the 25K number to retrofit the SAFE-T with MPSCS or to install seperate radios in Michigan PD cars to access the Indiana system. Seems like overkill to do it that way where you could just bridge them and make it work accordingly.

[scannerfreak]

The video story said they, Berrien County, were buying 10 radios at $2500 a piece. I'm guessing that their MPSCS radios cannot handle smartzone omnilink operations. I guess they can't be modified to add that option. The SAFE-T radios have no problem adding the MPSCS system.

[garryd451]

Jim, Thanks for the post, I am also glad to see you're still around!

[Craigmoe]

Have heard tg# 13121 now and then with encryption. Anyone know who it is? Anyone else heard?
Both St. Joe & Sumnerville towers. Thanks in advance....

[jimsokol]

Originally Posted by Craigmoe

Have heard tg# 13121 now and then with encryption. Anyone know who it is? Anyone else heard?
Both St. Joe & Sumnerville towers. Thanks in advance....

I've heard it too. Always encrypted. No clue who it is.

[Craigmoe]

Thanks Jim, also just heard tg# 3260 (St. Joe Tower). Caught the tail end so will be listening for more. Anyone know what this might be?...

[rdale]

What did they say? Unit numbers? Street locations? If you run Unitrunker you can get Radio IDs, that'll make it even faster.

[Craigmoe]

FYI: Berrien has been in the process of 're-banding' their radios the last several day's. I was told that when they get all the radios complete, they then go to the towers and that's when the change will take place.