STARRS - St Louis Area Regional Response System

[Starcom21]

More info and saved slides coming soon!

http://www.stl-starrs.org/
http://www.ewgateway.org/pdffiles/ma...dRR8X11MOM.pdf

http://www.stl-starrs.org/library/library.htm#prs

From <http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:2_1D2JPOBVUJ:www.ewgateway.org/pdffiles/library/presentations/radiopresentation-feb08.ppt+%22st+charles+county%22+%22radio+system% 22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us>

Powerpoint: <http://www.ewgateway.org/pdffiles/library/presentations/radiopresentation-feb08.ppt>

St. Louis Land Mobile Communications Study


February 2008

Purpose of the Study

• Assess the radio systems in use and develop design recommendations

• Develop cost estimates for a system implementation plan

• Provide a roadmap to Interoperability

System Assessments

• Study began November 2007

• Interviews held with 34 constituent groups

• Site inspections currently underway

• Continued meetings with STARRS committees and staff

Interview Topics

• Document the formal and informal institutional arrangements among public safety agencies

• Detailed wide range of technical and operational issues

• Define interoperability, range, coverage, performance and reliability

Summary of Current Systems

• Conventional Systems (VHF and UHF)

• Aged systems and equipment

• Congestion and interference - Too many users, too many systems, not enough channels

• FCC 2013 “Narrowbanding” Mandate

Wideband VHF

• Franklin County
• Jefferson County
• St. Charles County – all but 2 municipalities
• St. Louis County
• Madison County – all but Sheriff's Office
• Monroe County

800 MHz Systems

• City of St. Louis

• • Metropolitan Police Department 2 site analog 800 MHz system

• • Upgrading to 3 site digital system including Fire Department

• • Lambert Airport 1 site 800 MHz analog system upgrading to a digital 2 site system

800 MHz Systems

• Metro

• • Existing VHF/UHF and 11 site 800 MHz system upgrading to 21 site 800 MHz system

• • Moving VHF and UHF users to 800 MHz system

• Madison County Sheriff’s Office on 800 MHz StarCom 21 Network

• St. Clair County – 800 MHz system connected to StarCom 21 Network

Franklin County

Jefferson County

Lambert Airport

Madison County

Metro

Monroe County

St. Clair County

St. Charles County

City of St. Louis

St. Louis County

• 
  
• Mixture of systems throughout the region & within same county

• In conventional systems, equipment is outdated, circa 1960’s

• 911 dispatch communications changing

• Volume of users in conventional systems inhibits interoperability

• Migration to 800MHz is underway

• Regional users recognize the need to collaborate

Key Findings

In our region, we have a complex patchwork of conventional systems (VHF and UHF) and 800MGHz

Interoperability issues
Coverage problems & requirements
System configuration (base equipment, mobiles, and portables)
System performance and operational procedures
Current system reliability
Existing service requirements
Available engineering documentation pertaining to site plans, antenna layouts, and transmitter locations
Planned radio system upgrades

• 1960’s technology

• Regarding the FCC narrowbanding mandate: All regional VHF systems operate in wideband mode

• • No active local or regional narrowband plans

• • Upgrades will alter existing system coverage
    
    
    

• Limited availability of parts

• Adds layers of complexity to interoperability

• Caused by both internal and external agencies

• Perpetuates dispatch and field retransmissions

• Overrides emergency and routine radio traffic

• • Results in delayed communications
    

Majority are currently being upgraded and expanded


Majority are currently being upgraded and expanded


Regarding 911: Efficiency and effectiveness is impacted by radio congestion and interference
Over 50% of 911 calls are from cell phones

• Significantly increases incoming 911 calls for a single incident

Reduction in landline subscribers/911 calls

• Decreasing 911 revenues

VoIP Internet 911 calls increasing



St. Louis Land Mobile Communications Study




February 2008
Purpose of the Study
Assess the radio systems in use and develop design recommendations

Develop cost estimates for a system implementation plan

Provide a roadmap to Interoperability








System Assessments
Study began November 2007

Interviews held with 34 constituent groups

Site inspections currently underway

Continued meetings with STARRS committees and staff
Interview Topics
Document the formal and informal institutional arrangements among public safety agencies

Detailed wide range of technical and operational issues

Define interoperability, range, coverage, performance and reliability
Summary of Current Systems
Conventional Systems (VHF and UHF)

Aged systems and equipment

Congestion and interference - Too many users, too many systems, not enough channels

