Helena pd

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medic9351301

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can anyone confirm if Helena pd is still active on vhf.
I heard them Wednesday night on the afrn .
They were patched from vhf.

do the do silent dispatch over mdts.
I go days without hearing them.
I would think they would at least do traffic stops .
 

jf911

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Helena Pd is currently transitioning to the AFRN shelby sites. they are currently patched in to it via vhf as some units do not have mobile radios in stalled but do have handhelds. All departments will be on the AFRN system hopefully by early next year.. All the 280 Corridor fire units are on the system, and each week a different agency is being transitioned..
 

Tracker44

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Hello, is (AFRN) an encrypted service ????
Or will you be able to still pick them up ??
What would it take to hear them ??
TNX
 

jf911

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It is not encrypted but some agencies may choose to encrypt certain channels i.e. tac channels, narcotics or investigations. As far as listing to the ARFN it should be as simple as getting a 700/800 mhz scanner that is P25 phase 1 compatible

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ohnofiveoh22

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I’m not sure. It’s second hand info but it’s said that the whole county is going to either be encrypted or they’re going to flick the switch and transition to phase 2.
 

medic9351301

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I have a very reliable source.
No dispatch channels will be encrypted.
as jf911 stated. encryption will be secondary channels.
the system will remain phase 1 .
If you look at the data base. It's will show what is encrypted.
It came from the same reliable source.

I hope the system admins don't read this.
I have seen admins that will read forums and get pissed.
And in retaliation they will encrypted everything.
 
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ohnofiveoh22

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Jf911 also said that HPD was patched and they never were during the transition. My reliable source says that if a certain “bug” can’t be worked out, and I doubt it can be, it’ll go to phase 2 as that’s what the system was designed to do anyways.
 

jf911

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What bug are we trying to get worked out? As medic stated my info is pretty reliable. From the get go this system was never meant to be phase 2

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jf911

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Jf911 also said that HPD was patched and they never were during the transition. My reliable source says that if a certain “bug” can’t be worked out, and I doubt it can be, it’ll go to phase 2 as that’s what the system was designed to do anyways.
I hear them talking on it and messing with the emergency button all night so yes they are patched

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ohnofiveoh22

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That wasn't them messing with the emergency button....that was part of the "issue" I spoke of earlier. And no, they are not patched.....I promise.
 

jf911

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Well I work for an agency I won't say but they are not transitioned yet and I have confirmed they are patched.

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ohnofiveoh22

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The issue is that 99 is filling up the repeater that 600 is supposed to be using (in easy terms) so 600 is redirected to a repeater that is further away thus killing their coverage. Also, 100 fire is bleeding over into 700 somehow so the idea is to go to phase 2 so that this won't happen. Unless, of course, they have another way of fixing it which hasn't been mentioned as of yet.
 

jf911

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600 will be using the Pelham tower that is behind the DMV on the mountain. I believe once everything is issued and such the problems will resolve.

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medic9351301

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so Pelham is going to come off telvue.
I am hearing Helena on telvue.
the way the system works is your in range of any tower .
your radio is going to lock in to that tower.
so the Pelham units that are on the north end of Hoover/ Pelham city limits will lock in to the tower.
I went to Selema and carried telvue way past the rest area on 65 sb .
 
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Patched Interference

Helena PD's VHF system was patched to their AFRN Talkgroup throughout the transition. The agency that was maintaining the patch has an entire antenna farm and the Alabaster Fire antenna was close enough to the Helena PD antenna that it was experiencing significant bleed over at times. As of Thursday afternoon, the patch has been taken offline and Helena started using the AFRN exclusively.

As there has been a reference of Pelham, I should state Pelham and Hoover are both independent system owners (they built their own towers) and are capable of making any decision independent of the rest of Shelby County.

Concerning the Shelby County System:

There is absolutely zero talk of encrypting Dispatch Channels. As JF911 stated Dispatch will remain clear, TAC and Speciality Channels will be encrypted at the agency's request. The Radio Reference Database is accurate on the currently encrypted talkgroups.

As for switching over to Phase II, Shelby County does not have any plans to switch from Phase I. There are multiple ways when administering the system to prevent an agency from using certain towers or prefer their own towers down to even a specific talkgroup or radio ID. So forcing the entire system to upgrade is a drastic solution compared to using the tools that are already available.
 

jf911

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i have tested the radio system all the way down into the deepest holes in pea ridge and there is not one place outside of a building that a walkie talkie doesnt work. i was down in bibb co and was actually talking off the telvue tower and the hoover hwy 150 tower. even though i was closer to the montevallo tower hills and valleys prevent that signal from getting all the way to the county line.
 
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