Manitoba Public Safety Communications Service ( PSCS)

[ve4ear]

Since Morden, Altona, Winkler, Rivers and Ste Anne are all dispatched by Brandon 911, Brandon has created patches on the PSCS side of things. I don't know if this will be a permanent thing or not or just until the transition is complete. Once the transition is finished and the link to FleetNet is dropped, I guess we won't ever hear these folks again as everything is encrypted.

Using Unitrunker and DSD+, the OTAP/OTAR process is seen as a series of data calls to the radio.

 

[dwc]

Just to throw in my two cents here. We heard from a few inside sources in BC here that since the RCMP has a major stake in these provincial or regional systems, they are laying down the law by saying if they are to be on X system, all other public safety users must also be encrypted. So their 100% encryption mandate nationally is most likely driving the idea to extend this to whomever they may interop with on the radio. Locally here a number of FD's individually tried to push back but given the RCMP's major stake, they were unsuccessful.

Unfortunately this just further widens the gap in transparency and open data from these publicly funded agencies.

 

[sckeith]

Hello

Will all the regular businesses that were on MTS FleetNet be staying on PSCS?

I need something to listen to on my BCT15X other then the conventional channels. I like to have the radio on all the time.

 

[ve4ear]

The PSCS network will likely be limited to ISED's Tier 1, 2 and 3 entities. Essentially, Public Safety, utilities, Conservation, government entities and critical transportation carriers. Commercial ops like couriers, private detectives, construction, towing etc.. will likely not be allowed.

With the RCMP in the middle of their migration, the 800 MHz channels will be getting a whole lot quieter real soon.

The network hardware was end of life nearly 10 years ago, I am sure Bell will want to mothball the whole system very soon.

 

[sckeith]

Thanks for the reply

I've been listening to scanners for a long time, I miss the old days. I also have a BCD436HP that I use for digital and DMR but MTS FleetNet is getting pretty thin.

Steve VE4FX

 

[ve4ear]

Pretty quiet on the FleetNet 800 MHz talkgroups. All that seems to be left is the Winnipeg Airport and a handful of legacy talkgroups still patched to the new PSCS system. Even the City of Winnipeg is flashing their radios to include new PSCS talkgroups so they can roam outside the City or to ease interoperabilty.

 

[cybr]

Noticed here in Brandon that FleetNet has gone silent. Removed it from my scanner now. Guess now it's Aviation, Rail and local businesses only for me. Is there a date for when the FleetNet system will be officially shut down?

 

[jets1961]

Not sure if Bell will shut down FleetNet 800, there are commercial users on the system.

 

[ve4ear]

The only commercial users left on the Winnipeg 800 MHz FleetNet are the Winnipeg Airport folks. Their new talkgroups on PSCS appear to have been assigned and not sure when they will transition.

Clearly the Bell techs are still experimenting with the Winnipeg site. Last Friday they dropped the output power on all the channels by about 30 dB. The Selkirk site is stronger in south Winnipeg than the Trizec site.

 

[jets1961]

Are you saying all commercial users have been moved off FleetNet 800? Do you mean system/province wide?

If so, where did they move them or did they just drop them? Move them to cell phones?

Why would commercial users at airport be added to PSCS?

The only commercial users left on the Winnipeg 800 MHz FleetNet are the Winnipeg Airport folks. Their new talkgroups on PSCS appear to have been assigned and not sure when they will transition.

Clearly the Bell techs are still experimenting with the Winnipeg site. Last Friday they dropped the output power on all the channels by about 30 dB. The Selkirk site is stronger in south Winnipeg than the Trizec site.

 

[sckeith]

Scanning sure isn't enjoyable as it was years ago in Winnipeg . Are there any scanners that will pick the unencrypted users on the new system?

I don't see why everything would need to be encrypted.

Thanks

 

[Jay911]

Scanning sure isn't enjoyable as it was years ago in Winnipeg . Are there any scanners that will pick the unencrypted users on the new system?

I don't see why everything would need to be encrypted.

Thanks

Any modern scanner should be able to cut the mustard. Uniden x36HP or SDSx00, and I don't know the current Whistler model numbers, but they'll do it as well.

 

[ve4ear]

Are you saying all commercial users have been moved off FleetNet 800? Do you mean system/province wide?

If so, where did they move them or did they just drop them? Move them to cell phones?

Why would commercial users at airport be added to PSCS?

All I can say with certainty is the only users left on FleetNet 800 in Winnipeg are the folks at the airport. There have been no other transmissions for weeks. Others have said that sites have gone quiet/off the air in other parts of Manitoba.

