New Buncombe County Communication System

I found this a few minutes ago.. I can't find a lot of information on this company or their wares.. Should be interesting. This will be an interesting thing to follow:

Buncombe Commissioners: County to get free radio system | The Asheville Citizen-Times | citizen-times.com

Just my opinion but sounds to good to be true. I read the article. Why dont they just go to the Viper system like everyone else instead of going outside the US to get their system? I am intrested to find out what this "new system " is .

It looks like this may be a P25 system. Here is the web page for EADS communications division.

P25 Land Mobile Radio

Check out the Cumberland County, Tennessee.P25 system, the data base and forums. EADS built their 460MHz multi site system and it trunks and sounds great. They use Kenwood radios. Wonder what band Buncombe will choose. Using Uniden 396xt. If they choose 800 it could work with VIPER.

BG..

ncdadof3 said:

Just my opinion but sounds to good to be true. I read the article. Why dont they just go to the Viper system like everyone else instead of going outside the US to get their system? I am intrested to find out what this "new system " is .

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Once again, VIPER was never meant to take on every county in the state as their main radio system. It was designed to provide interoperability for responding units.

380,000$ per year - I understand it's going to be a 700 MHz system.

Good point! I got carried away. I am a big fan of Viper

According to the Emergency Services director, the system will be P25. Plans are still very very new and even he's unaware of the band that will be utilized or if it will be trunking/conventional. I'm gonna stay on this one over the summer and do some poking to see if I can get some more answers.

Yes the 700 MHz system is going to be brought in to buncombe co. the bad part is no department has any plane to use it as the radios are $2000+ so unless the decided to give us radios too this will not be used & we ( tax payers ) are going to pay for upkeep on something that isn't getting used... the departments just don't have the funds to get the equipment to use the system! @trumpetman if you want to message me ill give u the full story

Nate,

Check your PMs.

nate1992 said:

Yes the 700 MHz system is going to be brought in to buncombe co. the bad part is no department has any plane to use it as the radios are $2000+ so unless the decided to give us radios too this will not be used & we ( tax payers ) are going to pay for upkeep on something that isn't getting used... the departments just don't have the funds to get the equipment to use the system! @trumpetman if you want to message me ill give u the full story

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Here is the way I see it going. Your larger departmens, Skyland, Enka, West Buncombe, etc will be able to get new radio's pretty easy with their budgets. The other departments can apply for grants to cover their's. There is a ton of money setting and waiting to be spent in the name of "interoperability" And until that happens, I see the VHF system being patched to the 700 so the departments that can't get the radio's right off will still be able to communicate.

The city which has mentioned moving to VIPER would now be able to join the county system, even possible using the 3 current sites they have now to add the extra coverage, move to P25 also without having to spent a boatload of money. For the city it would be nothing more then just adding the template in their radio since the Motorola's come with 700/800.

ONE: The XTS3000 HT's and mobile counterparts Asheville uses are NOT 700 MHz capable. TWO: Asheville is in the midst of upgrading the current single site analog to an multi site Mixed Mode (Analog/Digital) system identical to VIPER. To be fully capable on an 700 MHz P-25, or any true P-25 system, they will have to replace ALL thier radios with XTS5000 or APX7000's and thier mobile counterparts. Not to mention replacing the base stations, repeaters, and so on and so forth. Interesting facts- A: Buncombe county only did half of its upgrade with the Tait gear that they were going to do. They upgraded/updated the VHF conventional system. That was just part one. Part two was to be upgrading to an LTR/LTR Passport TRS, UHF. That never happened. Buncombe County, which is one of the richest counties in NC (ie- most expensive to live in ), seems to have an history of not talking full steps to do what needs done communications wise. At least they DO have TG's on VIPER, as does Asheville... Time for some of them there supervisors to pull heads outta butts and get r done.. COMPLETELY!

Milf, your information seems a little dated... Most, if not all of the XTS3000s have been phased out and replaced with 5000s, I can speak for the crews at station 1, 4, & 5 (and 11 if you count driving by a wreck and seeing a bright yellow XTS5000). They are expecting digital VIPER talkgroups for Asheville & Buncombe County in the next re-programming. I can't say much for APD however I have seen a few XTS2500s & 5000s on their hips when they come by my work.

Asheville just recently added a fourth site at White Fawn Reservoir, just above McCormick Field to increase in-building coverage downtown; their license WNXR226 reflects the new site addition, along with the addition of a vehicular repeater pair. There is talk of an 8CALL/8TAC repeater(s) being installed soon as well, but I have not seen anything pop up in the FCC ULS.

One of the head personnel for VIPER in Buncombe County is a Captain down at AFD Station 4, so I'm sure they're doing just fine with VIPER, as they have been for a while (including a SAR call a few YEARS ago where VIPER was utilized to keep in contact with Buncombe EOC from Haywood/Jackson County area). There are also patchs/links availiable for the Sheriff's Dept. to VIPER; BCSO-TAC-2 is also patched to APD-MUT-AID fulltime now.

Though it may not be perfect, interoperability (yes I used the big I word) is fairing very well here in Buncombe County, specifically between the city & the county, and provided the county takes the route of AFD and keeps VHF in all of their rigs plus providing patches/links, it should continue to remain that way regardless of going to a fancy 700 MHz digital trunked system, or back to good old low band.

Shoot me a message if you've got any questions and I'll get ya caught up as best I can if you're interested

Most of the county has Duel Coms for mobiles which dose the high Mhz trunked & VHF this being the ones that run mutual aid with Asheville & vis virsa the departments that don't run mutual aid with the city might not as they don't have a need too!

Time to get the db updated to reflect the system has fully changed to an multi site smartzone.. And the mixed mode capability of the upgrade... LOL... Wonder if the county will sell off the VHF gear to surrounding needy areas??? *Starts asking Santa for a new list as my old one just went in the garbage can*

milf said:

Time to get the db updated to reflect the system has fully changed to an multi site smartzone.. And the mixed mode capability of the upgrade... LOL... Wonder if the county will sell off the VHF gear to surrounding needy areas??? *Starts asking Santa for a new list as my old one just went in the garbage can*

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Because the 700mhz system is the first of its kinda in the US & is from out of country i highly doubt it! also this once again comes back to the fack that some departments may not switch to the 700 Mhz system!
So no i don't for see the vhf system going offline or up for sell!

All though i am still some what skeptical over the hole deal. The more i read the more im looking forward to this! Pending on how its implements fire channels in to the system such as individual station channels/scene communication , Fire Com & dispatch i think a trunking system could be beneficial & improve communication over all. im some what excitedly awaiting the release of more information on this!

nate1992 said:

All though i am still some what skeptical over the hole deal. The more i read the more im looking forward to this! Pending on how its implements fire channels in to the system such as individual station channels/scene communication , Fire Com & dispatch i think a trunking system could be beneficial & improve communication over all. im some what excitedly awaiting the release of more information on this!

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The ones making the decisions would be stupid not to go trunking this day and age.

lol no comment

Zones Operational

I see that there is now a talk group listed for BCSO. I have been listening for a few days now and seem to be receiving the East and West sites, depending on my location, but I have yet to hear the Downtown site at all. I have heard no comms at all. I'm gonna try to run T88 when get a chance.
Chris