City of Houston Project 25 TRS

[grem467]

The line of heads is refered to as the "Odyssey" series. I have always made the assumption thats what the O stood for.

 

[Ensnared]

Intelligent Crook

Ive seen criminals use p-25 scanners more than once in my career. One agency I worked for had a serial burglar using a cloned radio on a Motorola analog type II TRS listening to the burglary suppression unit while he was committing car burglaries.

These are the same gangs that are running mutli state counterfeit check rings, selling high quality fake ID's and SSN cards, bypassing burglar alarms, hot wiring European cars by cloning the RFID keys. There are a lot of very intelligent criminals out there. They too can read a manual on a trunk tracking scanner.

$600 is nothing, a 14 year old kid can make that in one day selling crack on the corner in Houston. A gang can easily send some girl in with a stolen credit card and buy a scanner.

Just last night I was listening to a live feed of an agency in the Dallas area here on RR. The live feed is scanning all their TAC talk groups and I could plainly hear them doing a moving surveillance of a bank robbery suspect all over town. I was listening on my iphone. Ive personally arrested people who were listening to us on their mobile phone using an app that links to a feed from this site.

I am a scanner enthusiast but I firmly support encryption on CID, Narcotics, SWAT, special ops, etc type talk groups. I say leave dispatch TG's in the open unless there is a very good reason not to specific to that agency.

I too am against Smart Phone applications, particularly when the feed provider is not policing their feed. As you likely know, RR has a policy against having sensitive channels being on a feed, but it does happen from time to time.

For the most part, RR users are fairly decent folks; however, you never know who is lurking behind an Avatar, do you? They don't do background checks.

Yes, as I've previously stated, the factor that plays into many incarcerations is not stupidity, but risk taking & grandiose thinking, all a part of the antisocial personality.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with more intelligent crooks. I was wondering if P25 radios were being used by this group.

Yes, I know that many offenders are not well-educated, most dropping out of high school. But, street intelligence incorporates what is missing in formal education, at times. You should see some of the devices made inside prison.

From what I'm hearing, the Houston Phase II system is using encryption. Hopefully, they are bringing more sensitive users online first with encryption. Then they could leave patrol units in the clear, I don't know.

Most of the crooks I dealt with in Texas Prisons were from the Houston area. I've had more than one conversation about the old UHF system in Houston. From what I'm seeing on the news, particularly in Montgomery county, crooks are getting pretty bold. Flashing one's Rolex is not a wise thing to do in Houston, Texas.

 

[mfn002]

From what I'm hearing, the Houston Phase II system is using encryption. Hopefully, they are bringing more sensitive users online first with encryption. Then they could leave patrol units in the clear, I don't know.

All HPD dispatch channels will remain unencrypted, as was mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. The only HPD channels that will likely be encrypted will be the TAC channels.

 

[Ensnared]

Ready to Buy PSR 800

All HPD dispatch channels will remain unencrypted, as was mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. The only HPD channels that will likely be encrypted will be the TAC channels.

Thanks for clearing this up for me since I am reading about this from afar. I saw where TxWarn p25 added "T" to the mode column. I think this was in Houston. I suppose the trend will be TDMA for this one as well as the emerging system, the topic of this thread.

 

[mfn002]

Thanks for clearing this up for me since I am reading about this from afar. I saw where TxWarn p25 added "T" to the mode column. I think this was in Houston. I suppose the trend will be TDMA for this one as well as the emerging system, the topic of this thread.

I think the plan is now to have all of the HPD/HFD TGs on TxWARN. It appears that some have shown up on the system recently. If there is more of TDMA showing up on TxWARN, I sure hope Uniden speeds up development of a new scanner that can track TDMA.

 

[loumaag]

Thanks for clearing this up for me since I am reading about this from afar. I saw where TxWarn p25 added "T" to the mode column. I think this was in Houston. I suppose the trend will be TDMA for this one as well as the emerging system, the topic of this thread.

Let me just clarify something. The topic of this thread is a nonexistent TRS that was in place for a short amount of time and can still be found in the database here as a deprecated system. The city of Houston does have a Public Works TRS (X2-TDMA) that we have discussed here and which the Houston Fire Department tried out for a short period with poor results. The P2-TDMA system we have been discussing at length here is the TxWARN P25 system that has been in place for several years. The assets initially assigned and used on the deprecated system were transferred to the TxWARN P25 system and that is where the HPD and HFD will be moving. Understand that this is the same system being used regionally throughout SE and mid-east Texas.

ETA: It appears that Michael and I were typing a reply at the same time.

 

[Ensnared]

Clarification Appreciated

Let me just clarify something. The topic of this thread is a nonexistent TRS that was in place for a short amount of time and can still be found in the database here as a deprecated system. The city of Houston does have a Public Works TRS (X2-TDMA) that we have discussed here and which the Houston Fire Department tried out for a short period with poor results. The P2-TDMA system we have been discussing at length here is the TxWARN P25 system that has been in place for several years. The assets initially assigned and used on the deprecated system were transferred to the TxWARN P25 system and that is where the HPD and HFD will be moving. Understand that this is the same system being used regionally throughout SE and mid-east Texas.

