Louisville Metrosafe

[ofd8001]

MetroSafe Interoperability

Phase I of the MetroSafe deal was to install a Motobridge which is a bridge to pretty much all emergency services in adjacent counties in both Kentucky and Indiana. The equipment is in and is working and procedures have been implemented to set up a patch. Given its newness, I'm sure the telecommunicators are still learning how to get the best from it, as well as getting the word to the response agencies that it can be done.

The question of whether the MetroSafe system can be linked to the SafeT system has been raised, but no answer or decision has come down. It would be a good thing if they can do it.

 

[jerk]

METROSAFE Update

The phase 1 of MetroSafe is completed or nearly so.

Work continues to be done on drafting the specifications/request for proposal on the voice radio system (the 800 MHZ digital trunking deal), which is phase 2. It still has a target date of mid 2007 for completion.

As part of the phase 1 deal, there are 3 sites up and running using 800 digital trunking, using a few of the frequencies for the old/current 800 system. They are being simulcast.

The only traffic on the system is testing at this point.

I am receiving digital traffic, "testing" on ID 21 with a control Ch 860.4625.
So far that's the only Id I've heard and the control channel has not changed.

On the analog system Louisville/Jeff County system it sounds like it is a Type II system now.
I have identified two talk groups, 208 = airport shuttle; 336 + 368 = Data
33168 = Animal control; 53760 is poss. traffic Eng. and 60416 is poss. Zoning enforcement.

160, 192, 51536, 51552, 52224, 53808, 60560 all active id's

AL

 

[scannerfreak]

I am receiving digital traffic, "testing" on ID 21 with a control Ch 860.4625.
So far that's the only Id I've heard and the control channel has not changed.

On the analog system Louisville/Jeff County system it sounds like it is a Type II system now.
I have identified two talk groups, 208 = airport shuttle; 336 + 368 = Data
33168 = Animal control; 53760 is poss. traffic Eng. and 60416 is poss. Zoning enforcement.

160, 192, 51536, 51552, 52224, 53808, 60560 all active id's

AL

Is this a new seperate system? If so, what is the SYS ID?

 

[windigofer]

Is this a new seperate system? If so, what is the SYS ID?

The control channel in question is still the old Type IIi (possibly now Type II) trunked system in use, but on a different control frequency (generally the system has used 85x.2625).

No idea on the 21 (though 021f *is* the sys-ID for RCS Louisville).

Also, if the system has gone completely Type II, further verification will be appreciated. (I'll be keeping Trunker on this system the next few days to verify this as well as verifying any potential digital talkgroups.)

 

[scannerfreak]

The control channel in question is still the old Type IIi (possibly now Type II) trunked system in use, but on a different control frequency (generally the system has used 85x.2625).

No idea on the 21 (though 021f *is* the sys-ID for RCS Louisville).

Also, if the system has gone completely Type II, further verification will be appreciated. (I'll be keeping Trunker on this system the next few days to verify this as well as verifying any potential digital talkgroups.)

Thanks for the clarification..Guess I was a little confused. Earlier in the thread it said the deal was rejected and now there are reports of it going online.

 

[ofd8001]

This is a complicated deal, so let me explain as best as I can. There is an existing analog trunked system for Louisville. There are few agencies using it, mostly public service (not public safety). Newsalan is accurate on what he has described.

MetroSafe is a 2 phase deal for public safety communications. Phase 1 was an interoperability project. That has been completed. Part of that phase included the setting up of three 800 MHZ digital trunked sites (which helped to tie the interoperability stuff together).

There were some portable radios purchased in the phase 1 project. They pretty much are used for testing purposes along with demonstration for phase 2. They are using 5 of the original 800 frequencies for the three digital, simulcast sites. The CC is indeed 860.4625.

Phase 2 is the big voice radio system. That puts all police, fire and EMS people on the same system. It will be late 2007 before that's operational, if all goes well. A Request For Proposal has not been released yet.

So anything you hear is strictly testing and there's not much right now. If anything, they may be patching a fire channel or two, just for the heck of it.

In other words, it's sort of there, but only used by radio techs.

Any reports of what you may hear on your scanners would be good to pass on, particularly where you are when you hear them. Helps to know how far the system reaches.

There are other components too, such as having one dispatch center with a back-up, putting all communications under one leader, and so on.

