Converse Dispatch switch to Bexar

[NC5267]

Looks like Converse PD and FD have switched to Bexar County for dispatch as of this week. On Monday PD was still using their channel on the LCRA P25 system, but now only hearing them on SO East Patrol. I assume that they will sill have the ability to talk with Live Oak, UC, etc...


https://www.ksat.com/news/bexar-county-to-provide-emergency-dispatch-services-for-city-of-converse

 

[rattlerbb01]

That article has a lot of holes in it. Can BCSO East Dispatch not be patched to LCRA-Bexar Law by the dispatcher during a major incident in Converse? Can LCRA-Bexar Law and Converse PD not be patched by the Converse dispatcher as well allowing for direct communication between the two departments?

 

[NC5267]

In the past BCSO has patched their dispatch channel to one of the Converse PD ops channels but it was for only specific calls . The Bexar Law interop channel can be patched to any channel on the provoice system. This seems more of a money move like when Leon Valley switched to county. Be interesting to see how comms with surrounding agencies on the LCRA system will be impacted.

 

[rattlerbb01]

In the past BCSO has patched their dispatch channel to one of the Converse PD ops channels but it was for only specific calls . The Bexar Law interop channel can be patched to any channel on the provoice system. This seems more of a money move like when Leon Valley switched to county. Be interesting to see how comms with surrounding agencies on the LCRA system will be impacted.

If they already had Harris radios that could do ProVoice, it probably doesn’t affect much. Dispatch on SO East and still keep all their LCRA talkgroups. It seems like they might get lost in the shuffle though with all the other traffic on East.

 

[NC5267]

Yeah they all have Harris radios in the Metrocom area except Schertz and Cibolo. They have new RID numbers on the system 13xxx...Have to see if they pop up on the LCRA system what their RID's are on that system. Most of the officers I heard yesterday seemed to do well with the different procedures county uses for traffic stops etc...If they needed assistance from Live Oak or UC and vice versa,everyone just got on the Pursuit channel before the switch. Now I guess it will just be patching. Which can take a lot longer in a fast paced situation.

 

[Michael-SATX]

Friday 8-17-18 LCRA-Converse TG's recorded & logged !

Looks like Converse PD and FD have switched to Bexar County for dispatch as of this week. On Monday PD was still using their channel on the LCRA P25 system, but now only hearing them on SO East Patrol. I assume that they will sill have the ability to talk with Live Oak, UC, etc.

Fri 8-17: Definitely switched, just these few hits the entire day for the following list recorded on my HP-1E
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12067 - Converse FD Primary - w/ UID#8290145 (keyup only/no talking)
12068 - Converse FD Firegrnd - w/ UID#8290488 (Fire? Medic2 is in route to Medcoast?)(bad audio?)
12073 - Converse PD Dispatch - w/ UID#8291001 & UID#8290192 (keyup only)
12074 - Converse PD CH-2 - w/ UID#8291001 ("Hassel? on 2")
12156 - Converse Streets PW - w/ UID#8290281 (keyup only/no talking) & UID#8290232 (keyup only)
12157 - Converse Water PW - w/ UID#8290239 ("331 to 100") & UID#8290287 ("Go for 100")
also w/ UID#8290250 (Water turn off)

Sat 8-18: BCD-996XT logging w/ProScan just LCRA-Live Oak site TG's - No Converse TG's so far today !

Logging Traffic for: Cibolo Fire Gnd, Comal Co SO-1S, Guad Co SO LE/IA, LO FD-1, LO PD-1, LO PD-3
also for Schertz EMS Resp, Schertz Fire/EMS, Schertz FD FG, Schertz PD 2, Selma FD 1, Selma PD 4
also for Univ City FD Disp, Univ City PD 1 .......... as of my 1pm posting a whopping 14 TG's total so far !

btw ~ Yesterday BCSO East Disp on SAUA topped my ProScan hit list of any TG with over 2275 hits

Question for the forum: Considering growth & congestion: East, West, North and South Districts maybe ?

 

[jbsarandolphmonitor]

It has been very quiet on the LCRA p25 system sense Converse moved. I don't have a radio that can hear the pro voice system. I guess I can try to listen to the SAUA system.

Don

 

[NC5267]

I don't think county would split the districts. They would have to hire more dispatchers which cost money and the way San Antonio is annexing I don't think they could justify the cost.

User wise Converse is the largest city they dispatch for with Leon Valley second. Even with the other little towns and the county CID guys plus the patrol deputies there are still a lot less users on the dispatch channels than one of the city channels.

 

[Dark_Side]

New Fire Pager Tones
Converse Station #112
Bexar County Fire Pager Tones
CH-1 154.2500

Converse Station
#112
Quick call 2 (QC2)
569.1 1006.9

 

[Dark_Side]

Update STN #111 and #112 Same Tones

Converse Station
#111 and #112
Quick call 2 (QC2)
569.1 1006.9

 

[NC5267]

Heard a Converse PD unit on the Judson ISD channel working the Football game at Judson stadium. He had mentioned switching back and forth from county to their channel for something. So they either just had the provoice system programmed into their existing radios, or they kept their original handhelds for interop with the users on the LCRA system. Before the switch PD at least was using the P7300's, so I don't know if they got new handhelds. Most all of the county units and the cities hey dispatch for use the XG-75 series radios with the exception of Leon Valley. Which uses the Harris all band XL-200P.

 

[scrotumola]

The other item of interest regarding Converse FD is that they are no longer using QCII tones for alerting on Bexar County Fire Alarm.

Their calls are now preceded with DTMF tones of 111 and 112. I do not know if their radios are iCalled and the DTMF tones are just for kicks or what.

~S~

 

[rattlerbb01]

The other item of interest regarding Converse FD is that they are no longer using QCII tones for alerting on Bexar County Fire Alarm.

Their calls are now preceded with DTMF tones of 111 and 112. I do not know if their radios are iCalled and the DTMF tones are just for kicks or what.

~S~

I noticed that the other day too.

 

[jasday]

The DTMF tones are probably used for station alerts. A lot of the smaller departments up here have gone from 2 tone to DTMF including the fire dept I work part time for.

 

[scrotumola]

Before Converse switched to Bexar County, they were dispatched locally, ie local area transmitter. Now that they cutover to Bexar County, their VHF pagers no longer worked. I obtained EMT training from Converse FD at their station at 107 Station Dr, back in the late 80s. Pagers could not receive Bexar County Fire Alarm as the general area was in a bowl and reception required an elevated or outdoor antenna.

Back then, Fire Alarm's transmitter was on the Tower Life Building downtown, it has since moved to HyLions Park but the effective footprint for VHF paging reception did not improve--it actually degraded significantly, prompting Leon Springs to launch their bi-directional repeater as well as other departments (Sandy Oaks, Bexar Bulverde, ESD5 and Helotes. Camelot was in the process of obtaining their own repeater atop the Army Retirement Center, but the project lost traction upon the advent of the ProVoice system being offered to VFDs

~S~