Techs have been testing/demoing the new airport talkgroups. Currently the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service can access the Airport fire folks directly. The WFPS transmit on their own Harris system but they have a permanent patch to the FleetNet 800 talkgroup for the airport Fire. DND's 17 Wing Fire department at the airport uses radios on the Harris system to talk on the main airport fire's group.

So for the purpose of interoperability having the airport on the PSCS makes sense. It appears all the WFPS radios have been upgraded with new ID's that give them access directly to the PSCS including the new airport talkgroups.

 

[ve4ear]

Anyone monitoring the Airport? They have moved to PSCS and using mostly unencrypted comms.

31440, 50, Normal, 7590, 2023/01/12 3:44, "WAA_FIRE_1"
31441, 50, L/O, 14617, 2023/01/12 6:05, "WAA-AIRPORT_OPS"
31442, 50, Normal, 164, 2023/01/11 18:22, "WAA-emergency"
31443, 50, Normal, 33, 2022/12/30 9:34, "WAA"
31444, 50, Normal, 5, 2022/12/22 5:44, "WAA"
31445, 50, L/O, 1005, 2023/01/11 23:14, "WAA-CLEANERS"
31446, 50, L/O, 161162, 2023/01/12 6:24, "WAA-SECURITY"
31447, 50, Normal, 17, 2022/12/30 9:34, "WAA"
31448, 50, L/O, 19046, 2023/01/12 6:08, "WAA-FIELD-MAINT"
31449, 50, L/O, 452, 2023/01/11 8:23, "WAA-FIELD-ELECT"
31450, 50, L/O, 2795, 2023/01/10 9:35, "WAA-FACILITIES"
31451, 50, Normal, 270, 2023/01/11 8:09, "WAA-baggage"
31452, 50, L/O, 38319, 2023/01/12 6:23, "WAA-CONTRACTORS"
31453, 50, L/O, 5519, 2023/01/04 12:03, "WAA-ESCORTS"
31454, 50, L/O, 32650, 2023/01/11 22:18, "WAA-DEICING"
31455"WAA-wfps"

 

[EWC_BDN]

Are you saying all commercial users have been moved off FleetNet 800? Do you mean system/province wide?

If so, where did they move them or did they just drop them? Move them to cell phones?

Why would commercial users at airport be added to PSCS?

There is PTT over LTE radios out there now from China. Easy easy sell to any FleetNet user. The radios are way cheaper, which is good and bad. Most FleetNet commercial users were using GTX and LTS2000 Radios that were 20 years old. A few bought XTS1500, but not many.
PTT over LTE is probably lower fees too. Mobiles and portables are out there too.

I wonder what MLCC did for their VLT technicians? They had XTS3000 with XTVA's.

 

[sckeith]

Anybody know where the Dept of Highways moved to after MTS FleetNet? I don't see a reason why they'd be encrypted.

Thanks

 

[BC_Scan]

What a shame I see no one is sussing out the information (or so it seems) there is seemingly no update to this system I first noted early 2019
I'm going to say DOH is on this system but no one has ID the talkgroups, could be because its ENC

 

[mikewazowski]

I spotted a few DOH crews with APX's while in Manitoba. Never did catch any activity from them and there was some plowing going on.

 

[EWC_BDN]

They are on PSCS. If you Google Manitoba PSCS there is a public website with information relevant to government employees. I'm sure they are moved over to the new system and they are encrypted. Ss to why, it's a harder question to answer. My best guess is a misunderstanding. An expensive misunderstanding, but the sort of misunderstanding you get in cases like this.

On that public website it says all Manitoba government radios must be encrypted. So the only un-encrypted users are groups that are not:
1. Police
2. Municipal fire departments
3. EMS
4. MB government departments.

The document also says who is allowed on and it's pretty much just the government. So who could be heard clear is people who want provincewide radio communication (I guess people could use it locally too, but cheaper options are around for that) in MB and aren't the MB government. Municipal and federal gov guys who can't solve their communication needs cheaper ways, or who won't try to solve them cheaper ways.

If you're in WPG, I don't think you'll hear much.

People I could see going on are all rural guys like First Nations bands, some municipal public works (but again these radios are expensive) The coverage is similar to FleetNet. So many places with no cell coverage have radio coverage.

 

[VA4JOE]

What a shame I see no one is sussing out the information (or so it seems) there is seemingly no update to this system I first noted early 2019
I'm going to say DOH is on this system but no one has ID the talkgroups, could be because its ENC

I'm using GQRX and OP25 with a Software Defined Radio to find info. GQRX on Linux and the local nodes input frequency to determine close proximity of radio, and OP25 on Linux to see which talkgroups are active. Since someone determined the Brandon Fire Emergency Services talkgroup ID it was a simple matter to determine a few Fire talkgroups in the Pembina Valley region. It takes a lot of crunching data to determine other talkgroup IDs.