BCAS

[dwc]

You know if I was still doing DB Admin duties for BC, I'd be on it like white on rice.

The onus is on the BC Admins to make the corrections.

I will start slowly making corrections to BC.

A lot of this data goes way back so it was just left as is. BCAS is a good example of that. The channel banks were pulled from BCAS as highly accurate information so it was imported in the same order.

 

[Muffin]

BC & Alberta

For those of you that may not be aware; the RCMP are switching over to province-wide VHF P25 Phase 2 Encrypted radios here in BC. These radios being province-wide utilize the same 16 channels (13 repeaters and 3 tactical channels) throughout BC. It would seem to me that the point is rather mute to be up in arms about listing them as a province-wide thing as opposed to on a city-by-city basis as it's just a faster, more efficient way of listing them jot to mention that in the majority of the province now the RCMP are encrypted anyway!

The same can be said of the BC Ambulance Service who have also recently switched over to new Motorola HT1250 VHF NFM (non-encrypted) radios which have been programmed up in zones which include local repeaters, car-to-car, hospitals, search & rescue, highways, RR (rural <logging> roads) and LADD (logging admin) channels. The only exception to this rule is the Lower Mainland's Pro-Voice WARS and the Vancouver Island Capital Region's CREST system in Victoria which have the comms for police and ambulance encrypted for privacy reasons. Unfortunately, the majority of BCAS calls throughout the province now go out over CAD and there is very little radio chatter to be monitored anyway.

If you are like me, you will use the RRDB as a reference point to start from. But, I am still a firm believer in scanner "personalization" and have mine set up extremely well and it is also very accurate! (not bragging - just saying) I have also renamed a number of the alpha tags that the RRDB has assigned to things which allows me to more accurately reflect what I'm listening to and in what areas. By having my scanner set up similarly to the new BCAS zone-type protocol, I am readily able to add or subtract certain aspects as required and it just looks that much more professional (like one of their radios).

For example:

Zone 1 - FIRE
Zone 2 - BCAS
Zone 3 - RCMP
Zone 4 - Disaster / Search & Rescue
Zone 5 - BC Ferries / BC Highways / CVSE
Zone 6 - BC Forests / RR / LADD
Zone 7 - Marine / SAME
Zone 8 - Railroad

I think you get the idea....

With regards to Alberta, I have also taken the liberty of including "zones" there too so that when I travel to Calgary or Edmonton for example, I can follow the comms along the route I am travelling starting with the National Parks Service as I am coming out of BC then progressing along the Hwy 1 or 5 with the respective emergency services for the area and finally ending up by scanning the Calgary or Edmonton emergency trunks. By having all the RCMP channels programmed in, I have been able to hear them as I travel and have made note of what's where. If I didn't have all the channels I might have had to rely on someone submitting information to the RRDB and they may have missed a channel or two as has been the case on several occasions now. I'm grateful the RCMP for example is listed as "province-wide" for that very reason.

Besides - Isn't that the joy of the scanning hobby to begin with?? Sadly, this whole "download and go" thing has made some people lazy and expectant at the same time!

Muffin

 

[kayn1n32008]

Missed the RCMP memo?

For those of you that may not be aware; the RCMP are switching over to province-wide VHF P25 Phase 2 Encrypted radios here in BC. These radios being province-wide utilize the same 16 channels (13 repeaters and 3 tactical channels) throughout BC.

2 points, one, it's old news that RCMP in BC are encrypting. Majority of the repeaters are already converted to P25 and dispatch/mobile/portable radios are already encrypted. Two, it is NOT P25 phase 2. It is simply conventional P25. Phase 2 is only available on trunk systems.

The same can be said of the BC Ambulance Service who have also recently switched over to new Motorola HT1250 VHF NFM (non-encrypted) radios which have been programmed up in zones which include local repeaters, car-to-car, hospitals, search & rescue, highways, RR (rural roads) and LADD (logging admin) channels.

Well if you call 'recent' the turn of the century aka 2000-ish for BCAS switching then yes they 'recently' switched. It has been known for a very long time that they changed to the CDM-1250(1550? Can't remember if they needed 160 channel radios or if the 64 was enough) for their mobile/HT-1250 portable.

Likely they are currently going to the XPR-6550 or XPR-7550 portables because the HT-1250 is or will be EOL very shortly. I have also not heard of BCAS going to a digital format, or if they are just narrowband their repeater network.

RR is an abbreviation for Resource Road. Those are the new standard frequencies to be used on Resource(logging, oil, gas, mine) Roads with in the province

The only exception to this rule is the Lower Mainland's Pro-Voice WARS and the Vancouver Island Capital Region's CREST system in Victoria which have the comms for police and ambulance encrypted for privacy reasons.

