LV Metro Police OpenSky Swithover

[radact]

Sent out by the head of Metro's Communications Bureau.

Let's mark these dates on the calendar and see what happens. As was mentioned in one of the other posts here, we'll see if Harris gives the "GO AHEAD" on said dates.

Wouldn't it be better to do the switch over on Grave Shift where there isn't much traffic just in case something happens. Someone's not thinking (do they ever?)
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We are ready to turn off the connection between the old and the new radio system. The schedule and impact for this is as follows.

· Monday March 28, 2011 @ 12:00 noon – Turn off patches connecting the area commands on the old and new systems. Turn on area command channel connection to the Network First Switch

o Impact – All agencies with authorization to use our “INFO” channel must use only the info channel. Dispatch will not hear them on an area command channel.

o Impact - Media and public will continue to hear the area command traffic via our Network First switch.

· Tuesday July 5, 2011@ 12 Noon – Network First connection will be turned off.

o Impact - No one will be able to hear metro channels unless using a Desert Sky radio with exception of info channel.

o Impact – Media will no longer be able to hear our area command channels unless they have purchased a radio, had it programmed by us, and signed the attached agreement. This agreement may change slightly once reviewed by legal.

We are sending letters and/or e-mails this week to all the agencies we have identified as having agreements with the LVMPD.

 

[Eugene]

Greetings all. I have read the info about the switchover. I am planning to be there in May for a convention. Does this switchover mean that there will still be a patch for PD via this "network First switch". If so...the PD channels to listen to while I'm there would be the "Downtown" and "Convention" channels? Thanks in advance for the info.
Eugene KG4AVE

 

[SCPD]

Harris say they can do it by July 5, 2011, Good luck guys.
The system sounds better, still like an 1990's first generaion digital cell phone, Still hearing of dead zones like, 215 beltway south of Flamingo, west of airport along Blue Diamond road....

 

[mikef1234]

What types of changes is L.V. metro going through? Digital or something? My brother lives there and he has been wanting to buy a police scanner. I told him he better ask around and see just what he will need.. When they switched over to digital here in Toledo, Oh. The scanners almost cost as much as my ham radio H.F. rig As always any help would be deeply appreciated ! Thanks Mike~~~~N8GBU

 

[neondesert]

What types of changes is L.V. metro going through? Digital or something? My brother lives there and he has been wanting to buy a police scanner. I told him he better ask around and see just what he will need.. When they switched over to digital here in Toledo, Oh. The scanners almost cost as much as my ham radio H.F. rig As always any help would be deeply appreciated ! Thanks Mike~~~~N8GBU

Hi Mike,

If your brother wants to listen to the Las Vegas Secret Police (a.k.a. LVMPD) he will be out of luck soon as they are "switching over" to OpenSky. OS is currently unmonitorable with any scanner.

For now, he can still listen to them with a conventional scanner until the "switchover" on the frequencies listed in the database.

Clark County, Nevada (NV) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Hope this helps.

 

[Eugene]

Greetings....I still have the question I asked in an earlier post.....will I still be able to monitor LVMP after they switch to the network patch....someone's bound to have an idea......thanks again for the info
Eugene KG4AVE

 

[neondesert]

Greetings....I still have the question I asked in an earlier post.....will I still be able to monitor LVMP after they switch to the network patch....someone's bound to have an idea......thanks again for the info
Eugene KG4AVE

I don't think anyone is going to be able to give you a 100% accurate answer to this question. (This is OS we are talking about remember) The best you will get is speculation. I'm not trying to be flip about this, but I'll believe it when I see it. Or in this case when I can no longer hear it. :roll:

 

[Ensnared]

I wonder if someone will be able to eventually monitor Open Sky? At one time, ProVoice was not subject to monitoring, but some are already doing that now.

 

[Eugene]

Ha......thanks Neondesert, didn't think you were being flip. I have not heard much good about Open Sky systems. I guess I will just enter everything and then like you guys....wait and hear (or not hear). Thank God nobody here in Virginia has gone to that madness yet.

 

[neondesert]

Sent out by the head of Metro's Communications Bureau.

Let's mark these dates on the calendar and see what happens. As was mentioned in one of the other posts here, we'll see if Harris gives the "GO AHEAD" on said dates.

Wouldn't it be better to do the switch over on Grave Shift where there isn't much traffic just in case something happens. Someone's not thinking (do they ever?)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are ready to turn off the connection between the old and the new radio system. The schedule and impact for this is as follows.

· Monday March 28, 2011 @ 12:00 noon – Turn off patches connecting the area commands on the old and new systems. Turn on area command channel connection to the Network First Switch

o Impact – All agencies with authorization to use our “INFO” channel must use only the info channel. Dispatch will not hear them on an area command channel.

o Impact - Media and public will continue to hear the area command traffic via our Network First switch.

· Tuesday July 5, 2011@ 12 Noon – Network First connection will be turned off.

o Impact - No one will be able to hear metro channels unless using a Desert Sky radio with exception of info channel.

o Impact – Media will no longer be able to hear our area command channels unless they have purchased a radio, had it programmed by us, and signed the attached agreement. This agreement may change slightly once reviewed by legal.

