Ebenge
Member
Will, how good is your signal with your stock antenna. I changed antennas and still unable to pick anything up.
Iowa Statewide Interoperability Communication System (ISICS)
Ebenge
Member
The Beaverdale and Fairfield towers used to come in on the old system just fine.
Not anymore it seems. Different systems using different equipment and frequency bands will behave differently even when the transmit sites are the same. Good coverage should be expected roughly 8-12 miles from a transmit site for a 700MHz P25P2 system, depending on terrain, foliage, and antenna directionality and mounting height.
WillB
Member
That's interesting considering the county is working toward switching to the system.
I'll have to check this evening Eric
Bandit52241
Member
When I was working in mt pleasant at the college, I was useing the stock antenna in the car and was listening to the fairfield, lee, beaverdale towers with no problem and that was the new state radio. now if I went to caseys fairfield would be a better signal but if I went towards mcdonalds Lee and beaverdale came in better. When I came home to Coralville, I would get about 1 or 2 miles north of the Iowa ave turn off and pick up the louisa co tower and listen to state until I got just south of riverside iowa and picked up the johnson co tower
When localities join a statewide system, they typically add more sites to improve portable coverage - the Iowa system is designed for mobile on street coverage. The poster above seems to have no issues when mobile in his vehicle, so perhaps you have a localized issue or equipment problem.
8-12 miles totally depends on type of radio, location of radio, type of antenna being used on the radio plus the terrain and other things mentioned. If you want good in building penetration in a metro area it would be more like 3-4 miles. Mobile with antenna on the roof is more like 20-25 miles again depending on terrain.
This Statewide system is way different than the existing VHF systems most places have. Most Counties have some horrible dead spots today with their existing single site VHF systems. Most counties will have equal or better coverage on the new Statewide system - for mobiles.
As most know mobiles are considered pretty old school and responders expect portable coverage. This has grown more and more due to the cell phone culture which believes their phones work everywhere (which they don't.) This culture change is requiring more sites to help that portable coverage especially in buildings. Once you have decent portable coverage bean counters may start asking how much they need mobile radios since each one of these radios are several thousand dollars vs old vhf analog radios for $800 - seems like a valid question.
This Statewide system is way different than the existing VHF systems most places have. Most Counties have some horrible dead spots today with their existing single site VHF systems. Most counties will have equal or better coverage on the new Statewide system - for mobiles.
As most know mobiles are considered pretty old school and responders expect portable coverage. This has grown more and more due to the cell phone culture which believes their phones work everywhere (which they don't.) This culture change is requiring more sites to help that portable coverage especially in buildings. Once you have decent portable coverage bean counters may start asking how much they need mobile radios since each one of these radios are several thousand dollars vs old vhf analog radios for $800 - seems like a valid question.
Concur - obviously 8-12 miles is an average. The Motorola P2 simulcast system our county is building has 22 simulcast sites, with a high site density and roughly 3-4 mile spacing. The statewide Motorola P2 system cell in our county has 7 simulcast sites and 2 multicast sites, with a lower site density and roughly 6-8 mile spacing. The site spacing in more rural counties on our statewide system is more like 8-10 miles, even in the flatter eastern third of the state. Our county system is designed for portable in-building coverage in light construction, and code requires BDAs for commercial in-building coverage where necessary. The statewide system coverage standard is portable on-hip on-street with a 1/2 wave antenna, and some county systems will enhance state user coverage via ISSI.
WillB
Member
What little i have heard has been 3 or 4 bars from the Fairfield tower. Thats on the factory antenna. Also picking up some of Beaverdale.
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In the Youtube recording of the ISICS Board meeting for March they mentioned Fulton County IL as requesting access to ISICS due their interoperation with Clinton IA. This is oblivious a mistake as City of Fulton is across the Mississippi river from City of Clinton. Fulton County is southwest of Peoria and not anyway near Iowa.
All the sudden this showed up tonight. Any ideas? Ignore the little window in the lower right, different program,
"Laughs in helicopter"
thatoneiowan
Member
Not sure what it is, but last night I heard a pretty decent amount of encrypted traffic on TGID 4235. Unfortunately I'm not logging anything so I don't have any details on it. I'm ALSO not sure whether I was getting it off the Des Moines/Westcom site or the Woodward/Ames site but it's for sure hitting at least one of those sites if not both.
Given the US Capitol Police TGID being 4248 per the database, and that there were a couple of recent visits (one by the Second Gentleman/Husband, and I vaguely recall someone else being in the area) I am wondering if there is any correlation or if it is another federal agency. My only other thought is the 4xxx unit IDs I think have seen as I think Clive or Urbandale city units or something along those lines.
raruzicka
Member
5067 has been very active on the CR tower, all encrypted. any guesses?
WillB
Member
For what it's worth, the FBI has been doing work down in S.E. Iowa. Doubt that's what your hearing though.
raruzicka
Member
RIDs suggest Johnson County.
MCWKen
Member
Whiteside Co. officer was heard on Clinton PD1 yesterday working a wide load over the Mississippi River bridge. Not sure if this was a patch, or Whiteside can access the TG on their own radios.
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