Northwest Central to StarCom Update

Awesomeman92 · Jun 9, 2012

This is something that I believe has been out in the open for a while (NWCD switching to their own part of StarCom), but the minutes from the last Executive Committee meeting provide some interesting information regarding consolidation of talkgroups, as well as the overall progress of the upgrade. Sounds like there may be some installing/testing going on within the next month or so.

The full minutes are here in a PDF file: http://nwcds.org/pdf_files/NWCDS Exec Comm Meeting 3.15.12.pdf

Let's just hope they say no to encryption..

motorolax · Jun 10, 2012

Last time I heard there will be no encryption.

Awesomeman92 · Jun 10, 2012

I've heard different people saying there will be encryption, and some saying there won't be. I know a Mt. Prospect officer, next time I talk to him (might be a while though) I'll see what he knows about it. I've also seen in CARMA emails talk of them going to the county system, I highly doubt that's true, mainly because NWCD has a large amount of towns that would be forced onto an already fairly crowded system; plus I've heard fire will be in the clear wherever it goes, and I doubt the county would allow anything in the clear on their sites. I also remember one of my inside sources saying they got radios for the county system to test, but decided not to go with it sometime last year.

multiplex · Jun 10, 2012

Does anyone have the new frequencies new starcom.

Does anyone have the new frequencies for the new NORTHWEST CENTRAL STARCOM TALKGROUP ?

gewecke · Jun 10, 2012

A little more info please?

73,
n9zas

multiplex · Jun 11, 2012

more info

I was wondering what site will NORTHWEST CENTRAL be on and if anybody has the frequencies for the talk system . yet , so i can store in my p 25 scanner . I hope the system is stronger than what they are on now , you pretty much have to be in the area to pick up their system , im in glen ellyn il and cant pick them up .

Awesomeman92 · Jun 11, 2012

multiplex said:
I was wondering what site will NORTHWEST CENTRAL be on and if anybody has the frequencies for the talk system . yet , so i can store in my p 25 scanner . I hope the system is stronger than what they are on now , you pretty much have to be in the area to pick up their system , im in glen ellyn il and cant pick them up .

From what I've heard and understand, they're installing their own system that will be connected to StarCom, similar to what Champaign County did. I have not seen any information on frequencies yet, they're just in the installation process now, so we should (hopefully) have some information in the coming few months.

multiplex · Jun 11, 2012

Thanks !!!

Please keep us updated on NORTHWEST CENTRAL dispatch center.

JT-112 · Jun 13, 2012

The Streamwood site looks to be either the same site as the DuPage site, or it's co-located.

rbrtklamp2 · Jun 14, 2012

sixtytwo said:
The Streamwood site looks to be either the same site as the DuPage site, or it's co-located.

Dupage County is putting a Dupage-Ducomm simulcast site on a water tower in streamwood for better coverage from the system for the north/northwest towns in dupage that will be switching to Starcom21. I am pretty sure that the site they are putting up in streamwood is for the Dupage County simulcast and has nothing to do with NWCD.

Bob

Awesomeman92 · Jun 14, 2012

Something that might be worth keeping in mind is that I remember reading in another minutes file (http://nwcds.org/pdf_files/NWCDS BOD Meeting 03.15.12.pdf) mention of 700mHz, more specifically the D-block. Not sure why this would be brought up in a Board of Directors meeting, since they don't have any operations anywhere on 700 right now. Wouldn't be too surprised to see the new system on 700, since I'm guessing at least the Schaumburg system and maybe the Hoffman/Streamwood analog system might be retained for use by Public Works and maybe some other city services. 800 is pretty crowded around here, 700 makes more sense. At least to me.

JT-112 · Jun 14, 2012

rbrtklamp2 said:
Dupage County is putting a Dupage-Ducomm simulcast site on a water tower in streamwood for better coverage from the system for the north/northwest towns in dupage that will be switching to Starcom21. I am pretty sure that the site they are putting up in streamwood is for the Dupage County simulcast and has nothing to do with NWCD.

