Aurora/Naperville OpenSky System

[ltginrage]

Hello all,
I realuze the OpenSky systems are unmotitorable. I am wondering if anyone knows how Aurora FD or Naperville FD gets paged for calls? I did some research but unsucessful in finding if they make pagers for OpenSky. I did not research how they are doing station alerting. I highly doubt that they are using VHF/UHF simulcast for station alerting. Just wondering if anyone else knows.

 

[RBMTS]

I assume you are referring to Fire and EMS. They don’t page. Everything is done by CAD with station alerting.

 

[ltginrage]

So no tone outs or anything like that?

 

[Blunt630]

Don't even bother looking at anything in Naperville or Aurora. The worst decision on choosing OpenSky.

 

[ltginrage]

It was not a bad decision. It provides better coverage than other systems they could use. The only reason people call it a bad decision is because its not monitorable. Eventually the system will "wear down" and they will then switch to Starcomm with full encryption because its not worth the money to keep fixing the system when its cheaper to switch to Starcomm or P25 system. But this may be a very long time from now.

 

[RBMTS]

So no tone outs or anything like that?

Nope. They are 100% full time staffed and don't rely on paging. If there is a mutual aid call from Lisle or Warrenville, Naperville will open a patch to a specific Starcom talk group (listed in the DB) so that units can be talk to the Open Sky system. So FD can be monitored once in a while for a short time (for as long as the patch is up). I have never heard Aurora perform a patch with other departments.

 

[Blunt630]

It was inoperable with StarCom during the Aurora incident, The coverage is only Naper/Aurora vs StarCom which covers the entire state.

 

[ltginrage]

Nope. They are 100% full time staffed and don't rely on paging. If there is a mutual aid call from Lisle or Warrenville, Naperville will open a patch to a specific Starcom talk group (listed in the DB) so that units can be talk to the Open Sky system. So FD can be monitored once in a while for a short time (for as long as the patch is up). I have never heard Aurora perform a patch with other departments.

Thanks for the info. During the protests Aurora requested a Box Change of Quaters. I'm assuming the FDs that went had no way of advising Aurora Dispatch that they were in route.

 

[RBMTS]

A Starcom patch might have been used (there is one listed for Aurora). Or the change units might have been given a portable to use.

 

[ltginrage]

I didnt see that Aurora patch there. Do they only run thoose patches on the DuPage tower or is it Kane also?

 

[Blunt630]

A Starcom patch might have been used (there is one listed for Aurora). Or the change units might have been given a portable to use.

I can say that all com's were going through dist15, portables were issued by ISP/W and D counties once mutual aid was requested/arrived.

 

[RBMTS]

I can say that all com's were going through dist15, portables were issued by ISP/W and D counties once mutual aid was requested/arrived.

I'm talking about Aurora providing the change quarter units portables for their system, not the Starcom21 system.

I didnt see that Aurora patch there. Do they only run thoose patches on the DuPage tower or is it Kane also?

When Naperville initiates the patch, it comes over on the Dupage site. I've never heard Aurora initiate a patch and I've got a second radio monitoring the Kane site for Interop traffic. So not sure if that ever happens - or if it happened during the protests. At the time of the protests I was listening to the ITTF groups so I wasn't paying attention to the fire groups.

 

[ltginrage]

Thanks for the info.

 

[officerdave]

Nope. They are 100% full time staffed and don't rely on paging. If there is a mutual aid call from Lisle or Warrenville, Naperville will open a patch to a specific Starcom talk group (listed in the DB) so that units can be talk to the Open Sky system. So FD can be monitored once in a while for a short time (for as long as the patch is up). I have never heard Aurora perform a patch with other departments.

They also have patch with WESCOM. I listen to Fire everyday in my squad . They use station alerting via Purvus , that computer voice gets old ..... I have noticed DuCom interops channel come up when Naperville is talking with Lisle/Woodridge or Warrenville. Not being monitorable was part of the reason for Open Sky being selected. Some day ? look for a L3Harris Phase II P25 system for Aurora/Naperville. I know that Harris is tired of supporting the Public Safety Open Sky systems they have deployed.

 

[ltginrage]

So the WESCOM Patch is always on?

 

[GTO_04]

They also have patch with WESCOM. I listen to Fire everyday in my squad . They use station alerting via Purvus , that computer voice gets old ..... I have noticed DuCom interops channel come up when Naperville is talking with Lisle/Woodridge or Warrenville. Not being monitorable was part of the reason for Open Sky being selected. Some day ? look for a L3Harris Phase II P25 system for Aurora/Naperville. I know that Harris is tired of supporting the Public Safety Open Sky systems they have deployed.

Harris is so pleased with the Open Sky system it is in EOL status and is no longer going to be supported. So you are correct it is going to be replaced it is just a matter of when.

GTO_04

 

[RBMTS]

It’s the same TG on Starcom as far as I know.

 

[FFPM571]

Yes it is a poorly designed and executed system. To the fact is that they have to have mobile repeaters in the Battalion chiefs trucks for large scenes because of poor performance. When it was first put in service I had one of their radios to for Mutual aid and Was at Good Sam in Downers grove Two towns over from Naperville and could not reach dispatch and got an out of range tone. That is one of their alternate transport Hospitals and their Level 1 trauma center

 

[officerdave]

I get that tone on Greene Road behind the hill..... bonk bonk bonk Ok to be far it was only engineered for coverage in the Ville.

And yes outside towns , with a patch , come up on FD1 or Fire Ground. They have an OPEN SKY radio at their respective dispatch centers.

System works but does not have the coverage of a true simulcast system. Harris techs loved the Peoria P25 system. Over engineered with better than 98 % mobile and 95+ portable in -building coverage system wide. They told me it was the best performing P25 Harris system in the Country. Time will tell as Harris pulls away from Open Sky. Decent data system that never should have had voice. ( built for Fedex back in the day)

 

[officerdave]

So the WESCOM Patch is always on?

In a sense yes. The patch is up but not always monitored. Usually we call down to WESCOM , to turn up the audio on the patch.