ETA: It appears that Michael and I were typing a reply at the same time.

For the nontechnical listeners, that is a great description of the system and situation at hand. I was unaware that this was TxWarn P25. I recently watched a video of a fire fighter checking out building penetration in Houston, Texas.

Now, I better understand. At present, I am monitoring TxWarn P25 in Waco. I also monitored this system in Huntsville and down IH45. Thanks.

 

[motorola_otaku]

Since it bears repeating, only the Layer 3 sites on TxWARN will carry routine Houston city traffic. Everybody else except for other agencies transitioning along with Houston (the Villages, Bellaire, etc.) will be restricted to the existing 1 and 2 layers. I would also expect Pasadena to ride on Layer 3 but their new site isn't even on the air yet.

A better way of looking at encryption is to think of it in terms of what isn't encrypted - routine patrol and dispatch channels - with everything else being secured. All indications so far are that HFD is sticking with their guns and only leaving the robot in the clear, but if what I'm hearing about the new UHF station alerting system is correct you won't even need to monitor 1A7 for that.

 

[KevinC]

@KevinC/grem467
I asked the same thing if they had grounded it right, and if the tower had been properly insulated.
I was assured that they had taken every precaution they could, and that the lightning strike had more juice to it then the designers had anticipated in that one strike. Things like that happen right?
I mean, you can tell me that EVERY lightning strike is exactly the same as the one before it and after it?
That means that there isn't a deviation in electricity ever?
IS that what your saying?
I'll ask one of the systems engineers if I can have some pictures and if I can post them. IF he says yes- I'll have them up on tues, or wed.

I'm still hoping to see those pictures.

 

[grem467]

I guess the coverage test project ended before he could talk to the "engineers"

 

[loumaag]

I guess the coverage test project ended before he could talk to the "engineers"

Wait! Did I just get confirmation that the coverage testing phase is over?

 

[Thunder720]

I guess the coverage test project ended before he could talk to the "engineers"

I asked - someone said they would email me, and then nothing happened.
*shrug*
You might want to post the pics Grem467, since your names on the licenses and such. You have the authority, and the swing to do such I'd guess based on your posts.

Wait! Did I just get confirmation that the coverage testing phase is over?

As far as I know, yes. R.C.C. said the project was done, sent all their out of town people home, Commdex was sending people home, people from both were talking about the next thing for them.
*(if you really want to know, ask Grem467- his names on the F.C.C. Licenses and he knows it all)*


I'm done here, evidently trying to pass along along any information that I had was a waste of my time because you had Grem467.

 

[grem467]

I'm done here, because I had no idea what I was talking about.

There, I fixed it for you. Thank you for no longer contributing your mis-information to this thread.

 

[loumaag]

...I'm done here, evidently trying to pass along along any information that I had was a waste of my time because you had Grem467.

vs

I'm done here, because I had no idea what I was talking about.

There, I fixed it for you. Thank you for no longer contributing your mis-information to this thread.

Whereas those of us here in the Houston Metro area are appreciative of the the efforts and the information, really you don't need to attack someone else. This is really directed at both of you, the new guy (who apparently is leaving) and the old guy who should know better.

 

[KevinC]

I asked - someone said they would email me, and then nothing happened.

Darn engineers!

 

[Ultanium]

more encryption

Just so you know, Austin County dispatch has been encrytped for months, initially it was open on the P25 then they locked it down. They encrypted themselves chasing loose cattle and writing tickets, so I would imagine the big city will do the same. The argument about encrypting tac channels is valid, but there is no need to do normal.traffic that way. Someone posted earlier in the thread that they had caught criminals using scanners and such, there are state and federal laws that deal with that. Denying everyone access to listening to normal traffic is like denying us use of a car, because criminals use them... Personally, I feel this whole migration was a huge waste of money, a grant money bailout of the batwing company. Where else can an open designed P25 system be used ONLY with one brand of radio? The Houston UHF system was easily upgradable to a narrowband trunked system, but I doubt there was a grant that would help pay for it, like for the P25. More Government waste, and we wonder why we are trillions in debt...

Tommy J.
Old Radio Guy

 

[loumaag]

... Where else can an open designed P25 system be used ONLY with one brand of radio? ...

Tommy,

Most of your post was close to being on topic (but only if you squint a lot); however, the quoted part is not only not on topic, it is inaccurate. Where do you see that only Motorola radios are available? Indeed, the move here in Houston to the P25 system is done by purchasing radios from several vendors.

As for Austin Co. SO, Bellville and Sealy are not encrypted, so why don't you object locally instead of carping about it here?

 

[grem467]

There are a few brands of agencies using non Motorola subscriber radios on the 1A7 network including EFJohnson and Relm. As long as the agency has elected to not use proprietary features, any P25 subscriber can be utilized. That's the beauty of P25.

 

[KevinC]

There are a few brands of agencies using non Motorola subscriber radios on the 1A7 network including EFJohnson and Relm. As long as the agency has elected to not use proprietary features, any P25 subscriber can be utilized. That's the beauty of P25.

As long as it isn't a multi-zone system.

 

[mfn002]

I noticed this morning that the system has been listed as "depreciated". What happened?