What’s up with Okaloosa Fire South Dispatch?

[wise871]

From previous post I know there are some local folks who might have the answer. Over the last week I’ve noticed that Okaloosa Fire South Dispatch has now been dual broadcasting not only on their primary frequency of 154.860 (186.2) but also on Tac-5 153.770 with a tone of 186.2. Are they now using the Florosa (south end tac) to expand their coverage like they do on the north end? Normally Tac-5 has no tone but since they started dual broadcasting it now has one. Last week I also heard them come across the Hulburt P-25 Fire Tac most of the day just like they are on conventional.

Seems to me like they’re making a big mess of everything. Aren’t they supposed to be on SLERS. I remember reading that they are but also transmitting on the old system also. One thing I do know. Now that they broadcast on Tac-5, the signal and audio sound way better than the normal dispatch channel.

 

[ai8o]

Think "installed base".

This is the same reason that my home county(Davidson,NC) is not going to 800 MHz.

There are radio users they communicate with who own their own equipment and are not willing to change or are unable to afford new equipment.
SLERS is expensive if you are a volunteer fireman.

 

[ranger821]

okaloosa fire

They have some of the SLERS equipment from what I hear. I do believe they are messing with a lot of stuff. Okaloosa does not have the funding for the SLERS equipment. They are piecemealing it with and interface here and there. I got it from a good source that both fire and SO will go to digital and be encrypted. It may not happen for a long while because of funding. Give me some insight. You mention a tone of 186.2. I did not know you needed a tone to receive on a scanner. Is this something new or have I been missing a lot of stuff that is out there because of a tone. My scanners are fairly old except for the pro 97. I don't remember a tone needed with it. A lot of the public service folks do not like the slers as it not as reliable.

 

[wise871]

You don't need a tone to monitor any of the local frequencies but if you have two agencies using the same frequency then you will either hear interference or once agency one minute and another the next. Perfect example would be Gulf Breeze and Crestview police. They both use 460.375 as their primary channel. With me living in Santa Rosa I can pick up both agencies. If I have the channel on hold, I can listen to Crestview PD talking but since I listen to Gulf Breeze also, as soon as the closet agency to me transmits they override the other. When I have the tone entered, than I can listen to both agencies separately. Also when ducting happens, if I didn’t have the tones entered I will hear a lot of Alabama traffic on the local frequencies because some agency is using the same frequency. As far as Okaloosa Sheriff, the SLERS system is not encrypted because it is a ProVoice DES encrypted communications, and the control channel is running in ESK mode which prevents monitoring and tracking with a scanner. Is this the digital / encrypted you were referring too? I know the fire guys are using it now but it is tied into the old system. This is the reason it sounds like crap and weak now.

 

[ranger821]

ok sheriff

Yes , I agree our fire freq's are starting to sound bad. they were testing it yesterday during the day. One of the guys at the Sheriff's office that I know said the state had mandated they change to the digital system in the next couple of years. He also said there is no money to buy the equipment and they feel that if it's being manadated, the state will have to pay for it. We will see. Thanks for the info about the tones. I "think" my pro 97 has a way of programimg the tone. the other scanners I have are too old (like me) to have that kind of stuff. With all the info, I have gotten from this forum and talking to the guys that have scanners, I will wait and see what happen's instead of buying a new scanner. Probably replace my 25 yr old dual band radio instead!!!

John
KB4OIF, 73

 

[wise871]

One of the guys at the Sheriff's office that I know said the state had mandated they change to the digital system in the next couple of years. He also said there is no money to buy the equipment and they feel that if it's being manadated, the state will have to pay for it.

John
Your deputy friend may be misinformed about the state mandating them to be on digital. The only mandate that I am aware of is the FCC Narrow banding mandate 2013. I don’t see how the state of Florida can mandate a department to be on Digital. It’s up to the counties what systems they want to run as long as they meet FCC requirements. Even the state SLERS system is voluntary and some departments have already dropped it and gone back to their old system or gone another route. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will correct me.

From what I was reading a lot of Okaloosa problems with communications come from Dino Villani, Director of Public Safety being talked into joining SLERS. If you read some of the commissioner meeting minutes and search for SLERS you will see what I’m talking about. When they initially pushed for SLERS a few years ago, the county had money to invest along with federal grants to join. Since Governor Charlie Crist put the hammer down a few years ago with the tax cuts, homestead increases, etc, the counties no longer have that extra play money like they use too. Then throw in today’s economic money problems and the counties are having a hard enough time just to pay police and fire personal.

I talked to a Santa Rosa deputy the other day and he hasn’t seen his annual pay increase in years. They can’t even afford to hire new deputies or give annual pay increase. They’re lucky if they can even get new vehicles let alone new high tech radios. A perfect example is the Ft. Walton Beach Police department. There about as out-dated when it comes to cars and equipment. There still driving around in old 2001 Ford Crown Victoria with the old v-shaped light bar system.

