McKenzie PD?

[lucas2121]

Yes just a little bit.

I like Tait's perspective on it lol

https://www.taitcommunications.com/hubfs/All%20PDFs/Client%20Stories/Public%20Safety/Tait_ClientSpotlight_CarrollCounty.pdf

 

[buddrousa]

Is that why I hear they are moving to the TACN System?

 

[tbzep]

Is that why I hear they are moving to the TACN System?

Yes, we are eventually moving to TACN because our current system is...let's just say not operating at peak efficiency.

 

[buddrousa]

Lets state facts IT WAS NEVER FINISHED. The Vendor wanted more money.
I had a friend tell me one system was bid and a different one was installed.

 

[03msc]

Well let's hope the main tg stays in the clear, as all should.

 

[tbzep]

Lets state facts IT WAS NEVER FINISHED. The Vendor wanted more money.
I had a friend tell me one system was bid and a different one was installed.

I forgot to follow up on this. Yes, the system turned out a little different than what I understand was contracted. IIRC, they were supposed to set up a redundant system where one side could be shut down for upgrades and repairs while the other would keep right on chugging. When an upgrade was contracted to another company that is now authorized to service Tait systems, they found it was only a single system. It had to be shut down for the upgrade. I believe McKenzie and Huntingdon took up the slack. They are all set up to back each other up in case something major happens to any one of them.

I haven't heard if McKenzie is going to change over to TACN or not. It is possible that HPD/HFD may not due to cost. I don't know how this will play out due to the original vendor contract licensing and other factors.

We are hoping the VHF analog gateway stays in place for county fire. Quite a few analog radios and pagers are still in use and a lot of people have expressed interest in going back to simple pagers instead of toting a radio around all the time. Used Minitor IV's, V's, and VI's abound and I've made programming bases for them from old chargers so we don't have to fool with our system vendor. The VHF analog system been neglected ever since the Tait system was put in and it's still chugging along. Same for the two UHF analog systems for SO and HPD that are in place for backup. Maybe they will freshen them up a little and keep them going another decade or two. I know scanner buffs would be happy.

 

[buddrousa]

The last thing I heard is Huntingdon Fire Department is putting in their own VHF System type unknown and Huntingdon PD may have signed TACN agreements, but I did not get this from either Department.

 

[03msc]

I haven't heard if McKenzie is going to change over to TACN or not.

If you do ever hear anything about McKenzie, please update us here when you think about it.

 

[tbzep]

The last thing I heard is Huntingdon Fire Department is putting in their own VHF System type unknown and Huntingdon PD may have signed TACN agreements, but I did not get this from either Department.

I don't know why HFD would put in a VHF system when we already have a UHF analog system with a gateway that works just fine for pagers and analog radios. In fact, it works BETTER than the Tait DMR system. It hasn't had any maintenance or updates in more than a decade and still works. Let's see a digital system, especially the Tait DMR system last like that without upkeep! The HFD dispatch console went out so the city dispatcher can't page or do the CAD. The HPD side still works. In the mean time, the county is doing all the HFD paging and CAD entries. It's my understanding they finally decided to spend the money to fix or replace the console, so that tells me we probably won't be switching to TACN with the county.

 

[tbzep]

If you do ever hear anything about McKenzie, please update us here when you think about it.

I will, but you will probably find out about the same time as me. I know they have been as disappointed with the system as we have.

 

[buddrousa]

That happens when you pay for it before it is installed

 

[tbzep]

That happens when you pay for it before it is installed

I hope they've learned their lesson.

 

[buddrousa]

There are people who put this in their contracts
50% on accepting the bid.
40% when parts come in.
10% when system installed

 

[tbzep]

There are people who put this in their contracts
50% on accepting the bid.
40% when parts come in.
10% when system installed

And after that, the repeated prostate exams commence. I've heard what they charge to just remote in and change a simple setting from their own office desk.