Unless the database is out of date, majority of those comms are simply digital on WARS, not encrypted.

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[Muffin]

Thanks for your replies This is fun!

2 points, one, it's old news that RCMP in BC are encrypting. Majority of the repeaters are already converted to P25 and dispatch/mobile/portable radios are already encrypted. Two, it is NOT P25 phase 2. It is simply conventional P25. Phase 2 is only available on trunk systems.

Majority yes, but not all!

Well if you call 'recent' the turn of the century aka 2000-ish for BCAS switching then yes they 'recently' switched. It has been known for a very long time that they changed to the CDM-1250(1550? Can't remember if they needed 160 channel radios or if the 64 was enough) for their mobile/HT-1250 portable.

With all due respect, maybe you need to come to the Lower Mainland again soon and look at their "new" radios! They were just issued in the last couple of months! Turn of the century is probably the last time you were in BC.

Likely they are currently going to the XPR-6550 or XPR-7550 portables because the HT-1250 is or will be EOL very shortly. I have also not heard of BCAS going to a digital format, or if they are just narrowband their repeater network.

This is your "educated guess" right?

RR is an abbreviation for Resource Road. Those are the new standard frequencies to be used on Resource(logging, oil, gas, mine) Roads with in the province

Thanks! I am aware of that! And RRDB is an acronym for the Radio Reference Data Base.

Unless the database is out of date, majority of those comms are simply digital on WARS, not encrypted.

Yes again the majority of comms are digital but there are also a number of "E" (encrypted) comms too that haven't been updated in the database as the point is mute - unless YOU have way to hear them.

 

[Muffin]

If you "Google" the Motorola HT1250 with full keypad you will see a current picture of the radios the BCAS is using over and above the ECOMM radios they switch over to when they visit the Greater Vancouver area.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Majority yes, but not all!

That will change. ALL RCMP comms will be fully encrypted. Just a matter of getting to the repeater sites to replace the repeaters. I was just in eastern BC, only Golden and Field were not encrypted. The only area I could not verify on my trip was Revelstoke and between Revelstoke and Golden. Everything else west was encrypted up to my destination.

With all due respect, maybe you need to come to the Lower Mainland again soon and look at their "new" radios! They were just issued in the last couple of months! Turn of the century is probably the last time you were in BC.

Again, the CDM/HT-1250 are or are about to be EOL... It's old news. The 'new' zone layout is very old news. It has been up on scanbc for many many years.

This is your "educated guess" right?

yup. If BCAS stays with Motorola as the mobile and portables. There is very little else that fits with what they need. They may go to the XPR-3500 series, but I doubt it. I highly doubt they will use the APX line unless they convert to P25. If they go DMR they have little other choice that the XPR to meet their channel count.

Thanks! I am aware of that! And RRDB is an acronym for the Radio Reference Data Base.

You called them 'Rural Roads'

Yes again the majority of comms are digital but there are also a number of "E" (encrypted) comms too that haven't been updated in the database as the point is mute - unless YOU have way to hear them.

I was simply pointing out digital does not mean encrypted.


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[kayn1n32008]

If you "Google" the Motorola HT1250 with full keypad you will see a current picture of the radios the BCAS is using over and above the ECOMM radios they switch over to when they visit the Greater Vancouver area.

If you Google HT-1250 you will find they are or are about to be EOL... For a ''new' radio they are actually very old.

PS I am familiar with the HT-750/1250/1550 radios, I have an issued HT-750.


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[Muffin]

That will change. ALL RCMP comms will be fully encrypted. Just a matter of getting to the repeater sites to replace the repeaters. I was just in eastern BC, only Golden and Field were not encrypted. The only area I could not verify on my trip was Revelstoke and between Revelstoke and Golden. Everything else west was encrypted up to my destination.



Again, the CDM/HT-1250 are or are about to be EOL... It's old news. The 'new' zone layout is very old news. It has been up on scanbc for many many years.



yup. If BCAS stays with Motorola as the mobile and portables. There is very little else that fits with what they need. They may go to the XPR-3500 series, but I doubt it. I highly doubt they will use the APX line unless they convert to P25. If they go DMR they have little other choice that the XPR to meet their channel count.



You called them 'Rural Roads'




I was simply pointing out digital does not mean encrypted.


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The Upper Fraser Valley RCMP is also still Unencrypted from Chilliwack to Boston Bar on Hwy 1, the old toll plaza on Hwy 5 and Manning Park Lodge on Hwy 3.

