End to NZ analog frequencies

Kiniutech

Past login as: questnz
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 21, 2021
Messages
92
Location
Somwhere in the South Pacific
NZ Government announced this week funding to implement NZ wide P25 Encrypted network for all NZ first responders services, Ambulances, Police, Fire and NZ Customs to get new combined encrypted communication based on Tait Communication platform. This will be implemented and operational by Q3 2026 (bar delays) so, we only got two years of free to all listening to EMS in NZ.
Ps Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch already been using P25 since 2006.
Tait Wins Nationwide Public Safety Network
News is old but only this week funding was announced.
 

Z-master

Newbie
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
44
Location
Canterbury, New Zealand
A couple of corrections..
The title - only the end to emergency services. The writings been on the wall for a few years that this was going to be how it turns out. Other frequencies are still working with analog just fine.

As for the funding, that was announced serveral years ago. The only thing that happened this week was the first official announcement that the trial was going to be in South Canterbury, then spreading all through canterbury, then region by region from then on. Those roaming around the area knew that already as the sites have been active for some time.
 

Kiniutech

Past login as: questnz
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 21, 2021
Messages
92
Location
Somwhere in the South Pacific
Yep, yep all the above is correct, not that important and minor details how we get there.
Only one thing is important here that by (estimated) end of 2026 all EMS will be Digital and Encrypted.
Still keeping my TRX-1 and Icom IC-R30
 

Yetti127

Newbie
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
4
It's sad for the hobby but not unexpected they have been saying the words "secure digital radio" since the first press release years ago for the Public Safety Network (PSN). Unfortunately, Facebook groups and rouge streamers have assisted in implementing Encryption by publicly releasing information or streaming about what they have heard over the air. All emergency services being encrypted is now the going thing with Queensland and Tasmania in Australia doing this in the past few years, and Europe using Encrypted Tetra or Tetrapol for decades with agencies needing to talk to each other it would make sense for the logistics of the system for encryption to just be added across the board, even the local councils on the Queensland P25 system are encrypted which is a surprise.

The interesting bits about the system will be to see how it's implemented, how emergency services use the new features and talk group allocation and whether there will be coverage issues (as the old ESA low VHF band had good rural coverage) or some unencrypted talk groups although I doubt it. I think the rollout may be quicker than previously thought, site works have already begun and you will notice police officers particularly in Wellington wearing new Tait TP9800 multiband radios with the new TSM4 Tait speaker mics which indicates the prep is happening and the fact this time it being run by a multi-agency government lead and funded systems with its own board means it will be quicker and better coordinated the than the old P25 phase 1 system rollout out years ago.

Police tried to roll a nationwide P25 network back in 2008-2010 but were knocked back on funding by the government of the day as the Global financial crisis hit and only Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury were added to the secure system. There were plans for Fire and Ambulance (Wellington Free Ambulance and Auckland Fire Operational Support did join) to join nationwide with unencrypted talk groups but it is a different world now with urban and rural council fire services now being all merged into FENZ in 2017 and them doing lots of medical response these days and ambulance needing better radio coverage with security for R40 hospital transmissions its just easier for NGCC to encrypt everything on the PSN LMR system given the cyber security issues everyone is paranoid about now and its easy to add encryption now to new system builds.

Hopefully, someone can map the system out maybe here on RR just out of interest's sake even though the talk groups won't be listenable.

Does anyone know what frequency bands they choose to use I'm guessing it's a mix of ESB and ESC and that it will be a P25 Phase 2.
 
Top