Stonington PD to get new radio system

[oilmillcharlie]

Link to article.

The Day - Stonington approves $1.3M upgrade of police radio system - News from southeastern Connecticut

 

[imonitorit]

I wonder if they will be able to talk to neighboring RI agencies on their 800 MHz system.


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[sefrischling]

I wonder if they will be able to talk to neighboring RI agencies on their 800 MHz system.

Seems unlikely, as Westerly is no longer on the CT Police Hotline due to them being on RISCON, and Westerly's TGs being encrypted. The radios will be able to speak with CSP, but getting RI to allow their radios on RISCON would be a political hurdle that is easier said than done. It should be easy ... but we all know how that goes.

 

[imonitorit]

Seems unlikely, as Westerly is no longer on the CT Police Hotline due to them being on RISCON, and Westerly's TGs being encrypted.

Thanks for your reply. Seems like poor planning. I guess the only interop will be on ICall/ITac.


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[Kitn1mcc]

seems like a big waste of money.

 

[cg]

I think the issue that might come up is coverage. The CSP system is designed to provide 95% coverage with mobiles. Portable coverage may leave something to be desired. The nearest existing tower is up near Foxwoods. Unless the town or the state adds another tower closer, portables, especially indoors or in low areas, may not be real decent.

Once CT MA & RI are all on 700/800 P25, expect to see more radio coordination and cooperation for the Tri State area.

chris

 

[sefrischling]

Once CT MA & RI are all on 700/800 P25, expect to see more radio coordination and cooperation for the Tri State area.

MSP, RISP, CSP are all on 800. RI/MA are P25. CSP remains on Digital Voice, but their radios are completely capable of interop with MSP and RISP. No one plays nicely. They should , but they don't

 

[Kitn1mcc]

Mass Sp is not p25 just analog trucking and western mass is still Low Band

 

[cg]

Mass SP has P25 thru out Western MA as well as the greater Boston area. The rest is analog but they are in the preliminary stage to roll P25 out Statewide.
Low band use is minimal if at all.

chris

 

[coolrich55]

MSP, RISP, CSP are all on 800. RI/MA are P25. CSP remains on Digital Voice, but their radios are completely capable of interop with MSP and RISP. No one plays nicely. They should , but they don't

Few years ago CSP troop C were in pursuit and ended up on 84 in Mass. CSP and MSP were patched together and worked fine. The capabilities are there, training and implementation may be lacking.

 

[Thorndike113]

Connecticuts problem is not that the whole state is not on P25, its that they run on frequencies from 30mhz all the way through 900 mhz. Police station A is on 30 mhz, police station B is on 800mhz, then this fire department is on 150mhz and that ambulance on 450 mhz. Everyone is scattered around on different bands. What should have been done was put most of everyone on one band and then you can have better interop between departments. If I have a VHF radio on 150, I cant program my police department in when they are on 800. I need a separate radio. I live in Maine and the state of Maine rolled out a VHF high band P25 system that has repeaters spread over the state that also work on analog. A handful of those repeaters repeat the dispatch for that state police zone so that local sheriff and fire/ems (if they have the repeater programmed in their radio) can communicate in a split second with the State police. State police also have at least the sheriff office frequencies local to the area they cover programmed in their radios and many times will switch over when working together with the sheriffs deputies or if they happen to be in the area and need to run a name or a plate. It all happens seamlessly. Sheriffs dispatch will answer them just like they belong on the system. The added benefit is that someone like me who hasnt had the chance to upgrade to a P25 capable scanner can catch all the action without having to upgrade. Connecticut is a nightmare with their radios and I really believe tax payers are in for it if they are going to do what I think they are (upgrade the most of the state to run 800mhz P25).

 

[sefrischling]

Connecticuts problem is not that the whole state is not on P25, its that they run on frequencies from 30mhz all the way through 900 mhz. Police station A is on 30 mhz, police station B is on 800mhz, then this fire department is on 150mhz and that ambulance on 450 mhz.

Check out Groton CT.

Groton Town Police are on 800mhz, conventional, analog.
Groton City Police (within Groton, surrounded by the Town Police) are on VHF (150mhz).
Groton Long Point Police (a 'boro' within the Town of Groton) are on UHF R2 (450mhz).

The local police must deal with the Navy Police at the SubBase, wholly within Groton, operating on a P25 Phase I Trunked UHF R1 system (380mhz)

Also within Groton are the State Police covering I-95 and providing law enforcement to some schools in Groton, operating on an 800mhz SmartZone (3600 baud) trunked system, with digital voice.

