Brunswick Co. to upgrade their emergency radio system

[SCPD]

No they had 4 pairs as opposed to 3 so each user was using 4/3 channels instead of 1

 

[ts548]

No they had 4 pairs as opposed to 3 so each user was using 4/3 channels instead of 1

So they had 4 pairs for control channels? That would be the only reason to need 4 pairs. You don't need a frequency pair for each Talkgroup. A TG is nothing more then a "virtual" channel inside the system.

 

[SCPD]

That's what I'm saying, a 3 channel conventional system would be more spectral efficient than a trunked system with only 3 TGs using 4 repeater pairs.

 

[central_il]

Brunswick County patrol vehicles get new VIPER system installed

Brunswick County patrol vehicles get new VIPER system installed | Crime | South Brunswick News

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – The patrol vehicles of the Brunswick County sheriff’s office are getting an upgrade that they've been waiting on since January.

At the beginning of the year, Brunswick County was approved for a new public safety radio system.

Officials stated in a press release that installation of the new VIPER system has begun and will take several weeks for all of the vehicles to have the equipment.

The sheriff’s office has reportedly set a goal to have all the vehicles updated by Memorial Day weekend.

Fast forward to June, I can now follow Brunswick County Sheriff "Full Time" now on VIPER. I can only speak for the Viper Wilmington site. Unsure if they still use UHF or what. Would like to hear feedback on how others are now listening to Brunswick County traffic.

Thanks

 

[SCPD]

I really don't understand the poor coverage anyway. Don't seem like we have that much trouble up here in the mountains. Doesn't UNC-TV have a 6 or 700 ft tower at Winnabow? That's almost as high (above average terrain) as our one site here. Granted there are a few spots where an HT won't get out but that's with just one site. With the one site in the county and those in neighboring counties I think VIPER covers almost everywhere.

 

[kf4yag]

poor coverage

I did some testing on VIPER with a portable (HT), a moto 2500. On Holden Beach, East of the bridge, most of the time i would get a no service tone, other time it would be garbled on even receiving a signal. I would estimate that the coverage from the bridge to Lockwood Inlet is only 40 percent.
I understand this is the problem all the way to Southport and if you look at the site locations, it make perfect sense. the sites Brunswick County relies on are Pea Landing, Supply, Carlina Beach and Delco. draw a propogation map around it them and see the holes.

 

[central_il]

Brunswick fire departments finally hooking into VIPER radio network

Brunswick fire departments finally hooking into VIPER radio network

Source: Brunswick fire departments finally hooking into VIPER radio network | StarNewsOnline.com

Brunswick County was notified Wednesday that 400 radio identification codes were ready to be installed in fire department receivers throughout the county, ending a wait that has left some expensive new equipment idle.

Once installed, the identification codes will help the departments hook into the VIPER network, a wireless radio transmissions system advanced enough to connect emergency personnel statewide.

Anthony Marzano, emergency services director, said they will be installed and dished out within the next week in mostly portable handheld radios.

"(The 400) doesn't cover everything but allows us to cover all the fire department portables," said Marzano.

John Grimes, Leland Volunteer Fire and Rescue chief, said about 166 radios still need identification codes.

"They don't cover everything, but we ended up getting a doggone good portion of 'em," he said.

The news partially puts to rest months of mounting frustration from a shortage of identification codes for $2 million worth of equipment the county and fire departments bought through a grant.

Without the identification codes, Marzano has said it's like owning a cellphone without a phone number. The situation grew worse last year when the legislature cut funding for expansion of the program.

The system, monitored by the N.C. Highway Patrol, can handle only a certain number of radios on the network at one time.

The county's fire departments have been waiting for the codes for a year. The sheriff's office and paramedic crews received identification codes last summer.

In the interim, fire officials used the limited SmartLink radio system, which makes it hard to communicate with other county agencies.
The SmartLink system was also costing the county money through the lease of a radio tower. Marzano said the lease costs upward of $25,000.

"As frustrating as it was to wait, the state has seen the VIPER program explode," he said. "The state agencies did the best they could."

Edit: 1930 01/30/2012 1930

Local news reporting: Hundreds of VIPER radios arrive in Brunswick County

Source: http://www.wect.com/story/20876461/hundreds-of-viper-radios-arrive-in-bruns

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC - (WECT) - Hundreds of VIPER radios arrived in Brunswick County on Wednesday.

The radios will be used by fire fighter, EMS officials and other emergency workers in the county.

The state of North Carolina recently pushed local emergency services to sign onto the new VIPER radio system. It allows officials in Brunswick County to communicate with other law enforcement officers across the state.

The project has been in the works for a while and it is supposed to save the county $30,000.

Officials hope to have all emergency workers on the system by mid-February.

 

[oft]

Been picking up more traffic on Viper TGID

45488 b1b D BRUNSWICK FD Brunswick Fire Depts Fire-Tac

I guess the migration is now going forward.

 

[troymail]

Sounds like more frequencies needed to be added to the Brunswick sites of Viper to support the additional users.

Anyone see any indications of new frequencies?

