Has the USMA at West Point installed a TRS?
West Point USMA TRS
- Thread starter jeff
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Not that I'm aware of...just curious, why do you ask?
Radioreporter1
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I was under the impression they had a VHF one from several years back
Rumor has it that a contract was awarded to M/A Comm for an EDACS system.
Maybe they're going to piggyback onto the NYCOMCO system...
West Point Trunked
It's coming:
M/A-COM’s P25 Land Mobile Radio Communications Selected by U.S. Army Bases
M/A-COM Systems to be Implemented at Fort Sill, OK and United States Military Academy at West Point, NY
LOWELL, Mass. , May 23, 2005 - M/A-COM, Inc., a business unit of Tyco Electronics and a leading manufacturer of critical radio systems deployed around the world, was awarded two separate contracts by the U.S. Army for P25IP Land Mobile Radio communications systems.
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York awarded M/A-COM a $1.2 million contract for a VHF P25IP Trunked Land Mobile Radio system. This system will include a NetworkFirst Switching Center, a Interoperability Gateway and IP consoles, as well as turnkey services including system engineering, project management, installation, maintenance and training. The system is designed to provide radio frequency communications for over 1500 base support personnel.
Both the Fort Sill and West Point systems will be built on M/A-COM’s IP-based network solution, facilitating fully interoperable communications. P25IP combines the P25 air link standard with the power of IP packet technology in a trunked voice and data communications system, thus dramatically improving communications capabilities while providing a more secure, reliable and interoperable digital communications system.
“Our end-to-end P25IP digital system is the technology of choice for mission critical communications,” said Chris Fauser, Regional Sales Manager, M/A-COM. “As these two organizations respond to issues of national defense, they require reliable, secure communications and M/A-COM’s fault-tolerant P25IP technology ensures full interoperability today and scalability for tomorrow’s growth.”
It's coming:
M/A-COM’s P25 Land Mobile Radio Communications Selected by U.S. Army Bases
M/A-COM Systems to be Implemented at Fort Sill, OK and United States Military Academy at West Point, NY
LOWELL, Mass. , May 23, 2005 - M/A-COM, Inc., a business unit of Tyco Electronics and a leading manufacturer of critical radio systems deployed around the world, was awarded two separate contracts by the U.S. Army for P25IP Land Mobile Radio communications systems.
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York awarded M/A-COM a $1.2 million contract for a VHF P25IP Trunked Land Mobile Radio system. This system will include a NetworkFirst Switching Center, a Interoperability Gateway and IP consoles, as well as turnkey services including system engineering, project management, installation, maintenance and training. The system is designed to provide radio frequency communications for over 1500 base support personnel.
Both the Fort Sill and West Point systems will be built on M/A-COM’s IP-based network solution, facilitating fully interoperable communications. P25IP combines the P25 air link standard with the power of IP packet technology in a trunked voice and data communications system, thus dramatically improving communications capabilities while providing a more secure, reliable and interoperable digital communications system.
“Our end-to-end P25IP digital system is the technology of choice for mission critical communications,” said Chris Fauser, Regional Sales Manager, M/A-COM. “As these two organizations respond to issues of national defense, they require reliable, secure communications and M/A-COM’s fault-tolerant P25IP technology ensures full interoperability today and scalability for tomorrow’s growth.”
Al42
Member
Re: West Point Trunked
They need "secure" communications so that we can't overhear the janitorial staff talking about a female cadet being raped?
Yeah, cadets are going to be our first line of defense against terrorism.paul said:
They need "secure" communications so that we can't overhear the janitorial staff talking about a female cadet being raped?
PJH
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- 3,622
There is also a working US Mint on the property.
I have yet to see/hear a completed working OpenSky/IP x MA/COM system fully operational and accepted...
The systems on paper are really snazzy, but its still a work in progress. The ones that are online are still having issues. Should be interesting.
I have yet to see/hear a completed working OpenSky/IP x MA/COM system fully operational and accepted...
