• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

Ma/COM OpenSky

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DaveNF2G

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Well, in light of your earlier comments about dual-mode radios, it seemed that "might not" would be a safer statement than "will not." However, when N_Jay is around, no statement is safe from contradiction, apparently.
 

HM1529

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N_Jay said:
MIGHT NOT??????

ProVoice and OpenSky are as different as CDMA and TDMA cellular.
They are NOT intercompatible.
There may be some radios that can have both modes.


The new 7200 series OpenSky portables are capable of operating on OpenSky, EDACS (and ProVoice), and P25 digital trunked or conventional systems. The "dual band" description of the radio references their ability to operate on both 700MHz and 800MHz.
 
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N_Jay

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DaveNF2G said:
Well, in light of your earlier comments about dual-mode radios, it seemed that "might not" would be a safer statement than "will not." However, when N_Jay is around, no statement is safe from contradiction, apparently.

Sorry.:lol:
 

tfr

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N_Jay said:
ProVoice and OpenSky are as different as CDMA and TDMA cellular.
They are NOT intercompatible.
There may be some radios that can have both modes.

Ugf. Aren't they even more apart? My little understanding of the world so far says that OpenSky is a networking standard (such as EDACS and P25), while ProVoice (and AEGIS) is a D/A vocoder that is used to convert voice to bits and the other way around.

Since OpenSky is digital, they have to use some kind of a protocol/vocoder. If it's ProVoice or something else, I don't know, since we have no OpenSky networks around on this little corner of the globe.
 
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N_Jay

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tfr said:
Ugf. Aren't they even more apart? My little understanding of the world so far says that OpenSky is a networking standard (such as EDACS and P25), while ProVoice (and AEGIS) is a D/A vocoder that is used to convert voice to bits and the other way around.

Since OpenSky is digital, they have to use some kind of a protocol/vocoder. If it's ProVoice or something else, I don't know, since we have no OpenSky networks around on this little corner of the globe.

Provice is the brand name for an Over the air FDMA digital protocol that defines a specific voice coder, channel coding and modulation. It is available for use on Conventional and EDACS trunking systems.

OpenSky is the brand name for an Over the air TDMA digital protocol that defines a specific voice coder, channel coding and modulation. It is also the name of the TDMA trunking protocol and system which it is used with.
 

mfn002

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Taking a post from the PA forum, scanner manufacturers were invited to a meeting with MACOM about the possibility of a scanner. From what I gathered, MACOM would let them if they could explain how exactly OpenSky works. Well, they couldn't, and the rest is history. However, this occurrred about five years ago, when, to the best of my knowledge, OpenSky systems were still in the planning phases (someone can correct me if I'm wrong). It was NOT that MACOM wouldn't let them (the scanner manufacturers), it was just that they didn't understand how the system worked.

Oh Well...I still don't see the point of sitting here wishing for something that is most likely never going to happen...
Why are we doing this anyway?
MACOM definitely is not watching this site, and are probably oblivious to all this.
As for anyone unfortunate enough to live in an area where said systems are in use, you can wish all you want, but it's most likely NEVER going to happen. And now I'm convinced that probably MACOM wants it that way.
I REPEAT....MACOM IS NOT PAYING ANY ATTENTION TO ANY OF THIS
 
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dmg1969

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Well, I'm one who lives in an area (Cumberland County, PA) that was affected by the transition to OpenSky. I will never stop hoping that a scanner will produced, however I am not sitting around waiting. I sold all but one of my scanners and I don't even run to turn it on to hear a call when the local fire whistle goes off.

It's been about 6 months since my last contact with a Tyco rep (MA/COM's parent co.), so I sent an e-mail to him to see if there has been any talk within the past 6 months. I also contacted the Cumberland County EMA director. I'll just check in every 6 months or so to see if anyone is talking about it.

In the meantime, I have started re-enjoying working in my workshop doing woodworking.

Dave G.

mfn002 said:
Taking a post from the PA forum, scanner manufacturers were invited to a meeting with MACOM about the possibility of a scanner. From what I gathered, MACOM would let them if they could explain how exactly OpenSky works. Well, they couldn't, and the rest is history. However, this occurrred about five years ago, when, to the best of my knowledge, OpenSky systems were still in the planning phases (someone can correct me if I'm wrong). It was NOT that MACOM wouldn't let them (the scanner manufacturers), it was just that they didn't understand how the system worked.

Oh Well...I still don't see the point of sitting here wishing for something that is most likely never going to happen...
Why are we doing this anyway?
MACOM definitely is not watching this site, and are probably oblivious to all this.
As for anyone unfortunate enough to live in an area where said systems are in use, you can wish all you want, but it's most likely NEVER going to happen. And now I'm convinced that probably MACOM wants it that way.
I REPEAT....MACOM IS NOT PAYING ANY ATTENTION TO ANY OF THIS
 

brey1234

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more on delays

Work on the Fair Hill site is being done for free by M/A Com, a division of Tyco Electronics, the company that provided the new communication system to the county. M/A Com agreed to perform the work for free because the company completed the new system in July, several -months behind schedule.
http://www.cecilwhig.com/articles/2007/01/15/news/04.txt



Anyone know what format is being used here? P25 or Open Sky?
 