 

[scannerfreak]

Thanks, I now fully understand the situation

 

[windigofer]

There were some portable radios purchased in the phase 1 project. They pretty much are used for testing purposes along with demonstration for phase 2. They are using 5 of the original 800 frequencies for the three digital, simulcast sites. The CC is indeed 860.4625.

Okay, let me get this straight then.

We have a demo APCO-25 system, using five of the frequencies of the original IIi trunked system, that's being used for testing? (I do hear digital signal on 860.4625, no voice traffic so far, though.)

I'm asking for purposes of monitoring this system, as I've a Pro-96 and I FINALLY have a chance to use PRO96COM to analyse a system :3

 

[ofd8001]

We have a demo APCO-25 system, using five of the frequencies of the original IIi trunked system, that's being used for testing? (I do hear digital signal on 860.4625, no voice traffic so far, though.)

Yep. The only things you may hear are microphone "Ker-chunks" just to see if the system can be "hit", and the famous Verizon saying: "Cany you hear me now?"

 

[windigofer]

We have a demo APCO-25 system, using five of the frequencies of the original IIi trunked system, that's being used for testing? (I do hear digital signal on 860.4625, no voice traffic so far, though.)

Yep. The only things you may hear are microphone "Ker-chunks" just to see if the system can be "hit", and the famous Verizon saying: "Cany you hear me now?"

Gotcha. :3

After leaving PRO96COM running all day, this is what it reports:

Primary Control: 860.4625
Secondary Control/Voice: 859.2125/858.2125/857.2125
IDs/regular: 856.2125

So far: system ID 1A6, Tower 101 (T0101), WACN=BEE00 (whatever that is). Looks like there's a few talkgroups, but due to poor reception not sure I trust the IDs on them. (Plus they don't really have all that much traffic!)

Reception around 30-50 percent out here in Fern Creek, but then again the monitoring station I had set up temporarily is not in an optimal spot. Will have to see how it behaves with the yagi and in a more optimal location (with laptop) tomorrow :3

 

[jerk]

The control channel in question is still the old Type IIi (possibly now Type II) trunked system in use, but on a different control frequency (generally the system has used 85x.2625).

No idea on the 21 (though 021f *is* the sys-ID for RCS Louisville).

Also, if the system has gone completely Type II, further verification will be appreciated. (I'll be keeping Trunker on this system the next few days to verify this as well as verifying any potential digital talkgroups.)

I'm getting Trunk ID 21, not hex control channel id. That's all I'm getting and some voices, but the last time I heard talking I was on the phone and driving, bad combinations, so no chance to look down at the radio. All I have is the BC396, it appears to me to be Type II, but I haven't done any math to verify, and probably won't either as much as I hate math.

AL

 

[jerk]

Is this a new seperate system? If so, what is the SYS ID?

I would consider it a separate system. They are testing it as one.
Sys ID is 01a6h - site id - 101
and the only talkgroup i have heard is ID-21

Up to you on how you want to list it.

AL

 

[jerk]

I am receiving digital traffic, "testing" on ID 21 with a control Ch 860.4625.
So far that's the only Id I've heard and the control channel has not changed.

On the analog system Louisville/Jeff County system it sounds like it is a Type II system now.
I have identified two talk groups, 208 = airport shuttle; 336 + 368 = Data
33168 = Animal control; 53760 is poss. traffic Eng. and 60416 is poss. Zoning enforcement.

160, 192, 51536, 51552, 52224, 53808, 60560 all active id's

AL

I made a mistake, ID-208 is operations at the airport, I just kept hearing the shuttle yesterday, today, I heard more workers on the talk-group.
ID-160 is fire/rescue

AL

 

[ofd8001]

MetroSafe Update

Al- You said "So far: system ID 1A6, Tower 101 (T0101), WACN=BEE00 (whatever that is). Looks like there's a few talkgroups, but due to poor reception not sure I trust the IDs on them. (Plus they don't really have all that much traffic!)" -- told ya (it's just yakking).

"Reception around 30-50 percent out here in Fern Creek, but then again the monitoring station I had set up temporarily is not in an optimal spot. Will have to see how it behaves with the yagi and in a more optimal location (with laptop) tomorrow :3"

The three sites that are being simulcast are Meidinger Tower (downtown), Waverly Hills (Valley Station/PRP) and BlueCross/Blue Shield (Hurstbourne & I-64). So point your Yagi whatever direction you think is best (I'd head toward Hurstbourne & I64 first, then Dixie Higway).