The systems on paper are really snazzy, but its still a work in progress. The ones that are online are still having issues. Should be interesting.
schoolcircle
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- Nov 19, 2005
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- 1
I still see them using Motorola radios. I wonder if something went wrong with the installation?
West Point TRS
It's been on the air for several months - all digital, about 12 channels in the 138 - 144 MHz. band. I hear digital transmissions on:
138.0375, 138.1125, 138.1875, 138.3375, 138.6875, 139.0375, 139.3375,139.4875, 139.6375, 140.6625 MHZ. I may be missing a few repeaters and don't have a digital scanner. Below is an article from a West Point publication about the system:
Return to Pointer View home page
October 7, 2005
Local and National News
Can you hear me now?
West Point moves to Trunked Radio System
By Eric S. Bartelt
Assistant Editor
West Point has bucked its conventional radio system for the modern Trunked Radio System.
The TRS is more reliable, efficient and allows assets to be available to all users, said officials at West Point’s Directorate of Information Management’s Communications Branch.
“We used a conventional radio system where every net had one repeater,” said Ryan Currie, DOIM’s TRS project manager. “The PMO for example, they had four nets and each one of them had their own separate piece of equipment.
“Now everybody shares the same equipment,” he added.
The best part of the new system, Currie said, is that it offers one coverage area with 12 trunked radio repeaters.
“In the old system, when a post organization had one repeater and something went wrong with that repeater they couldn’t talk,” Currie said. “With the new system, everyone is sharing everything, so if one repeater goes down, it just goes to another repeater.”
Five of the repeaters are located at Bull Hill and seven are located at the Ski Slope. The radius covers the range areas, main post and provides a link to Stewart Airbase.
The idea started back in January 2003 and the full completion of the project is expected in January 2006, Currie explained. The system works through a computer system, based at Spellman Hall, which has radios attached to it.
“It has its own separate computer network, the brain that’s in this building [Spellman Hall] it’s all fiber connected,” Currie said. “We have something called the interoperability solution and what it does is tie Highland Falls into our system so the local Highland Falls police can still talk on our system.
“With the interoperability solution, we were able to integrate to cellular service and the SINCGARS radio (FM radio), so someone out at Cadet Summer Training can dial up a specific frequency to come into our system,” Currie added.
The $6.1 million system includes handheld devices (walkie-talkies), mobiles (for vehicles) and desktops for dispatchers that total 1,337 pieces of equipment.
Base Radio Systems runs the contracts and M/A-COM, Inc. was chosen as the preferred vendor of the TRS system at West Point.
“M/A-COM, Inc. started installing the system in May and was operational in mid-July,” Currie said.
The new system will provide better emergency services and communications among post organizations like the PMO, EOC, MEDDAC, security guards and the fire department and that adds up to a safer community, said Michelle McCurry, a DOIM telecommunications specialist.
“It’s about public safety,” she explained. “This system gives us more communications and frees the extra frequencies we’re not using, so we’re not crossing over aviation frequencies and so forth.”
It's been on the air for several months - all digital, about 12 channels in the 138 - 144 MHz. band. I hear digital transmissions on:
138.0375, 138.1125, 138.1875, 138.3375, 138.6875, 139.0375, 139.3375,139.4875, 139.6375, 140.6625 MHZ. I may be missing a few repeaters and don't have a digital scanner. Below is an article from a West Point publication about the system:
Return to Pointer View home page
October 7, 2005
Local and National News
Can you hear me now?
West Point moves to Trunked Radio System
By Eric S. Bartelt
Assistant Editor
West Point has bucked its conventional radio system for the modern Trunked Radio System.
The TRS is more reliable, efficient and allows assets to be available to all users, said officials at West Point’s Directorate of Information Management’s Communications Branch.
“We used a conventional radio system where every net had one repeater,” said Ryan Currie, DOIM’s TRS project manager. “The PMO for example, they had four nets and each one of them had their own separate piece of equipment.
“Now everybody shares the same equipment,” he added.
