CSERN Conspiracy Theory

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I really need some expert help on this. Is there a "Connecticut Statewide Emergency Radio Network (CSERN)" ?
If you follow the link I provide, a nutty conspiracy theorists says there were 33 frequency changes to CSERN on the day of the tragic Sandy Hook shootings in Newtown, CT and uses a Radio Reference.com page as proof. Check this out:
33 Changes To The Connecticut Statewide Emergency Radio Network Hours Before the Newtown Shooting? » WTF RLY REPORT
I cannot find evidence of CSERN but I have found a CS-PERN (Connecticut Statewide Emergency Radio Network.) Are these two different things?
In another thread on Radio Reference.com, member APX7500X2 says: "That CSERN system is just something someone made up here."
Here's a link to that comment:
http://forums.radioreference.com/connecticut-radio-discussion-forum/236804-ct-csern-system.html
Can someone clear up this confusion and explain what these changes were in a language that can be understood by someone with no technical expertise?
 

55engine

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Yes State Police Troop G dispatch and troop g car to car You have to go to Fairfield to listen to it If you're in Harford County New Haven County You may not hear it
 

sefrischling

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Thanks for that info on Troop G, I didn't know that. I live in New London County and thought I picked up Troop G on 4816
 

Dave520

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Troop G is not on it all the time. They have the ability to use it when needed. When the system was set up there was a simulcast from the 800mhz Troop G talkgroups to the 700mhz system. I know the state fire coordinators are getting talkgroups on the 700mhz system also.
 

cg

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CSERN & CSPERN are different radio networks.
CSERN = Connecticut Statewide Emergency Radio Network (700MHz)
CSPERN = http://www.ct.gov/demhs/lib/demhs/communications/cs-pern_protocol_wlogos.pdf


The CSERN works the same as the 800MHz anywhere else in the state when a trooper goes into a different Site's footprint. The difference is that the newer radios include 700MHz CCs in the list.

The control channel strength goes below a certain level and the radio scans through a preprogrammed list of control channels. If the strongest signal is a 700MHz signal, the radio affiliates with the 700 MHz system. The talkgroup the radio is on is activated on the Site the radio affiliated on and all that TG traffic is broadcast over both systems. When no one CSP units are affiliated on the 700, no CSP traffic is broadcast. Keep in mind that there is 800MHz at almost every (if not every) 700MHz site, so the simulcast is not normally needed.

That system also carries data (AVL & perhaps text messages to those radios so equipped) as well as the CT Transit traffic. Since there is not yet a 700MHz site in the Norwich/Groton area, SEAT buses are seen on the CSP 800MHz system. All the other CT Transit TGIDs are above 4095 (which is equal to 65520 on Uniden scanners) and is the highest TGID allowed on the 3600 baud systems.

Statewide Fire Coordinators are already using the CSP system so I would suspect you would see them on the 700MHz system as well.

Also, I believe the system (all state 700MHz systems) must go to Phase II by the end of 2016 and cover 2/3 of the state population (which it probably is close to now)

chris
 

cookandcamera

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Unless I am mistaken, the RR frequency database is user driven, meaning that the changes to CSERN would have actually occurred before they were reported on the database. CSERN is a recent addition to CT which would make lots of changes routine. It is nothing more than a coincidence that those changed were posted on the day of the shooting. THe actual changes to the system had probably long since occurred.

Second point, and this is far more important. NEVER trust anything you read on a site called "WTFRLY". These are not journalists, and neither do they have a clue about journalism, getting proper sources, double checking sources and information, attempting to deliver the information in a non-biased manner, or even attempting to sound professional in any way, shape or form. I know that many current news sources fall far short of these goals these days, which is why being an educated consumer of news and news media has become so critical.

There is a saying in the news business that really isn't followed much anymore but still very appropriate for this thread "If your Mother tells you she loves you...get a second source". These fools just saw the database updates and thought that they hit the Newtown gold mine, without looking into the database, or how it operates, or where the info even comes from. There is always the possibility that they did look further but chose not to report their findings (that the changes to the database really account for nothing)

My personal motto is "Don't believe everything you read, believe even less of what you watch on TV, and almost nothing that you see on the internet unless the source can be independently verified (and many times over at that)"
 

PJH

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CSPERN is the analog, statewide simulcast channel that was achived when the old DataTAC channel for CSP was taken offline when they went to a commercial cell modem for the MDT's. This allowed anyone with an 800MHz radio to talk to the state or any PSAP with the channel programmed in.

For the 700 system, yes - it is user driven and we try to validate the data before it is placed into the system. Some people look at the FCC data and submit it as accurate, when generally it is not (or they do not have their scanner programmed correctly which gives them inaccurate information).

Recently a member stated that site x had control channel y active. The freq given was not a valid 700mhz freq AND no FCC record in three states for that invalid freq was found - therefore I rejected it. Some are more accurate than others and with emerging new systems, things change dramatically.
 

