Acadian ambulance

[APX8000user133]

Acadian uses the SETRRS 7-800mhz trunked system to talk, but i've noticed VHF frequencies on the database and VHF antennas on their ambulances. Do they still dispatch or talk through VHF?

 

[KG1ADP]

no they do not. they have vhf on the ambulances to talk to the fire departments that are still on VHF

 

[Para078]

What system do they use in DFW?

 

[APX8000user133]

no they do not. they have vhf on the ambulances to talk to the fire departments that are still on VHF

Ah ok, that makes sense, because there are still VFH frequencies on the Beaumont database

 

[Project25_MASTR]

They were using 800 MHz Connect Plus for the longest time in central Texas.

 

[APX8000user133]

I also think they use several towers that comms. come through because dispatch will key up and ask someone something and there wont be a response over the radio but their will be a response from dispatch acknowledging their transmission.

 

[MaxxFire3]

Ah ok, that makes sense, because there are still VFH frequencies on the Beaumont database

Most of those are actually deprecated, or rather no longer used...all of JC and Orange Co ESD's and VFD's are on the SETRRS, a few in Hardin Co too

 

[Motoballa]

I also think they use several towers that comms. come through because dispatch will key up and ask someone something and there wont be a response over the radio but their will be a response from dispatch acknowledging their transmission.

It could be like how DPS is setup, remote bases where the dispatcher receives mobile units but when the dispatcher responds it goes across all towers. DPS Garland transmits over two trunked systems and 4-5 VHF remote bases at the same time, whether the unit is on the trunked system or VHF.

 

[cferguson4809]

As a former Acadian medic and supervisor, in my experience, the only time Acadian actually uses radios is to dispatch 911 calls on the frequencies or talkgroups they have access to and are required by contract to use. Even then, sometimes the dispatchers don’t do it.

For non-emergency traffic, CAD is used exclusively, and if CAD goes down, they use Google Chat. Since all Acadian emails are part of Google Enterprise, the functionality is already built into the system.

They are set up similarly to how talkgroups might be organized on a radio system. For example, there would be a chat for wheelchair vans that includes all the wheelchair van drivers, dispatchers, dispatch supervisors, and field supervisors. It works the same way for ambulances, with all ambulance crews, dispatchers, dispatch supervisors, and field supervisors included in their own chat.

Although the 800mhz connect plus is still operational for whatever reason they are content with spending the money on it and not using it.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

As a former Acadian medic and supervisor, in my experience, the only time Acadian actually uses radios is to dispatch 911 calls on the frequencies or talkgroups they have access to and are required by contract to use. Even then, sometimes the dispatchers don’t do it.

For non-emergency traffic, CAD is used exclusively, and if CAD goes down, they use Google Chat. Since all Acadian emails are part of Google Enterprise, the functionality is already built into the system.

They are set up similarly to how talkgroups might be organized on a radio system. For example, there would be a chat for wheelchair vans that includes all the wheelchair van drivers, dispatchers, dispatch supervisors, and field supervisors. It works the same way for ambulances, with all ambulance crews, dispatchers, dispatch supervisors, and field supervisors included in their own chat.

Although the 800mhz connect plus is still operational for whatever reason they are content with spending the money on it and not using it.

The 800 MHz Connect Plus wasn't owned by Acadian though. They were on All Point's system for the longest time in Central Texas (I don't remember if they migrated to the WAM system at any point).

Connect Plus is a real sore spot for a lot of system owners. At the time Motorola announced the end of life for it most of your Texas operators had 90% of their fleets using Gen 1 Motorola TRBO radios (XPR4500 and XPR6500 series). Capacity Max, the successor to Connect Plus, could only operate on Gen 2 and newer radios so it left the system owners in a bit of a pickle. Force customers (which means loose most of them) to buy new radios or keep Connect Plus running as long as possible. It's not like the public safety lineup where you could've purchased a XTL5000 back in 2006 and still be using it on a current P25 system today.

 

[cferguson4809]

I’m aware they don’t own it, they were leasing from all points, now I believe it’s MCA.

