LWIN and Major Event

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Yesterday was the Natchitoches Christmas Festival and I got a sample but incomplete information on a major event with the LWIN system.

1. Just because a trailer is set up with the antennas cranked up does not mean it will be used as a site. I was unable to find a control channel other than the normal local sites. None of the local sites reported it as a nearby either. I suspect that with three sites giving handheld coverage it was not needed but there in case of busy outs. (I never got close enough to see the number on the trailer as it was in the middle of several command trucks so I loaded all trailer info in DB and tried several other things with no luck)

2. Numerous talkgroups were in use but very noticabily absent was State Police using one as a body. When the units first hit town they were on their dispatch talkgroups from home troop. Normally a meeting is held in the morning to give assignments, but I am no longer involved there so I dont know and afterwards they all went to their home troop area's cord. talk ch. 1, that is tg 41819 for troop E units. They may have done this because most times each troop is assigned a zone to walk but I can not verify that is what happened. (For many years I was in the LEO meetings so I have some insight there)

3. Only one State HQ unit was seen on LWIN all day.

4. Several State Fire Marshalls units were present but this event involved fireworks which is their jurisdiction.

5. Local department personal from out of town appeared to all be using their home groups.

6. Several parishes must have events talk groups or the like as I saw groups in parish sequence used after morning meeting time but not listed in data base.

Maybe this will help someone else get started when the like happens in their area. (Before anyone asks I did have wildcard in use and all local sites in scanner.)
 
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loumaag

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Did you check for conventional usage. The trailer could have been just there to provide a repeater site.
 
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I dont know that I was clear enough in first post about Cord. Com. there were three of those in use. I did not see Troop F's in use although there were F units present. I have been seeing and hearing about F and G sharing a dispatcher at times. I also saw a cross patch G to E this Sunday after the event was over.

I do not think there was a conventional repeater in use as the old state 800 system (pre lwin) best I can tell is not used anymore. One thing I did see with the computer was that the first transmissions on Cord. Com groups were made by almost sequentally firmware serial number radios that were probably in the command trailer. Computer logs did not show these radios used again so the command trailer folks well took their personal portables outside and enjoyed the event near the trailer. With all the groups on LWIN and several local conventional high band channels in use and three large LWIN sites within handheld range there was just not justification to bring mobile site on line. I did not see anything that looked to be a cross patch either.

Local agencies are not using LWIN except on a limited basis just yet but that may change as more radios come online in their units. LWIN may not catch on either as they have good enough repeaters on high band. I don't look for those to be abandoned with narrow band changes but who knows.

Perhaps by next year others can witness one of these major events that draws in outside officers in a small town situation and fill in some of the blanks.

I also must admit that I had only one p25 scanner to use and most all of the day it was dedicated to the laptop and Pro96Com. I would probably do that again as I have had enough hours as LEO and scanner buff that all the action is sort of "old hat" to me.
 
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loumaag

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...
I do not think there was a conventional repeater in use as the old state 800 system (pre lwin) best I can tell is not used anymore. ...
Sorry, I in no way indicated I was referring to the legacy system. I said conventional repeaters. That would be P25 / 700 MHz TAC channels. In other words not dragging down LWIN resources to support a local operation that could be (and probably was) handled on a local basis.
 
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I can not say that did not happen but I did not see or hear anything that indicated such. Where I am located there was little chance of the event dragging down resources on 700/800 system if it does there is a serrious problem waiting to be happen with a storm.

Does anyone have first hand experience with such temp. repeaters being utilized in Louisiana for events??
 
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loumaag

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Does anyone have first hand experience with such temp. repeaters being utilized in Louisiana for events??
Not since LWIN (I moved before it came into being); however, the state police often would go to the 800 MHz system talk around channels at an incident and roll one of the mobile repeaters out to the area to aid in communication. I specifically remember one in LaPlace in regard to a barricaded subject & hostage situation that started with St John SO and built to the state police coming in. After a couple of hours they moved everything to a couple of 800 MHz TAC channels using repeaters that the SP brought in. Don't know what vehicle they were in, whether it was trailer or command van, but since I was listening to the incident from start to finish, I can assure you that the state can mobilize that capability rather quickly.
 

gpswx4cster

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Well down here in New Orleans we have "major events" just about every other month. When the LSP works with New Orleans Police they will have one of their LSP talkgroups patched to whatever talkgroup the NOPD is using for the event.

Gary
 
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