Bandera County Future Radio system

[rattlerbb01]

Someone alerted me to this, and as far as I can tell from my own scouring of commissioners court minutes and AI searching, they have not yet selected a vendor. However, they issued RFPs in 2024 for a 7 site, 5 channel VHF simulcast system. The problem they have is funding. It looks like between the VFDs, local EMS services, deputies and Bandera city marshals, they are relying on slow funding the system through grants, budgets in phases and so on. That could be why vendors aren't jumping over each other to get the contract. Unless they want their own core, GATRRS is the obvious choice, and TxDOT is apparently in the process of constructing their own new tower at the Bandera maintenance facility as well which may be another 700 MHz site, may not be. Anyways, here is the LICENSE which does not have the possible/proposed Utopia site that would be out of county but provide southwestern coverage.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

I will say, one of the catches to obtain a SERI grant for funding is…has to be part of a regional system and from what I've heard the county is very wary of a Motorola VHF simulcast system after Kerr County's issues.

 

[rattlerbb01]

I will say, one of the catches to obtain a SERI grant for funding is…has to be part of a regional system and from what I've heard the county is very wary of a Motorola VHF simulcast system after Kerr County's issues.

What are the issues you think hurt Kerr? Not enough towers along the river? Only 3 voice channels available systemwide? Encryption and interoperability with KPD and LCRA users? All the above and more?

 

[KevinC]

What are the issues you think hurt Kerr? Not enough towers along the river? Only 3 voice channels available systemwide? Encryption and interoperability with KPD and LCRA users? All the above and more?

Not of which are the fault of MSI.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

I think the coverage issue a long the river was an issue. I think the fact that during the middle of the event a fiber line got cut somewhere between Austin and San Antonio which resulted in all of Kerr County (an many other GATRRS sites relying on that path) going into site trunking.

 

[rattlerbb01]

I think the coverage issue a long the river was an issue. I think the fact that during the middle of the event a fiber line got cut somewhere between Austin and San Antonio which resulted in all of Kerr County (an many other GATRRS sites relying on that path) going into site trunking.

For sure on the river bottom. I was with one of the VFD chiefs and some deputies that weren’t getting out on GATRRS near Center Point, so cell phones and VFIRE were the default. Still think 3 voice channels for Kerr County’s level of activity isn’t sufficient. Bandera would have 4 channels minus the control stream, so long as Phase 2 doesn’t enter the chat between now and then, and that should be sufficient based on my monitoring of their overall activity over the years.

 

[P25-logger]

For sure on the river bottom. I was with one of the VFD chiefs and some deputies that weren’t getting out on GATRRS near Center Point, so cell phones and VFIRE were the default. Still think 3 voice channels for Kerr County’s level of activity isn’t sufficient. Bandera would have 4 channels minus the control stream, so long as Phase 2 doesn’t enter the chat between now and then, and that should be sufficient based on my monitoring of their overall activity over the years.

The bandera county would not be trunked. It would be Conventional P25 simulcast. This is one of the many issues with how horribly the RFP is written.

 

[rattlerbb01]

The bandera county would not be trunked. It would be Conventional P25 simulcast. This is one of the many issues with how horribly the RFP is written.

Five individual countywide simulcast conventional frequencies would definitely be overkill for Bandera County. Not sure why they would want to go that route as opposed to a countywide LE and a countywide Fire simulcast and leave their regional repeaters alone for tactical stuff. Perhaps the RFP language was an over sight?

 

[P25-logger]

Five individual countywide simulcast conventional frequencies would definitely be overkill for Bandera County. Not sure why they would want to go that route as opposed to a countywide LE and a countywide Fire simulcast and leave their regional repeaters alone for tactical stuff. Perhaps the RFP language was an over sight?

Mission Critical is the consulting group and from what i have gathered they have no idea what they are doing and the county officials have no idea how the system is utilized. The SO guy refuses to take any advice from anyone. There is also a bunch of extra crap in the RFP that bandera has no reason to purchase (OTAP and more). Bandera also has a history of not giving a damn about Interop with surrounding counties until something happens then they complain about radios not working properly. A few of the fire depts have ventured and started buying Dual/multi band radios as they cant rely on the county to do anything.
Medina County to the south has a much much larger population and a call load that dwarfs bandera county is running a 2 channel simulcast and while they should really have 1 more its worked okish. Theres been lots of issues lately there.

If anyone decides to read the RFP id recommend some Tylenol and a few shots on standby.

 

[KevinC]

Mission Critical is the consulting group and from what i have gathered they have no idea what they are doing

How can that be? Todd knows everything! Right @Echo4Thirty?

 

[P25-logger]

How can that be? Todd knows everything! Right @Echo4Thirty?

From my contact at the SO is been a game of round and round we go. Broken down to where my 15 year old can understand it and the vendors still have to repeat themselves.

Its not on radio reference but they told me that the sheriffs office added 2 more P25 channels. One on the south end and one on the west end. There are already mixed mode repeaters at those tower sites. No one can figure out why they bought 2 more repeater systems ONLY for the sheriffs office when the repeaters on the 2 towers are hardly used at all.

 

[rattlerbb01]

From my contact at the SO is been a game of round and round we go. Broken down to where my 15 year old can understand it and the vendors still have to repeat themselves.

Its not on radio reference but they told me that the sheriffs office added 2 more P25 channels. One on the south end and one on the west end. There are already mixed mode repeaters at those tower sites. No one can figure out why they bought 2 more repeater systems ONLY for the sheriffs office when the repeaters on the 2 towers are hardly used at all.

Someone did send me direct the Vanderpool and Mico towers and a few other updates, but they weren’t complete (NAC/PL missing). It looks to me like most towers are mixed mode and the SO can in reality use any of them to communicate to dispatch if needed. It would be nice to get more current and complete data.

 

[NC5267]

Sorry for opening an old thread. I heard what sounded like Bandera County SO patched to the LCRA system on LCRA Comm 5. Units were calling dispatch Bandera, and the audio quality was not great, which I assume was due to the patch to their encrypted primary on 155.610.

 

[P25-logger]

Sorry for opening an old thread. I heard what sounded like Bandera County SO patched to the LCRA system on LCRA Comm 5. Units were calling dispatch Bandera, and the audio quality was not great, which I assume was due to the patch to their encrypted primary on 155.610.

I heard it to. However it was patched to their analog sheriffs channel not the encrypted one

 

[hillcountrydigital]

Sorry for opening an old thread. I heard what sounded like Bandera County SO patched to the LCRA system on LCRA Comm 5. Units were calling dispatch Bandera, and the audio quality was not great, which I assume was due to the patch to their encrypted primary on 155.610.

I live in Boerne area but venture to Bandera and Kerrville a lot when I go on drives or to appts. I have seen a bunch of the Bandera sheriff's office vehicles having multiple antennas and a few unmarked l trucks having multiband antennas. I am not sure if they are associated with the sheriff's office or other agencies. I'm assuming that they have access to LCRA for interop. I have noticed a ghosted decaled truck and a larger truck with no decals between Kerrville and the store close to the turn off for Center Point a couple times on side of road and I have seen the same trucks in Bandera before. It may be nothing but something that I have noticed. Both have more than 1 multiband antenna and looked like a starlink on top.

Maybe the patch was testing interop amongst them to start figuring out interop after the Kerrville flood. I have not heard or seen anything in commissioners court minutes about the system, Only the dispatch console. Maybe the county is venturing out on other options that surrounding counties have. Has anyone else heard anything or have any contacts they can reach out to?