Knox County public safety radio system
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WX4BLF
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Firefighters air concerns about Knox E-911 planned digital radio system
So the fire department is questioning a jump to digital with them being so close to joining TVR, but never brought this up on the Harris system...? And they mention installing repeaters on all trucks and using a fireground simpex system for working fires. Um yeah... Why wouldn't you?
So the fire department is questioning a jump to digital with them being so close to joining TVR, but never brought this up on the Harris system...? And they mention installing repeaters on all trucks and using a fireground simpex system for working fires. Um yeah... Why wouldn't you?
This is all politics as usual in Knox. If they get an MC, then they want to ditch, then guess what? They hurt everyone around because they control an ENTIRE ZONE of the TACN. They want the power like Chattanooga, and Jackson, and soon Nashville has/will have (at least in their eyes). Period. But that won't get mentioned by anyone in Knox.... And if anyone in Chatt opens his mouth that will just add fuel to the fire. It isn't about TVR anymore. Knoxx was the voice that began the TACN when it WAS just the TVR. But then politics got played in. Everyone else that was involved actually started using it. Not Knox. Hmmmm think about that. They have excuse after excuse after political game with Harris after excuse. Now its give us an MC and we may play nice? We saw all this crap with Nashville. But now that their neighbor is about to build out the central TN version of the TVR, and has TVA even linking to them once its online, and it will be using the Nashville TRS Core as its MC, which then will become the central Zone Controller for the TACN as was originally planned things changed. Its all about power games. As usual. If it looks like a rat, squeaks like a rat, and smells like a rat, its a rat. And as usual I smell a big Southern Rat. Being from the South, I do know my good ole boy rats. 
I just hope this all ends well and is beneficial to the WHOLE STATE not just an loverly little Knox County power grab that ends in folks in the TN State Penn!
I just hope this all ends well and is beneficial to the WHOLE STATE not just an loverly little Knox County power grab that ends in folks in the TN State Penn!
zachgallop
Member
From what I heard Ruarl/Metro Fire & EMS is not going to switch because its too expensive. They really need switch to be able to talk to KFD and have better radio coverage. I have hearing Rural Metro has terriable portable coverage on VHF at most of their scenes and rellies on mobiles to talk to Dispatch. They only have two towers for the whole county. UHF works really good for only having one tower.
MILF, There are very legitimate technical reasons to want your own Master Site.
You shouldn't denigrate the techs trying to do their best just because you don't like the bureaucracy the techs have to work within.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
You shouldn't denigrate the techs trying to do their best just because you don't like the bureaucracy the techs have to work within.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
zachgallop
Member
Heard Knoxville Fire 10501 using TACN today during the DOE Training Exercise. They were doing test of the radios in with the sirens on. Motorola seemed to out preform Harris.
To paraphrase a Moto rep I once met: "Motorola is in the business to sell new radios", not upgrade existing systems.
And that's what an upgrade is. You switch out the controllers for newer ASTRO 7.X ones or whatever the Harris stuff is, new consoles, new mobiles and HT's if you don't have P25 gear, move the TG's to the new format etc... You still use the same towers, most of the time same freqs, same hardlines, and other inter connectivity unless its overloaded and needs to be upgraded also to handle the new data etc.... Same Licenses usually, just modded for the new formats.
Sometimes you need more coverage, so you also add new sites, and if needed also new freqs.
Sometimes you need more coverage, so you also add new sites, and if needed also new freqs.
Knox County system update
Knox County has apparently voted to join TACN with Motorola hardware:
Knox E-911 board approves $8.7 million Motorola contract for digital radio system
Knox County has apparently voted to join TACN with Motorola hardware:
Knox E-911 board approves $8.7 million Motorola contract for digital radio system
About bloody time. So around this time next year there will be a new simulcast cell for the TACN.
zachgallop
Member
KFD, KCSO, and KPD are talking of being completely encrypted. Not sure on School Security because they are kinda Law Enforcement too.Rural Metro Fire and EMS will probably not change. Karns VFD and Seymour VFD will use both.
<< Jones said the biggest advantage is not the hardware itself, but the capability of having a regional system that allows direct communication among various agencies during a crisis.
"We'll be able to turn a button and all be able to talk to each other," the sheriff said.>>
I had to laugh when I read the above quote from the article. Heck, all you had to do NOW was switch to an "interagency channel" (for ALL three services has a couple of their own - police/fire/EMS) and everyone can talk to each other. But mother Motorola has sold a bill of goods to this entire country they need these statewide or area-wide trunked systems "so they can all talk to each other". Smart business in their defense.
Mike
"We'll be able to turn a button and all be able to talk to each other," the sheriff said.>>
I had to laugh when I read the above quote from the article. Heck, all you had to do NOW was switch to an "interagency channel" (for ALL three services has a couple of their own - police/fire/EMS) and everyone can talk to each other. But mother Motorola has sold a bill of goods to this entire country they need these statewide or area-wide trunked systems "so they can all talk to each other". Smart business in their defense.
Mike
I have to wonder though if Rural Metro will choose to pay to use TVRS. They may have to keep UHF radios for their Med Channels, and if that is the case, why pay to move to a system they may not fully be able to use.
Does anyone have other thoughts on this?
zachgallop
Member
I have heard serval times Rural/Metro Fire and EMS probably won't be going to the new system due to the cost of the mobiles and portables. It would fix alot of reception issues they have for Fire which is terriable.The EMS UHF frequencies work way with one tower and the vhf having like 3 towers and barely having reception at all.Volunteer Rescue squad is even going to the new system with the tiny budget they have. How can volunteer agencies say they can afford it but a Huge Company like Rural/Metro can't afford it? Sounds wierd.
WX4BLF
Member
I volunteer with the rescue squad and this is the first I've heard of this. Last time I asked KVERS was not going on TACN.
zachgallop
Member
I heard it from somebody two people I know at KVERS. One is on the board. They may have changed their mind. *Update* I miss understood that they were moving to TACN said Tac.07 works great but the dive team has some TACN Talkgroups.
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If Rural Metro went to the system they would have to purchase A LOT of radios, both mobile and portable. At lets say average $5,000.00 per radio, to outfit Rural Metro Knox County alone would be extremely cost heavy. That is why I will be shocked if Rural Metro hops on board this system.
As for Knoxville Fire Department, I know they are a city agency. If the city chooses to hop on board this new system, they may find it in the budget to move all agencies on board, rather just KPD. But it all returns to basic economics and costs.
As for the volunteer rescue squad, and other volunteer emergency services organizations in Knox County, their decision may probably depend on the budget of their department, and unless they receive additional funding it may not be feasible for them to spend several hundred thousand dollars, and maintain day-to-day operations.
Don't get me wrong, I do not mean to sound negative of this system but I am weighing both sides of the coin. I use this system daily and it is a lot better than what we once had, but it is costly, and it has dead spots and bugs every once in a while.
What are some others thoughts on all this?
WX4BLF
Member
Rural/Metro's new ambulances that were purchased have VHF/UHF APX7500's mounted in them instead of the old TK-790's that they have been using. Now, being UHF and VHF they aren't capable of TACN operation, but I wonder if RM/AMR is looking at going digital with their current frequencies?
Well, I guess it depends. I use APX 7500's that are VHF/UHF/700 MHz capable, which they are setup to work on the TACN network. Also the radios will function on conventional and TACN trunked modes.
So in theory if they utilize the same radios with the same specifications, I suppose they can be setup to run on TACN.
What are your thoughts?
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