Dallas Fire - Trunked System Rollout 2022

[Russell]

That does make more sense.

One layer for Public Safety and one for Public Services makes sense.

 

[Harold]

I remember in The mid 1990's when DFD tried switching to an EDACS system it was a complete failure LOL !
It won't be easy for Dallas to a trunk system. Plus they can't afford it with the budget they currently have. It will take many years if it happens at all

The city and county voted to fund this project in 2017. It has taken years.

 

[benny919]

Do we have an estimated date for when the system rolls out and gets put into full effect? (At least for the DFD side.)

 

[CodeYeti77]

Throughout the morning and afternoon, 660 has been placing units OOS for "fit" tests. Wonder if its related.

 

[BenScan]

That's likely due to annual air mask "fit test", or possibly physical fitness test. I don't recall what 660 is, but it's likely the SCBA service unit.

Throughout the morning and afternoon, 660 has been placing units OOS for "fit" tests. Wonder if its related.

 

[Harold]

That's likely due to annual air mask "fit test", or possibly physical fitness test. I don't recall what 660 is, but it's likely the SCBA service unit.

660 is the Alarm Office/Dispatcher

 

[hiegtx]

660 is the Alarm Office/Dispatcher

Yep

That was their extension on the really old Dallas city hall phone number (back when the phone number was a seven digit one, starting with 741). That’s also the source of Dallas PDs use of ‘531’ for their dispatchers.

 

[kmartin]

I'm mildly surprised that they are using the same 44A NAC that's on the Ellis County layer.

I also wonder if, at some point, they roll the Dallas P25/NCTCOG system into NTIRN. I figure Dallas Simulcast will move, but would they just leave the others where they are now?

I've been thinking this is the master plan to connect all these systems together at some point including The Garland mesquite , even Plano system

 

[hiegtx]

I've been thinking this is the master plan to connect all these systems together at some point including The Garland mesquite , even Plano system

That would be ideal, if all of the local systems merged into one large one such as NTIRN, but you know how local governments dislike joining anything that don't directly control. Especially on the Dallas County side. Most of the Tarrant County agencies, with the exception of Hurst, are already connected on NTIRN. And Ellis & Johnson County have also joined the group. With the exception of Irving & Grand Prairie (which are on NTIRN), there are two sizable trunked systems in use in Dallas County: Metrocrest and GMRS, (I don't include Dallas/Dallas County, since that is a work in progress, and eventually be on NTIRN.) Plus you have Richardson on their own system, and PAWMCo overlaps the northern part of Dallas county.

If they don't specifically add GMRS, or PAWMCo, then hopefully they will at least add an interop TGID to serve as a bridge between systems, especially in a large incident such as a major tornado strike.

 

[Ensnared]

I remember in The mid 1990's when DFD tried switching to an EDACS system it was a complete failure LOL !
It won't be easy for Dallas to a trunk system. Plus they can't afford it with the budget they currently have. It will take many years if it happens at all

I am fairly sure I monitored the EDACS system in Dallas County in the fairly recent past. I recall Vice talk groups being listed on this system; however, when I checked the Dallas DB, I could not find the system. I thought systems were still present in the RR DB after they were expired, or decapitated (purposeful play on words).

 

[mwjones]

I am fairly sure I monitored the EDACS system in Dallas County in the fairly recent past. I recall Vice talk groups being listed on this system; however, when I checked the Dallas DB, I could not find the system. I thought systems were still present in the RR DB after they were expired, or decapitated (purposeful play on words).

You sure you aren't thinking of the "Dallas City Local Government" Motorola System (Which is still active)? I can see there are several talkgroups for Vice on there. I'm at the fringe of the system's range here in Frisco (and will be way out of range when I move to Van Alstyne in the coming weeks) so its not a system I normally monitor.

I looked at the depreciated systems and can't find an old EDACS system for City of Dallas or Dallas County. (To look at Depreciated systems, go to the State Page, then at the top right click on the "Hamburger" Menu, select "Trunked Systems", and then at the bottom of the resulting page click on "Depreciated Systems"

 

[nd5y]

If I remember right all the frequencies from the EDACS system were reused in the LG system and it hasn't existed since the late 1990s.

