San Francisco Public Safety going Digital June 2021

[rustyhodge]

Not bee and A$$. Programming conventional into a scanner is way easier than Trunking I cry for you

heh! agreed! But I'm using a Bluetail P25RX right now, which seems to like to be in either trunked mode or conventional mode (but not both at the same time) but maybe I'm missing something in it's manual. Programming that into a Bearcat, etc would be straight-forward, indeed! Maybe I'll just use the BCT996p2 just for the simplex channels, because it's not always the best at the simulcast ones.

 

[shinkley]

Police dispatch and dispositions are mostly in the clear.

Just downloaded new SF P25 Phase II system using ARC Pro software on 436HP - but unchecked encrypted channels before loading. The database shows PD dispatch is DE, but this forum mentions dispatch is in the clear. Do I need to delete and start over to include all DE channels?

 

[officer_415]

Just downloaded new SF P25 Phase II system using ARC Pro software on 436HP - but unchecked encrypted channels before loading. The database shows PD dispatch is DE, but this forum mentions dispatch is in the clear. Do I need to delete and start over to include all DE channels?

Dispatch is in the clear on the "Te" talkgroups. The "TE" talkgroups are fully encrypted (if you hear any unencrypted traffic on those, let me know).

 

[rustyhodge]

On the SFFD direct channels, these are DIGITAL P25, correct? Just simplex with P25 TDMA?

 

[officer_415]

On the SFFD direct channels, these are DIGITAL P25, correct? Just simplex with P25 TDMA?

Correct, simplex with digital P25 FDMA (not TDMA).

 

[rustyhodge]

FDMA! I didn't know what to call simplex "TDMA" style digital. That makes sense. Thanks.

 

[officer_415]

FDMA! I didn't know what to call simplex "TDMA" style digital. That makes sense. Thanks.

FDMA and TDMA are really more trunking terms:

Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) = P25 Phase 1
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) = P25 Phase 2

Conventional P25 digital voice is single-slot, so it’s equivalent to FDMA.

 

[Hyd25]

I was wondering if there are any tones that can be programmed into a scanner for SFFD greater alarms? When they announce a 2nd or 3rd alarm on a Box if there any and specific tones on the radio used?

 

[officer_415]

I was wondering if there are any tones that can be programmed into a scanner for SFFD greater alarms? When they announce a 2nd or 3rd alarm on a Box if there any and specific tones on the radio used?

No, they don’t use tones for station alerting.

 

[rustyhodge]

What kind of range do the direct channels usually have? Would they be used for fighting a fire in a high rise, for example? Or be used in addition to the TAC channel for wider comms?

 

[rustyhodge]

I was wondering if there are any tones that can be programmed into a scanner for SFFD greater alarms? When they announce a 2nd or 3rd alarm on a Box if there any and specific tones on the radio used?

For a while, I tried running voice transcriptions on the automated dispatch channel, but the translations were full of errors.
It's too bad that SFFD doesn't have a text feed of the automated dispatch.

 

[KD6JEK]

What kind of range do the direct channels usually have? Would they be used for fighting a fire in a high rise, for example? Or be used in addition to the TAC channel for wider comms?

Not far at all… and definitely wouldn’t work in a high rise fire with all the concrete and metal.

 

[Hyd25]

The Building Code in San Francisco requires some Hi-Rise Buildings to have a on-site repeater systems for the Public Safety Radio System. In fact, there was a bulletin directed to certain buildings to upgrade their systems to P-25 phase II awhile back

 

[rooivalk]

Apparently, the system has been a safety issue and is not working well. A recent incident, downtown, where the Officers where in a footbail with an armed suspect, and the radio transmissions were unintelligible, has gained the interest of the Dept's Command Staff, as this incident is one of many where the system has failed during critical incidents.

 

[rustyhodge]

During the testing before rollout of the Phase 2 system there were plenty of airchecks testing the repeaters in high rises.

 

[KG7PBS]

What kind of range do the direct channels usually have? Would they be used for fighting a fire in a high rise, for example? Or be used in addition to the TAC channel for wider comms?

Depending on where there at and what antenna they have. About 1 Mile on 7/800

 

[nokoa3116]

Apparently, the system has been a safety issue and is not working well. A recent incident, downtown, where the Officers where in a footbail with an armed suspect, and the radio transmissions were unintelligible, has gained the interest of the Dept's Command Staff, as this incident is one of many where the system has failed during critical incidents.

Like in what way, garble because of say reception, or the actual sound quality of the vocoder?

 

[rooivalk]

Like in what way, garble because of say reception, or the actual sound quality of the vocoder?

Like a Star Wars robot...

 

[rustyhodge]

The Pulse Point app now has all the EMS dispatch audio and CAD dispatch data on it. SFFD announced they were partnering with them on Twitter. Audio quality is very good.

 

[KD6JEK]

With Palo Alto rescinding their encryption, I wonder if SFPD would do the same. I highly doubt it tho since they are already broadcasting dispatch in the clear, but it would be nice.