Sorry for the rant, I just hate when the county makes stupid decisions. But back on task, if you use 153.770 with a tone of 186.2, you will find that Okaloosa South Fire comes in nice and clear.

 

[ranger821]

okaloosa SO and fire

Went back an reread the email I got from him. The word he used is BELIEVE the state mandated it to happen in a few years i.e. SLERS. From that I believe we are safe to say it's like you said. No money!!!! I agree with you on the shape of FWB cars and equipment. Poor.. I sure hope they say to heck with it and go back to what they have been using i.e. Radios. I was running a search and found the 153,770 the other day. Notice yesterday or the day before that they were doing the simicast you spoke of.

 

[ki4wbn]

Makes me wonder if they are using the TAC channel for VHF to dispatch. I say that, because from what I understand talking with some of the people using the system, the Primary frequency on the south end is only SLERS.... If you bring up VHF on the 154.860, it does bring up the repeater, but dispatch will not answer back. Don't hold me to that information though.

Maybe they are using that TAC frequency as the conventional input now, similar to what they are doing with the north end Primary. I do agree though, the patching has a lot to be desired audio wise.

 

[wise871]

Not sure what there doing but 153,770 gives you everything you want to hear. I'm using it now as my primary freq for the south end.

 

[ki4wbn]

Fire North

Hmmm....today as traffic got busy, dispatch told Almarante (District 50) to use "Fire North TAC-1".....which I'm assuming is on a different frequency than the Baker TAC channel.

Right after, they advised the LZ for another call to use "Mutual Aid Channel 1"...in which the unit at the LZ did not have, so they used the normal 'Red channel' (DOF).

I'm assuming both of these are SLERS....but can anybody confirm?
I have the state list of frequencies, but wondered if they lined up. They are at the website below:
Mutual Aid Component/Frequency Allaocations / Mutual Aid / FIN media / Public Sfty Radio Media / Ent Public Sfty Media / CITS Media / Media - DMS

 

[ki4wbn]

Seems like it's not just the south end that is getting changed around everywhere...

 

[wise871]

Too add to the topic, today Okaloosa Fire South (Station 5) was working an accident near Highway 98 along the range road around 1700 today. I guess someone was hurt pretty bad because Life Flight (LF) was called in. Dispatch had the LZ party and LF switch over to Mutual Aid Tac-1 for landing instructions. Well after a few minutes no one was able to communicate on MA-Tac-1. They tried a second time with no success. Almost 5 min has passed and LF is still orbiting over the scene. The LZ party asked that LF switch over to Fire South but no one was able to reach them. I guess LF was trying every channel because I heard them come across Okaloosa Fire Tac-2 and the Florida EMS Intersystem (155.340). I figured a good 10+ minutes had passed before everyone was on the same channel again so the helo could land. I felt bad for the person who needed airlifted. Time was wasted with everyone trying to figure out the radios.

 

[ranger821]

I will bet they make a decision quickly as to what they are going to do. Hopefully it will be where we can still hear them.

 

[BamaScan]

I'm now hearing the med and fire calls from Okaloosa County, Florida at night on 154.385 here in Escambia County, Alabama. They are comming over the Escambia County, Alabama Rescue Squad Repeater.

 

[ki4wbn]

Fire north is doing A BUNCH of testing today. Radio Maintenance is present today as well. I have noticed during some of the tests that the VHF seems to be VERY quiet in audio, but those on SLERS seem to be able to hear dispatch no problem, as they respond back to dispatch....but their audio on the VHF is normal volume. Might just be trying things out...not sure....

 

[ranger821]

Yeah , just heard them. I was outside raking leaves. Could not hear both sides. I have bad hearing and the scanner was 20 feet away so They might have come over and my old ears did not hear them.

John
KB4OIF

 

[wise871]

As of 1530 they were still doing testing on the north end. Most of the time I was only able to hear users and not dispatch. I also caught a weak signal of the north end on 155.835 (103.5) but it was very scratchy.

 

[ki4wbn]

835 is a simulcast of the north end, on a water tower in Laurel Hill.

But in the meantime, our dispatchers are ready to move into the new EOC. With this, all of the county dispatchers will too, so we'll see what kind of changes, especially radio wise, this will bring.

 

[ki4wbn]

Orbacom

Okaloosa Dispatch just used the old tones on the north end, like they used with the old Orbacom consoles (the ones with the 'dialing' tone sets). Hmm....just something of interest.
Also , been monitoring SLERS on the north end for the past few weeks...and well it sounds digital....MOST of the time. More on that later though, as I'm still digging into that.

 

[ki4wbn]

Update

All of the test tones, on both end of the county, are from the new County Warning Point/EOC. They are toning out from down there, but are having to remove the patches in place for SLERS from the north end dispatch building.
That's about all I have!