 

[central_il]

Brunswick County Update

Everybody likes an update.

Part 1

Emergency officials prepare for new radio system - WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather & sports Wilmington, NC

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Brunswick County officials are preparing to take their services to the next level.

Emergency services received its final shipment of VIPER radio identifications. Officials are now trying to get everything up and running so responders can use the new state system.

"What this means for us is we are going to be on a state of the art radio system with brand new, dependable equipment that's going to allow us to connect all the various responders that need to talk to each other in an emergency," said emergency services director Anthony Marzano. "It's something we have struggled with in the past."

The county received more than 1,000 radios for the upgrade.

This new system will allow Brunswick County to tap into New Hanover and Horry counties.


Part 2


Equipment issues create problems for emergency responders - WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather & sports Wilmington, NC

Equipment issues create problems for emergency responders
Posted: Jun 25, 2013 5:37 PM EDT

OAK ISLAND, NC (WECT) – Emergency equipment issues for one part of Oak Island could delay how fast emergency workers are able to respond in the case of an emergency.

Fire Chief Chris Anselmo says workers are having reception problems with their portable communication units throughout a five-and-a-half-mile stretch between Northeast 64th Street and Caswell Beach Drive.

Anselmo says it's an equipment problem that they've been dealing with for weeks, adding that the problem lies with the Viper radio units that are used by emergency stations throughout Brunswick County.

Anselmo says they've had reception issues and problems with page outs between that five mile stretch. According to the chief, tones are going out – but the voice is not activated.

Luckily, the fire department hasn't had to deal with any major injuries or emergency situations, but Chief Anselmo says he's concerned about what could happen if the problem isn't fixed quickly.

"Timely response is key to anything that we do," said Anselmo. "It all flows smoothly from the first 911 call until the response is complete, and you have to have a good communication system for that to work."

Chief Anselmo says they have brought this to the attention of the county manager, as well as the county emergency services director.

Anselmo, along with the police chief and the town manager, has plans to meet with county leaders July 2 to discuss possible solutions.

 

[troymail]

Amazing. I really wouldn't expect there to be reception/service issues in the area given the low elevation and lack of tall/dense buildings. Might there be something in the area causing some type of interference - cell towers, etc?

 

[central_il]

Update Part 2

Greetings,

Talkgroup 45488 for Brunswick County Fire has been very active to include Oak Island FD. What I believe is being done is paging is done exclusively on VHF (see below freqs) and all other traffic is on VIPER talkgroup 45488. In regards to Oak Island, I believe nearest tower for Viper would be Carolina Beach Site. With FF turnout gear and inside buildings, I can see why VIPER portables might not work.

Here is list of active freqs I have confirmed still being used as of today.

154.3700 CTCSS 186.2 WNAN295 OAK ISLAND FIRE DISPATCH
155.5200 CTCSS NONE WPXX647 BRUNSWICK COUNTY FIRE/EMS

I have been running Unitrunker past several days on VIPER Wilmington Site (868.5875 MHz) and see plenty of new radio affiliations from Brunswick County Fire talkgroup.

Haven't heard any traffic on old LTR system. Perhaps Govdeals is good place.

Thanks for the individual(s) responsible for Brunskwick County WIKI:

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Brunswick_County_(NC)

Have also logged plenty of Brunswick County Fire units TALK and AFFILIATE on New Hanover County P25.

Have Happy and Safe 4th of July

 

[kf4yag]

Coverage issues

I am a user on the VIPER system, for those of you who don't know me. If you place our tower info into any propagation software, it will be plainly obvious why OI fire (and all the other beaches) are having issues. They are simply outside of the coverage area for the site locations.

More food for thought;
The NC VIPER system was first designed for the NC Highway Patrol and built for the there requested standards. It was not designed for a statewide public safety net initially. SHP requested a system with 95% street coverage and this is what we have. Now, it makes perfect sense that they would request this type of coverage, because that is where the troopers all work.
Since 9-11, all the other agencies have been rampantly moving to the VIPER system to get compliant with federal standards for interoperability.
Another thought. UHF radio frequencies (say 400 MHZ through 1GHZ or so) are not effected a whole lot by man made objects, but are more effected by organic objects. Like all these tall pine trees with millions of UHF wavelength antennas hanging all over them. Before you say I'm crazy, think about it. The average length of a pine needle is 5-7 inches. They are organic (lots of water at the cellular level when green). These pine needles absorb the RF energy just like a radio antenna, but send it no where. Add a nice soaking afternoon thunderstorm and the high humidity we have and it just compounds the problem. In case you still have doubts, every system we have ever worked on has been worse during afternoon summer days and rain events. Just ask someone who have been a user since we were all on the conventional channels.
I only post this to give some explanation to part of our issues. Now the bigger deal is that the design engineers of the industry never consider this information so the system should have adequate coverage (using their theory).

More sites are needed in Brunswick County near the coastal beaches to fix the issue.

 

[kf4yag]

Rebanding

Does anyone have information on the re-banding occurring in BC. Any idea on how to make the needed corrections in the scanners we are all using?