OFFICIAL MSWIN Thread

INDY72

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This will be the place for new info regarding the upcomming Motorola ASTRO-25 700 MHz Statewide TRS. This will be a PURELY APCO-25 DIGITAL system from the ground up. All State Public Safety Agencies will have talkgroups on it. MS Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks will remain on sattellite radio, but have access to the TRS, as will MEMA. Primary users on the system will be departments of the MS DPS- MHP, MBN, MBI, MDOT, USDHS-MS, MDHS, Dept. of Forestry & Agriculture, MSNG, and Federal Agencies. Counties, and local municipalities will have oppurtunities to join for a subscription fee, much like the Palmetto 800, AWIN, and LATIE to name a few other systems.

The southern tier of the state will get built out first, followed by central, then northern parts of the state. It will be linked to the LATIE, and AWIN, with patches to AL DPS, and TN DPS.... With linkage to the TN State TRS once its built.
 
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ButchGone

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Re:

Since the "Motorola wins contract" thread is closed I'll reply here. Specifically to RadioGirls' posting and maybe another. The reason why I asked what kind of system this would be, and what band, is because I do not live in or near your state. I have no interest in Mississippi, other than the news about a statewide system. I had no knowledge about 700MHz postings, however long ago that was. I simply put a question out there because this forum and site is dedicated to *HELPING* others with information. Instead of sifting through volumes of postings I thought it would be easier for me and others interested in your states' upgrades to get some *FRIENDLY* advice. So instead of you getting so bent out of shape, how about being helpful and courteous since that is the spirit of this site? It doesn't make those asking questions look ignorant, but rather...well... I'll refrain. Please lets be civil, kind and helpful since we're all in this together. And be thankful our government still allows citizens to monitor what they are doing and have open discussions about it!
With best regards,
BG..
 

INDY72

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To keep it simple.. I was not geting out of shape... but others were.. thus I took action... But now that everyone is up to date... except the State that is... :)
 

dosboot

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I spoke with the Jones county EOC Dir. along with the system administrator today and Jones County does not have plans to join the MWIN system.
 

TomServo

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Progress?

Is this system actually being built out? Anyone know where it's active yet?

I've been looking at getting an inexpensive scanner to supplement my listening in the Grenada area, where it seems there are no trunked systems in use.

If the state's system is up and running, I may wait and save up for one that can do digital trunk tracking. (Is there such a best for 700 MHz yet?)
 

TomServo

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OK, sounds good. If do get a scanner, I'm not going to worry much about having compliance with the new system.
 

bayoucop

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Jan 21, 2007
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Coverage problems

I heard today that the system will be built out with the coverage being 97% completion rate for mobiles.

Users that need portable coverage will not be happy!!!!

Portable coverage and mobile coverage is worlds apart. Police, firemen, and ems users need to get out their cars and go into buildings. I heard it was bidded out at this specification. When it does not give good coverage, it will not be Motorola's fault, but they will get the blame anyway.
 

INDY72

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Portable coverage is to also be in the 95 to 97% range in most areas.. In the metro areas both mobile and portable coverage is expected to be nearly 100%.
 

bayoucop

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milf said:
Portable coverage is to also be in the 95 to 97% range in most areas.. In the metro areas both mobile and portable coverage is expected to be nearly 100%.

If it is not part of the contract to provide this portable coverage, it will not be engineered or built for this coverage.

Yes you will have portable coverage in the areas where a tower is located, but if engineered for mobile coverage the tower spacing will be farther apart.

The old Louisiana State Police 800mhz analog trunked statewide system was designed for mobile coverage. As a result of this they had a hard time getting local sheriff's to sign onto the system and pay the fees for poor coverage when officers entered buildings and went into areas away from towers. The use of mobiles went out in the 70's when portables started to become common.

There are large law agencies here in south Louisiana who only have a hand full of mobiles, out of several thousand radios.

State Police was happy, but they mostly worked accidents and were in or near there units, which had mobiles.
 

INDY72

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MHP primarily depends on the mobiles. As does MDOT, and and several other agencies in MS. The primary need for State Level Agencies is mobiles.. but with the ME's that ARE part of the contract, this will extend coverage of the HT's. All MHP crusiers will have Mobile Extenders in usage, as will MBN, MBI, MDOT Enforcement, DOC... per the official newsletters and IT/Comm ops.
 

dosboot

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This maybe along the same line of questions, but how strong will the signal be are does anyone know yet?
 

INDY72

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No one will know for sure till its being tested and runnin.. But its supposed to be very good coverage for mobiles Statewide, with the mobile extenders supplementing that coverage. Remember this is mainly to be an Statewide Interoperability platform, if they get the ball rolling lol!
 

