Covington City gone digital?

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rod223

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ert channel

i think the ert frequency is 451.4500 the reason im not sure is because it popped up the other night but what they acso were talking about was a prisoner dip singing in the back of the police car. it was kind of funny hearing them mention that although i could not hear it in the background. i'm wondering why their nexedge system failed again. i know it's wishful thinking but maybe the acso will cancel their contract with the vendor who sold them nexedge and switch to an p25 system. anything is possible.
 

Ghstwolf62

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Thx for that info.

Yeah it went down a bit ago and then yesterday about 1630 they went back to digital encryption. Woke up this afternoon and they were back on analog again.

Funny thing is that the vendor they've used for years told them it wouldn't work and he wouldn't sell it to them. So they started searching until they found some company in middle VA or Eastern VA that would. That company came in and installed the system for them and guess what just like the original vendor said, it doesn't seem to work.
This vendor they did find though is doing things I don't think are allowed like licensing frequencies for one thing that they set up and know will be used for something else and playing games so it's hard to find those freqs with a normal check. (at least seems to be games)

Yeah maybe but they did not want a P25 system for several reasons I've been told including cost, and people being able to monitor it. They had grant money that I believe was for interoperability and they were facing a use it or lose it proposition and Nexedge allowed them the secrecy and low cost. They have apparently given radios to some regular VSP units and all of Cov is using them as well as SO. Even fire I believe has radios in their units so I suppose technically it is an interoperable system except for VSP or other agency units that don't have radios to listen. One thing about their system is that anybody can still come on it analog and use it like they always did. I've heard Bath units several times come down and talk.

I know what you mean about P25 though because at the time of the decision making process Bath for some unknown reason was seriously considering going P25 which they have since discarded and VSP had just rolled out STARS which is P25. Couple that with WV which is P25 although I don't know if Greenbriar County is active on it yet or not. So it definitely would've have made sense to go that route which of course they didn't. :)

Again it comes down to IMO opinion an overinflated opinion of themselves and their radio traffic. They don't want anyone to be able to hear them dispatching units to loose cow or horse and other routine traffic like that. They never have. I can't tell you how many times they use 10-21 for BS calls that have no reason to be kept off the air and what's even funnier is after all that secrecy they go on and clear the call telling the world what it was. I guess I'm sort of cynical but I grew up listening to real dispatch systems like Los Angeles County Sheriff and Fire and this one just doesn't compare in the same universe even. I still laugh about them using 10-4 for both Code 4 and acknowledgement. That is just plain stupid.

Anyway thanks for the info and if you send me an email I'll give you some info you'll like that I can't put on here.
 

st126

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it appears from the date on the last post the system is back up and running? Back on 09 when we installed our VHF system there were problems. Within the week Kenwood had 3 engineers fly in on site.left the next day and everything was sweet. 911 now runs 6 channels on Nexedge and a 3 site wide area IP Network connected with a GE Intrepid 4.9 Microwave. TELEX IP radio consoles Sweet.
 

Ghstwolf62

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it appears from the date on the last post the system is back up and running? Back on 09 when we installed our VHF system there were problems. Within the week Kenwood had 3 engineers fly in on site.left the next day and everything was sweet. 911 now runs 6 channels on Nexedge and a 3 site wide area IP Network connected with a GE Intrepid 4.9 Microwave. TELEX IP radio consoles Sweet.

Yeah its been back up for just over a week. Friday was one whole week of it working. We're all shocked but waiting to see how long it'll last this time.

Somehow I don't think this county will get that done. They've went to a local KW dealer to make the unworkable work and can't see that happening based on info I've been told.

The longest this system has ever operated was about a month give or take. So its just a matter of time IMO before it goes down again.

Will have to wait and see though as usual. I can tell you the public out here is furious about it from what I've been told plus some other fallout from going to this system may make its continuous use in the future very doubtful.

Again will have to see.
 

st126

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When you say it goes down? Is this a conventional system, wide area connected by microwave or over the internet? The repeaters are pretty much plug and play. Never had a problem after the first week. All our channels are clean, no interference. Firmware 2.8 will create a voting receiver. 1/2 the cost of a P25 system. But, If the state already had the P25 backbone in place that should put the cost about equal if the P25 system would work with $1100.00 radios. VHF in them there hills over UHF.
 

