Delaware County Pa New System

PhillyFireFeed

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I heard PSP come up on the system and do a radio check. Interestingly enough, SDR Trunk would not display their UID. Empty field where the UID would normally be with everyone else...
 

soberbyker

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The analog was much clearer soundwise, but the digital is much clearer distance wise, if that makes sense. The entire county now sounds the same with the farthest sectors sounding like the closest.

Another thing I noticed is every now and then someone will be 10x louder than everyone else.
Also the emergency button must be in an awkward spot because quite a few times I hear dispatch asking a unit if it's ok then to reset the radio.
 

Whiskey3JMC

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Does anyone know when the SEPTA goes to their new system?
There's a separate thread for that

Actually two (closed)
 

Jason4525

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I heard PSP come up on the system and do a radio check. Interestingly enough, SDR Trunk would not display their UID. Empty field where the UID would normally be with everyone else...

That's good every so often a PSP car would ask the SEC 5 dispatcher for some cars on some 95 jobs on the old system
 

Fred1

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There's a separate thread for that

Actually two (closed)
Thank you!
 

maus92

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I did a road trip from OCMD to Christiana Mall yesterday - what a clusterf..... I continued on my way through Wilmington to a Wawa north of the Brandywine area and just over the border into PA. I was able to receive the system without issue, and I thought the audio quality was very good - although I am used to P25 audio and appreciate it's clarity and lack of static. I was also testing out a new SDS150 and it works well with this system. I will be adjusting the range circle for the system as I think the system's actual coverage is greater than what the current RRDB circle defines, at least to the south.

Other notes: I'm used to the longer Motorola QCII style tones that we use down south; the zippy pair that are in use in Delco sound strange to me, lol. Also, the channel name "EMS Hail" - I just don't get this naming convention. To me, "Hail" is similar in meaning to "Call", in other words, a channel that in-service units might use as an "on-the-air"channel vs. a response or operational channel. Perhaps someone can explain its history...
 

One13Truck

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Agreed. My home dept and a few mutual aid companies still uses the 8 second GC and the majority here still use the 1/3 format so the fast tones throw me. York and New Castle use shorter tones as well but not as quick as Delco’s. I’m mostly used to it after hearing them so long with the system build out but they still don’t sound…. Right? Hard on my old ears to ID them. My home county I know who’s going out from hearing the tones drop. The quick tones all blend into one to me. They all have the same blee-deep. But I’m only a listener. Those with Unications that go beep beep beep would know when dinner is ruined to go on their 8th lift assist or smells and bells for the hour. Hail is a weird one to me as well. SEPa seems to favor that. A few counties use it. Always looks weird. I program my stuff and name things to catch my eyes so I change all the Hails to EMS Response. Makes more sense to my old mushed brain.

System sounds pretty good from a distance. Seems to be working well after turn up. I eagerly await my own range and audio testing in 2026. Also hopefully with a nice shiny new 150.

My condolences on having to be anywhere near a shopping area this late into December. I hope you at least managed to avoid all the outlet traffic on the way up and back.
 

TerryPavlick

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Just returned back to the house here in Cape May County, but the system sounded great inside my PA house. We had siding installed back in the early 80's but it was the old steel siding Sears used to market - it has stood the test of time but makes the house more radio insulated than most vinyl sided houses. The signal was loud and clear and with the antennas on Chestnut Ridge I was able to remove the rubber duck from the SDS100 and still monitor everything perfectly without an antenna. So the paperclip I used to use down here to monitor the NJICS simulcast on the Uniden 436 now gets outdone by no antenna needed on the Delco system.

On a separate subject was trying to explain to my neighbor why scanners needed to monitor the system were so expensive. He was giving me back my old uniden base scanner and a radio shack (yep that old) handheld I had lent him years ago. Since the switchover - they have been dead quiet.
 

One13Truck

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I’m in the NE part of the state. I don’t care for planes but do listen to the trains. Still a lot of VHF high band and UHF in use for fire and ems surrounding me. A few times a year I still dig out my old Bearcats and Radio Shacks and fire them up. Partly for nostalgia. Partly to make sure they still work and I’m not just hoarding paperweights.

I wish I had a time machine to be able to take my X36’s and SDSs back in time with me. I can’t even count the number of hours of old audio from the 80’s, 90’s, early 2000’s I had recorded and lost due to corrupted files and computer upgrades borking them over the years. I’d love to go back with a case of 32GB memory cards to fill up.
 
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