Santa Maria

[zwarburg]

Question, does anyone know what the frequency labeled "Airport District" is used for in Santa Maria? License number WXF969... Is that airport patrol? Airport operations?

-Z

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?fccCallsign=WXF969

 

[XLC_Comm442]

Seeing as though it is a simplex frequency, I would assume it is some sort of tactical channel for fire. However, with the city switching over to the new trunked system, I doubt it is used very much.

 

[ko6jw_2]

Doubt that it is a fire frequency. The airport is a special district and not directly part of the city government. I suspect it is for airport operations and maintenance. They might not join the new trunked system. The 700Mhz system will be a big step back for interoperability. Even worse than the present encrypted system. SM Fire will have to maintain some VHF capability for mutual aid. Likewise for PD/Sheriff communications. Looks like a radio salesperson did a number on Santa Maria.

 

[XLC_Comm442]

Santa Maria has alienated itself for years with their radio system. There was never any real interop with SBSO aside from them switching over to Ops 1. The only radio capable of working with their old system was a portable in the Sergeants office. Ideally, this system should've been built out by the county, with cities as subscribers. But the county is never going to be in a position to do that. At least somebody is introducing the concept of trunking to the central coast. And once Ventura lights up their system, SB will be surrounded by 7/800 trunking

 

[ko6jw_2]

Santa Barbara County did license several 800Mhz frequencies years ago with the idea of building out a trunked system. Now those frequencies have been abandoned and a new set of frequencies are in use for parks, roads and animal control etc.

Without opening a debate on the subject, I would like to suggest that such a system would be ill advised. Getting adequate coverage for the entire county would require several additional repeater sites. I remember when the SO went to UHF in the late 70's. They thought they could get by with a single repeater on La Cumbre Peak. That did not work. They learned that 460Mhz coverage was vastly different than the old 45Mhz system. Ask yourself why the CHP stays on low band.

Last, when the LAFD went to 800Mhz they got special permission from the FCC to NOT be required to be trunked. Very wise move. Public safety communications needs are quite different from the commercial uses that trunking was intended to serve originally.

 

[XLC_Comm442]

Both types of systems have their advantages and disadvantages. Due to my experience working on one of the largest public safety trunked systems in Los Angeles, as well as first hand knowledge of the system in place here, there is one thing I'm sure of; an upgrade needs to happen, whatever it is, and it needs to happen soon.

 

[zwarburg]

Santa Maria Talkgroups

So with the new system in Santa Maria.... How does one go about getting the new talkgroups??? I'm certain their PD channels will be encrypted but I'd assume that fire won't be. How does that info get made public?

 

[mmckenna]

By listening.
The talk group data is not part of the FCC license. Public safety agencies usually don't go out of their way to publish that sort of information. The wonks using the radios don't know which talk groups are what.

It's usually done by individual scanner listeners spending long hours listening, watching and writing stuff down. Eventually they figure most of the stuff out.
Occasionally the system administrators will toss the hobbyists a bone by letting some stuff leak, but don't count on it.