Muffin

 

[Muffin]

That will change. ALL RCMP comms will be fully encrypted. Just a matter of getting to the repeater sites to replace the repeaters. I was just in eastern BC, only Golden and Field were not encrypted. The only area I could not verify on my trip was Revelstoke and between Revelstoke and Golden. Everything else west was encrypted up to my destination.



Again, the CDM/HT-1250 are or are about to be EOL... It's old news. The 'new' zone layout is very old news. It has been up on scanbc for many many years.



yup. If BCAS stays with Motorola as the mobile and portables. There is very little else that fits with what they need. They may go to the XPR-3500 series, but I doubt it. I highly doubt they will use the APX line unless they convert to P25. If they go DMR they have little other choice that the XPR to meet their channel count.



You called them 'Rural Roads'




I was simply pointing out digital does not mean encrypted.


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Resource / Rural...not used locally in the city so they're rural to me. Again I think you're being a little to nit picky. Perhaps rather than a public bashing we could PM each other should you have anymore Constructive criticism about my posts. I'm certaimly not new to this hobby I can assure you!

Muffin

 

[Muffin]

That will change. ALL RCMP comms will be fully encrypted. Just a matter of getting to the repeater sites to replace the repeaters. I was just in eastern BC, only Golden and Field were not encrypted. The only area I could not verify on my trip was Revelstoke and between Revelstoke and Golden. Everything else west was encrypted up to my destination.



Again, the CDM/HT-1250 are or are about to be EOL... It's old news. The 'new' zone layout is very old news. It has been up on scanbc for many many years.



yup. If BCAS stays with Motorola as the mobile and portables. There is very little else that fits with what they need. They may go to the XPR-3500 series, but I doubt it. I highly doubt they will use the APX line unless they convert to P25. If they go DMR they have little other choice that the XPR to meet their channel count.



You called them 'Rural Roads'




I was simply pointing out digital does not mean encrypted.


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They have recently reprogrammed their radios with newly assigned frequencies and zone changes. Perhaps that wasn't made clear enough for you. I have a copy of the new programming in my possession. No not all frequencies have been changed but there are a few.

Muffin

 

[Muffin]

That will change. ALL RCMP comms will be fully encrypted. Just a matter of getting to the repeater sites to replace the repeaters. I was just in eastern BC, only Golden and Field were not encrypted. The only area I could not verify on my trip was Revelstoke and between Revelstoke and Golden. Everything else west was encrypted up to my destination.



Again, the CDM/HT-1250 are or are about to be EOL... It's old news. The 'new' zone layout is very old news. It has been up on scanbc for many many years.



yup. If BCAS stays with Motorola as the mobile and portables. There is very little else that fits with what they need. They may go to the XPR-3500 series, but I doubt it. I highly doubt they will use the APX line unless they convert to P25. If they go DMR they have little other choice that the XPR to meet their channel count.



You called them 'Rural Roads'




I was simply pointing out digital does not mean encrypted.


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Scan BC is certainly not the most up to date source for radio frequencies in BC. They do alright but still have alot of holes in their information

Muffin

 

[Muffin]

That will change. ALL RCMP comms will be fully encrypted. Just a matter of getting to the repeater sites to replace the repeaters. I was just in eastern BC, only Golden and Field were not encrypted. The only area I could not verify on my trip was Revelstoke and between Revelstoke and Golden. Everything else west was encrypted up to my destination.



Again, the CDM/HT-1250 are or are about to be EOL... It's old news. The 'new' zone layout is very old news. It has been up on scanbc for many many years.



yup. If BCAS stays with Motorola as the mobile and portables. There is very little else that fits with what they need. They may go to the XPR-3500 series, but I doubt it. I highly doubt they will use the APX line unless they convert to P25. If they go DMR they have little other choice that the XPR to meet their channel count.



You called them 'Rural Roads'




I was simply pointing out digital does not mean encrypted.


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Thanks again

Muffin

 

[Jay911]

The Waris line isn't dead already? My FD had a batch of them that were old and decrepit by the late 90s. And yet Motorola is already canceling part of the APX line.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Scan BC is certainly not the most up to date source for radio frequencies in BC. They do alright but still have alot of holes in their information

Muffin

While I admit ScanBC is not the most accurate, I first saw the BCAS zone layout of the CDM-1250 radios, on the scanBC site. I remember seeing BCAS with HT-1250 portables in Vernon in 2003, maybe 2001, either way at least 13 years ago.


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[kayn1n32008]

The Waris line isn't dead already? My FD had a batch of them that were old and decrepit by the late 90s. And yet Motorola is already canceling part of the APX line.

Lol, yup. The Waris series are still going strong in fire service, even some HT-1000's where I live even. They are slowly being changed out for XPR-6550/7550 portables.


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