We are sending letters and/or e-mails this week to all the agencies we have identified as having agreements with the LVMPD.

Well it's almost 4pm here in Vegas and I haven't noticed any anything different while listening to Metro so far. Maybe I'm not supposed to, not fully understanding what the "Network First Switch" is.

How about anyone else?

 

[SCPD]

Well it's almost 4pm here in Vegas and I haven't noticed any anything different while listening to Metro so far. Maybe I'm not supposed to, not fully understanding what the "Network First Switch" is.

How about anyone else?

You should not notice any difference after the First network switch over. The next in July is the big one when you loose the capabilities to monitor Metro on your scanner.

 

[neondesert]

You should not notice any difference after the First network switch over. The next in July is the big one when you loose the capabilities to monitor Metro on your scanner.

Thanks brechtd. Actually, It won't be that big of a difference in July (if in fact it happens then) because you can hardly understand them now. I've been trying to listen to them exclusively for the past several days and can only take so much of it. Between sounding like a poor quality first generation digital cell phone call and the dispatchers having to ask units to repeat themselves or call them on a landline, it looks like the soon to be Las Vegas Secret Police will finally get what's been promised to them.

 

[area51rezident]

Thanks brechtd. Actually, It won't be that big of a difference in July (if in fact it happens then) because you can hardly understand them now. I've been trying to listen to them exclusively for the past several days and can only take so much of it. Between sounding like a poor quality first generation digital cell phone call and the dispatchers having to ask units to repeat themselves or call them on a landline, it looks like the soon to be Las Vegas Secret Police will finally get what's been promised to them.

The patching between the systems has a LOT to do with the sound quality. One system is 'ancient' analog technology while the other is current digital (P25 Phase II equivalent 4 slot) technology. The T5 console that is in use at the dispatch center is the weak link in the mix...as it is where the audio patching (mixing) is occurring and there are issues with the T5 that the vendor is not able to (or willing) to support anymore. That console was EOL'd (end of lifed) last year...

 

[SCPD]

The patching between the systems has a LOT to do with the sound quality. One system is 'ancient' analog technology while the other is current digital (P25 Phase II equivalent 4 slot) technology. The T5 console that is in use at the dispatch center is the weak link in the mix...as it is where the audio patching (mixing) is occurring and there are issues with the T5 that the vendor is not able to (or willing) to support anymore. That console was EOL'd (end of lifed) last year...

Rather strange, I found no difference in audio on patch or non-patched channel / talkgroup. Listen to a dispatch channel then switched to a traffic and chat talkgroup and they all sounded the same to me.

 

[area51rezident]

Rather strange, I found no difference in audio on patch or non-patched channel / talkgroup. Listen to a dispatch channel then switched to a traffic and chat talkgroup and they all sounded the same to me.

Lucky you...you didn't mention if they sounded 'equally good' or equally bad...and are you referencing audio from:

a. A dispatch console
b. A VHF user (pretty much only Tom units left there)
c. A Desert Sky user being cross patched

Oh...and have you had the opportunity to listen to DesertSky audio on a DesertSky radio recently bypassing all of the audio processing that is incorporated through the console patch?

 

[E5911]

open sky switch

Will rural units keep vhf capability? Are there enough sites to cover 700 in the rural resident areas?

 

[2wayfreq]

I would hope that at least ONE agency has success with Open sky. Lets hope that its not a disaster like Milwaukee or Angola,IN. Well, NLVPD, San Bernardino County Sheriff,CHP and surrounding agencies would still need to be able to talk to them here and there. I would hope there is some kind of patching or Mutual Aid 700MHz etc. It wouldn't be wise to become a communications "island".

 

[radioron231]

Network first is the solution that allows them to interface OS with other systems. So if they have set it up with neighboring jurisdictions they can monitor or talk to other agencies. Plus all the radios have 700/800 mhz conventional nationwide freqs programmed into them.

 

[crazynova]

I would hope that at least ONE agency has success with Open sky. Lets hope that its not a disaster like Milwaukee or Angola,IN. Well, NLVPD, San Bernardino County Sheriff,CHP and surrounding agencies would still need to be able to talk to them here and there. I would hope there is some kind of patching or Mutual Aid 700MHz etc. It wouldn't be wise to become a communications "island".

Metro's INFO channel (the channel that rural units use) is going to remain "patched" forever. This allows resident officers to use VHF radios where there may not be coverage with the new system, or if a repeater site goes down due to a storm or something. It also allows agencies to talk to each other in a major incident, since all agencies in the area have access to that channel.

As for units using VHF, there are no more units using VHF. While a patch is still being broadcast until July, VHF radios do not have the ability to talk on the system any longer.

 

[bikinjohn]

Does anyone know if the PL tones for the VHF patch are any good anymore? I have my scanner setup with the Metro freq's but haven't input any PL tones yet and seem to get some static. when no one's talking. I'm hoping that they do work and that would cut down on the scanner stopping on the channel that has no one talking