Changes in Moose Jaw?

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ve5wil

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Hi All, over the last couple days the fire dept has been busy little beavers setting up a new antenna sysytem, apparently with a couple of "black boxes" on the towers. Since "Fleetnet" radio system here is going the way of the dodo, there is rumor they may be going on the Motorola System operated by the PD.

Does anyone else in the Jaw area know about what our fire dept is up too? I am hoping they are just staying analog and upgrading their system, but if they are going digital, i would like to know before dropping 500 - 700$$$ on a new scanner.

thanks , Wil
 

richster

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ve5wil said:
Hi All, over the last couple days the fire dept has been busy little beavers setting up a new antenna sysytem, apparently with a couple of "black boxes" on the towers. Since "Fleetnet" radio system here is going the way of the dodo, there is rumor they may be going on the Motorola System operated by the PD.

Does anyone else in the Jaw area know about what our fire dept is up too? I am hoping they are just staying analog and upgrading their system, but if they are going digital, i would like to know before dropping 500 - 700$$$ on a new scanner.

thanks , Wil

Hi Wil,

Nope I haven't heard a thing. I was in Moose Jaw on Sunday and whenever I am in the 'Jaw I search the bands for any new or missing systems, and I didn't find any.

I would have figured when it came time to upgrade the other city emergency services (ie: Fire, and EMS), they would have put them on the Motorola Astro II TRS with the Police. It would suprise me that the city would erect a whole new system just for the fire department, when all they have to do is outfit them with new radios so they can utilize the exisiting Motorla Astro II TRS the Police are using. Maybe they are expanding the system to do just that.

The next time I am in Moose Jaw I'll have to bring the laptop with me to see if I can see any changes to the system in terms of channels and such.

Regards
Richster.
 

ve5wil

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Hi Richster

Thanks for your input. I look forward to finding out if they do go online with the Police. That would be my best guess, but I can't confirm it, as I am still running with Analog scanners.

Wil
 

richster

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ve5wil said:
Hi Richster

I am still running with Analog scanners.

Wil

Heh, ya no sense spending a fortune for a digital scanner because all the digital comms on that blasted system are encrypted. In that past four years I have only logged 3 TG's and about 50 RIDS. Every single comm has had the status bit of 8, I have not logged a single analog TG. Mind you in that 4 years, I have only managed to run Trunker or Trunk88 a total of about 16 hours on the Moose Jaw TRS. Not a whole lot of time.

My fear is that if the Moose Jaw FD are indeed moving to that system, they may very well be encrypted. It would be nothing for the radio techs there to program the new radios (probably XTS3000 or 5000's) with the encryption key. With the shutdown of Fleetnet later this year, EMS (Lifeline Ambulance still?) should be following the Fire Department.

Regards,
Richster.
 

ve5wil

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richster said:
Heh, ya no sense spending a fortune for a digital scanner because all the digital comms on that blasted system are encrypted. In that past four years I have only logged 3 TG's and about 50 RIDS. Every single comm has had the status bit of 8, I have not logged a single analog TG. Mind you in that 4 years, I have only managed to run Trunker or Trunk88 a total of about 16 hours on the Moose Jaw TRS. Not a whole lot of time.

My fear is that if the Moose Jaw FD are indeed moving to that system, they may very well be encrypted. It would be nothing for the radio techs there to program the new radios (probably XTS3000 or 5000's) with the encryption key. With the shutdown of Fleetnet later this year, EMS (Lifeline Ambulance still?) should be following the Fire Department.

Regards,
Richster.

HI There,

LifeLine EMS is still currently on Fleetnet and are looking at the/a Motorola system. What really surprises me with the FD, is they just finished upgrading their 26 portables from MT1000 to HT1000s last month. I would suspect if they are headed to the City Police system, they would take the XTS5000 with the fireground capabilities it offers.

