Digital & narrowband added to Ventura Co law & fire VHF licenses

[KMA367]

Not that it should be a surprise to anyone, but it looks like most or all of Ventura County's VHF law and fire frequencies just got digital and analog narrowband emissions (11K2F9W) added to their licenses last week:

ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - KMB552 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - KA9883 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - KMH693 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - WNZN461 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - WQFT393 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF-FIRE DEPARTMENT - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - WQFY937 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - WPQJ868 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - WPYU584 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - WQFZ352 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - WZX690 - VENTURA, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary
ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - WPUR342 - VENTURA COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary

Another example of the usefulness, and sooner-than-later need for digital capabilities when looking to buy new scanners.

 

[DPD1]

Last I heard they were staying analog for a while. Guess they changed their minds. Or got a good sales pitch.

 

[KMA367]

Last I heard they were staying analog for a while. Guess they changed their minds. Or got a good sales pitch.

Most all new and renewal licenses below 512 mHz seem to be including the narrowband emissions already, so you may well be right DPD1, that they're not necessarily going to change very soon. Except maybe for fire, since "federal" fires require narrowband radios now.

But at least they've got the licensing out of the way, and won't find themselves behind in paperwork like Santa Monica PD apparently did a year or so ago, when they were using digital without being licensed quite right -
http://harrymarnell.net/KVJ951-oops.pdf
from
ULS Application - Public Safety Pool, Conventional - 0003668743 - SANTA MONICA, CITY OF - Transaction Log
:roll:

 

[SCPD]

Well at least they weren't tricked into a multi-million dollar digital trunked radio system. The most common comment by the dispatcher I hear on the Fed jwin & FPS systems is "your all digital".

 

[SCPD]

Well at least they weren't tricked into a multi-million dollar digital trunked radio system. The most common comment by the dispatcher I hear on the Fed jwin & FPS systems is "your all digital".

I assume this means they can't be copied.

 

[inigo88]

I assume this means they can't be copied.

Correct. On digital Motorola radios, I've heard it go something like "ggggggrrrrraaaahhh," and it often slurs out the last syllable in a low robotic tone before dropping out. The sound can also be similar to a loud "BONK," and I've heard dispatchers say "You bonked out" in addition to "You went digital." I was surprised when I heard it because I had gotten used to the R2D2 beeps and boops you hear on GRE scanners (and possibly Uniden?) when the signal drops enough to lose synch and stop decoding.

 

[Radio_Lady]

Correct. On digital Motorola radios, I've heard it go something like "ggggggrrrrraaaahhh," and it often slurs out the last syllable in a low robotic tone before dropping out. The sound can also be similar to a loud "BONK," and I've heard dispatchers say "You bonked out" in addition to "You went digital." I was surprised when I heard it because I had gotten used to the R2D2 beeps and boops you hear on GRE scanners (and possibly Uniden?) when the signal drops enough to lose synch and stop decoding.

With LAPD's first generation of digital radios, the Astro Saber IIIs, we had a terrible time with the digital signals crapping out in mid-sentence, or just plain being lousy for many locations and conditions. And sometimes messages never came through, period. Our more radio-savvy dispatchers, too, would occasionally be heard telling units that "you went digital." But the usual expression was just "repeat," which became even more ubiquitous for us than "roger." As soon as I got out of there they started buying and deploying XTS and XTL5000s, and I've been told the readability has been improving quite significantly. They have also added more receiver sites, which the vendor, /\/\, had recommended ten years ago.

Digital is still plagued, depending on whom you listen to, with reception issues in high-noise environments, especially firefighting, but that's already well-covered around the web.

And there is this overview I just stumbled across, Tech Topic 16: Narrow Banding Public Safety Communication Channels especially the next-to-last paragraph.

Back to the topic at hand, a quick look through the main frequencies in the FCC database shows that Simi Valley is the only city in Ventura County that has narrowband or digital on their city PW licenses so far. I imagine that when they use countywide tactical frequencies they're operating under the county's license anyway.

 

[cousinkix1953]

Narrow banding is mandatory with new licenses and renewals. Everybody is supposed to go that way by 2013. Scotts Valley just bought new radios and didn't go digital; because it isn't mandatory and nobody else in the area is doing it either. I noticed only a slight change in their audio.

Digital is garbage. Try fine tuning hundreds of radios to the exact same carrier frequency (xxx.00000) on the work bench. Listening to the LAPD reminds me of a bunch of sidebanders working DX on the CB radio. Try talking to more than one person at a time, if your radio is a FCC legal model with a "locked" transmit clarifier. Sometimes I can clean it up with a WinAmp EQ and sometimes not...

 

[JoeyC]

I assume this means they can't be copied.

It means the same thing as "10-9 you are 10-1". (i.e "repeat last, you are unreadable"). Difference is, "10-1" is the nature of the beast, and "you went digital" is the fault of the Motorola salesman. :roll:

 

[DPD1]

Narrow banding is mandatory with new licenses and renewals. Everybody is supposed to go that way by 2013. Scotts Valley just bought new radios and didn't go digital; because it isn't mandatory and nobody else in the area is doing it either. I noticed only a slight change in their audio.

Digital is garbage. Try fine tuning hundreds of radios to the exact same carrier frequency (xxx.00000) on the work bench. Listening to the LAPD reminds me of a bunch of sidebanders working DX on the CB radio. Try talking to more than one person at a time, if your radio is a FCC legal model with a "locked" transmit clarifier. Sometimes I can clean it up with a WinAmp EQ and sometimes not...

I totally agree about LAPD. Even the DS's sound like they're transmitting from inside a bar at happy hour or something. But you know what though... I HAVE heard recordings of a few digi systems that don't have any of that. So apparently it's possible to alleviate a lot of it. What do you think the major thing that influences that is?

 

[spock00]

The worst is listening to the LAPD on a digital scanner. My Uniden BC-396T was horrible and so I now use an XTS 3000 to monitor them in addition to my ham/GMRS use. As would be expected the XTS 3000 has much better audio and a sensitive receiver than the scanners out there. In any event I agree the audio is not as sharp as I would want if I paid the big bucks for the so-called new technology.

 

[zerg901]

I was looking at one of the Ventura County fire freq licenses - dont remember which one.

6 sites were listed - all 6 of these sites had repeaters on 154.01 + 154.10 + 154.325 (the "big 3")

Red Mtn had the big 3 plus repeaters on 154.415 + 155.055

South Mtn had the big 3 plus 155.985 + 155.835

Rocketdyne had just the big 3

Rincon Peak had the big 3 plus 155.055 + 154.415

1000 Oaks has just the big 3

Laguna Peak has the big 3 plus 155.04 + 154.415

Maybe 154.415 is for SW areas only

Maybe 155.055 is for south areas only

(I have not plotted this out on a map yet)

 

[spock00]

I was looking at one of the Ventura County fire freq licenses - dont remember which one.

6 sites were listed - all 6 of these sites had repeaters on 154.01 + 154.10 + 154.325 (the "big 3")

Red Mtn had the big 3 plus repeaters on 154.415 + 155.055

South Mtn had the big 3 plus 155.985 + 155.835

Rocketdyne had just the big 3

Rincon Peak had the big 3 plus 155.055 + 154.415

1000 Oaks has just the big 3

Laguna Peak has the big 3 plus 155.04 + 154.415

Maybe 154.415 is for SW areas only

Maybe 155.055 is for south areas only

(I have not plotted this out on a map yet)

Are they repeated or what?

Last I heard they weren't even though the equipment was in place. What's the deal?