... never mind their immediate mutual aid for pursuits and K-9 operate on 800 (9600 baud) P25 Trunked ...

The only way they can all effectively communicate is dispatch to dispatch on the LowBand (45mhz) hotline.

You want the state to get on band or system? Try getting a single municipal area law enforcement to get one single way to communicate.

 

[imonitorit]

One big Cluster $@&?


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[Thorndike113]

If I had to make a choice at this point seeing what CT did, I would say what they are doing is probably the best bet. Seeing as how state police have the system in place. It may be topography but up here in Maine most everyone is on VHF high band. When the state police had their system put in a couple years back, the county sheriffs and I believe local law enforcement asked that there be a way that they could communicate with state police for interop and thats why they put in the CONOPS repeater system that repeats the dispatch of each zone within their zone on analog. Agencies actually sat down and worked out a plan that would work for everyone. Interop works seamlessly up here. Connecticut is a nightmare with their frequencies. Its like each department wants to be on their own secret system and not have anyone else hear what they are saying. Now its come down to this, and for going on decades now, I have been hearing this same complaint out of departments across the state. When they come up with a solution it ends up being a bandaid on top of bandaid. Either the frequency coordinators down there have no clue what they have been doing and are doing or there is A LOT of politics involved. To me, its police, fire, and emt's lives on the line here. Cut the crap with the politics and make it so departments can communicate seamlessly without all the hassle.

 

[imonitorit]

If I had to make a choice at this point seeing what CT did, I would say what they are doing is probably the best bet. Seeing as how state police have the system in place. It may be topography but up here in Maine most everyone is on VHF high band. When the state police had their system put in a couple years back, the county sheriffs and I believe local law enforcement asked that there be a way that they could communicate with state police for interop and thats why they put in the CONOPS repeater system that repeats the dispatch of each zone within their zone on analog. Agencies actually sat down and worked out a plan that would work for everyone. Interop works seamlessly up here. Connecticut is a nightmare with their frequencies. Its like each department wants to be on their own secret system and not have anyone else hear what they are saying. Now its come down to this, and for going on decades now, I have been hearing this same complaint out of departments across the state. When they come up with a solution it ends up being a bandaid on top of bandaid. Either the frequency coordinators down there have no clue what they have been doing and are doing or there is A LOT of politics involved. To me, its police, fire, and emt's lives on the line here. Cut the crap with the politics and make it so departments can communicate seamlessly without all the hassle.

See what Rhode Island did after The Station Nightclub fire? A statewide 800 MHz radio system that everyone is on.


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[Thorndike113]

Yeah, and they went and encrypted a good chunk of the departments on there last I knew, unless they changed that. I remember taking a ride through RI after that system was put on the air and it wasnt even worth turning my scanner on. For the department its good. For a scanner listener its not. I dont understand what they have to keep so secretive. I can understand tac channels or detective channels, but the main dispatch channels? Its a little overkill and leaves A LOT of room open to corrupt agencies. Who's gonna know if you really had a warrant or if they had something against you and made it all up.

 

[sefrischling]

To me, its police, fire, and emt's lives on the line here. Cut the crap with the politics and make it so departments can communicate seamlessly without all the hassle.

Fire and EMS in Groton are all on a single band, all either dispatched by GFA or with access to GFA.

Groton has 10 separate Fire and EMS departments within the town ... plus Navy SubBase Fire, who while on UHF trunked from a regional dispatch, gets their dispatch over the air from GFA and can communicate seamlessly with GFA ... plus Pfizer Fire, who while on UHF, has total access to GFA on their VHF system ... plus General Dynamics Electric Boat Fire , while while self dispatching can also be dispatched over the air by GFA ...

... so at least Fire and EMS is not a cluster f&^k SubBase Fire has radios for all the surrounding departments, UHF, Trunked 800 and VHF. Most FDs here have radios to communicate with other departments, even if on other systems, or frequency bands.

The vast majority of police cannot communicate with anyone other than their own PD.

 

[coolrich55]

It is interesting what Rhode Island did. From what i remember local towns went to riscon first and the state pd later. Connecticut sort of the opposite. CSP was one of the if not first to go digital. So during the time of the station fire, didn't all cities and towns in Rhode island have access to state wide fire and police frequencies? Is it really so much better now?