Do you leave your scanner on, and do you have logging software?

 

[scannerfreak]

I would consider it a separate system. They are testing it as one.
Sys ID is 01a6h - site id - 101
and the only talkgroup i have heard is ID-21

Up to you on how you want to list it.

AL

Awsome..Exactly what I was looking for!



Ok, now that we have what we needed, I added the TRS to the database! Thanks again Al

 

[jerk]

Al- You said "So far: system ID 1A6, Tower 101 (T0101), WACN=BEE00 (whatever that is). Looks like there's a few talkgroups, but due to poor reception not sure I trust the IDs on them. (Plus they don't really have all that much traffic!)" -- told ya (it's just yakking).

"Reception around 30-50 percent out here in Fern Creek, but then again the monitoring station I had set up temporarily is not in an optimal spot. Will have to see how it behaves with the yagi and in a more optimal location (with laptop) tomorrow :3"

The three sites that are being simulcast are Meidinger Tower (downtown), Waverly Hills (Valley Station/PRP) and BlueCross/Blue Shield (Hurstbourne & I-64). So point your Yagi whatever direction you think is best (I'd head toward Hurstbourne & I64 first, then Dixie Higway).

Do you leave your scanner on, and do you have logging software?

I have to drive South about twenty miles to receive the system. I believe I am picking up downtown right now. I do not have logging software, but the BC396 will log talk-groups, so I will try that that next time I'm traveling that way. I do have the logging software that came from Uniden, but no portable computer.

Now for the Louisville/Jefferson system, it looks like it is a Type IIi system, still learning how to break those down. But the BC396 seems to track all it just fine, but the talkgroups are not registering accurately, but I am hearing all the replies.

AL

 

[ofd8001]

I have programmed the Louisville/Jefferson County analog system (the old one) as a Type 1 system and it works fine. Be sure you do the fleet map.

 

[windigofer]

The three sites that are being simulcast are Meidinger Tower (downtown), Waverly Hills (Valley Station/PRP) and BlueCross/Blue Shield (Hurstbourne & I-64). So point your Yagi whatever direction you think is best (I'd head toward Hurstbourne & I64 first, then Dixie Higway).

Do you leave your scanner on, and do you have logging software?

Very likely Hurstbourne & I-64 is going to be optimal location (seeing as I'm only a few miles from that spot myself--east of Hurstbourne some miles). Thanks for the info.

Re logging software, etc:

I own a Pro-96 (and several other scanners as well) and when mapping this system I am using PRO96COM which does have logging capability as far as talkgroups received, etc. (From there, I can program the scanner talkgroups and control channels in and map each talkgroup to each user.) As PRO96COM actually reads the info from the scanner itself via its programming interface, it's a pretty accurate tool for mapping P25 systems with a 9600bps control channel (nearly all modern ones). :3

Now that it's the weekend, I can actually get the yagi set up properly to monitor :3

 

[jerk]

I have programmed the Louisville/Jefferson County analog system (the old one) as a Type 1 system and it works fine. Be sure you do the fleet map.

It is working well as a Type II, but I still get an occasional odd talkgroup or replies on the same first two numbers, but a different last three numbers. SO I think it is now a Type IIi system. But I really only want to monitor the airport and "emergency" groups, and I have those listed and receiving okay. So I'll not worry about mapping the system, except for practice. And do you have a preset fleet map that works for you.

AL

 

[windigofer]

It is working well as a Type II, but I still get an occasional odd talkgroup or replies on the same first two numbers, but a different last three numbers. SO I think it is now a Type IIi system. But I really only want to monitor the airport and "emergency" groups, and I have those listed and receiving okay. So I'll not worry about mapping the system, except for practice. And do you have a preset fleet map that works for you.

AL

Erm...I was under the impression that the analogue system had been Type IIi for quite some time (fleet map: Type-II Type II S4 S4 S4 S4 S4 S4) and Trunker agrees with me on this.

Some of the talkgroups are type II (generally the airport talkgroups/snow removal ones), some are type I (animal control, Louisville Parks, etc.)

That's the way I've seen it listed since at least 1999 in various publications, too