 

[garys]

One system in MA that I used to monitor went from Connect Plus to a different type of technology instead of upgrading to Capacity Max. That company is owned by Bearcom. I don't know what the exact technology is, but it is a PTT system similar to what Nextel used to be from what I'm told.

The 800 MHz Connect Plus wasn't owned by Acadian though. They were on All Point's system for the longest time in Central Texas (I don't remember if they migrated to the WAM system at any point).

Connect Plus is a real sore spot for a lot of system owners. At the time Motorola announced the end of life for it most of your Texas operators had 90% of their fleets using Gen 1 Motorola TRBO radios (XPR4500 and XPR6500 series). Capacity Max, the successor to Connect Plus, could only operate on Gen 2 and newer radios so it left the system owners in a bit of a pickle. Force customers (which means loose most of them) to buy new radios or keep Connect Plus running as long as possible. It's not like the public safety lineup where you could've purchased a XTL5000 back in 2006 and still be using it on a current P25 system today.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

One system in MA that I used to monitor went from Connect Plus to a different type of technology instead of upgrading to Capacity Max. That company is owned by Bearcom. I don't know what the exact technology is, but it is a PTT system similar to what Nextel used to be from what I'm told.

That's actually PDV Wireless (which was founded by the former group at Nextel that did the PTT iDEN network). Post Nextel/Sprint it was built out as a 900 MHz Connect Plus system and when Connect Plus went EOL they looked at migrating to Capacity Max but decided to go the route of LTE. I believe they've been trying to migrate to continuous 900 MHz spectrum so they can continue to build their LTE.

Fun fact, when Bearcom acquired CTS in Waco/Austin/San Antonio they sold all of CTS's airtime customers to a third party (which later went belly up) and expected to get them onto the PDV system only to discover that PDV had not built out south of Waco and that PDV Was charging $15 more a radio per month compared to the local All Points and CTS solutions.

 

[garys]

Bearcom must have sold the MA system to PDV, because they owned it at one time. The original company was "Comtronics" out of Quincy, MA. Way back, they were a GE vendor.

Bearcom also bought a NXDN network operating on 450, 460, and even a few 470 frequencies. I don't think that anything has happened with that. The bigger 900Mhz system (Industrial Communications) was starting to transition to Capacity Max in 2023 when we moved down here. It seems to be a very slow transition.

That's actually PDV Wireless (which was founded by the former group at Nextel that did the PTT iDEN network). Post Nextel/Sprint it was built out as a 900 MHz Connect Plus system and when Connect Plus went EOL they looked at migrating to Capacity Max but decided to go the route of LTE. I believe they've been trying to migrate to continuous 900 MHz spectrum so they can continue to build their LTE.

Fun fact, when Bearcom acquired CTS in Waco/Austin/San Antonio they sold all of CTS's airtime customers to a third party (which later went belly up) and expected to get them onto the PDV system only to discover that PDV had not built out south of Waco and that PDV Was charging $15 more a radio per month compared to the local All Points and CTS solutions.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

Bearcom must have sold the MA system to PDV, because they owned it at one time. The original company was "Comtronics" out of Quincy, MA. Way back, they were a GE vendor.

Bearcom also bought a NXDN network operating on 450, 460, and even a few 470 frequencies. I don't think that anything has happened with that. The bigger 900Mhz system (Industrial Communications) was starting to transition to Capacity Max in 2023 when we moved down here. It seems to be a very slow transition.

The NXDN system belonged to S&P. Bearcom still operates that one (they learned from their mistake from CTS). Bearcom's acquisition of S&P pretty much killed EFJ sales in central Texas for a few years. Voceon out of San Antonio is the go to for EFJ gear now (and Tait, and BK).

 

[garys]

I probably wasn't specific enough. Both systems I'm referring to were in Massachusetts.

The NXDN system belonged to S&P. Bearcom still operates that one (they learned from their mistake from CTS). Bearcom's acquisition of S&P pretty much killed EFJ sales in central Texas for a few years. Voceon out of San Antonio is the go to for EFJ gear now (and Tait, and BK).