Ghstwolf62

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When you say it goes down? Is this a conventional system, wide area connected by microwave or over the internet? The repeaters are pretty much plug and play. Never had a problem after the first week. All our channels are clean, no interference. Firmware 2.8 will create a voting receiver. 1/2 the cost of a P25 system. But, If the state already had the P25 backbone in place that should put the cost about equal if the P25 system would work with $1100.00 radios. VHF in them there hills over UHF.

Its using its old analog channels of which there are two. Same ones no additions or changes. Just 453.975 and 453.300.

Its Nexedge as I said before purchased with a Fed interop grant and that's about it for them money wise to do much.

They don't have the resources to put up extra towers plus geography doesn't permit it. I know they've tied in those two frequencies together somehow so everything is simulcast on both now. They also are restricted on power output in any band except VHF Low which they don't want to be on for SO/PD for whatever reason. I know they've been told if they went to that all their problems would be solved. 39.5 for fire just got kicked up to 350 watts.

They are not P25 or in any way involved with the State system. Matter of fact they didn't want P25 which at the time didn't make any sense because at the time they were picking systems they had Bath considering switching to P25, WV on P25 or moving onto it soon, and of course State was switching over to STARS. Then take into account Roanoke City/County and the only two systems anywhere not P25 would have been Rockbridge and Botetout Counties.

Things have since changed with Bath dropping that whole idea and staying put on what they have. WV, well I have no idea what's going on with their statewide system but it doesn't appear to have went into effect in Greenbriar and surrounding areas yet or still.

Anyway basically they've just given NX radios to VSP and anybody else can contact them on regular analog on those channels and dispatch just switches over and talks to them. They of course can't hear anything digital but....

As for going down it hasn't worked for very long at any time since they went up with it in Nov. That lasted 3 days I believe it was before it crashed for the first time. I know several of the times it's crashed they complained of feedback making everything unreadable. I don't know about why it doesn't work other than what I've been told which is that it'll never work and that they knew this before they choose the system which is why they picked some company in middle/eastern VA to install it because the local KW people refused to install a system they knew would never work. They picked it solely for its non-scannable features and then added advanced rolling code encryption to it just to double make sure.

Now there have been times during these crashes where unit to unit NX transmissions occur but not with dispatch. It's been up 9 days now so I'm just sitting here waiting to see how long it'll last this time.
 

st126

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feedback, sounds like a mic setting. -4db sense on portable and mobile should fix that. Took our guys about a month to learn. too many portables in a group at a scene and no one talks. Very few P25's here in KY. A lot of Nexedge.
 

Ghstwolf62

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feedback, sounds like a mic setting. -4db sense on portable and mobile should fix that. Took our guys about a month to learn. too many portables in a group at a scene and no one talks. Very few P25's here in KY. A lot of Nexedge.

Noticed that going back and forth through there. State is about the only P25 system up and running unless they finally got Louisville, I believe it was, going.

That could be the problem though it affected dispatch to and from the units. Units it seems could talk to each other at least some of the time but dispatch couldn't be heard by or hear units. I don't don't honestly know the reasons behind the crashes other than a few comments being made OTA and comments from some in the know who say it is never going to work.

Like I said will have to see who is right in the end. So far it's been the ones in the know but who knows how it'll shake out.

I still can't get an answer how they got a Fed interoperability grant and got away with using it to buy this system plus encryption. Neither of which do anything for interop capability needless to say.
 

Ghstwolf62

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and that was short lived. They're back up on digital for the most part this morning. Quite unusual for it to come back this soon.

And yeah they had only so much money so....
 

Ghstwolf62

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Well good news for those who live in Covington.

Covington PD had given up on this NexEdge crap and officially went back to full time analog while keeping the ability to go to NX they don't like it and don't want it and they're back on analog now.

ASO meanwhile won't give up on it no matter what it seems and no matter what seems to insist on flogging a dead or dying horse. The latest is they're planing on buying an brand new dispatch console to see if that will make it work right.

Also use of full time encryption is no longer occurring on the SO channels. It is still used basically on a "Whenever they want to" basis but unencrypted comms are there also if you have an NX radio to listen in.
 
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