Madison County, KY new radio system thread

[SCPD]

Encrypted

A few months ago, I was told by a Richmond cop I know (who is also a ham) that the new system will be 100% encrypted. I will be in Richmond this coming Saturday morning administering ham tests at the Emergency Center and will see what I can find out...if anything. Several of the hams there are very involved with Emergency Ops in Madison County.

I see you posted that it will be MA/COM. Probably what the Richmond officer is calling encrypted may be an OpenSky system. New York State just terminated their contract with MA/COM because they just couldn't get it working.

 

[KR4BD]

I see you posted that it will be MA/COM. Probably what the Richmond officer is calling encrypted may be an OpenSky system. New York State just terminated their contract with MA/COM because they just couldn't get it working.

I did mention to these folks that NY had cancelled their Open Sky and they seemed aware of it. But remember, I was talking to a cop and an EMT who probably don't have all the details of what's going down with the "higher-ups". The EMT said the system would NOT be totally encrypted, but the cop said it would be (maybe he was referring to police only?). We will have to wait and see what comes down. All those I talked to said it won't be ready by the announced target date of November 2009.

 

[pachanga22]

I see you posted that it will be MA/COM. Probably what the Richmond officer is calling encrypted may be an OpenSky system. New York State just terminated their contract with MA/COM because they just couldn't get it working.

They bought 2/3rds of a mobile coverage system and it wouldn'tprovide portable coverage. Go figure. :roll:

 

[KR4BD]

FYI

The new, main tower for this New System is nearing completion. I was at the Madison County Emergency Operations Center last Saturday morning to administer ham radio exams and noticed the new tower sits right next to the old one. Unless they have added more to it, it's height seems about the same as the old one. It also appears to me that the old tower will be dismantled when the new one is placed in operation.

Anyone in Madison County have more updated information on the new system ?

 

[Andyssonopie]

Towers being put up all over the county, I've hauled alot of new equipment to the contractors storage whs, they say they should be done soon,thats about all I can get out of them.

 

[SlGlNT]

Recent activity on ULS is showing a temporary license request for the following locations and frequencies.

93 Forest Lane, Richmond, KY
856.48750 , 856.73750 , 857.48750 , 857.73750 , 858.48750 , 858.73750 , 859.48750 , 859.73750 , 860.48750 , 860.73750 , 851.65000 , 851.67500 , 852.15000 , 852.40000 , 852.43750 , 852.48750 , 853.50000 , 853.90000

2259 Enterprise Drive, Richmond, KY
857.48750 , 857.73750 , 858.48750 , 858.73750 , 859.48750 , 859.73750 , 860.48750 , 860.73750 , 851.65000 , 851.67500 , 852.15000 , 852.40000 , 852.43750 , 852.48750 , 853.50000 , 853.90000 , 856.48750 , 856.73750

102 Clays Ferry Drive, Richmond, KY
856.48750 , 856.73750 , 857.48750 , 857.73750 , 858.48750 , 858.73750 , 859.48750 , 859.73750 , 860.48750 , 860.73750 , 851.67500 , 852.15000 , 852.40000 , 852.43750 , 852.48750 , 853.50000 , 853.90000 , 851.65000

150 Trigg Street, Berea, KY
856.73750 , 857.48750 , 856.48750 , 858.48750 , 857.73750 , 858.73750 , 859.48750 , 859.73750 , 860.48750 , 860.73750 , 851.65000 , 851.67500 , 852.15000 , 852.40000 , 852.43750 , 852.48750 , 853.50000 , 853.90000

210 Chestnut Street, Berea, KY
856.48750 , 856.73750 , 857.48750 , 858.48750 , 858.73750 , 859.48750 , 851.67500 , 852.15000 , 852.40000 , 852.43750 , 852.48750 , 853.50000 , 853.90000 , 859.73750 , 860.48750 , 860.73750 , 851.65000 , 857.73750

210 South Eighty-Second Drive, Richmond, KY
858.73750 , 859.48750 , 859.73750 , 860.48750 , 860.73750 , 851.65000 , 851.67500 , 852.15000 , 852.40000 , 852.43750 , 852.48750 , 853.50000 , 853.90000 , 856.48750 , 856.73750 , 857.48750 , 857.73750 , 858.48750

560 South Keeneland, Richmond, KY
859.48750 , 856.48750 , 856.73750 , 857.48750 , 857.73750 , 858.48750 , 858.73750 , 859.73750 , 860.48750 , 860.73750 , 851.65000 , 851.67500 , 852.15000 , 852.40000 , 852.43750 , 852.48750 , 853.50000 , 853.90000