Bob

Then why is it in the NWCD board report, listed as a site for the new NWCD system?

ilgrant · Jun 14, 2012

Bob-

Both DuPage Simulcast and NWCD are on (or will be on) the Streamwood site as independent systems from what I have read.

rbrtklamp2 · Jun 14, 2012

ilgrant said:
Bob-

Both Dupage Simulcast and NWCD are on (or will be on) the Streamwood site as independent systems from what I have read.

I am not up to date as you gentleman on all the happenings with these radio systems in cook county. I only heard about the stream wood Dupage Simulcast as my town will be transitioning to the system sooner or later. As far as NWCD is concerned 700 MHz would make sense I just hope it isn't subject to the same simulcast problems we are currently having with tower 101. But by all means I am no expert when it comes to cook county what I posted was my view of the situation and had no idea NWCD would be putting a site on the water tower for their new system as well, I stand corrected.

Have a good day guys and thanks for the info,
Bob

ilgrant · Jun 14, 2012

Maybe someone can confirm but I was under the impression that NWCD is taking the existing frequencies of all the agencies on 800 to use on the new system.

Awesomeman92 · Jun 14, 2012

ilgrant said:
Maybe someone can confirm but I was under the impression that NWCD is taking the existing frequencies of all the agencies on 800 to use on the new system.

The language to me sounds like they're creating an entirely new system. They can't really "recycle" their current frequencies while they're still using them (as far as I know) on the current systems, which they'd have to do since the new site is supposed to be online for testing soon, but they're not cutting over to it until at least the end of the year. Plus, I doubt public works and other city services in Elk Grove, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, etc. that have nothing really to do with NWCD would switch to the new StarCom system. Just seems to me that it'd be easier for them to start from scratch, but I could be wrong.

Awesomeman92 · Jul 25, 2012

Another quick update. The latest Executive Committee meeting minutes (that took quite a while for them to upload) state that coverage testing for the new NWCD system will take place in August and September. No mention of encryption, no mention of channels, nothing much other than that. It also makes mention of the CAD problems. One other bit of interesting news is that it makes a clear distinction between 4 StarCom sites and 10 NWC (I'm assuming it stands for Northwest Central?) sites, leading me to believe they'll be their own site, not an addition to the 1-015 Cook North simulcast as I had seen in some other posts.

Full file here http://nwcds.org/pdf_files/NWCDS Exec Comm Meeting 5-17-12.pdf

motorolax · Sep 23, 2012

Wonder when they are going to start testing.

Awesomeman92 · Sep 23, 2012

Well with a target cutover date of late October (as stated in the minutes from a July meeting) I would imagine they'd have to start pretty soon. I've heard radio techs in the past few months on the Schaumburg system, but they never said what they were doing, I'd imagine they were working on one of the new sites in Schaumburg though.

JT-112 · Sep 24, 2012

Awesomeman92 said:
The language to me sounds like they're creating an entirely new system. They can't really "recycle" their current frequencies while they're still using them (as far as I know) on the current systems, which they'd have to do since the new site is supposed to be online for testing soon, but they're not cutting over to it until at least the end of the year. Plus, I doubt public works and other city services in Elk Grove, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, etc. that have nothing really to do with NWCD would switch to the new StarCom system. Just seems to me that it'd be easier for them to start from scratch, but I could be wrong.

If you remember, ISP went from EDACS to SC21 in just such a instantaneous cutover. Same for D15 800 MHz freqs, they went from conventional one moment to SC21 trunked the next.

It can be done. But of course that doesn't mean that's how it will happen. But if you pool the existing Schaumburg freqs with the NWCD analog freqs (Streamwood, HE) and the NWCD digital freqs (AH, Palatine, Buff Grove, etc) - you probably have what you need.

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