City of Statesville P25 System

[FireCop]

Two Way Radio of Carolina, Inc. has a news ticker item dated February 2nd saying the City of Statesville has approved a P25 Radio System.

TwoWayRadio > View All News

I remember one of our members, FD5722, mentioning something of this a few months back. Anyone find anything else on this?

 

[CFP387]

I searched the Statesville Record & Landmark and found nothing on the subject. Guess we'll have to wait for Daniel to follow up.

 

[FireCop]

I looked on the City of Statesville website and found nothing as well.

 

[FireCop]

I searched the Statesville Record & Landmark and found nothing on the subject. Guess we'll have to wait for Daniel to follow up.

Yeah, I guess you're right. Daniel seems to be the only one with info that might be willing to share. The FCC doesn't show anything new licensed to the city. I didn't see anything either while searching the FCC for Two-Way Radio since they have several licenses.

 

[fcfd988]

I have emailed a contact I have with Statesville FD to see if he knows anything.......

 

[fcfd988]

My contact provided some information........."it is being installed on the Cool Springs Tower. It is supposed to be operational by March. Antenna is already up and all that is left is installing the equipment"..........

If I hear more, I'll post it!

Wes

 

[Thunderbolt]

I seem to recall that city of Statesville submitted a license application to the FCC, and after a few weeks it was returned due to technical problems with the license. Hopefully, they will correct these issues and resubmit their application to it can be processed. I believe it had several 800 MHz frequency pairs listed.

73s

Ron

 

[FireCop]

Thanks guys for your replies!!

Cool Springs makes sense as several entities use that tower. That would give them coverage from the Barium Springs VIPER and Cool Springs sites.

I seemed to remember talk of a tower to be put just west of Statesville for 800 coverage some years ago, but that may have been before they jumped with the county on VIPER instead of Mooresville's system.

If anyone does come across a FCC license, please share it with us! Thanks again!

 

[yardbird]

Okay!

I am just wanting some clarification here.

Is the City of Statesville building their own 800 Mhz radio system, or are they adding additional antennas for the Mooresville or Viper System.

I know they have talkgroups on the Viper System.

Makes no sense if they are going to have their own system, since Mooresville and Viper are already there.

Just curious

David

 

[KM4WLV]

Okay!

I am just wanting some clarification here.

Is the City of Statesville building their own 800 Mhz radio system, or are they adding additional antennas for the Mooresville or Viper System.

I know they have talkgroups on the Viper System.

Makes no sense if they are going to have their own system, since Mooresville and Viper are already there.

Just curious

David

@ Ron - Making sure you got my PM about this subject.

@ Everyone else - The City of Statesville is building out their own system. It is an EF Johnson Digital P25 (800) system. They are using EFJ 3800 series P25 repeaters that are IP controlled. The portables they are using are a mix of Model 2 & model 3 EFJ 5100's. And Mobiles are the 5300 series with a mix of standard control heads & the new EFJ "Lightning" control head.

The system will be started as a 3 channel system initially, and will be built out more rather quickly. The main site will be the cool springs site. It will start with Statesville PD & FD on it. Time frame for getting it on the air isn't quite nailed down just yet.

I was in Irving Texas the week before Thanksgiving at EF Johnson Headquarters getting my training and certification on the system.

It will be connected to the Mooresville system and VIPER, and later down the road the Rowan/Salisbury system from what I've heard & what I've seen programmed in the radios. They are doing this to acheive interopperability.

Any more questions just give me a shout.

 

[yardbird]

Okay!

So the system is going to be like a Motorola System. It can still be monitored like the rest of the Motorola P25 Systems, unlike the M/A Comm that Johnston and Harnett Counties use.

I figured all the counties that surrounded Mecklenburg were going to switch to the new regional 800Mhz system.

I know Cabarrus has just signed agreements to allow there system to be interconnected with the C/M P25 system.

Last I heard, Mecklenburg and Union are already there. Cabarrus should be on the system by the first of next year.