FCC 2013 “Narrowbanding” Mandate
Wideband VHF
Franklin County
Jefferson County
St. Charles County – all but 2 municipalities
St. Louis County
Madison County – all but Sheriff's Office
Monroe County

800 MHz Systems
City of St. Louis

Metropolitan Police Department 2 site analog 800 MHz system

Upgrading to 3 site digital system including Fire Department

Lambert Airport 1 site 800 MHz analog system upgrading to a digital 2 site system

800 MHz Systems
Metro

Existing VHF/UHF and 11 site 800 MHz system upgrading to 21 site 800 MHz system

Moving VHF and UHF users to 800 MHz system

Madison County Sheriff’s Office on 800 MHz StarCom 21 Network

St. Clair County – 800 MHz system connected to StarCom 21 Network











Key Findings
Mixture of systems throughout the region & within same county

In conventional systems, equipment is outdated, circa 1960’s

911 dispatch communications changing

Volume of users in conventional systems inhibits interoperability

Migration to 800MHz is underway

Regional users recognize the need to collaborate

[shaft]

Thanks for posting this. Im glad to see something like this is in the works. I always wanted to see this area and eventually the entire state to operate on a wide area system. Perhaps they could model it and improve on something similar to the Ohio MARCs system.

[shelleys1]

I've read the proposal from start to finish (all 237 pages *groan*!). It's poorly organized, planned and will ultimately be more than 20 times more expensive than the "consultants" who have written the proposal keep saying it will cost! Plus, there are counties, munis and small towns which cannot afford to buy a few new radios for their public service (PS) personnel right now. This overweight proposal would end up ultimately requiring them to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, at minimum, to participate. They can't begin to afford it and heaven knows the citizens they serve can't and won't pay money they barely have into something like this! Considering the economy right now, no one in their right mind is going to vote for this kind of thing anyway...which is good! If it ever were going to pass, heaven help us all if East/West Gateway really does end up managing and running it! That alone would be a catastrophe! It should be run by people who understand EVERYTHING about it, all the way from the logistics of putting together the system, to how it physically works, to intimate knowledge of, and good working relationships with, of all the key players involved on the PS end of it to finally, someone who is able to have the skills to be able to keep all these people working together harmoniously. Right now NONE OF THAT EXISTS!

[Thunderbolt]

Here is a new FCC license for St. Charles County:

SY WQKQ957
SAINT CHARLES, COUNTY OF
[OFFICIAL PUBLIC SAFETY ACTIVITIES OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO, AND MUNICIPALITIES AND FIRE/EMS DISTRICTS WITHIN PUBLIC SAFETY INTEROPERABILITY WITHIN ST. LOUIS URBAN AREA]
Control Point 1 - 1605 WENTZVILLE PARKWAY, WENTZVILLE MO 636-949-0809
Control Point 2 - 301 N SECOND ST.., RM. 280, ST. CHARLES MO 636-949-7575
Control Point 3 - 100 N MAIN ST., OFALLON MO 636-379-5631
Control Point 4 - 101 SHERIFF DIERKER DR., OFALLON MO 636-949-0809
(link)
08/18/2009 License Issued
1 - MSHP TOWER, HIGHWAY 94, 0.2 MI. SW OF HIGHWAY D, WELDON SPRING (ST. CHARLES) MO (map)
770.7562 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
771.1063 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
769.2813 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
769.7562 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
770.0062 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
770.5062 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
2 - MONTBROOK, SE CORNER OF MONTBROOK AND WESTBROOK DRIVES., OFALLON (ST. CHARLES) MO (map)
769.2813 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
769.7562 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
770.0062 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
770.5062 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
770.7562 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
771.1063 FB2 75p 150e 8K10F1E
3 - (ST. CHARLES) MO Countywide
770.5062 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
770.7562 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
771.1063 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
799.2813 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
799.7562 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
800.0062 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
800.5062 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
800.7562 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
801.1063 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
769.2813 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
769.7562 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
770.0062 MO 30p 35e 8K10F1E
4 - MO Land Mobile Control Station Meeting 20 Rule
799.2813 FX1 30p 35e 8K10F1E
799.7562 FX1 30p 35e 8K10F1E
800.0062 FX1 30p 35e 8K10F1E
800.5062 FX1 30p 35e 8K10F1E
800.7562 FX1 30p 35e 8K10F1E
801.1063 FX1 30p 35e 8K10F1E