GATRRS Air K9?

[Ensnared]

Yesterday, I traveled to Austin and listened to GATRRS with the internal recorder engaged. Since I am in Austin traffic and/or Dante's Inferno, I had my finger on the hold button. Generally speaking, I use tone 7 on my SDS 100 to alert me to a talk group I want to verify or focus on since it is what I consider to quite annoying. I looked at the display when it was safer to do so.

I noticed that 2 Regional Law talk groups were being used for what sounded like a tactical operation.

This was a very brief drive through Austin.

One particular talk group that intrigued me was talk group 989, APD Air K9. This sounded like an air support talk group. In Houston, they used to call their whirlybird, "Fox." However, during one of the transmissions, I heard the copter blades and someone identifying as DPS 100.

I would greatly appreciate hearing about what this term means. The K9 part has me scratching my head. Does this mean APD flies around with a K9 inside to get to various search requests quicker? I suppose this might include search and rescue as well as a general vehicle searches.

I also noticed that APD dispatch talk groups were being used, as usual.

 

[KI5IRE]

Yesterday, I traveled to Austin and listened to GATRRS with the internal recorder engaged. Since I am in Austin traffic and/or Dante's Inferno, I had my finger on the hold button. Generally speaking, I use tone 7 on my SDS 100 to alert me to a talk group I want to verify or focus on since it is what I consider to quite annoying.

I noticed that Regional Law talk groups were being used for what sounded like a tactical operation. This was a very brief drive through Austin.

One particular talk group that intrigued me was talk group 989, APD Air K9. This sounded like an air support talk group. In Houston, they used to call their whirlybird, "Fox." However, during one of the transmissions, I heard the copter blades DPS 100.

I would greatly appreciate hearing about what this term means. The K9 part has me scratching my head. Does this mean APD flies around with a K9 inside to get to various search requests quicker? I suppose this might include search and rescue as well as a general vehicle search?

I also noticed that APD dispatch talk groups were being used, as usual.

Air1/K9 is a talkgroup that is sometimes patched to the dispatch talkgroups, usually when they are calling out for Air 1 or K9 assistance or sometimes when they are working. I think Air 1, K9 and other specialized units are parked on that channel when idle. It’s mostly used for Air 1 unless the on-duty K9 handler is not assigned to a sector (kinda rare with their staffing issues).

During my time shooting news overnight and listening there I would hear them say “Start Air 1-K9” or “Air 1-K9 to ___ sector, Air 1-K9 to ___ sector”.

They do not have the K9 riding in the chopper, its just how they say it and how they group their support units together on the talkgroup. Air K9 is just the name of the talkgroup. It should probably read “Air/K9” in the database instead to avoid confusion.

Pro96Com also showed a patch when needed. The talkgroup is usually E when not patched when I was living there in October.

 

[Russell]

And DPS100 is the Texas Department of Public Safety Helicopter assigned to Austin DPS.

 

[KI5IRE]

And DPS100 is the Texas Department of Public Safety Helicopter assigned to Austin DPS.

In the two years I lived/worked in Austin I don’t recall ever hearing DPS 100 operating on APD channels. I think I may have heard them a couple of times on the regional LE channels, but it was extremely rare.

 

[Russell]

DPS101 shows up on several systems here in DFW, including dispatch channels. I would be surprised if DPS100 didn't have direct access to APD Dispatch. I think GATTRS users are more accustomed to trunked Regional talkgroups than DFW is. We are only now beginning to merge such systems.

 

[KI5IRE]

DPS101 shows up on several systems here in DFW, including dispatch channels. I would be surprised if DPS100 didn't have direct access to APD Dispatch. I think GATTRS users are more accustomed to trunked Regional talkgroups than DFW is. We are only now beginning to merge such systems.

DPS 100 does have access to GATTRS, but DPS 100 isn’t used in the Austin/Travis metro as widely as DPS 101 is in the DFW metro. They use APD Air 1 most of the time from what I’ve observed. The only times I heard DPS 100 used was once in Travis County when Air 1 was down searching for a shooting suspect and a few more times in rural counties in that DPS region

 

[W5ATX]

Back in the day, when patrol requested an air unit, dispatch would send a message around to all dispatch sectors, and each dispatcher would GB "Air1 to Baker" for example. Sometimes that message would sit in a queue and the dispatcher wouldn't broadcast it for a few minutes. Even if the Air unit was scanning the city on their radio, sometimes their radios would stop on a different sector (E505 runs a 28 by VIN) for example, and they would miss the request for Air1 on the other channel(s). The request for Air or K9 should always be sent as a priority message but that's another story. Nowadays, when the request is sent, it goes to the CC or control center, and they get on Air/K9 immediately to raise the air unit. this saves response time. Most of the time, the Air unit will switch to the sector requesting them, however when K9 is involved and on the ground, Air1 will talk directly to K9 on Air/K9 to coordinate or discuss more details without tying up the primary patrol channel, all while monitoring the primary patrol channel as well as ATC. Sometimes it's used for training but rarely. DPS100 has been on APD TGID's but usually they will patch them to Regional Law-1.

 

[KTR722]

TGID 989 is "AT PD AIR/K9" on the radio display; coordination/response channel between ground K9 units and airborne assets off of the patrol channels - it functions somewhat as their home channel. Assuming you were coming through on Saturday, you probably heard the dust up in Round Rock and DPS 100 was talking to AIR 1 on this TGID to coordinate aerial search for the subject in question off of the other tac channels in use by ground units. As previously indicated, K9s do not get any rides on helos here in ATX.

 

[Ensnared]

In the two years I lived/worked in Austin I don’t recall ever hearing DPS 100 operating on APD channels. I think I may have heard them a couple of times on the regional LE channels, but it was extremely rare.

Since I recorded this radio traffic, I would be happy to make an audio-based You Tube. I thought it was unusual as well. I have never ever heard this TG. When you are fishing, sometimes you catch a keeper. LOL.

 

[Ensnared]

DPS 100 does have access to GATTRS, but DPS 100 isn’t used in the Austin/Travis metro as widely as DPS 101 is in the DFW metro. They use APD Air 1 most of the time from what I’ve observed. The only times I heard DPS 100 used was once in Travis County when Air 1 was down searching for a shooting suspect and a few more times in rural counties in that DPS region

Yes, they were engaged with other units. They were talking about victims and were searching for a suspect. I also heard them talking about folks being evacuated.

 

[Ensnared]

Thanks for the great responses.

"Onward Through the Fog" Oat Willies