The best part of the new system, Currie said, is that it offers one coverage area with 12 trunked radio repeaters.
“In the old system, when a post organization had one repeater and something went wrong with that repeater they couldn’t talk,” Currie said. “With the new system, everyone is sharing everything, so if one repeater goes down, it just goes to another repeater.”
Five of the repeaters are located at Bull Hill and seven are located at the Ski Slope. The radius covers the range areas, main post and provides a link to Stewart Airbase.
The idea started back in January 2003 and the full completion of the project is expected in January 2006, Currie explained. The system works through a computer system, based at Spellman Hall, which has radios attached to it.
“It has its own separate computer network, the brain that’s in this building [Spellman Hall] it’s all fiber connected,” Currie said. “We have something called the interoperability solution and what it does is tie Highland Falls into our system so the local Highland Falls police can still talk on our system.
“With the interoperability solution, we were able to integrate to cellular service and the SINCGARS radio (FM radio), so someone out at Cadet Summer Training can dial up a specific frequency to come into our system,” Currie added.
The $6.1 million system includes handheld devices (walkie-talkies), mobiles (for vehicles) and desktops for dispatchers that total 1,337 pieces of equipment.
Base Radio Systems runs the contracts and M/A-COM, Inc. was chosen as the preferred vendor of the TRS system at West Point.
“M/A-COM, Inc. started installing the system in May and was operational in mid-July,” Currie said.
The new system will provide better emergency services and communications among post organizations like the PMO, EOC, MEDDAC, security guards and the fire department and that adds up to a safer community, said Michelle McCurry, a DOIM telecommunications specialist.
“It’s about public safety,” she explained. “This system gives us more communications and frees the extra frequencies we’re not using, so we’re not crossing over aviation frequencies and so forth.”
West Point TRS
I've found two more frequencies which are most likely part of the West Point system. Can't be positive because I don't have an APCO P25 digital scanner (and they may be using encryption). Here's my list of 12 (which correlates with 12 repeaters in The Pointer article):
138.0375
138.1125
138.1875
138.3375
138.5125
138.6875
139.0375
139.1875
139.3375
139.4875
139.6375
140.6625
I've found two more frequencies which are most likely part of the West Point system. Can't be positive because I don't have an APCO P25 digital scanner (and they may be using encryption). Here's my list of 12 (which correlates with 12 repeaters in The Pointer article):
138.0375
138.1125
138.1875
138.3375
138.5125
138.6875
139.0375
139.1875
139.3375
139.4875
139.6375
140.6625
West Point TRS
Don't know for sure exactly what type system it is. Definitely a M/A-COM trunked system, but it's not EDACS. See Post 7 above for the M/A-COM announcement. When it was being installed I was in email contact with a listener in Connecticut - the system's signals are strong enough to be heard there. He could copy some transmisions on a Uniden digital scanner, said some were encrypted, and he couldn't trunk-track it. I can only suggest trying conventional scanning. It's not worth a $500 scanner to me!
Don't know for sure exactly what type system it is. Definitely a M/A-COM trunked system, but it's not EDACS. See Post 7 above for the M/A-COM announcement. When it was being installed I was in email contact with a listener in Connecticut - the system's signals are strong enough to be heard there. He could copy some transmisions on a Uniden digital scanner, said some were encrypted, and he couldn't trunk-track it. I can only suggest trying conventional scanning. It's not worth a $500 scanner to me!
FWIW,
M/A-Com, EFJohnson and other manufacturers make P25 equipment and systems now. If this system follows the P25 standards like the VHF P25 in my state, then scanners can track it just fine, especially the Unidens. For GRE scanners you may have to setup some "special" Base/Offset tables but they work just as good also.
M/A-Com, EFJohnson and other manufacturers make P25 equipment and systems now. If this system follows the P25 standards like the VHF P25 in my state, then scanners can track it just fine, especially the Unidens. For GRE scanners you may have to setup some "special" Base/Offset tables but they work just as good also.
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