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- Feb 24, 2024
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If OPP were to encrypt, even the "First Available" then the traffic and highways would be chaos. I don’t believe it
First Available Tow
- Thread starter Bigpeezyweezy
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It's not an "if OPP were to encrypt" option at all. They will be 100% encrypted, end of story.
They've had several years to start coming up with a plan - I'm sure somethings in the works.
EJB
20 + year membership
The tow companies have had close to 5 years to prepare...something should be done.
The tows that are responsible for each area in the GTA might get TX inhibited radios , but to be honest i don't see this as an option. Maybe you will be called or texted when needed.
Or you can monitor the MTO talkgroups on PSRN if you can.
Think about your job. You probably have a boss who has bosses who tell you to do something and expect it to be done. The poop rolls downhill so to speak.
The Highways are big business, they carry millions of people a day and probably billions of $ in goods and such. Thug Ford was quick to put up signs near the border proclaiming "Ontario is open for business " so I think if something is not done right away and their is chaos Thug Ford and the MTO will hear it from cartage, logistics and drivers and something will be done.
You probably won't like what they do but they can't care about individuals and over time whatever happens it will be acceptable or tolerated.
There is no way a RX only radio will be released. Even the media have been told that it's not an option. No live/delayed streaming from OPP either. Information will be distributed via press releases or social media services. I did hear that OPP may be going to some type of dispatch app to each tow service on the list but not individual trucks. I think they are waiting for the migration and then see what needs to be done. Reactive rather than proactive.
There will be no "first available" channel once they switch to PSRN is what I'm told. With the MTO and OPP Tow Zone in effect, there is no need for it anymore.
This is mostly true. However, during snowstorms or during other types of high priority events, they do still call for the first available tow every now and again. I heard this as recent as less than 2-weeks ago on the Niagara Falls OPP talkgroups.
They have always had "tow" and "media" talkgroups, though they were never utilized, at least not to my knowledge. So, it would be interesting to see if they have them on the new Public Safety Radio Network (PSRN).
I hear police requested tow dispatches all the time in the GTA I imagine there will still be some sort of TG to dispatch them out on, unless the OPP wants to suffer and wait hours during a snow storm for one the "approved" tows to come around.
Time will tell if the MTO pilot program is a sucess...
The fun part about all of this for us here on RR, is we get to play detective and try to figure all of this out. I am sure they have plans in place for stuff like this... but who knows what they actually are.
It's very interesting reading this site and other forums of how many people don't know how to manually program their scanners. It's also very amusing to me how much panic this seems to be causing some people. I mean we all knew this was coming... it wasn't a secret.
The good thing is P25 scanners and radios are popping up for sale all over the place recently.
They had 3 conventional "Media" channels but no talkgroups. These channels were put in place since no P25 scanners existed at the time Fleetnet was rolled out.
I stand corrected. I thought I seen them a long time ago as talkgroups... Either way... statement stands as I've never heard any traffic on the channels. Although the encryption part is unfortunate, I do find it really interesting that they are finally upgrading the system. That's exciting.
EJB
20 + year membership
Exactly: tows will complain and bosses will tell them to make do.
If it becomes chaos and sorry drivers, it probably will maybe then the bosses will get something, whatever it is to help them.
Do these tow companies play for the tow zones they have now?
EJB
20 + year membership
Kid: what's fun about this?
That tow operators have no idea what they are going to do?
I know a few tow operators, they are worried they won't be able to work as they've done. People with partners, wives, husband's, and kids.
That we have lost the EMS to monitor?
Is it gonna be fun when we lose the MTOE, MNR and OPP? What's fun about that?
Is it fun that it isn't easy to get PSRN to work on many scanners?
I'm not having any fun, I'm watching Unitrunker and seeing things I've heard on a screen and I'm not going to hear them again.
What about media? They gonna have fun with absolutely no way to monitor. I'm speaking to a reporter about this. If he does the story I'll send you a link.
You know why when you post something like this why I react.
Conclusion: encryption is no fun.
EJB
20 + year membership
It's ok I'm sure a tow operator will let me know.
What do you mean by manually program scanners?
By hand or using software.?
I've been doing it for 22 years now. By hand and by software.
.
Programmed thousands of different lists systems and such.
I understand that the topic of encryption is a soft spot for some... clearly. However, I never once said that you didn't know how to program a scanner. I think you took something I said on a personal level, when that wasn't intended towards you - rather it was just a general comment. But that's okay, I will forgive you for the confusion.
What I meant by "manually programming scanners" is that there's a lot of people who have ZERO idea in what they are doing. If you take that "import from Radio Reference" button away, there's a lot who would be royally screwed.
As I mentioned earlier, I understand encryption is a soft spot, from a technical standpoint, I find it very entertaining on decoding new systems, tracking down talkgroups, repeater sites, etc. The fact that more and more people are going encrypted sucks for everyone... not just you.
However, maybe if we took some advice from our friends across the water and stood up to our local governments, maybe you could get the encryption keys turned off for some talkgroups. Like everything, there is a time and a place when it could prove to be useful for things such as covert operations.
