was doing some googling about Tetra and came across this document about the Harris county system. Looks like it's in rough shape
Harris County
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MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
This is what happens when one tries to buy a Hyundai Elantra and run it on a race track. The TETRA system owned by Diverse Power was built for electric linemen and utility operations, and it evidently poorly maintained by the documented site visits. Cost cutting in public safety communications and selecting the wrong tools for the job always means more money spent later instead of "buy once, cry once". All of those agencies that bought the DMR Kool-Aid because it was "cheaper and just as good" as P25 are wait for it...migrating to P25 networks (Jackson, Paulding come to mind).
Do it right. Do it once.
Do it right. Do it once.
MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
They do, it's known as TETRAPOL but that isn't what Diverse Power implemented. TETRAPOL is also eventually, like P25 here in the states, converging with LTE and eventually, will be migrated over to mission critical LTE.
This is where those TRBO salesman are going to wake up and realize they sold the wrong sized tires, but by then, they'll have their golden parachute and like most sales turds be gggggonnnne.
interesting this seems to be an Airbus company. I never knew that
19-685
Member
I've often wondered if anyone with one of the AOR AR-DV1 or AR-DV10 receivers tried to research/monitor the Harris County/Diverse Power TETRA system with the TETRA decoding ability of those radios?
I know... I know... an expensive experiment for the average hobbyist to try and monitor one of the VERY FEW TETRA systems that ever made it stateside here in the U.S.
That plus the rural nature of Harris County (other than the KIA plant in West Point) probably didn't lend itself to anyone at least trying.
Just had to ask....
I know... I know... an expensive experiment for the average hobbyist to try and monitor one of the VERY FEW TETRA systems that ever made it stateside here in the U.S.
That plus the rural nature of Harris County (other than the KIA plant in West Point) probably didn't lend itself to anyone at least trying.
Just had to ask....
I read most of the report that you linked to, and it sounded like a couple of the major issues were very poor coverage and lack of maintenance of the infrastructure. The report pointed out that the system was never designed for in-building portable coverage. I'm sure most of the public safety TETRA systems in Europe work better simply because they are maintained properly and are spec'd to provide necessary coverage.
What I think is especially interesting is that the report is dated 2022 and is a followup to a report generated in 2017 that evidently said basically the same thing (according to the 2022 report). The report recommended three possible improvements: expanding the TETRA system, building a standalone P25 system, or joining/expanding a neighboring P25 system. But I just looked at the RadioReference database for Harris County and it seems to indicate that the Sheriff is now using a couple of Hytera XPT DMR trunked systems. What would possess these people to pay a consultant not once, but twice, to tell them that their radio system is broken and provide recommendations for fixing it, only to (apparently) completely ignore it? Makes my head spin.
I believe some people had posted about using SDR to listen to it a while back
FYI: prior to Tetra, Harris County was part of the Columbus/Muscogee County system. It's a P25, Phase II system. (All public safety is encrypted on that system at this time.) If I remember correctly, prior to that, they had their own VHF repeater system.
I wonder why the moved off the muscogee system?
I don't know. Maybe Diverse Power was cheaper. As far as I know, they had good service with Muscogee County. Someone told me the antennae are sill in place but the transmitters were removed.
Harris County is big enough and busy enough to have their own system. Aside from its own commercial activity, including Callaway Gardens, it serves as a bedroom community for both Atlanta and Columbus.
Harris County is big enough and busy enough to have their own system. Aside from its own commercial activity, including Callaway Gardens, it serves as a bedroom community for both Atlanta and Columbus.
Harris County currently has a RFP out for a turnkey P25 system and they elected to not retain Tusa to design the system, they choose to go with another vendor that was unbiased. I am very familiar with the county, The main complaint is the lack of coverage, They never approved supplemental sites over the 8 to 10 years that the system has been in use.
I live in Harris County and monitor daily. I use an RTL-SDR.
When it was a combined system Harris County was analog. I was one of the Motorola techs that maintained the old Columbus / Harris County system. Harris County did not go digital until Tetra.
Guys, a little insight to this mess...
Harris County has never had blanket radio coverage. We are a large county in regard to ground to cover, and there are some significant terrain challenges. When I worked as a Motorola technician well over a decade ago, I was responsible for maintaining the Columbus / Harris County SmartZone system. It was built on the Columbus side to provide county-wide portable coverage. The Harris County leg was only ever built to cover mobiles. Cost was prohibitive to build for portable coverage. When that system was replaced with the Tetra system, coverage was greatly increased for two reasons. One, there were many more sites involved. Two, the frequency was changed from 800MHz to 460MHz.
I monitor the Tetra system daily and I can tell you that Harris County has NEVER had coverage as great as it is now. Can the coverage be improved? Sure, if you install even more sites. Is Tetra the best option? I think that depends on what you are looking for and at what cost. I can say that they are getting one hell of a deal with what they are paying and have paid for what they currently have. As a local taxpayer, I have STRONG reservations about moving back to 800MHz. It is going to cost a fortune to get the coverage they are after. We just don't have that level of population to pay for something like that. We have the land, but not the people.
My opinion is that there are some exaggerated claims in the consultant report and that the consultant rubber stamped the reccomendation section by saying the solution is to go 800MHz P25. We have already been down that path. It is going to take a boat load of money to make that work to everyone's satisfaction. Not just the upfront cost, but the upkeep too.
Harris County has never had blanket radio coverage. We are a large county in regard to ground to cover, and there are some significant terrain challenges. When I worked as a Motorola technician well over a decade ago, I was responsible for maintaining the Columbus / Harris County SmartZone system. It was built on the Columbus side to provide county-wide portable coverage. The Harris County leg was only ever built to cover mobiles. Cost was prohibitive to build for portable coverage. When that system was replaced with the Tetra system, coverage was greatly increased for two reasons. One, there were many more sites involved. Two, the frequency was changed from 800MHz to 460MHz.
I monitor the Tetra system daily and I can tell you that Harris County has NEVER had coverage as great as it is now. Can the coverage be improved? Sure, if you install even more sites. Is Tetra the best option? I think that depends on what you are looking for and at what cost. I can say that they are getting one hell of a deal with what they are paying and have paid for what they currently have. As a local taxpayer, I have STRONG reservations about moving back to 800MHz. It is going to cost a fortune to get the coverage they are after. We just don't have that level of population to pay for something like that. We have the land, but not the people.
My opinion is that there are some exaggerated claims in the consultant report and that the consultant rubber stamped the reccomendation section by saying the solution is to go 800MHz P25. We have already been down that path. It is going to take a boat load of money to make that work to everyone's satisfaction. Not just the upfront cost, but the upkeep too.
"Rough shape" - It is actually in pretty good shape. The issues I saw listed in the report are in regard to building issues mostly. The designed coverage for the system is still excellent. Note that the complaints are 100% about portable coverage, which the system is not designed for. Some maintenance and some improvement can certainly be made, but nothing is in rough shape or performing as such. Listening to the traffic, it sure sounds like it is working well too.
MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
Why would a county knowingly put public safety users expecting portable radio coverage on a system designed for mobile coverage? Asking for a friend...
that makes sense. i could definitely see how they would embellish a little in their report. thanks for the insight
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