interoperable 800 ksics with California fires

[NR0W]

I see fire departments from the western US are helping fight the fires in California. Do 800 mhz KSICS radio work there, mutual aid freqs in Kansas radios. The ones from Nevada, Utah and other states. KHP can interconnect departments VHF, UHF and 800 would California be able to do that also?

 

[mmckenna]

I see fire departments from the western US are helping fight the fires in California. Do 800 mhz KSICS radio work there, mutual aid freqs in Kansas radios. The ones from Nevada, Utah and other states. KHP can interconnect departments VHF, UHF and 800 would California be able to do that also?

There are a lot of nationwide established interop frequencies. There are some assigned specifically to fire use. Any good agency will have those NIFOG channels programmed into their radios specifically for this sort of interoperability.

Also, on large events such as this, there's usually a team of specially trained communications technicians that will help load the correct frequencies into radios for agencies responding from outside the area. Hopefully, also, someone from the agency itself would have programming software/cables to handle updating their own radios.

 

[KAA951]

Every radio on the Kansas radio system (KSICS) are required to be programmed with a standardized interoperability template. The template includes common mutual aid talkgroups that can be used only within range of a KSICS radio tower and other, national standard channels, that should allow a responder inn Kansas to communicate anywhere in the US to other 700mhz and 800mhz radios.

Most of the national interop channels are short range, tactical channels that scanner users need to be within a few miles to hear.

 

[mmckenna]

KHP can interconnect departments VHF, UHF and 800 would California be able to do that also?

It's possible to set up a bridge using multiple radios, but those create a lot of issues and are generally frowned upon for large incidents.


National Interagency Fire Cache, as well as large agencies, will usually have cache radios available that can be brought in for a large incident like this. So, radios are available for them to utilize on site that would be the correct band and correct frequency load to work on site.

 

[Prison_Radio]

In KHP's case, they can use their new portable APX NeXt radios anywhere because they have LTE backhaul on-board.

 

[mmckenna]

In KHP's case, they can use their new portable APX NeXt radios anywhere because they have LTE backhaul on-board.

That would get them back into their P25 core on their home system, and if set up, into the CRIS trunked radio system.

It won't get them into the CalFire command/tac channels. Those would need to be programmed into the radio. Depending on how they are set up, the file could be sent to the radios via LTE/WiFi and updated while they are in transit. Or, have a new file loaded at the fire camp.

 

[Prison_Radio]

That would get them back into their P25 core on their home system, and if set up, into the CRIS trunked radio system.

It won't get them into the CalFire command/tac channels. Those would need to be programmed into the radio. Depending on how they are set up, the file could be sent to the radios via LTE/WiFi and updated while they are in transit. Or, have a new file loaded at the fire camp.

Obviously it won’t give them CAL-FIRE, that wasn’t what I was saying, but those radios are OTAR/OTAP and can be updated on demand and include the full state template as well as a host of 7/8TACs.

My comment was more geared towards the ability to use them amongst themselves until a solution was reached because of the LTE ability.

 

[mmckenna]

My comment was more geared towards the ability to use them amongst themselves until a solution was reached because of the LTE ability.

Yep, absolutely.

And as a fire agency, they really should have the full NIFOG + Interagency Fire Cache frequencies pre-loaded. No reason not to anymore.