Cheyenne PD WyoLink cutover

[PJH]

It appears that this weekend (Dec 1/2) CPD has been cut over to WyoLink.

The current WyoLink database was updated a few weeks back with what was reliable tag/talkgroup names. Obviously with CPD using "Sheriff 1" as the dispatch channel - it was also known as 02-LE-A (following the same fire department format which the state seems to have adopted for easy talkgroup naming).

If anyone has monitoring time for the other talkgroups, I'll gladly update the offical talkgroup names and use. At this time I am inclined to renamed the short tags to 02-LE-A, B, C etc and drop the "sheriff" names in the description field.

Please post what you find in this thread.

[N0WRE]

Yep Dec 1 was the cutover, confirmed by email from LCCCC Guess I have to go buy a scanner now or program my XTS2500 for WYOLINK.

[PJH]

Actually happened at 0001 hours today... conventional channels were still in use for the evening shift yesterday.

[Kevin_N]

Is this true for LCSO also?

[PJH]

They essentially went to WyoLink the a month or two ago for outside of Cheyenne calls. With the cutover, all CPD/LCSO are dispatched on the same talkgroup.

The database will be updated later this week to reflect it.

Right now CPD is referring to the "Sheriff 2" talkgroup as channel 2 whereas the SO prior has referred to the Sheriff 1 channel as 02 (County number) LE (Law Enforcement) A (Channel A). If they decided to change the talkgroup display names, I do not know. If they kept the alphabet naming, I would have expected that Sheriff 2 would have been referred to as B (02-LE-B).

Unless there is an insider that would like to PM me, I am on the fence on how to relabel the talkgroups.

[PJH]

Apparently there has been some sort of issue(s) that have cropped up and CPD switched back to the analog repeaters.

I'll be placing the CPD channels back to normal tags from depricated immediatly so those users with DB aware scanners won't be left in the cold

I'll be traveling for work after this weekend for a bit, so if anyone can let me know when they switch back, I'll update accordingly. I will not be doing anything with the trunked talkgroups at this time as I am sure when they work out the bugs that shouldn't change.

[Kevin_N]

Another question for you........is Cheyenne FD the only ones that use the 800 Wyolink repeater?

[PJH]

The 800 site is Cheyenne is a full, well - site

CFD happens to be the primary user as just about everyone else only has the VHF radio's. However other traffic has come up on in recently as some users have the dual band VHF/800 APX radio's. If in or around Cheyenne they may affialate onot the 800 site if the radio decides it will get better coverage.

Recently I have heard CFD talkgroups on the VHF side...so either CFD has a few or someone has selected them on their VHF radio.

[Kevin_N]

Thanks for the info. That makes sense. I'm not up there that often, but like to listen if I am. Just want to make sure I have things set up right.

[bomber2782]

From what I've heard (and still am), Cheyenne Police is still using the analog system (LE1,LE2, OS2). I hear the Sheriffs mostly on LE1, except for when they're out in the county they've replaced "east channel" for WyoLink.

I have heard PD doing tactical stuff and training on wyolink, but not for normal operations as of yet.

[bomber2782]

Cheyenne Fire still uses an analog dispatch channel on 154.4, but its only the comm center side. You can't hear the mobile units.

[PJH]

The little that I gathered third hand, is that actual training and practice needed to be down prior to the cutover that was a little more invovled. Not that there is really any difference between the two systems from a users perspective operationally, but I have also gathered that a programming issue came up and some portable coverage issues downtown that cropped up.

There were some radio traffic heard that seems to support that some (all) radios had some incorrect information in them (specific to Cheyenne) which may have caused some issues, but thats as best I have received.

I don't know how much truth there is to any of that, just passing along the 3rd, 4th, 15th hand info.

Last I heard, the SO is still running operations on the 02-LE-1 as before outside of the city and swtiching to the analog channel as before for the city area.

[PJH]

Had a member bring to our attention that the county listing was a little out of wack. Thought it was changed, but under the WyoLink and Laramie County listings the listing information was updated to:

Cheyenne PD cut over to WyoLink for about a week then switched back to their analog system. Both the conventional channels and trunked talkgroups will be listed unti a final cutover is completed so monitoring both is recommended. At this time 12/09/2012 conventional channels should be the primary communications. The Sheriff's Department has reverted back to using the analog channels in the city area but still actively use WyoLink outside of Cheyenne.

