New Washington State Patrol Radio System Information

[kd7kdc]

Last I heard that was the plan some time right before midnight.

[vansigint98661]

You're kidding, right? The others on this and similar threads are saying the techs can't get the P-25 to work. I sort of assumed by this juncture, that if they were not on schedule, they would simply remain analog, but narrow band (the new mobiles have that in their programming I think I read) and work on getting the digital up and running after the first of the year.

[kd7kdc]

A tech that is in the know told me they would switch right before midnight but didn't say if it would be narrow analog or digital.

[cabletech]

As I have stated in the past, having worked on this system, here is the latest.

With the exception of a very few backup and upper staff vehicles, all rolling stock and handhelds have been changed out from the MaCom & Motorola mobile radios and MaCom & Kenwood portables to new Motorola mobiles AND portables.

All equipment is programmed and working in the narrow band analog mode.

Over the last 5 months, there has been testing and some new site installs going on to be able to allow for digital mode.

At this time, Tri-Citys area is going to be the first area to switch to digital and that is planned for mid January then looking at Spokane.

Every where else stays in narrow analog.

Until a better schedule is known, that is the skinny.

[DickH]

Originally Posted by Dann

Very Well Said.

Unless you use the QUOTE button, no one knows who you are replying to or what you're replying to.

[kd7kdc]

Thanks for the official word

[vansigint98661]

That seems to say it all......it remains a work in progress!

[lowboy654]

Originally Posted by DickH

Unless you use the QUOTE button, no one knows who you are replying to or what you're replying to.

Thanks Dick.

[RBMTS]

Originally Posted by cabletech

All equipment is programmed and working in the narrow band analog mode.

Does this statement also include all of the current district transmitters and repeaters? From what I heard, some of the repeaters were not NB compliant. If you listen to the audio on either .680, .580, or .655 repeaters, they certainly don't sound as if they have switched yet to NB (as you can usually detect a slight audio drop).

I'm not saying this to be fact, but just passing on what I heard. If true, then they still will not be compliant with the mandate.

[cabletech]

Al main transmiter sites have been changed to narrow band mode. Most of them where changed in late September early October while the mobiles where beening changed out.

Most sites are also using the Motorola Quantars and will either be changed out or upgraded to digital as it all comes together.

[chpalmer]

Originally Posted by cabletech

Al main transmiter sites have been changed to narrow band mode.

Ummm- No.

They are still operating at full +-5khz modulation to date. Unless that is, my recently calibrated service monitor is lieing to me.

[szron]

All they will do is just switch to P25 transmissions right? Normally repeated? No state-wide trunking?

[peterbuilt015]

Okay, I am looking only to be able to listen in on traffic. I don't have a clue what most of you are talking about except that WSP is going to make a change. I have a Radio Shack handheld scanner, a trunk tracker 800 MHz.

What will I need to do to keep hearing the WSP traffic?

[im800mhz]

Originally Posted by chpalmer

Ummm- No.

They are still operating at full +-5khz modulation to date. Unless that is, my recently calibrated service monitor is lieing to me.

Don't dilute this with facts!

[FreqMeister]

Originally Posted by peterbuilt015

Okay, I am looking only to be able to listen in on traffic. I don't have a clue what most of you are talking about except that WSP is going to make a change. I have a Radio Shack handheld scanner, a trunk tracker 800 MHz.

What will I need to do to keep hearing the WSP traffic?

At the least you'll need a P25 capable digital scanner--of which there only a few on the market (especially with Grecom's factory shut down). They start around $400. And until there's accurate frequency/trunking information published you'll be on your own trying to figure out the new system, frequencies, etc.

It's not clear to me if this will be a trunked system but I'm guessing it will be? The hardware likely supports trunking and it has a lot of advantages for the WSP and efficiency. But trunking further restricts the options for monitoring and requires knowing (or discovering) a lot more about the system to fully monitor it.

And it's also not clear if the new system will be partially or entirely encrypted. If it is, NO SCANNER is going to work. A state agency as important as the State Patrol, buying brand new radios in 2012, would likely implement encryption for at least some of their traffic and possibly all of it.

Monitoring police and other "tactical" public safety agencies is going to keep becoming more difficult as they upgrade their radios. King County's huge radio systems will also be moving to P25 digital. Metro Transit already has.

I also agree 800 Mhz, from an RF coverage perspective, doesn't make a lot of sense when trying to cover our entire state. But does Motorola even sell a competitive VHF P25 trunked digital system supporting encryption? 800 Mhz also allows the WSP to be more readily interoperable with the King County 800 Mhz system. And I can understand the appeal of tiny 800 Mhz antennas and potentially smaller portable radios. So 800 Mhz makes some sense if they can solve the coverage problems (likely at great taxpayer expense for lots of new tower sites).

[cabletech]

It has been stated before, and I will say again. The WSP is going to stay on their normal VHF frequency's with NO TRUNKING, and NO ENCRYPTION, for the most part, they will just stay in normal narrow band mode.

Some time this month, Tri-City's area will change to P25 digital and then other area'a will also go to
P25 digital.

There is no plans to ever go to any type of trunking, either VHF or 800.

As area's change to P25 digital, you will need a scanner that will allow for digital decoding.

[FreqMeister]

Originally Posted by cabletech

It has been stated before, and I will say again. The WSP is going to stay on their normal VHF frequency's with NO TRUNKING, and NO ENCRYPTION, for the most part, they will just stay in normal narrow band mode.

Some time this month, Tri-City's area will change to P25 digital and then other area'a will also go to
P25 digital.

There is no plans to ever go to any type of trunking, either VHF or 800.

As area's change to P25 digital, you will need a scanner that will allow for digital decoding.

Then the newspaper articles saying the state is funding $40 million on a new 800 Mhz digital radio system for the WSP were just made up? There are many, and some mention 800 Mhz and some, like this one, mention trunking:

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/polit...radio-upgrade/

[Wilrobnson]

FreqMeister, I wouldn't worry about Cabletech's theories. Read over this thread and review some of the things he's posted, such as:

1)

The IWN system has many relay locations along the US/Candain border and IS NOT a normal repeater system as has been described, it is a microwave system take carriers use to past data and voice information for location to location.

Anyone who knows the slightest bit about radio knows that's simply untrue.

2)

This system has since been expanded to cover over 90% of the state of washington and is used by all the feds, canada and some local goverments.

See also #1. All the "feds"? Not at all. Canada? No, save a few cross-border interops talkgroups.

3)

No major frequency changes other then narrow banding is being planned.

Sigh. See my note at the end of this post.

4)

NAC codes are only used in trunking mode.

Yeah, and PL tones are only used in ACSB 220-mhz trunking mode. SIGH.

5)

They are having newer radios that HAVE trunking, install for the national emerengcy services interop capilities.

I really don't even understand what this means. So there's a secret "national emerengcy services interop" trunked system?

6)

Al main transmiter sites have been changed to narrow band mode. Most of them where changed in late September early October while the mobiles where beening changed out.

See Chpalmer's post in reply to this statement. A guy who owns a 2-way radio business that contracts with multiple large public-safety entities says this is untrue.

-----

My note: New Washington State Patrol Radio System Information

Straight from WSP's mouth.

[im800mhz]

But I know a tech, who talked a cop who's brother's uncle's dad once worked at WSP, and he said the contractors best buddies vet knew a K9 officer who said it's true.

Wil's looks like the most official stuff so far, as it is inline with the original signed contract. There is this thing called google, and you can find that contract if you look hard enough...

[jeremym70]

Latest and greatest news from the columbian newspaper. WSP gets more time for switch to digital radio system | The Columbian