580 Maple Grove Road, Richmond, KY
858.73750 , 856.48750 , 856.73750 , 857.48750 , 857.73750 , 858.48750 , 859.48750 , 859.73750 , 860.48750 , 860.73750 , 851.65000 , 851.67500 , 852.15000 , 852.40000 , 852.43750 , 852.48750 , 853.50000 , 853.90000

3304 Burnt Ridge Road, Richmond, KY
858.48750 , 856.48750 , 856.73750 , 857.48750 , 857.73750 , 858.73750 , 859.48750 , 859.73750 , 860.48750 , 860.73750 , 851.65000 , 851.67500 , 852.15000 , 852.40000 , 852.43750 , 852.48750 , 853.50000 , 853.90000

 

[unitcharlie]

Thanx SIGINT..... Now we're cooking with gas! Have to start carrying the spare radio to search the system.... In the past couple of months I am hearing new TGIDs but haven't monitored well enough to ID them. Wonder if the two are connected?

 

[unitcharlie]

Rumor has it the new Madison County TRS is supposed to be on line this week.... Listened to the old system yesterday at work, too far away to hear much today.... ULS has the emission designator as: 8K10F9W...

 

[trashman43]

Kepp us up to date if you can. Sometime I can hear them here (at night) usually not though. Hopefully it will be better with the new system.

 

[SlGlNT]

They are requesting more time for testing. Here is some info obtained from ULS. There was a pdf, but I couldn't get it to attach.

Background: Madison County has contracted with Harris Corporation to design and install an 800 MHz P25IP Digital Trunking Simulcast radio system. The system being constructed includes eight simulcast RF sites and one VDOC (voice and data on control) site. The eight RF Simulcast sites, each equipped with at least 10 channels, are tied together using Harris GPS simulcast technology to provide precise timing between simulcast sites. The Simulcast system provides the highest degree of spectral efficiency through the reuse of radio channels from site to site. The placement of each Simulcast site will provide county wide area coverage while at the same time offering improved in-building penetration. One VDOC site installed at the Big Hill radio site will enhance radio coverage to that part of the county south of the town of Berea. The new system will incorporate three previously licensed sites (Big Hill, Jolly Ridge and EOC) and six new sites.

All eight simulcast sites, each equipped with ten MASTR V base stations, are interconnected with redundant microwave links in a loop configuration. The microwave system forms a protected ring connecting all sites. Two sites are spurs and the system will connect eight simulcast facilities with two spurs going to Richmond and Big Hill. The Sites will be connected via a sonnet ring. Each site will have multiple DS1 drops at each Remote node site with all DS1s terminating at the EOC.

The Network Switching Center (NSC) will provide the management, administration and networking functions of the Madison County P25IP system. The NSC has been configured in a geographically split high availability configuration to provide redundancy and thus reliability. The NSC will be located at the Madison County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), while the secondary NSC will be located at the Old Highway 25 site.

Interoperability to legacy systems, regardless of the band or equipment, will be provided through NetworkFirst Interoperability Gateways installed at the EOC, Lex Road, Jolly Ridge and Big Hill sites. The NetworkFirst Interoperability Gateway is a multi-channel analog voice interface for Project 25, and packet-switched digital networks. It supports up to 12 audio channels and is used to connect existing analog equipment, such as consoled and analog voice base stations, to the Internet Protocol (IP) digital network. The Interoperability Gateway is a software-based multi-channel codec module designed to interface the IP digital network with analog equipment.

Therefore, Madison County seeks through its design to operate seamlessly with its given environment, including the nature and frequencies upon which other agencies’ systems presently operate. One of the primary focuses of the design effort was to determine the means to develop an architecture that not only would serve the County’s needs in a more efficient, expandable manner; but to deliver enhanced communications opportunities that would benefit the entire region via coordinated, IP operations to promote interoperability, regardless of legacy systems and technologies. At present, Madison County has identified no fewer than 45 public safety agencies that will be served by the new network and it is expected that many more will ultimately rely on the network for interoperability.

The Request: Although Madison County originally requested 30 days for testing of the system to determine whether it was sufficiently engineering and robust to provide the necessary communications capacity, that amount of time has been found to be woefully insufficient for the purpose of testing a system as complex as the one proposed my Madison County. A comparable testing method commonly known as Method III drive testing, whereby readings would be taken at hundreds of grid sites over weeks of effort, still does not reflect the level of testing that is required of the system prior to permanent deployment. Additionally, the County must be assured that the system is fully viable and reliable in order to engage in acceptance practices to complete its contract with Harris. Accordingly, the requested 180-day period is deemed the minimum amount of time required to test professionally and fully the subject network to assure its operational capabilities prior to full deployment.

It is further noted that during testing, Madison will be confirming the technical parameters of its ultimate permanent licensing. It is economically wasteful for the County to obtain and repeatedly modify its licenses to reflect changes in the network that are found necessary during the testing phase. Such a methodology would needlessly tax the resources of both the County and the Commission.

