Gratiot county fire new mototrbo system starts 1/21/14

[Brandonbrzak]

Now me being on fire/rescue really doesn't phase me having all the radio equipment to hear everything, but with this new mototrbo system going up on Tuesday, what does that mean for scanner users? I know old analog scanners won't work, but will the new generation of scanners be able to pick up this system?

 

[EC-7]

I was just going to post about this.
The minitor pagers are analog only, so I dont know how they will handle it. Im guessing all dispatches will be analog still, and then everyone responding will be on TRBO digital.

Is the freq changing?

I guess dispatch could be simulcast in analog on 154.160 still and all other voice on TRBO on another frequency, kinda like how Saginaw County is with the state system.


Brandon, are you on Breckenridge FD? Im in Merrill.

 

[Brandonbrzak]

Yes, I'm on Breckenridge Fire and Rescue. From what I understand the pagers will stay analog, but with a digital patch in the frequency for toneouts and dispatch information. I just wonder with me having a digital scanner that goes with me, along with my portable radio, that I monitor our 800mhz for fire and police will still be able to monitor our 154.160. That frequency will not change, but will have that mototrbo system integrated into the frequency. I'm sure that will need to have some decoding software, or have to find a unit that can decode trbo. If that's the case, gratiot county is going to have some irritated residents who can't figure out where the fire dept. is going

 

[kd8ati]

I can't comment on the specific's of the system as I am not familiar with it... However I can tell you that there is currently no scanner on the market that can pickup Mototrbo transmissions.

As was already said... due to the fact the FD uses minitor pagers, the only way to continue using pagers is to Simulcast the toneout - dispatch on both VHF and mototrbo. It will be a county policy on if they actually patch the old VHF with the new mototrbo so you can still hear everything on VHF or if they just Simulcast the initial dispatch so that is all you will hear on the VHF side.

 

[Ronaldski]

On the database here is listed on the MPSCS for Gratiot fire/ems -> 1929
1929 29FE911 Central 9-1-1 Fire/EMS - Dispatch Multi-Dispatch

Any word that it could be being utilized then as a patch between the mototrbo and the the dispatch?

Also these frequencies too,
Fireground 154.1750
Fireground 156.2325
Fireground 159.0600

 

[krokus]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (Android 2.3.4; Linux; Opera Mobi/ADR-1309251116) Presto/2.11.355 Version/12.10)

I guess it is time for DSD+.

 

[luv2cruiserccl]

So what scanners can we bought to monitor new fire and also police and mmr?


Sent from my phone using Tapatalk 2- Please excuse any errors.

 

[EC-7]

It sounds like there is a "half patch" on the old 154.160 frequency. The MotoTRBO is on 155.130Mhz.
Only dispatch's audio will come across. The Fire Dept radios dont patch thru on it. This is the way Livingston County is also.
I guess its better than nothing.

luv2cruiserccl - There are no current scanners that will pick up the MotoTRBO digital that the FD switched over to. There is software that should decode it, called "DSD". Ill see if I can set up a spare PC to decode it and put a live feed on here.



It sounds like the tones and dispatch message are only working on 154.160 for now, but then all other voice traffic is on 155.130. Right now they would have to carry BOTH the pager and radio.

In my opinion, its being installed by another radio shop who shouldn't do radios. They think they can make a full change over and expect it to work perfect, without testing. St Louis' pagers don't work now... Fire Depts dont understand why its not working like it should. I know its in the 1st few hours, but they should of phased it in and tested before doing a full switch over. Heck, some depts didn't even have radios set up until 7pm yesterday, less than 24 hours before the switch.

 

[Brandonbrzak]

Yes I do agree fully on them phasing it in slowly. My pager and radio work fine. I know that there is some bugs in the system still, but at least we still have the old analog system as backup. I'd rather be full 800mhz, but that is pricey. Mototrbo is a cheaper way to go, and have somewhat the same benefits as the 800. I will give props to our dispatchers. They kinda have a whole lot thrown on their lap today, and will for a while. But I do agree on the phasing. So dispatch is now broadcasting on the 155.130 for toneouts now, instead of 154.160?

 

[jfr]

Am I the only one that thinks digital fire channels are a bad and possibly deadly idea?

-JR

 

[mikewazowski]

Please remember that this topic is for discussing Gratiot County's new system. It's not for discussion on whether digital fire channels are a bad idea.

Search the site and you'll find lots of discussions on that topic already exist.

 

[Brandonbrzak]

Benefits for me are that I wont be covered under a fellow firefighter's radio traffic. My only dislike about this new system that it's both digital, and analog. Best of both worlds right? As long as I can contact Dispatch, and as long as they can contact me, I'm happy. Plus we have our own tactical channel, besides our on-scene tac3 channel, so we can communicate privately all over gratiot county. Eventually we will be all digital. Analog is a thing of the past.

 

[Ronaldski]

So is the idea to eventually phase out 154.160? I know in the past all the pagers were being reprogrammed.

Would be fabulous if we can get the database updated for Gratiot fire, let us know!
Any ideas if they were to use the Talkgroup for fire on mpscs that we have listed in the mpscs database?

Gratiot County, Michigan (MI) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

What we have now:
154.16000 WNKA988 BM 123.0 PL Grat Fire 1 Fire: Dispatch [Ch 1] FM Fire Dispatch
154.17500 WNIV815 BM Grat FG 1 Fireground 1 FM Fire-Tac
159.06000 WQFV764 M Grat FG 2 Fireground 2 FMN Fire-Tac
156.23250 WQFV764 M 162.2 PL Grat FG 3 Fireground 3 FMN Fire-Tac (Is this fire tac 3?)
154.29500 WQFV764 M CSQ Grat FG 4 Fireground 4 - DNR FMN Fire-Tac
*10/12 FCC App 0005474204 for County Fire: 159.405 Repeater with 155.13 (MOTOTRBO) at Breckenridge


Side note; Its true correct that all police in Gratiot county including Alma/St.louis exclusively use mpscs right?

 

[Brandonbrzak]

I think what the pagers were programmed for was for the new repeater tower that Breckenridge has on their new water tower. Our motorola repeater box was removed from our hall recently. I personally havent done close call on any of these channels. Probably a good opportunity to, eh ronaldski? I think the 154.160 will stay in service for awhile still, but you never know, something new always comes around that catches the eyes of dispatch directors. Oh and yes, all PD is on MPSCS. They can only contact us thru our 29FE911 or 29COMM

 

[RayAir]

Gratiot County 155.130 MotoTRBO Enc

I am about 100 miles south of Gratiot County, but on most nights I can pull a lot of VHF-HI band signals from mid Michigan area with my antenna set up.

Conditions weren't as good last night, but I was receiving TRBO CACH bursts on 155.130 at an S2-S3.

I left it on all night and checked my log this morning.
There was activity starting around 0450 hrs.

Here's what I got:

155.130 DMR Conventional repeater
Color code: 10, RAS protected
TG: 200, Enhanced Privacy encrypted

I didn't check to see if there were multiple radios or just one (which would indicate dispatch only).

When conditions were real good I could pull a TRBO Cap+ from Isabella used by LE and FD, that too was running EP.

155.730 Gratiot Co. Jail, was coming in good yesterday, but not early this morning. I'll have to check that one next for TG and or voice privacy.