FYI Butler County 800 MHz radio implementation

[KAA951]

Motorbridge questionable

From my practical experience with the KDOT Motorbridge system- the theory sounds much better than the actual product. The main issue seems to be that KDOT (intentionally?) put in substandard transmitters for Motobridge (you won't find low power transmitters without the Batwing anywhere else in their inventory) and the channel plan is a mess!

When you use any of the call channels to contact the KHP Central Dispatch- it keys up every call transmitter in range. What you end up with is complete jibberish. The only way I have successfully arranged for a Motobridge patch was via cell phone- and even then the process was painful.

The audio quality you get even when the patch is up (the exception is on 800) is poor. I was within a mile of one of their tower sites and could not get a clear signal to them on any mutual aid channel due to the overlapping repeater signals.

I would not rely on this system as your Mutual Aid comms answer.

 

[SCPD]

I agree, Motobridge is less than perfect. However we are not using the KHP Motobridge to patch. Our dispatchers can patch any channels they have in the consoles together. It works quite well other than the short delay. This has been done several times with good results.

 

[mancow]

That's interesting. I hadn't thought of the overlapping comms issue. I took a class in Salina some time back and we were testing the system. I was using an MBITR on 39.700 and we patched it to 800. The system sounded great but the fact that there are no low band repeaters and the 800 was nearby might have prevented the issue you mentioned.

I do notice you can key up several of the Uhf interop repeaters with a hand held all at the same time. They end up sounding like 10 Meter ham during a band opening.

From my practical experience with the KDOT Motorbridge system- the theory sounds much better than the actual product. The main issue seems to be that KDOT (intentionally?) put in substandard transmitters for Motobridge (you won't find low power transmitters without the Batwing anywhere else in their inventory) and the channel plan is a mess!

When you use any of the call channels to contact the KHP Central Dispatch- it keys up every call transmitter in range. What you end up with is complete jibberish. The only way I have successfully arranged for a Motobridge patch was via cell phone- and even then the process was painful.

The audio quality you get even when the patch is up (the exception is on 800) is poor. I was within a mile of one of their tower sites and could not get a clear signal to them on any mutual aid channel due to the overlapping repeater signals.

I would not rely on this system as your Mutual Aid comms answer.

 

[dbentley445]

Each attempt to test the Motobridge has resulted in failure. This year we skipped the mandatory testing and just used the 800’s in order to fulfill the interoperability testing requirements.

Just a little more fuel to the fire. It is nearly impossible to reach the KHP tower with the 800 portable. The UHF portables are reaching the tower every time, but without a successful patch it is useless.

Hopefully others in the state are having better luck than we are.

 

[firefive76]

Glad I'm not the only one that thinks the Motobridge is a joke.

 

[SCPD]

Just a little more fuel to the fire. It is nearly impossible to reach the KHP tower with the 800 portable. The UHF portables are reaching the tower every time, but without a successful patch it is useless.

I'm not sure where you are, but in Butler County we have no problem at all hitting KHP towers with portables. I have heard time and time again that Motobridge does not work, but the patches our system has built in seem to be good resolutions.

 

[mitchkrat]

Which UTAC

Mitch,

Dispatch can patch the UHF to the 800, provided they have the UHF channel... Radios will have to be programmed with the UCall and UTac channels for this, as I don't think Butler 911 has Cowley channels.

Dan - which UTAC channel should we use to contact Butler County? Will this channel be routinely monitored?

Would like to conduct a test before we really need to use it.

 

[SCPD]

Mitch,

Butler County 9-1-1 monitors UCALL40 all the time. You can call them on it and then they can assign you to UTAC41, UTAC42 or UTAC43. They can patch the UHF and 800 channels, we have done that a couple of different times up here, but they must have the UHF channel you are on to do it.

 

[nec911]

Glad I'm not the only one that thinks the Motobridge is a joke.

I have been using Moto-bridge for testing at some local agencies here in Topeka. The only problems I have had was with the fact that 8TAC91 from Topeka's tower is getting interference from the 8TAC91 hanging on the Douglas County tower. We even used Moto-bridge down at Reading for the tornado a couple times.

 

[mitchkrat]

Not able to hit UTAC41

Mitch,

Butler County 9-1-1 monitors UCALL40 all the time. You can call them on it and then they can assign you to UTAC41, UTAC42 or UTAC43. They can patch the UHF and 800 channels, we have done that a couple of different times up here, but they must have the UHF channel you are on to do it.

I have programmed our base station at our station for the UCALL and UTAC channels. I can't seem to hit anything on UTAC41. I got repeater responses from UCALL40, UTAC42 and UTAC43.

I called in on UCALL40 for Butler County dispatch and was going to try and have them patch UTAC42 to Atlanta's 800 group - didn't get any repsonse from Butler County Dispatch.

 

[dbentley445]

Did you try calling KHP Dispatch from the Ucall 40? Here is the link with all the instructions for the Motobridge.

http://www.kansastag.gov/AdvHTML_Doc_Upload/MutualAidRefGuide_11-2008 Revised.pdf

 

[shrek06]

When I am in Wichita, KS (work). I hear activity all day long. NO ENCRYPTION... but in Butler county. El Dorado PD and a few others do. Why is that? What makes Butler so special that they think they have to encrypt?

 

[nec911]

When I am in Wichita, KS (work). I hear activity all day long. NO ENCRYPTION... but in Butler county. El Dorado PD and a few others do. Why is that? What makes Butler so special that they think they have to encrypt?

You might examine the pinned post as follows before starting down the path of encryption complaints.

https://forums.radioreference.com/k...ncryption-audio-streaming-will-now-cease.html

 

[shrek06]

You might examine the pinned post as follows before starting down the path of encryption complaints.

https://forums.radioreference.com/k...ncryption-audio-streaming-will-now-cease.html

Thanks, I will delete my post.

 

[mikewazowski]

I think you should read the linked thread carefully as it doesn't apply at all to your question.