 

[tbzep]

I just noticed that the Radio Reference frequencies page for Carroll County, TN is completely wrong. Carroll County Fire, Sheriff, HPD, HFD are all still using DMR and will continue to so until we go to TACN. The RR page states that we completely abandoned DMR by 7/24. We do still have the analog gateway and transmit on VHF and UHF, but as far as I know, only a few county vol FF's are using analog handhelds.

HPD's analog gateway has been down for a couple of months, so they are exclusively DMR now. We should be moving over to TACN this summer, so the demise of DMR on the RR frequency page is a couple years too early. Even after the switch, they are talking about keeping the DMR system going as a backup. As much trouble as we've had with it, I would sell off...no, pile up and burn every single DMR related piece of hardware and keep the old analog systems as backup.

To keep on topic with the MPD thread, I don't know if MPD/MFD are still using the DMR system. I assume they still have the gateway in place so it would broadcast on both analog and DMR regardless of which system they are using as primary. In a perfect world, I could just switch over to their talkgroups on my Tait and listen for digital clarity. However, our broadcast quality often reminds me of a long string and two Dixie cups...I shouldn't talk bad about Dixie cups.

 

[03msc]

I just noticed that the Radio Reference frequencies page for Carroll County, TN is completely wrong. Carroll County Fire, Sheriff, HPD, HFD are all still using DMR and will continue to so until we go to TACN. The RR page states that we completely abandoned DMR by 7/24. We do still have the analog gateway and transmit on VHF and UHF, but as far as I know, only a few county vol FF's are using analog handhelds.

HPD's analog gateway has been down for a couple of months, so they are exclusively DMR now. We should be moving over to TACN this summer, so the demise of DMR on the RR frequency page is a couple years too early. Even after the switch, they are talking about keeping the DMR system going as a backup. As much trouble as we've had with it, I would sell off...no, pile up and burn every single DMR related piece of hardware and keep the old analog systems as backup.

To keep on topic with the MPD thread, I don't know if MPD/MFD are still using the DMR system. I assume they still have the gateway in place so it would broadcast on both analog and DMR regardless of which system they are using as primary. In a perfect world, I could just switch over to their talkgroups on my Tait and listen for digital clarity. However, our broadcast quality often reminds me of a long string and two Dixie cups...I shouldn't talk bad about Dixie cups.

Be sure to do a submission to the db with the pertinent info about the DMR. You can just type it in the submission box for the admin to review.

 

[buddrousa]

I hear more school busses than anything else

 

[tbzep]

I switched my Tait over to MFD and MPD when I heard a page on the analog scanner for a car fire in McKenzie today. They are both still using DMR as well. So here is the score: CCSO, CCVFD, HPD, HFD, MPD, MFD, EMR, and the other quasi city/county fire depts in the county are all 'exclusively' (a few analog CCVFD handhelds and several analog pagers) using DMR Tier III (with analog VHF and UHF gateway for everything except EMR) until we switch to TACN. Priority ambulance is still paged on analog VHF and we still talk with medical helicopters on analog VHF state 155.205 and 155.340.

If you are hearing mostly school buses, something is wrong. I would expect you to hear some chatter from them between 0600 and 0800 and again from 1430 to 1700 hrs, but I hear dispatch jabbering to CCSO all day long. HFD and CCVFD used our main county fire talkgroup all day and night at the large Henry fire Friday/Saturday, hitting our repeaters in Carroll Co. because some of our radios did not get programmed with 8TACxxD or any other direct talkgroups by the company that shall remain nameless.

Note that HPD's analog gateway has been down a couple months and CCSO's was down for a few days this week but is back working.

I will look into submitting to the database.

 

[tbzep]

Wow, they got to the database change quick! They didn't delete the main page that says Carroll County went back to conventional systems, but when you click on the Public Safety DMR link, they marked out all the incorrect stuff.

 

[buddrousa]

I will have to check my LCN's have not looked in a while.