Thunderbolt

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bayoucop said:
I heard today that the system will be built out with the coverage being 97% completion rate for mobiles.

Sounds like they are going to build the MWIN TRS, to the same exact specs that Motorola first used in Michigan, and currently in Illinois on their STARCOM21 Network. Many counties in the former state that want near 100 percent handheld coverage, have been erecting multiple-site simulcast systems. Case in point, would be several counties and the city of Detroit.

Detroit spent close to $130 million for a 10-site simulcast system, which includes a high-speed microwave backbone, primary and secondary site controllers, propane generators at each location, with an 80+ hour capacity. Moreover, this also included a new 9-1-1 dispatch center, mobile and portable radios, and employee training. Although, currently operating on 800 MHz, they do have the capacity to add 700 MHz down the road, when it becomes available in our area of the USA, dependent upon an international agreement with neighboring Canada.

Many fire departments here in Michigan, will use the I-TAC channels for on-scene fireground communications. This is due to the fact that the portables are not powerful enough to make it back to the single tower site per county, from inside a reinforced structure. Therefore, many counties that are in urban areas in Michigan, have decided to install simulcast systems, and have the option to add more towers as their population increases. All in all, by having every public safety agency on the same radio system is priceless, especially in the face of a major disaster.

73s

Ron
 

Thunderbolt

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dosboot said:
This maybe along the same line of questions, but how strong will the signal be are does anyone know yet?

This would depend on a few key factors, especially when considering that this will be primarily a 700 MHz system, with some localized areas using 800 MHz:
  • Height of the antenna tower.
  • Transmitter power.
  • Effective radiated power (ERP).
  • Type of antenna used, gain factor, and angle of radiation.
  • Atmospheric conditions.
  • Obstructions in the signal path.
  • Height of your antenna, type of coax and associated connectors used, and antenna gain.
A careful examination of these factors, will determine how good your reception will be. Remember, the taller your antenna, and the lower-loss coax used, will give you exceptional results. Case in point, with the local MPSCS TRS here in Michigan.

I can receive four different MPSCS towers at my location, three of which, have a height of 122 -148 meters tall, but when you factor in the sea level, they are all the same level. Likewise, I can also receive the Detroit Simulcast system, which is 40 km away. Moreover, the ERP of each site is from 125-346 watts ERP, with the latter being used on the I-CALL and I-TAC frequencies. This means I can hear any tower within a 40 km radius, given the type of antenna I use.

The MPSCS was designed to have lower height towers along the borders with Indiana, Ohio, Ontario, and Wisconsin. Likewise, some sites use directional antennas that are designed to keep the signal inside the state, so not as to cause any harmful interference with neighboring areas. Moreover, interior sections of the state have some of the highest towers at 152 meters. This makes reception along state lines rather tricky at times.

Currently, I am using a Diamond Discone antenna, and Belden 9913 coax, with Type-N connectors. The antenna is mounted roughly about 7.5 meters above the ground, which is more than adequate for listening to all the local action. However, considering that a discone has 0 dB gain; hence, if I were to use a 3-6 dB gain omni-directional 800 MHz antenna, or even better a Yagi-beam, I would see a considerable increase in signal strength and probably a few more towers sites as well. That being said, living in an area that is 290 meters above sea level really helps to improve reception a great deal.

All in all, careful planning should really help to maximize your scanning enjoyment of this new radio system.

73s

Ron
 
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bee

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Belmont, Ms.
In the july 2007 issue of "Monitoring Times" it states on page 11 that "There is still no 700 MHZ plan for the state(Mississippi) and at press time there had been no coordination of this system with neighbors Louisiana or Alabama".
Is this statement true or is Monitoring Times that much out of date?
 

bassmkenk2508

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I wonder if they mean there is no plan as in construction has not begun yet. Or maybe "no plan" as in no contract has been signed or finalized yet.

But I would take a strong guess saying there always has been a plan to have the system for the state. The Request for Proposal was always active, and the contract was even awarded in the end (Motorola won).

Something would really be wrong if the state all of the sudden dropped all plans for a statewide system.
 

MASTRTECH

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When they talk about no plan, They are refering to the Region 23 Planning commitee for Ms. I'm sure the state got licensed on their 2.5Mhz of spectrum at 700Mhz, but the state still has to cooridnate with Alabama & Louisiana. To my knowledge, the state has not signed the contract with Motorola yet. It was awarded back in Sept. 06. If you read the contract it stipulates a condition that the State gov't has to allocate the funds or the project could be dead before the first site is built. My two cents worth.
 
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