Chicago Fire Department 460Mhz. P25
- Thread starter werinshades
- Start date
ChicagoRadio736
Member
Chicago Fire department is using fireground 458.0250 in P25 mode NAC 293 on the field at O'Hare Airport ops. Verified during EMS plan one.
Added to the database as O'Hare Airport Fireground (at least for the time being). Nice find!
If you're around tomorrow morning after the 0845 Hrs. radio check on ORD CFD on the 800 system, all O'Hare companies switch to fireground for the radio test with Command Van 2-7-3 for further confirmation. I know the radio shops have been updating the ORD 800 Zone out there and they might have added P25 to the fireground channel on that zone only. I had a fire close by me recently and know the fireground analog channel is still in the city company radios. I'll pay closer attention to the Midway companies next time too in case this is an airport thing.
ChicagoRadio736
Member
I live less than a mile from the airport I work across the street from the airport this is the third time I've heard them on the fireground channel in P25 with radios IDs to match. The first time was with Batt 13 testing. It is confirmed in use!
Conventional or are they using a repeater out there?
ChicagoRadio736
Member
It was definitely simplex/direct mode I'm at work now and I'm sitting on fireground waiting for the test. I did hear some brief analog traffic this morning on the way in but don't know if it was coming out the airport
Very interesting find. Considering the rest of the city is on analog, I could see this being problematic if something occurred out there of a large magnitude that required a citywide response. I do know Ops-10 is frequently used in staging areas when companies report on extra alarm fires as they did yesterday.
ChicagoRadio736
Member
They did not test the fireground channel this morning like they usually do with the rest of the roll call
ChicagoRadio736
Member
I'm sure it's just a airport thing I will leave my radio on FG all day and see what happens I'm using a Motorola APX so receive sensitivity is great.
ChicagoRadio736
Member
All fireground traffic monitored today out of the airport has been analog with the exception of one p25 radio check that got no response.
I'm suspecting the P25 conventional was programmed in error by the ORD radio shops. I heard Ambulance 59 (in spare AVF-105) was trying to contact Engine 9 (in spare AVF-113) on fire ground, and ended up on ORD Fire 800. "Ambulance 59 to Engine 9, we can't reach you on fire ground." Some rigs have it, others don't apparently.
ChicagoRadio736
Member
I will keep monitoring for the next few days. When I first heard Battalion 13 testing a few days ago I wanted to make sure it was in use. Yesterday it was used during a EMS standby and all units were on it that responded to the call. After the call was secured, several units were still using it off and on for about 30 minutes.
I was able to get the explanation. Fire ground is now programmed in mixed mode, which means they can use it in both analog and digital. As far as scanner world goes, this means you can program it two ways. Program the Audio Type as ALL so you can receive both modes, or create two separate channels...one analog the other digital and it is citywide, so all radios have been programmed the same. I've been schooled!
ChicagoRadio736
Member
Yeah I figured it was something like that its programmed as mix mode in my Motorola APX. It seems like they are using P25 on the field but analog on the inside. Some of the P25 traffic heard yesterday a engine was testing from the pumps with Battalion 13 both sides were loud and clear from my kitchen in Bensenville. All the fireground traffic monitored from today was from the B Gates
Sounds similar to what I was told too. Midway and the city companies are programmed the same way, so I'll have to keep an ear on fire ground a little more often.
I recall once not so long ago programming a couple radios for P25 mode on one of our frequencies and using it for some special details, mostly to see if anyone in the scanner community would find it. No one did although a couple of my guys complained of some weird noise on that channel. (And, before anyone asks, yes we were licensed for both analog and P25 modes!)
Midway ARFF 6-5-1 was being used in P25 mode and Battalion 16 was responding in analog on fireground last night during a "substance spill" on the airfield last night. NAC 293 in use as reported previously. Database might have to be updated showing it as CSQ which might be the better option to monitor then separate digital and analog listings with a notation of being used as both at this time? This might be easier to follow along unless/until they move everything to P25.
The reason for this is the upcoming PAR (Personal Accountability Reporting) system technology showing location of personnel inside a fire building that's going to be used it was told to me.
The reason for this is the upcoming PAR (Personal Accountability Reporting) system technology showing location of personnel inside a fire building that's going to be used it was told to me.
I've updated the database to show CSQ (carrier squelch) with a note that both 203.5 PL and 293 NAC have been noted.
According to the RR Admin Handbook
wiki.radioreference.com
If a particular frequency allocation is used with multiple output tones by a single entity, the frequency shall be entered separately in the database for each tone used.
Database Administrator Handbook Live Version - The RadioReference Wiki
If a particular frequency allocation is used with multiple output tones by a single entity, the frequency shall be entered separately in the database for each tone used.
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