Just my thoughts

David

Also, Daniel check you PM's

 

[KM4WLV]

Okay!

So the system is going to be like a Motorola System. It can still be monitored like the rest of the Motorola P25 Systems, unlike the M/A Comm that Johnston and Harnett Counties use.

I figured all the counties that surrounded Mecklenburg were going to switch to the new regional 800Mhz system.

I know Cabarrus has just signed agreements to allow there system to be interconnected with the C/M P25 system.

Last I heard, Mecklenburg and Union are already there. Cabarrus should be on the system by the first of next year.

Just my thoughts

David

Also, Daniel check you PM's

@ David - Got your PM & responded !!

 

[FireCop]

Daniel, thank you for the response. I haven't been on RR all day and will read my PM shortly.

Here's to crossing my fingers I can pick up the Cool Springs tower to monitor when the system does go live!!!

 

[KM4WLV]

Daniel, thank you for the response. I haven't been on RR all day and will read my PM shortly.

Here's to crossing my fingers I can pick up the Cool Springs tower to monitor when the system does go live!!!

@ Ron - No problem bud. Hope all is well. If ya want sometime we can get together & grab lunch or something and talk "shop". Have a great weekend bud !!!

 

[FireCop]

After using some info provided by a "source in the know", the below is the most likely FCC license to cover the Statesville system.

ULS License - 800 MHz Trunked SMR (SMR, Site-specific) License - WPBP635 - Two Way Radio of Carolina, Inc.

Click on the locations tab and you will see one for Cool Springs Rd. in Statesville, Rowan County. The tower is close to the intersections of the Rowan, Iredell, and Davie county lines. There are several radio systems using that tower.

Listed frequencies are 854.3875, 856.3125, and 857.3125 for the Cool Springs site.

 

[KM4WLV]

The tower being used was owned by AT&T at one point, and if anyone is familiar with it is right near what used to be the old 105.7 WFMX FM transmitter tower when they were still in business. Well when it was still a country music station.

 

[CFP387]

It will be connected to the Mooresville system and VIPER, and later down the road the Rowan/Salisbury system from what I've heard & what I've seen programmed in the radios.

Daniel, as far as you know we don't have anything on VIPER here in Rowan yet, do we? I knew that the tower on Cool Springs Road was part of the system, but I didn't think Rowan had anything on it yet.

 

[fcfd988]

Where is that cool springs tower. I am still trying to figure it out........

And also, checking out that license, there is a site listed on Medical Center Blvd in Winston-Salem. That has to be on top of Baptist Hospital. That's the only location on Medical Center Blvd that could support such as system. No towers there anywhere........

Anyone know if there is a P25 system there??????

Wes

 

[fcfd988]

The more I think about this system, the more questions I have. If this tower is out near the Davie/Iredell/Rowan line, how will it provide sufficient signal strength for "in building" coverage in Statesville? Especially if the user's radio is stuffed down inside a turnout coat, etc. It really don't make since to me why an agency would want to put their people into that potentially disastrous scenario just so they can say, "We're on 800 MHz"

 

[CFP387]

It really don't make since to me why an agency would want to put their people into that potentially disastrous scenario just so they can say, "We're on 800 MHz"

That's the point, it's not supposed to make sense.

See: Salisbury Millworks Fire, Salisbury, NC, Salisbury Post, where "OSH had recommended that the Fire Department investigate and take action on 'portable radio issues that hampered communication during the fire'."

I still believe that it wasn't the fire that killed those two firefighters back on March 7, 2008 in one of the city's biggest and costliest fires on record, it was the radios and the TRS. They couldn't communicate and they were only a handful of miles from the tower.

Daniel (our very on FD5722) can confirm as well that no one in the county or city will agree that the radios and the system needed an overhaul. They will still never admit that VHF portables are the best communication tools on the fireground. And now Rowan County is in the process of switching over to a P25 digital system. That's fine and I agree with keeping up with the times. But please, keep VHF as a backup in both the city and the county!