Dick33
Member
Is it just me or is it that the patched in Desert Sky digital units are sounding better and more of ?
LVMPD VHF digital audio
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They are slowly working out the bugs and coming out with new programming for the Desert Sky radios. As of now, there really aren't many complaints about the quality, only the size of the actual radios and the fact that when you press talk, you have to wait a second for a tone and then wait like you normally would before broadcasting traffic. The sound quality has been getting better and better over the past few months and the word is that they should fully transition well before the end of the year.
lvmpd patched digital audio
im hearing a slight beep at the end of the carrier, when the repeater resets on bolden. Could this be a digital patch? are motors using portables or a motor mobile? I figured they may be a patch if the motors are using the new portables. Motors seem to rove all over the place, so I thought they may be digital.
im hearing a slight beep at the end of the carrier, when the repeater resets on bolden. Could this be a digital patch? are motors using portables or a motor mobile? I figured they may be a patch if the motors are using the new portables. Motors seem to rove all over the place, so I thought they may be digital.
Motors are on the regular radios still. They have them in their bikes as well as portables. They use the bike radio through a helmet mic when riding. The units currently using the new radios are SWAT, the GC units, any other detective units, Cadets, PSRs, and Criminalistics. Every couple of weeks they come out with a new "program" for the radio which makes it better each time.
In short, the callsigns using the new radios are CD units, PS units, C units, Z and NZ units, and GC units.
I too really noticed an improvement with the sound quality, I would say equal to a good quality cell phone,
On the other hand on a code red on Tac 2 Friday night the code red beep was only heard 80 % of time on most new radios. Reports from the field still roll in of lost transmissions both tx and rx.
The delay on push-to-talk is a real concern purely from a officer safety point of view. On Saturday (May15th) a member with a OS radio lost communication in a foot chase in a condo complex. The member broke off the chase after his transmissions were not being acknowledged.
Overall nice progress and I agree they should fully transistion by the end of the year.
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How are you able to monitor this system? I'm assuming it's by programming all the frequencies in conventional mode. I have done that and am still not hearing any audio at all. I am using a Uniden digital handheld scanner.
Thanks in advance for the help.
John
To be brutally honest, I don't have a scanner or anything. I work around a lot of people on the department so I hear a ton about the new radios.
What is happening right now is a phased deployment of the new system. They have had the OpenSky (LVMPD calls it DesertSky) radios with some units for a few months and are upgrading them every couple weeks slowly working out the bugs. Once they get them working without issue patched into the conventional system, it is my understanding that they will train all officers on the features of the new radios and then completely switch not long after. I can tell you that LVMPD cars mostly have the new radios installed right under the old radios. I suspect that the old radios will stay in the cars for a while should the new system fail and they have to quickly revert back.
A current digital scanner will not monitor this system. At this time, no scanner can monitor OpenSky. Metro has patched the audio of some of the OpenSky system in to the conventional VHF channels and this allows them to be heard.
mdickerson17
Member
Was listening last night and there seemed to be a lot of problems! Most units using opensky could not be heard at all and it was broadcasted that all units using opensky need to switch to conventional! I also noticed that alot of patrol units were utilizing the desertsky radios even though they couldn't be herd half the time. Just thought I'd give an update!
They are moving forward with radio issue to all officers now. The thing that they tell Metro with DesertSky is that they have new coding quite frequently. As bugs pop up, they adjust the coding to fix the bugs. Harris Electronics has moved a large field office to Las Vegas to work 100% on Metro's system. Metro will not fully commit to the system until they have a 90 day run with no major errors once they switch. As far as now, it's looking like there will be a full switch before the end of the year.
Brillant!! Moving forward issuing radios and the system is, lets face it, NOT READY YET.
I caught a little bit of he sh##t show last night (remote monitoring) this isn't the first night in the past week they had to go back to the old system.
Dick33
Member
I think it's a little late on the Metro's commitment part. mdickerson17 You are right also I have been hearing problems on NW alot last week.
Apparently all dispatchers now dispatch from DesertSky consoles, all cars have the new radios in them already (along with the old), and most officers have their new portable radios. From what I've heard, the last code was issued to the radios this week before the switch. They are now on a 30 day clock for no major issues until the switch. If there is a major issue, they will fix it and restart the clock. I don't know where you guys hear them mention anything about DesertSky on the scanners or are able to tell which units are on DesertSky right now, but in the many hours a day I listen to different channels, I haven't heard anything of the sort.
I've been hearing EAC units complaining about their radios. Just 2 nights ago I laughed when one kept asking for his numbers, to the point of 'one last time before I break my radio'. I can hear the DS radios sometimes sounding like they're under water. They lose sync, etc. I've also been told that the coverage area is horrendous for them. They're comparable to cell phones 10+ years ago. It works here, but don't move a foot of you'll drop out.
I know its really OpenSky, the same system that New York & Pennsylvania dumped since it never really worked properly.
I believe them switching to this system is a bad idea. In a matter of life or death, the absolute last thing you should have to worry about is your radio, never mind your weapon misfiring.
I know its really OpenSky, the same system that New York & Pennsylvania dumped since it never really worked properly.
I believe them switching to this system is a bad idea. In a matter of life or death, the absolute last thing you should have to worry about is your radio, never mind your weapon misfiring.
Dick33
Member
I agree with you 100% it will take a loss of an officer before this admin. gets the point that they have been 407'd to the tune of $12 million plus.
mdickerson17
Member
Listening tonight and an officer was in a foot pursuit, dispatcher couldn't understand his call sign! Could barely understand the words "foot pursuit"! By the time she figured out who it was he already had the suspect in custody. Also heard another officer try to give his location on a 467 and after 7 attempts said sorry this radio sucks. Really hope it doesn't take a downed officer for them to realise what a crappy system this is!
Opensky update
They are moving forward with radio issue to all officers. Most patrol cars have both old and new radios. I'm hearing from LVMPD members they don't like using the new radios for various reasons.
Audio quality is a big one.
Talking with many Nora and Mike bike or foot patrol members, all have pretty much switched back to the VHF portable radios. All said they tried the new digital radios but most had problems ranging from logging off for no reason and once again poor audio quality and lost transmissions just to name a few complaints.
I spent several hours over 3 days in a room with a new digital radio running in the background, I noticed just about every 4th to 5th tranmission was crappy and needing repeating. I found listening for just a few hours gave me a headache
The new digital dispatch consoles actually sounded pretty good, Not once did I detect a crappy transmission. It appears mainly to be issues portables right now
From what I have been told the new radio project has a firm deadline of end of this year, not sure what happens if the system is not fully operation and signed off by then.
They are moving forward with radio issue to all officers. Most patrol cars have both old and new radios. I'm hearing from LVMPD members they don't like using the new radios for various reasons.
Audio quality is a big one.
Talking with many Nora and Mike bike or foot patrol members, all have pretty much switched back to the VHF portable radios. All said they tried the new digital radios but most had problems ranging from logging off for no reason and once again poor audio quality and lost transmissions just to name a few complaints.
I spent several hours over 3 days in a room with a new digital radio running in the background, I noticed just about every 4th to 5th tranmission was crappy and needing repeating. I found listening for just a few hours gave me a headache
The new digital dispatch consoles actually sounded pretty good, Not once did I detect a crappy transmission. It appears mainly to be issues portables right now
From what I have been told the new radio project has a firm deadline of end of this year, not sure what happens if the system is not fully operation and signed off by then.
Dick33
Member
You would think that the police officers union should have spoken out on this huge safety issue to its members and to the public along with the waste of tax payer dollars??
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