Understanding ITAC

[qlajlu]

Alright, I have some newbie questions concerning some stuff I don't understand. Several years ago we had a short discussion about ITAC Channels in this thread. Posts 11, 12, and 14 discuss them...kinda.

ITAC's. International TAC Channels. They have been set aside as interoperability channels for different communities/areas/users to communicate with each other.

N7YUO discusses ITAC and State Repeaters in this thread.

Trying to understand these, I found this Wiki article, and I'm not one inch closer to understanding them because I don't understand the way all those charts are laid out and which ones concern us here.

Junior1970 has this post that sheds some light, but doesn't go all the way for me.

So I have some questions:

1. What, exactly, are ITAC Channels?
2. How are they used?
3. What relationship does ICall (as shown in those linked posts) have with these Channels?
4. How does the State Repeater System fit into this ...er... system?
5. Since rebanding, what are the ITAC frequencies now?
6. Are the frequencies different for each part of the country? Why?

 

[kd7rto]

What, exactly, are ITAC Channels?

A common set of frequencies intended to be programmed into all first responder 800 MHz radios nationwide. Theoretically if police and firefighters from different parts of the country were called to help out in an area which has suffered a major disaster, everyone would take their radios with them and be able to communicate.

In this area, a very practical use would be to enable Utah officers with 800 MHz Motorola radios to be able to communicate with Nevada officers, who use 800 MHz EDACS.

How are they used?

Currently in Utah, they are being used to provide 800 MHz coverage in areas where the UCAN trunked system is not yet built out. There is a map at The UCAN Website.

I can confirm hearing traffic on ITAC 1 in the Salt Lake Valley, and on both State Repeater 1 (not 2, as indicated on the map) and Weber Conv from Huntsville.

One problem is that the national standard is a pl of 156.7. These repeaters are carrier squelch. If someone from out of state, with a radio set to encode and decode 156.7, were to attempt to communicate on that ITAC 1 repeater at the U of U, they would be heard, but they would not hear the response, because the machine does not encode any pl.

What relationship does ICall (as shown in those linked posts) have with these Channels?

I would infer from the name that ICALL is the call channel that everyone is supposed to monitor. Working incidents would then be handled on one of the Tac channels.

How does the State Repeater System fit into this ...er... system?

If done properly, the fill in repeaters would be on the state repeater channels, leaving the ICALL/ITAC channels available for their intended purpose. Unknown why they did not do it this way.

As I understand it, all UCAN radios are programmed so that they can operate simplex on the output frequences of both the ICALL/ITAC channels, and the "state repeater" channels. It is therefore a good idea for us to monitor them, looking for discrete short range tactical communications. Be prepared to lock out state repeater 2, though, That is an old business itinerant still used by many companies across the wasatch front.

Since rebanding, what are the ITAC frequencies now?

851.0125 (csq) National ICALL
851.5125 (csq) National ITAC 1
852.0125 (csq) National ITAC 2
852.5125 (csq) National ITAC 3
853.0125 (csq) National ITAC 4

853.4 (csq) State 1
853.4875 (csq) State 2
853.7625 (csq) State 3
852.125 (csq) State 4
852.7 (csq) State 5

856.9375 (203.5) Weber Conv

Are the frequencies different for each part of the country? Why?

If a major hurricane were to hit the coast this summer, I would expect a major c(harlie) f(oxtrot), as some out of state responders would have radios on the pre-reband channels, and others on the post-reband channels.

 

[qlajlu]

Thank you, kd7rto. That was very understandable and I appreciate your answer(s). That makes it much easier to understand.