It is true City Police are encrypted, but occasionally the dispatcher, and a few car to car communications do come across unencrypted, usually becasue somebody hit the swith and didnt catch it. :) Best run was 2 weeks so far. ( had the pleasuring of listening on a friend's Pro 96)

No analog tg yet on the system. Originally it was planned to put the city and all ems / fire / pd services on the system. It was to be set up like Regina's system with pd encyptd, and the rest unencrypted. But somebody in thier wisdom decided that the system should be pd only. Perhaps they had a chance of mind.

until we find out if and where the FD is going , I'll hold off on the digital scanner. Just hoping not to lose them. I do fire scene photography "unofficially" for them, and a trade magazine out of the states.

Happy scanning,
Wil
 

RBerezowski

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ve5wil said:
until we find out if and where the FD is going , I'll hold off on the digital scanner. Just hoping not to lose them. I do fire scene photography "unofficially" for them, and a trade magazine out of the states.

Happy scanning,
Wil

Hi Wil,

Since you do photography, would you mind snapping some pictures of the boxes, antennas, and other equipment on those towers and posting them here? "Boxes on towers" doesn't sound like a switch to the Motorola system. I have a gut feeling it might be something else, but I'm not sure. It might really help though if you could post some pictures. We might be able to identify the equipment from the pictures.

Rob
 

SCPD

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edmscan said:
I hear that the boxes are to take pictures of passing Snowbirds ..

NO, their weapons of mass confusion. If your were to look at any major antenna tower in just about anywhere Canada, you will find a antenna of sort you're not sure what its being used for. Lately I been seeing antennas looking like mushrooms and shark fin's on most major antenna sites in the Edmonton area.
I seen those black box's too. If you were too look closely their more like rectangular shape, and that is the case, it's most like very high frequency stuff, 2.4 ~ 5.8 gig stuff.
 

ve5wil

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pic of antenna

Well, as this was the first day that I have had a chance to look at the new antenna myself, I can be sure they are not on the Motorola system. I am also going to get one of my friends a set of glasses so he can describe things properly. The antenna(s) Small little grey silver square solid boxes, guess 10 - 12" square.

I ran into a friend who works with city Transit. The new antenna is part of a new city network, tying together city hall, city yards, Kinsmen Sportplex, and offering interoperability with the Firedept .
 

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ve5wil

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Thanks, thats what I figured once I actually got to see the antenna for myself. Working 12hour graves makes it hard to visually confirm things during the day :) Guess theres no worry of the FD changing frequencies yet.... even though they were just allocated another 3 million in the city budget. Who knows.... maybe they will use it to fight fires and not let buildings burn down ;) ( sorry folks, still a bit miffed the way they handled the new years day fire here back in 2004). Lost 3 historic buildings.

Anyways, back on topic, I have to agree , it is a data array, and not a change of frequencies or systems. Thanks all for your help and input.
 

SCPD

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ve5wil said:
Well, as this was the first day that I have had a chance to look at the new antenna myself, I can be sure they are not on the Motorola system. I am also going to get one of my friends a set of glasses so he can describe things properly. The antenna(s) Small little grey silver square solid boxes, guess 10 - 12" square.

I ran into a friend who works with city Transit. The new antenna is part of a new city network, tying together city hall, city yards, Kinsmen Sportplex, and offering interoperability with the Firedept .

Looks like 1.2 ~ 2.4ghz or higher antennas to me. similar to Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, 1-x
 

richster

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Well I was in Moose Jaw today and have noticed that the RCMP in the Moose Jaw area have a new 9600 CC up and going.

This CC is on 138.360 Mhz. I searched from 138 Mhz to 144 Mhz for an hour to see if I could catch any P25 traffic, but heard none. This may mean it might not be operational yet, but then again this is Moose Jaw were talking about (the land of sex and destruction) ;)

Come to think of it I haven't heard MJ RCMP on fleetnet lately. Other than that, I found nothing new.

Regards,
Richster.
 

ve5wil

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Rcmp

Dont think they are up yet on the new system here. I occasionally still get them on the old Boharm frequencies. But the info on the new channels is welcomed. Thanks
 
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