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N_Jay

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brey1234 said:
Work on the Fair Hill site is being done for free by M/A Com, a division of Tyco Electronics, the company that provided the new communication system to the county. M/A Com agreed to perform the work for free because the company completed the new system in July, several -months behind schedule.
http://www.cecilwhig.com/articles/2007/01/15/news/04.txt



Anyone know what format is being used here? P25 or Open Sky?

Answered in another thread.

Easy find with Google.


M/A-COM To Provide Critical Communications Solution For Cecil County, Maryland

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


M/A-COM, Inc. a business unit of Tyco Electronics and a leading manufacturer of critical radio systems deployed around the world, today announced it has been awarded an $8.4 million contract from Cecil County, Maryland. M/A-COM’s solution will facilitate seamless interoperable communications for the county’s public safety agencies, which have previously been unable to communicate over their disparate radio systems when responding to emergencies. A complementary paging system will also be implemented as a part of the overall public safety and public service network.

The backbone of the communications system will include a VHF ProVoice analog and digital communications network; providing both digital and analog coverage, replacing a conventional low-band system that did not provide interoperable capabilities. Cecil County will also be able to send voice communication through the Maryland Eastern Shore Inter-Operability Network (MESIN). The MESIN system, being installed by M/A-COM, is a network designed to serve first responders in nine counties along the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

“M/A-COM will provide our public safety personnel with the essential capabilities they need for critical communications,” said Frank Muller, chief of emergency services for Cecil County. “For the first time, Cecil County’s police, fire, and emergency medical responders will be able to talk to one another and coordinate more effectively in times of crisis, without switching radios or using remote dispatchers.”

The communications system M/A-COM will build for Cecil County will have the potential to migrate to the company’s groundbreaking VIDA (Voice, Interoperability, Data and Access) network through M/A-COM’s EDACS Gateway and the MESIN project. VIDA represents a new approach to critical communications, unifying all disparate communications systems and equipment onto a single network solution. Through the power of Internet Protocol (IP) architecture, M/A-COM’s VIDA network enables unparalleled access to a combination of voice and data functionality, interoperability and network security with the flexibility to cost-effectively build and easily upgrade critical communications systems now and in the future.

“Not only will public safety responders in Cecil County be able to talk to one another, but future interoperable voice and data communications will also be within their reach,” said Ray Fuller, regional sales manager, M/A-COM. “Cecil County’s system will have the potential for Voice, Interoperability, Data, and Access; or what we at M/A-COM call VIDA. It’s seamless communication across various departments that lets public safety personnel do what they do best – protect and serve – with the confidence that they will be able to communicate with one another in times of crisis.”
 

studgeman

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Maybe GRE or Uniden will get on the bandwagon with Motorola and Kenwood and license the IPR for OpenSky. I don't know if New York and Pennsylvania constitute a big enough market, but Kenwood and Motorola thinks it does.

If Motorola thinks it, it must be right, afterall they are the gods of Public Safety!
 
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N_Jay

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studgeman said:
Maybe GRE or Uniden will get on the bandwagon with Motorola and Kenwood and license the IPR for OpenSky. I don't know if New York and Pennsylvania constitute a big enough market, but Kenwood and Motorola thinks it does.

If Motorola thinks it, it must be right, afterall they are the gods of Public Safety!

What are you talking about?
 

studgeman

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Part of the contract with New York State required M/A Com to make the OpenSky IPR available to other manufactuers. Motorola, Kenwood, and some other company I can't remember have licensed the IPR from M/A Com, so far.
 

mfn002

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Maybe a OpenSky scanner is coming. But, due to the somewhat complicated nature of the system, I don't know how well it would actually work, but I gues there's a way around that. Has there been any mention of ProVoice?
 

brey1234

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I remember

I remember a time when having something bigger than a 20 channel crystal controlled was a dream...
when everyone thought police and fire going to the 455 Mhz area was the end of scanning----when pd/ems went to 800 mhz---when the 800 Mhz spectrum was trunked and everyone thought that was the end of scanning----when project 25 was introduced--people thought that was the end of scanning---

Of course we know that the industry kept up with the changes---and I feel that the industry will keep up with formats such as Open Sky--because the market will soon be there ;-)
 
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N_Jay

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brey1234 said:
I remember a time when having something bigger than a 20 channel crystal controlled was a dream...
when everyone thought police and fire going to the 455 Mhz area was the end of scanning----when pd/ems went to 800 mhz---when the 800 Mhz spectrum was trunked and everyone thought that was the end of scanning----when project 25 was introduced--people thought that was the end of scanning---

Of course we know that the industry kept up with the changes---and I feel that the industry will keep up with formats such as Open Sky--because the market will soon be there ;-)

There are some significant differences, but they have been posted and you don't care to look at them objectively.
 
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N_Jay

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n4voxgill said:
look how quick the got out the scanners to pick up the first motorola VSELP systems they when came out 20 years ago.


And ProVoice, and Aegis, and Multi-net. ;) ;) :lol:
 
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