Public Interest: It is obvious that the grant of the instant request to forward the deployment of the subject public safety network is in the public interest. As stated above, a myriad of public safety agencies will benefit in improved communications and interoperability, while the public will enjoy greater protection of life and property arising out of the improved communications from the new network.

 

[unitcharlie]

Thanx for the update.... this thing is going to be a pain until it goes on line, then it will be a pain until we can figure out how to monitor it....

 

[unitcharlie]

Monitored these on a trek southbound overnight to slip and slide in Rockcastle and Laurel Counties....

About 0120 at Exit 90 (near the Madison County EOC):
856.4875
88% (decoding) NAC 001 WACN:92065
Sys ID: 001 RFSS: 010 Site:001

About 0320 at Exit 83 (Duncannon Lane):
851.6500
98% (decoding) NAC 001 WACN:92065
Sys ID: 001 RFSS: 010 Site:001
AND
856.4875
99% (decoding) NAC 001 WACN:92065
Sys ID: 001 RFSS: 107 Site:007

(Gonna be a while before I can run any software on the system, the laptop smoked itself and there are other bills to pay first....)

Have yet to hear any voice over the "new" freqs, most of the old TRS freqs are incorporated into the new system but the old TRS is analog versus P-25 for the new system......

 

[unitcharlie]

Yesterday (15 Jan 2010) monitored short tone burst on TGID 11 on the New TRS on these freqs: 851.6500/852.1500(C)/852.4000/853.5000/853.9000/ 856.4875/ 857.4875.... The tone was passing thru the listed freqs like a voice channel would track... I only had a few minutes to listen because, alas, other stuff started happening.... I used the PSR 500 for individual freq info and was tracking the tones fairly well with the 396T... all the while using the PSR 300 to confirm that none of this was on the Old TRS.... Later in the morning at a fire in Richmond I had the same results....

 

[trashman43]

thanks for the update

 

[unitcharlie]

Updated info from a couple of nights of listening....
All sites have this info in common: Sys ID: 001 NAC 001 WACN:92065

851.6750
R: 020 Site:002
857.4875
R: 103 Site:003
853.5000
R: 106 Site:006

This is still just control channel noise unlike a couple of weeks ago with the tone being transmitted thru the channel order.... overnight (26 Jan) 859.7375 was in use as the control on the old TRS....

 

[unitcharlie]

Updated info.... monitored 853.5000 R: 010 Site:001 overnight....
Here is the list of freqs/sites thus far
851.6500 R: 010 Site:001
853.5000 R: 010 Site:001
856.4875 R: 010 Site:001
851.6750 R: 020 Site:002
857.4875 R: 103 Site:003
853.5000 R: 106 Site:006
856.4875 R: 107 Site:007
Common to all freqs thus far: Sys ID: 001 NAC 001 WACN:92065

 

[unitcharlie]

Updated info.... monitored 852.4000 R: 010 Site:001 overnight....

Here is the running list of freqs/sites:
851.6500 R: 010 Site:001
852.4000 R: 010 Site:001
853.5000 R: 010 Site:001
856.4875 R: 010 Site:001
851.6750 R: 020 Site:002
857.4875 R: 103 Site:003
853.5000 R: 106 Site:006
856.4875 R: 107 Site:007
(Common to all freqs thus far: Sys ID: 001 NAC 001 WACN:92065)

 

[SlGlNT]

Updated info.... monitored 852.4000 R: 010 Site:001 overnight....

Here is the running list of freqs/sites:
851.6500 R: 010 Site:001
852.4000 R: 010 Site:001
853.5000 R: 010 Site:001
856.4875 R: 010 Site:001
851.6750 R: 020 Site:002
857.4875 R: 103 Site:003
853.5000 R: 106 Site:006
856.4875 R: 107 Site:007
(Common to all freqs thus far: Sys ID: 001 NAC 001 WACN:92065)

Are you hearing this system in Lexington better than the old one?

 

[unitcharlie]

At this point there are only CC noises and one morning when they were toning among various freqs... I have monitored some freqs in Woodfrod County using the CC noise.... The "Old" TRS sometimes comes in marginally near the Fayette/Woodford line....

 

[unitcharlie]

Update> monitored 853.9000 R: 010 Site:001 overnight....

Here is the running list of freqs/sites monitored thus far:
851.6500 R: 010 Site:001
852.4000 R: 010 Site:001
853.5000 R: 010 Site:001
853.9000 R: 010 Site:001
856.4875 R: 010 Site:001
851.6750 R: 020 Site:002
857.4875 R: 103 Site:003
853.5000 R: 106 Site:006
856.4875 R: 107 Site:007
(Common to all freqs thus far: Sys ID: 001 NAC 001 WACN:92065)