I see this over and over again here in Canada... we all know something is coming, we wait until it happens, then we cry the blues about it. Instead of standing up and coming together to fight against it. I believe with tow truck drivers, media, other scanner enthusiasts, you, and myself, we could have probably put up a relatively good fight. But instead, here we are... hiding on the internet fighting each other about something way out of our control. Unfortunately, this is productive to you, not to me, and for sure not to anyone on the forums.
Maybe because I am much younger than you, I see things in a different light than you do... but truthfully, the technical side of all of this is fascinating to me. The fact that people are going to lose jobs, money, houses, cars, etc... well again, we should've formed together and fought against it. Or at the very least... tried to. It's easy to say that "it never would've worked," but no one actually tried.
Isn't that the whole point of these forums to come together with common interests, and learn new things? I mean, isn't it okay that someone shares a different opinion than you? Or does that not fly here? Because it seems every post you have something to go at me for.
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I apologize for not understanding how things work up in Canada, but can't towing companies be put on a rotational list? and the dispatch calls the tow company? That is how it works in my area, or at least down the interstate where there are multiple tow companies. Tow dispatching in my area works by the troop dispatcher calling the tow company, then the tow dispatched by either CAD or POC.
sonm10. That is what the next available rotation list was used for. The biggest problem was the delays between deciding how many trucks and what type or truck IE regular, flatbed etc. It is not uncommon for trucks to be 30+ minutes between the original officer requesting a tow and it arriving. Like in the USA the long waiting time can create extra accidents or worse create traffic jams miles and miles long. The towing industry is very competitive up here and it is not uncommon for 10 or more trucks not on the list to pass the accident scene while everyone waits for the dispatched tow.
So far no efficient method has been found. We tried a first on scene gets the tow but that became a nightmare with tows running shoulders driving, like idiots running lights etc to be the first on scene. This was often coupled with questionable business practices where customers were screwed on pricing, trucks hooked and took vehicles obviously involver in causing the accident before LE arrives (often the case). Fights breaking out on who was first or who get to take the most damaged or profitable car and so on.
A call rotation was implemented but issues arose from some tows now taking forever to get on scene. Why hurry when the tow is guaranteed. This did not eliminate other tows scooping calls. so it too was abandoned.
The current system is tows are given a specific area to tow. Anything in that area is fair game provided its approved. This still has some issues with delays and scooping but for the mast part its what is used.
I am very much a supporter of the towing industry. Sometimes I feel that their input is ignored although the attitude of "only our company should be allowed towing in a 100 mile radius and WE decide on the rate and hook charges" attitude predominates a lot of the discussions. LOL one company actually suggested that a non refundable $1,500 cash fee should be paid up front by the vehicle owner. Aside from that the vast majority of the companies just want to provide a service and get a fair piece of the pie.
So far no efficient method has been found. We tried a first on scene gets the tow but that became a nightmare with tows running shoulders driving, like idiots running lights etc to be the first on scene. This was often coupled with questionable business practices where customers were screwed on pricing, trucks hooked and took vehicles obviously involver in causing the accident before LE arrives (often the case). Fights breaking out on who was first or who get to take the most damaged or profitable car and so on.
A call rotation was implemented but issues arose from some tows now taking forever to get on scene. Why hurry when the tow is guaranteed. This did not eliminate other tows scooping calls. so it too was abandoned.
The current system is tows are given a specific area to tow. Anything in that area is fair game provided its approved. This still has some issues with delays and scooping but for the mast part its what is used.
I am very much a supporter of the towing industry. Sometimes I feel that their input is ignored although the attitude of "only our company should be allowed towing in a 100 mile radius and WE decide on the rate and hook charges" attitude predominates a lot of the discussions. LOL one company actually suggested that a non refundable $1,500 cash fee should be paid up front by the vehicle owner. Aside from that the vast majority of the companies just want to provide a service and get a fair piece of the pie.
EJB
20 + year membership
Ok kid:
Let me ask you. The guys across the water is Niagara Falls NY or Europe?
.There are different laws regarding communications and the rights to listen in Canada. There is also a different mindset. More liberty than us while we have more collective, group rights than them.
Are you politically active? PSRN/LMRN is a provincial system made by a multi national company and using federal frequencies. Would you know when and where to start? And anyways if anyone was doing something I am pretty sure you wouldn't know about it...
Your young and haven't yet been knocked down by bosses, algorithms, managers and morons. Try it out. I spoke to my ward councilor in Burlington about HPS encrypted and he answered me back with the police chief
I'm hijacking the thread, you have a bit of a habit of saying the wrong thing or the wrong way at the wrong time.
And finally because I will never mention it again, when you were foolish enough to try to talk to Niagara Transit you left an impression with a bunch of us and it wasn't good. Nobody does something like that and if they did they'd get at least condemned ..
Your a youngster, I did tons of stupid stuff when I was young. Not gonna bug u again about this.
I love coming on here and reading completely wrong commentary from a large group of people who have no insight to the industry and not a clue as to what is actually going on... in towing or with PSRN. Watching some of you go back and forth is like watching a circle jerk.
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