P25 Emergency button programming question

[gr8tff]

If a EB activation occurs on a P25 compliant system, does it work similiar to other trunking formats? Does it give the radio in this mode a higher prioirty in the system? Is there any difference with M/A com P25 systems? Any help is appreciated because M/A Com techs may not be telling us the truth. They say that the user locks up the talkgroup and we should have anyone that activates an EB automatically sent to a special talk group. I need some good information to help to limit my growing frustration.

[wlmr]

Originally Posted by gr8tff

If a EB activation occurs on a P25 compliant system, does it work similiar to other trunking formats? Does it give the radio in this mode a higher prioirty in the system? Is there any difference with M/A com P25 systems? Any help is appreciated because M/A Com techs may not be telling us the truth. They say that the user locks up the talkgroup and we should have anyone that activates an EB automatically sent to a special talk group. I need some good information to help to limit my growing frustration.

You're given the choice of either leaving the emergency on the talkgroup it started on (setting referred as tactical IIRC) or having it go to a predesignated talkgroup.

Emergencies are priority one, the highest priority if the system experiences busies due to no frequencies available. All other talkgroups and/or radios can only be set at their highest as a priority two.

Other users on the same talkgroup in the tactical emergency mode get to talk after the button is pressed as well as being aware that someone in their group hit the button. If the emergency moves the radio to a different talkgroup, everyone else on the original talkgroup have no clue.

Like other settings for both the radio and system, there are multiple combinations of settings that affect exactly how emergencies look/feel/operate.

Don't have any info on how M/A com P25 can be set up.

[N_Jay]

The standard deals with the way the system transfers the emergency signal.

How the system reacts to the signal is an operational issue determined by the options available to the system administrators and what they chose from those options.

[wlmr]

Originally Posted by N_Jay

The standard deals with the way the system transfers the emergency signal.

How the system reacts to the signal is an operational issue determined by the options available to the system administrators and what they chose from those options.

Good point N_Jay. And from radio manufacturer to manufacturer they have different ideas of how the radios should act as well.
Combine that with the system variables & it's enough to make your head hurt.

Are you being told that M/A com has only one way of doing emergencies or are they telling you their suggested way is the best way? If it's the second option, you're the customer, the one with the checkbook. Keep pushing for whats best for the users.

[lorin]

Our Fire Dept. likes the option of a Emergency Button push to make the radio send you to simplex talk group other then the channel you are on. That way, Rescue intervention groups can be on that channel and only the folks involved in the actual rescue or help are on that channel. We chose a simplex channel to make sure there would NOT be a trunked channel or repeater mishap in a emergency type of need. We also made radio ids ( ptt id ) so you did not have to id yourself, the radio id's you, and the only way to reset it is to turn on/off the radio.

I hope that helps?

Lorin

[wlmr]

On the other side of the fence from Lorin's valid outlook for Fireground operations are PD groups that think that if one of their own is in trouble, it makes more sense that the people out on the street with them be in on the emergency from the beginning. They leave the emergency right on the talkgroup the user was already using.

Final answer is going to be dictated by what YOUR agency's needs/wants are. (And those needs can vary from individual group to individual group of users.) Did you get any more info from M/A com on setting variables?

[gr8tff]

I'm still in the M/A com holding pattern. This appears to be one of the few issues that will need to be ironed out. I'm hoping to know something in the next week.

[com501]

The statewide Macom system in Nevada leaves the user on the selected talkgroup, all radios display an emergency symbol or text, and the ID of the radio with the emergency (or alias) displays alternating with *EMERGENCY* every time he talks.