If anyone has reliable information on the status, channel assignments to the talkgroups etc, feel free to send a submission to the DB or you may PM me. I preach confideantiality both ways (don't get yourself fired by submitting) and conversely I don't give up your information either. If its public knowledge, fire away.

[N0WRE]

Info on WYOLINK from dispatch, after the switch over antennas were NOT setup for the system for dispatch as the officers could hear but dispatch could not. This came from the email my wife got from the director in explaining why the falback had to happen. So its a equipment problem that has to be fixed and corrected before dispatch can go back to WYOLINK again. There has been talk about putting CPD on the 800 fire system but thats a change over in radios and various other equipment as well and a LOT of cash to switch PD to 800. If I get anymore information I will try to keep everyone updated.

Thanks.

[PJH]

Interesting email...

Antenna's really should have nothing to do with it...even if cut ultranarrow if on a 1MHz antenna. Both systems are VHF and no known sites were added so the field radios wouldn't know the system. IE: There is no such thing as a "conventional antenna" and "trunked antenna" etc.

Sounds more like a console/backend issue than a field issue. In addtion I heard from the field that it was the other way around. Dispatchers were answering the field, but the field couldn't hear them - meanwhile I personally heard both sides while at a fire station on their radio.

I do know that some agencies have purchased VHF/800 enabled APX radios, so unless there is a capacity issue on 800, transistioning over is just a matter of programming the radio as its transparent on the backend.

[N0WRE]

Not gonna start an argument but I was just relaying the email that was sent to all dispatchers from the director. So it can be debated till the cows come home but from the husband of a combined dispatch center wife I can relay what they have been told. Take it or leave it.

[PJH]

Oh I don't doubt that was said, but I can tell you based on what they wrote - it doesn't work that way. You as a ham radio operator would know that reason doesn't hold water on how RF works.

(In a former life, I worked and played on these systems so I do have some backend knowledge how it all comes together).

The other variable is that field guys just didn't like it and griped quite a bit. Also its been known for people to make stuff up in the name of "officer safety". I will not say that it happened, but I worked at two PD's where digital cutover resulted in the same along with greivances. Its a learning curve.

[N0WRE]

True but us hams for ARES have been told several times from Motorola that we quote "dont have the slightest clue what we are talking about" when we start asking about why stuff is not working like it should in the "real world" I have programmed several trunked sites myself and know its being done the wrong way but tell that to a Motorola WYOLink tech and you get kicked to the curb. Part of dealing with government. Cant tell an "expert" that their system is broke and how to fix it. Eh oh well.

[PJH]

If its from a certain MSS, I can see that. I have delt with a certain one that deals with WyoLink and I have not been impressed.

The ones that actually get their check from Motorola are top notch.

The following is not pointed at you, but we have had hams come up to us in the past telling us how things should be done and we are doing things wrong. Granted quite a few knew radio technology well in the 70's and 80's, yet that doesn't really apply to today's equipment. After hearing this often on many site visits - those tech's start to get jaded (I have my license as well and try to act as a buffer when possible).

We got into a "discussion" with a couple of ham on a site visit once when word was out that we were building a site and modifying an exisiting repeater. Only "mod" was putting a PL on the input and keep the output CSQ. Don't ask, its a long story. Essentially the people that came up to us were trying to tell us that persons with older equipment wouldn't be able to hear the radio if we had an input PL and their radio's didn't have PL capability to "decode the repeater".

Reread that again

The machine that was up there was a quazi mutual aid/civil prepardness multiuse, never used, machine. There were old Motorola MX radios still out there that could talk to it (think early 90's) that didn't have the PL reeds in them. Really was a non-issue but this was also the time that hams in the area thought PL was the devil.

[N0WRE]

PJH, no offense taken but its not nice to make an IT person spit coffee all over the screen of his workstation. Oh I can agree that hams of "old" believe that of you change something thats new its the devil. I have been working on my Motorola certification so Im keeping up with technology as much as I can. The one WYOLink tech I talked to about the project to get more information and ask a question ot two pretty much told me I was an didot and couldnt understand. It might have ben the call sign cap I was wearing that made him think I wouldnt understand. Guess he didnt want explain his job to a lowly ham. I am glad to hear there are a few good ones out there that will explain it and answer questions if need be.