AWIN Users

[btritch]

Does anyone know if the Arkansas Game & Fish, Arkansas Highway & Transportation Department, State Forestry Commission, State Parks And Tourism, Military Affairs, And Specialized Services use AWIN, I know they have TG's Listed on the system but I have Never heard any of these key up, Does anyone else know if they use them or ever heard them? I'm still hearing Game And Fish, Highway Trans. Dept, State Parks all on their old UHF/VHF/LOW Frequencies, Have they just not switched yet because I have never heard either of them on it...Can anyone answer that?

 

[chrish04]

I hear the State forestry on AWIN here every morning doing there check in's, and I have heard Civil Air Patrol when they were doing a search, And National Guard during the air show in fort smith, but other than those I have not heard anything on this side of the state.

 

[weather4ar]

Most statewide agencies and counties use both their old systems and AWIN. AG&FC, AHTD, State Parks, and Forestry each maintain their old systems. This is to help provide a backup capability in the event AWIN should break down. Arkansas Department of Health also maintains the old EMS network for paramedics and to add to the back up options. I believe all of the agencies mentioned here keep their old systems and frequencies for such a reason. Traffic on the old systems is somewhat limited, but it still works, so keep scanning the old freqs.

 

[btritch]

Most statewide agencies and counties use both their old systems and AWIN. AG&FC, AHTD, State Parks, and Forestry each maintain their old systems. This is to help provide a backup capability in the event AWIN should break down. Arkansas Department of Health also maintains the old EMS network for paramedics and to add to the back up options. I believe all of the agencies mentioned here keep their old systems and frequencies for such a reason. Traffic on the old systems is somewhat limited, but it still works, so keep scanning the old freqs.

I'm hearing them more on their old freqs, I'm not hearing them AT ALL on their AWIN's.. BUT AHP, I'm hearing them on AWIN and not old analog..

 

[weather4ar]

Your right about AHP, they were one of the first to completely switch. The rest are probably connected to AWIN on the administrative level, ie, in the dispatch office only, and use it for interops. The State EOP has a listing of agency emergency communications plans. That's what I used to set my scanner up. Go to http://www.adem.arkansas.gov and look in Shared Files. Find the file State EOP 2007, and open the Communications Annex. To open these files, you'll need a microsoft word program to open them. They make very interesting reading, and they're public domain.

 

[btritch]

Interesting Stuff !! I never knew it, I wonder when the ENTIRE STATE will COMPLETELY switch over to AWIN, I'm SURE they will eventually, Don't you think?

 

[weather4ar]

Interesting Stuff !! I never knew it, I wonder when the ENTIRE STATE will COMPLETELY switch over to AWIN, I'm SURE they will eventually, Don't you think?

I think eventually everybody will, at least partially switch, even if they just use AWIN as a backup for interop. I'm also sure that legacy systems will still be around for years to come, as many places keep their full range of comms options open. I just heard Faulkner County OEM testing the Volunteer Fire Department's reception on AWIN throughout the county. At the same time, the County's VHF dispatch systems and OEM's new 400 Mhz system remain as active as ever.

 

[btritch]

well I'll tell you, Here's what burns me up... The county here has always had TWO regular VHF channels, One for SO (159.210) and one for city PD (151.040) well a couple of months ago there was an add in our local paper where the city already owns some uhf trunked channels, they have some leased sites already for city/county comms, and the city only, not county, just city applied to FCC for a new VHF TRUNK SYSTEM because the one channel they already have is not enough... WHY??? You already have the UHF system in place, SWAP TO IT, OR GO AHEAD and make the switch to AWIN NOW>> instead of waiting....!! Now they'll have THREE systems instead of the already two which they don't use but one of.... One thing that gets me though, When the traffic comes over the VHF channel you can hear it also on the UHF 400 channel BUT when they talk on the 400 you can't hear it on the VHF...I hear county sometimes say go to secondary..I have not found their secondary channel yet, Someone suggested it was the UHF but I've not confirmed yet...I say if they're going to swap, Swap to AWIN NOW and get it over with otherwise they'll just end up swapping again later!