PENNSYLVANIA OPENSKY SYSTEM

[Colin9690]

Hello All,

I will be driving through Pennsylvania on a trip, and I need to know it Dept. Of Transportation, Turnpike Commision, and State police use that OpenSky System or their old conventional freqs.

Thanks for any help,
Colin

 

[scan-pa]

Hello All,

I will be driving through Pennsylvania on a trip, and I need to know it Dept. Of Transportation, Turnpike Commision, and State police use that OpenSky System or their old conventional freqs.

Thanks for any help,
Colin

There still on the VHF-High Band system, with no plans to move anytime soon.

 

[holly]

PennDOT is using OpenSky for voice in some counties. PaTPK has no immediate plans to move to OpenSky. PSP is using OpenSky for data in some counties.

 

[PhilaPoliceRadio]

It will probably be years for PSP to start using voice on their OpenSky project. Lot's of money has been put out, and years have gone by -- no voice yet.

 

[holly]

There are many issues pertaining to PSP transitioning to voice on the SWN, including the construction of the CDCs.

 

[ECHO3]

"PennDOT is using OpenSky for voice in some counties."

OpenSky voice transmissions are being used by PennDOT primarily in Harrisburg. The last report I received indicated that several PennDot units and their union reps. asked to have VHF units as a backup. The initial CDC is reportedly at least 4-6 months behind schedule.

 

[holly]

I believe PennDOT is using SWN voice in Dauphin, York, Lebanon, Lancaster, and Adams counties.

 

[scan-pa]

PENDOT is still using there low band radios in the Harrisburg, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster, York, Cumberland area.

The last time I talked to a PSP H-HQ trooper who lives down the street from me, is only the State executive board is using the Open Sky Radios. NO OTHER State Dept. is on the new radio system, and is unlikely to be moving to it any time soon. Most of the H & L PSP troop cars that had Open sky Radios have had them removed.

He said, the radios installed for testing are now out dated models and will be replaced, if and when the system becomes operational.

He does mention that the Data links are operational over the IP open Sky System... His New Car Laptop works great....

 

[ECHO3]

PennDot in and around Harrisburg had been using OpenSky voice according to my source at the Pittsburgh Post. They experienced problems that M/A Com is now attributing to "outdated" equpment. So, it was back to VHF.

This initiative has become such a fiasco that no taxpayer in Pennsylvania should be laughing. Granted some Federal funds may have been used, but can anyone truly believe that the Commonwealth is only over budget by $20 million dollars! The really disturbing factor is that credible sources do not even give the same information on the status of this system.

 

[brey1234]

For a lot of info and detailed background about Pa's Open Sky system go to:
http://www.fordyce.org/cgi-bin/yabb3/YaBB.cgi?board=GenScan;action=display;num=1059515865;start=20

 

[brey1234]

See the following article. I believe Cumberland County is "piggybacking" it's county operation with the state wide system, using Ma/Com radios.
:lol: http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2004/11/11/news/news05.txt

 

[nutek]

Cost of radios for OpenSky system?

Hi,

Does any know the range of costs (i.e. from the most basic unit, to the unit with everything equipped) for a single hand-set unit for the OpenSky system? I have been trying to get hold of a M/A-Com OpenSky sales manager, but to no avail.

Thanks,
Wenyao

 

[ECHO3]

You will have to contact your local licensed/authorized M/A Com Open Sky dealer.

 

[PJH]

OpenSky radios are only available thru MA/COM directly via the contract. Dealers are unable to order them. This concerns the actual OpenSky branded radios such as the M803 etc. The 7100IP etc radio's are of a different line.

 

[brey1234]

COST OF RADIOS

Last time I checked---the cost of the radios were running an appx average of 3 thousand dollars each---I believe the estimate JUST for the State Police was 24 million.
Already the "backbone" for the the system is 3 years late--overbudget by about 50 to 60 million dollars :lol:

 

[brey1234]

I had the opportunity to visit the Schuylkill Haven, Pa Penn Dot facilty this past week--
ALL of the Penn Dot vehicles have the Open Sky radios---One manager, in a 30 second conversation with me stated the radios are working well. That brings me to the point of sharing this.
Inside the Penn Dot office there's an Open Sky map slugged, RF composite. It shows mostly "green" for about a third of the state. This means, according to the computer program used, there should be reliable radio coverage in the green areas.
The map includes the entire Northeastern extention of the Pa Turnpike. It's ALL in green---My question is this: WHY are Troopers NOT using the system. As we know the Pa Turnpike radio system is seperate from the PSP VHF set up.
I suspect the computer program used for the map--does not show "dead" areas :roll:

 

[ECHO3]

All PSP vehicles have Open Sky radios installed, but are operating on VHF for sevaral reasons including an insufficient number of towers and several dispatch centers that have to be constructed. I don't know if all Penn Dot vehicles are on VHF or 800MHZ. My understanding is that only about 2-3 Penn Dot districts are actually using the Open Sky TRS system.