2024 International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (Lindsay)

[w3rwn]

The International Plowing Match & Rural Expo kicks off October 1 to 8th in Lindsay.

International Plowing Match 2024

www.plowingmatch.org

There will be multiple farms and the Lindsay Exhibition Grounds used for the event which is expected to attract 70,000 people during the 5 day event.

https://www.plowingmatch.org/ipm2024/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IPM-2024-Map-Site.pdf

The Tented City, which is the big Farm Vendor display area will be at the Lindsay Ex (LEX)
Driving by the site today, there are several Office Trailers and a Paramedic Service/EMS Command Post on site.
A temporary electrical grid has been installed with many hydro poles and both high voltage and 120/240V distribution over the tented city area.
The "Operations Area" on this map is where the Paramedic Command Post was set up, as well as various office trailers.

https://www.plowingmatch.org/ipm2024/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IPM-2024-Map-Tented-City.pdf

IPM2024 Radios
I understand organizers have rented 200 portable radios from an Ottawa company.
They are apparently DMR, and have 16 channels/talk groups, and a radio tech will be on site during the event.
No word on whether they will be simplex/repeater operation.

Cell Capacity Augment
Informally I heard that organizers tried to reach out to the Cell Companies to make them aware of the event and to coordinate possible on site capacity augment (point-of-sale for food vendors etc relies on cell data).
Apparently it's really hard to make contact with anyone useful at the cell companies.
I'm told that attempts to contact the cell companies died at their customer care call centre.

 

[gary123]

Anyone attending should also search the 771-776 area for new LMRN frequencies, standalone temp sites. The same for The VHF LMRN band 141-144 for any new CC in use.

 

[w3rwn]

Lindsay Exhibition Grounds Today:

Cells On Wheels:
Rogers contractors and crews were on site and installing a COW in a fenced enclosure. They were hanging antennas with the boom lift.
The second COW didn't have any obvious markings. Probably Bell.

Operations Area:
The Operations Area was coming to life, and the Peterborough EMS Trailer/ESU was parked on site. Presumably on loan to Kawartha Lakes EMS. Several other office trailers are in the operations area.

It would be very sensible for MOH to deploy an on site 700 MHz repeater with VHF link to FleetNet. The equivalent to an OPP BEAT repeater.
At least, that would be a lot more sensible than having an ambulance idling for 5 days to run the VRS.

No Obvious Police Command Post yet:

When the IPM is held in an OPP area, they usually bring in the OPP Command Post. No sign of that yet.

Lindsay and Ops Township (where the IPM is located) is entirely within the Kawartha Lakes Police Service area, or as they are more often known, the Lindsay Town Cops. Kawartha Lakes/Lindsay does not have a Command Post trailer/bus, so I'm expecting that they will operate from an officer trailer, or perhaps borrow a command post from Peterborough City, Durham Police or OPP.

KLPS uses VHF P25, neighboring Police all use 700/800 Portables, so interop for any paid-duty officers from other forces will be interesting.

Watching for Provincial Deployable Comms:

It's still not tool late for some provincial 700 MHz deployable trunk site to show up to provide public safety event radio coverage, using a pool of provincially owned portables. It's always possible that BMR would be deploying it.

There is a 300 ft Bell Cell site about 1km from the fairgrounds, and I should drive by there and look to see if the tower has any new/recently installed antennas. That would be a logical place to deploy as backhaul connectivity exists.

 

[w3rwn]

Sunday evening prior to the IPM opening up on Monday.
New antennas appeared on one of the Office Trailers in the operations area. Appears to be a single dipole and dual dipole 400-470 MHz antennas. Probably for the rental radios.

 

[w3rwn]

Peterborough City Police have been assisting the Kawartha Lakes (Lindsay Town) Police with traffic direction around the Plowing Match sites on Kawartha Lakes Roads. Most notably at the crossing of Angeline St by the Passenger Wagons from the parking lot to the tented city.
Kawartha Lakes OPP have had cruisers and officers at the MTO Highway intersections 7 & 35 and 7 & Angeline to assist with traffic direction at busy times.

Nothing new in terms of antennas or radio frequencies.
Not sure whether Peterborough Police are using their own portable radios (800 MHz) on simplex or mobile repeater, whether they have been given VHF radios on KLPS channels, or if they are using rental radios from the Plowing Match organizers.

Radio Interoperability just doesn't even seem to be a thing in Canada compared to the US.
It would be logical that Police across Ontario would move toward 700/800 portables, and some common interoperability channels in their radios for events and emergency use cases.

 

[w3rwn]

Plowing match is over. Ford came for the VIP on a tractor photo op.