EDACS I-Call

[dstew67]

I just heard what sounded like an I-Call on the new EDACS system, but there was one very odd thing about it. It started with a ringing tone, and then someone answering the phone, and they were talking about an animal that someone had caught in a cage. So, I thought it was going to be animal control, or EOC. But, instead of an I-Call ID showing, it was the Zoo ID, 913. I have the I-Call wildcard entered, and I-Calls enabled on my 396, so I don't know what to think.

Any ideas?

 

[MNRotrMedic]

If you heard a ringing noise prior to the call it was was most likely a phone patch. Phone patches are a great way for radio users to provide service without having a body in an office. It's a great money saving measure. The radio user on that Talk Group can usually place calls as well from his/her radio.

 

[dstew67]

I always thought that this was also another kind of I-Call, but I'm guessing I-Call is strictly radio to radio. Am I right?

 

[mam1081]

I-call is radio-to-radio, however....

One of the I-call radios could be a phone-patch. San Antonio used to have it set up like this on their Motorola Type I system before they went to ProVoice. I would bet that the phone patch goes away once the patches from VHF/UHF to the EDACS disappear.

On your 396, should should see an ID like 7******* (I think it's like that on EDACS - that's how it is on MOT systems). The "7" is the designator for an LID (radio ID). Maybe if they programmed the radios with some brains (doubtfull), they will give radio id 294 to PD officer 294, and his mobile will be something like 10294 or something. Some cities do this (Midland, TX being one example of a well-programmed system), but most don't.

The post stating that a P7100IP radio was seen failed to mention that it was a "scan" model - only having a few buttons on it. On a "system" model, an officer/user can innitiate an I-call and type in the radio ID they would like to talk to. Once the PTT button is pushed, the radio will make a call so that only radios with the ID being called will hear.

Sometimes I-calling is not enabled on a system. I have heard this is to keep things more open (supervisors can hear everything this way). It could also help with open/available channels (if you have 10 people I-calling, that could tie up a system pretty quickly).

 

[dstew67]

Excellent info, Mark. My friend tells me that they are supposed to have phone patch, and he thinks he remembers something about being able to call a specific radio, but is not for sure. So, we'll wait to find out.

I'm just wondering with they're gonna flip the switch to go into provoice mode...

 

[mam1081]

When? Some are already in ProVoice.

The dreaded switch will be the switch to turn off the patch back to analog.
I stated in another forum that Baker 61 of Hefner has been ID'd as having a ProVoice radio and using it on patrol.

 

[dstew67]

So, if he's using it, we would hear him on the VHF, but not on the EDACS, right? Otherwise, none of the other officers would be able to hear him...

 

[mam1081]

WHen he's using it, you can hear him on VHF and EDACS. Your scanner won't recognize the digital talkgroup in EDACS, even though it's there. Only a ProVoice radio will decode that digital and allow you to hear him on the EDACS system.

There is a slight delay from the ProVoice system back to the analog one, just as there is a delay from analog to the EDACS system also (where all the patches are analog also). Try listening on two radios - one on the old VHF channels, and one on the EDACS system.

 

[dstew67]

Yep, that's what I've been doing. I don't think he's on tonight. I'll check with my friend to see if he's talked to him, and see what he thinks of it. I doubt I'll have an answer by tomorrow's meeting, but I'll post it here when I hear.