 

[Russell]

If I remember right all the frequencies from the EDACS system were reused in the LG system and it hasn't existed since the late 1990s.

Tom is correct. Old EDACS freqs are now used in the LG system. The EDACS proof of concept failed miserably, especially underground/in building with leaky coax.

Russell

 

[IAmSixNine]

Has anybody heard any more testing on it? Last month they had units doing grid testing and now its gone silent again.
Assuming they have no issues with it the next step i hope would be migration of public works.
If memory serves me well, collin county was in the same boat.. system went up, tweaking and tuning, then location testing then users started to go on it.

 

[BenScan]

I finally had a chance to review one my scanners with Discovery Mode for the 3-2 site. Nothing has been identifiable so far, but here's a list of some of the talk groups detected, and there's definitely some encryption on some.

33000​

33004​

33101​

33102​

33151​

33252​

33257​

33259​

33301​

33302​

33401​

35014​

35019​

35019​

35020​

35050​

35056​

35061​

35085​

35094​

35095​

35096​

35099​

35099​

35154​

39996​

39998​

40000​

Has anybody heard any more testing on it? Last month they had units doing grid testing and now its gone silent again.
Assuming they have no issues with it the next step i hope would be migration of public works.
If memory serves me well, collin county was in the same boat.. system went up, tweaking and tuning, then location testing then users started to go on it.

 

[CodeYeti77]

I finally had a chance to review one my scanners with Discovery Mode for the 3-2 site. Nothing has been identifiable so far, but here's a list of some of the talk groups detected, and there's definitely some encryption on some.

33000​

33004​

33101​

33102​

33151​

33252​

33257​

33259​

33301​

33302​

33401​

35014​

35019​

35019​

35020​

35050​

35056​

35061​

35085​

35094​

35095​

35096​

35099​

35099​

35154​

39996​

39998​

40000​

Thank you for sharing. I'm sure some level of encryption is inevitable, but selfishly, I really do hope that DFR remains open on air for all of us to hear post-transition.

 

[benny919]

Since July 2nd, the dispatch channel (460.575) has been down. It will occasionally play static but that’s it. Wonder if this is related.

 

[hiegtx]

Since July 2nd, the dispatch channel (460.575) has been down. It will occasionally play static but that’s it. Wonder if this is related.

Although I don't have any connections with DFR to confirm or deny this, I would doubt there is a direct connection with the eventual trunked system switchover. The dispatch channel (460.575) has had intermittent issues over the past few months. The random key-ups, stuck repeater, or staticy transmissions with no voice traffic have been happening off & on for quite some time. Add to that the issues with the automated dispatch system (Locution) that have been reported via local media. I have either locked out 460.575 on multiple scanners, or set a negative delay so that problems don't cause me to miss other activity in Dallas as well as other metro cities.

Failing emergency alert system at Dallas fire stations is causing firefighters to miss calls

The heads of Dallas’ fire and IT departments told city council members Tuesday that the entire system, which the city has been paying to use since 2005, needs...

www.dallasnews.com

Dallas needs to update failing fire stations’ alert system, company says

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www.dallasnews.com

This is an extended holiday weekend, so I doubt much is going on with regards to the prospective new system. Additionally, crews are running ragged with grass fires, some of which have probably been started by fireworks. Just now, 660 transmitted a "2nd alarm grass fire" at an elementary school on Jim Miller Rd. There was another major grass fire in the past few days in Desoto that drew responses from 7 local departments (including Dallas).

 

[hiegtx]

To add to the problems, DFR Ch 1 had problems this afternoon. 660 is advising field units to use Ch 3 until further notice.

 

[tangier]

Last week, TG 31011 was very active with what sounded like console testing. This week, TGs 32001 and 32021 have been active with "operator demo instructions" on the use of portable radios. No channel use IDs heard...