I have noticed the last few days that Bridgeport is not using CH.1 P25 they are using Ch.5 analog. Did they have a problem with the P25 channel?
Bridgeport Ch. 1 P25?
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coolrich55
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When I was there a couple weeks ago both those channels were patched together.
They are not even talking on the P25 anymore. I get them no problem all the time here in Portland and just recently I get nothing other then the analog channel #5
They are now using digital again
CH1 & 5 have been patched together for a few years now, If they have to do maintenance on CH1 they will change to CH5 for a while. They can change to the back up TX site also, it does not cover as well as the primary site so that could cause you not to hear CH1
Rumor has it that the patch will be down and CH5 will be Digital by summer
Rumor has it that the patch will be down and CH5 will be Digital by summer
More like summer 2016 but it is happening
Hey I'm just glad that they didn't go encrypted like the PD did!
Manny
Manny
When they reprogram, CH 1 & CH 5 will have selectable encryption to pass sensitive information and full time for fire/arson investigation by the marshals office on CH5
On the good news front rumor has it from a good source the Stamford FD will be dropping the Encryption on most of their channels
Ok then! I don't understand why channel-1 needs encryption though. They should just take one channel ( like they don't have enough ) and use IT for sensitive information on a full time encrypted basis. Sensitive info should never go on a primary fire dispatch channel when you have other channels available. Keep 5 encrypted, with access to that channel on both sides ( dispatch and field units ) and leave 1 alone, for example.Just a thought
Manny
I'm sure they don't care if the scanner heads understand or not, they are going to do what's best for the department, as they should.
Sounds nice in black and white but it hardly ever happens in real life! A lot of the people who are in charge of communications related matters don't have a clue what is "best for the department", just whatever Motorola or whatever radio shop rep talks them into believing that they need and how cheap they can get it for.! Oh and I prefer the term scanner monitor instead of the one you used, thanks!
Manny
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I know many of the people in departments that are in charge of communications, and they all have a good grasp of what is going on and use all the tools available to them to make the correct choices on how to run their radio systems and one of those tools is their radio vendor
At the high side of things MAYBE 100 people (and I'm pushing it) care if Bridgeport FD uses encryption sometimes, The problem is people think they are entitled to listen to communications LIVE, and this is totally untrue. You might have the right to listen to the communications but nothing says they have to let you listen LIVE.
Be happy with what you have for the hobby
At the high side of things MAYBE 100 people (and I'm pushing it) care if Bridgeport FD uses encryption sometimes, The problem is people think they are entitled to listen to communications LIVE, and this is totally untrue. You might have the right to listen to the communications but nothing says they have to let you listen LIVE.
Be happy with what you have for the hobby
I am very happy with what I have for the hobby. I do not think that I am entitled to anything in regards to the monitoring hobby. Police / Fire / EMS are such a limited part of the radio frequency spectrum that it isn't worth getting upset over. Encryption in the fire dept is not always a good idea!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...a741b8-b19f-11e4-886b-c22184f27c35_story.html
http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/loc...cy-radio-encryption-to-stop-dc-fire/23220767/
Manny
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...a741b8-b19f-11e4-886b-c22184f27c35_story.html
http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/loc...cy-radio-encryption-to-stop-dc-fire/23220767/
Manny
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Well as anyone in the radio industry would know, Encryption had nothing to do with those issues.
Most people who run to Encryption as a problem have no idea how radio systems work with encryption now days.
Manny
Im with you. After growing up in Bridgeport and working 25 yrs on the Fire Dept until my
retirement. I now live upstate but still enjoy listening to the Fire Dept when I go down that
way. Growing up we often listened to the P.D and F.D. Now I cant even listen to the police.
I could see encryption for narcotics or detectives, But not for other calls. I think these days
its a good sales pitch to tell a Dept they need encryption.