PhillyPhoto

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Recently a member stated that site x had control channel y active. The freq given was not a valid 700mhz freq AND no FCC record in three states for that invalid freq was found - therefore I rejected it. Some are more accurate than others and with emerging new systems, things change dramatically.

To clarify, I was the one that submitted the info. It was for CSERN:
Connecticut Statewide Emergency Radio Network (CSERN) Trunking System, Varies, Connecticut - Scanner Frequencies

For the Avon site:
Avon Site Details (Connecticut Statewide Emergency Radio Network (CSERN))

There are no frequencies (or other info) listed for the license:
WPTZ807 (STATE OF CONNECTICUT) FCC Callsign Details

If you look at the license on the FCC wesite, it's just a frequency range:
ULS License - Public Safety 700 MHZ Band-State License License - WPTZ807 - STATE OF CONNECTICUT

As you can see in the image below, the site itself is listing the frequency (774.53125) as the control channel:


If anyone can show that I'm wrong, I will gladly admit it.
 

PJH

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Actual freq's are still licensed individually. There are not blanket range licenses, otherwise coordination would be a nightmare/free-for-all when other licenses do not play well together.

Reissued pursuant to DTV Delay Act, Pub. L. No. 111-4, 123 Stat. 112 (2009). In accordance with Section 90.531(b)(5), only frequencies designated for direct licensing to each state (including U. S. territories, districts, and possessions) are authorized. This authorization is reissued pursuant to the Commission's Second Report and Order, FCC 07-132, released August 10, 2007.
 

PJH

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FYI, I did not created the system in the DB. I have been doing some research and will try to see what I can find out in the backend. I have found the SW CT 700 licenses for the sites along the I95 corridor but I cannot confirm the proper usage for some of the other sites. Some of the information looks suspect but I don't know the source of the submitted info.

Most (all?) states have those WPTZ statewide licenses and are partly there to protect the vacated broadcast channels that have not been vacated to free up the spectrum. In some markets, some TV stations have been allowed to operated in this area. Far and few, but they are out there.
 

ecps92

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I would disagree, using the word Licensed. Coordinated yes.

Blanket 700 licenses for states are out there, and being used. Massachusetts 700 is one that has No Sites listed and No Frequencies, just the Range, as pointed out with the Connecticut License.

Actual freq's are still licensed individually. There are not blanket range licenses, otherwise coordination would be a nightmare/free-for-all when other licenses do not play well together.
 

cg

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As I understand it, with the exception of the original overlay in Fairfield Cty, the 700 MHz system is licensed through the single State license. This allows the use of the State allocated 700MHz frequencies and locations as listed in the FCC approved regional plans.
Avon's CC is channel 01-2004 or 774.53125
Perhaps it is a typo or maybe it was submitted by the same person who said Site 27 is in Glastonbury and not Haddam.

chris
 

PhillyPhoto

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Out of curiosity, where are individual licensed frequencies listed on the FCC website? I'd like to throw the license in and see what shows up for it across the state.
 

Thunderknight

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The State license channels are NOT site licensed by the FCC. The states have full discretion to use the channels as they wish, without further licensing. Only interstate coordination is required (since the state channels are the same in each state).
The license gives a range because there are actually many state channels intermixed in 700 narrowband.

FCC part 90.529 and 90.531(b)(5)
http://www.hallikainen.org/FCC/FccRules/2011/90/531/section.pdf

Individual sites/channels will not appear in the ULS.
 

PJH

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The problem I have had with some of the submissions is with the lack of site licenses, there has been a bunch of guesswork on the behalf a few submitters on where sites actually are. I have received a submission that states "Site 123 is in Enfield" then a week later get "Site 123 is in Suffield" and so on and so forth.

Then the CC's for the same site are being submitted differently every so often. Any channel on these systems can be assigned by the controller as a CC, but Motorola equipment will just specifically put certain freq's as CC/ACC. Harris based P25 systems will state that all channels can be used as a CC.

Another issue I have been finding is the software packages that people are using or decoding information with. Recently in another state, people running the same scanner, with ProCom96 and Unitrunker were watching the same site, but got information that was slightly different between the two on a new 700MHz system.

I'll gladly change the DB information on submissions, but more detail that is included with the submission the better - since some good prime information from other sources (FCC database) isn't normally available.
 

PhillyPhoto

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I understand how frustrating that can be, and one reason I'm glad I'm not a DB admin. This is one of the downfalls of crowdsourcing, info will be wrong from time to time. Short of getting the info directly from the system admins, I don't see it changing anytime soon though. That's why I try to verify with a couple different sources to make sure I'm 100% on my end, but I can't speak for others.
 

APX7500X2

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I really need some expert help on this. Is there a "Connecticut Statewide Emergency Radio Network (CSERN)"

CSERN is going to be the new 700 system. During the Sandy Hook incident the CSERN system didn't cover and still doesn't cover the Newtown area so any changes during the incident were and still are moot.
 

awasser1

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so far in Bloomfield all I get the transit buses stuck in the snow this week. LOL I am sure more agencies will join as time goes on.
 
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