Im with you. After growing up in Bridgeport and working 25 yrs on the Fire Dept until my
retirement. I now live upstate but still enjoy listening to the Fire Dept when I go down that
way. Growing up we often listened to the P.D and F.D. Now I cant even listen to the police.
I could see encryption for narcotics or detectives, But not for other calls. I think these days
its a good sales pitch to tell a Dept they need encryption.
MrAntiDigital
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Well, I couldn't have said it better myself, only I didn't work on the Bridgeport Fire Dept.
I grew up in Bridgeport myself. Bridgeport was ALWAYS one of the busiest places for both the police and fire departments. Turning your scanner on to all the action was just so easy and you could follow non-stop activity. What a great hobby.
For the Fire Department it was:
1) 153.77 MHz (Main Dispatch)
2) 153.83 MHZ (Fireground)
3) 153.89 MHZ (Secondary Fireground)
For the Police Department it was:
1) 154.725 MHZ (Main Dispatch)
2) 155.43 MHZ (MV checks/secondary dispatch)
For years, actually DECADES, EVERYTHING worked out just fine. It was a very simple and inexpensive hobby to do. Myself and maybe one or two other guys would meet up in the evening, grab a few coffees and follow the action. From car accidents, to shootings, and serious building fires. As long as we never got in the way, "everything was a go". In fact some of the police officers even got to know us. I think it was a mutual respect for all. They knew we were NOT their enemy. In most neighborhoods, we were the minorities who supported them.
Then along comes the radio salesmen. Tells them they need to change. A very simple system now becomes a very complicated system. Basically, the days of following the police action ends. There's nobody out there able to film all the "good things" that those Bridgeport Police officers do. Or the reality of what those Bridgeport Police Officers go through every night in the streets.
For the Fire Department, it is still possible to chase their calls. A busy place like Bridgeport is the place to watch for anybody interested in learning how it's done. From serious car accidents to a building fire with people trapped.
New York City put a digital radio system to work for their EMS in the very busy South Brooklyn Zone. After putting it to the test, the proving ground showed it just wouldn't work. As a result, after that pilot program, it was decided that NO EMERGENCY UNITS (Police, Fire, EMS) would operate under a digital radio system.
If a place like NYC has no problems operating on high and ultrahigh band radios instead of a digital radio system, why would it be so necessary for other places like Bridgeport to do so. About the only thing that really came out of Bridgeport Police going digital, and now the Bridgeport Fire Department may be going digital too is "It cost the taxpayers a lot more money and somebody makes themselves a lot of money on it".
Good thing they didn't suck New York City into that kind of system. Imagine the useless money that would have cost !!!
As far as a great hobby listening to the Bridgeport Police and Fire Dept., "I'm just glad I was able to do that and see what I saw in those streets". Do I know how Encryption works ? I hate to admit it but, "I really have no idea". But I'm willing to bet, "A place like New York City does".
MrAntiDigital
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Thank you "N1SQB" for providing us with this very interesting information. Of course there are plenty of other places where this has not worked well besides DC. Major cities I'm talking. Where BILLIONS of DOLLARS has been completely, unnecessarily wasted, on similar projects. There is plenty of documentation out there today to support that.
If only they had followed the footsteps of a place like New York City. If it wasn't accepted there, why didn't other cities look farther into it too. Rather than just "BLOW Thousands of Dollars" listening to a sales person who was really only concerned with lining their own pockets.
In some cases the damage is already done. What I'm trying to say is that for a place like Bridgeport, just leave the fire department radios alone and just be glad they are working much better than other places that DID make that change.
lensam
Member
Today I hear digital and analog on my old radio so something is going to happen. Next time I see the new chief I'm gonna try to bribe him with a coffee and ask if he could un-encrypt PD Ch 1 so we can listen in once again. I was told that they wanted to stay one step ahead of the criminals and media, but the low life criminals aren't gonna spen $500 on a radio and the dept gave the media radios so they can monitor and chase calls like they did before, just so contractors can make a buck and pass it on to taxpayers.
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