McLennan County Announces Digital Migration

[Ensnared]

Putting Target On My Back?

Ha, found your comments on their FB page, lol, bet they are nervously combing through your history and running a 43 on you, IRS/DOJ style. Expect an audit later this year, haha.

Yes, I might as well go out & buy a sign for my back window, "stop at will." I've worked with mighty pathological people in my life and lived among some mighty manipulative family members. Some, love to put people "on the spot." I guess that is what I did. It was my intention.

I admire Waco PD for putting up a Social Media FB page. It does show an effort of keeping a dialogue going between citizens & LE, but this is their "public image."

Now, hopefully, I've enlightened and/or exposed what might be happening to those citizens who enjoy listening to analog scanners. I'm sure some are upset that they will need to buy an expensive digital scanner. But, I'm pretty sure they would have been really annoyed to find they wasted their money had the city gone to encryption.

How many times have people gone out & bought a digital scanner to later discover their city or county went to encryption? I know people need to do research, but sometimes, you cannot predict what government entities might do.

Now, hopefully, they are sitting on the hot seat regarding this issue. I suppose this is an advantage of living in a smaller city where citizen/officer trust is vital to crime-fighting.

If the public is to help, they need to be informed. I cannot think of a better way to accomplish this other than riding in a patrol car.

 

[M_T]

Yes, I might as well go out & buy a sign for my back window, "stop at will." I've worked with mighty pathological people in my life and lived among some mighty manipulative family members. Some, love to put people "on the spot." I guess that is what I did. It was my intention.

I admire Waco PD for putting up a Social Media FB page. It does show an effort of keeping a dialogue going between citizens & LE, but this is their "public image."

Now, hopefully, I've enlightened and/or exposed what might be happening to those citizens who enjoy listening to analog scanners. I'm sure some are upset that they will need to buy an expensive digital scanner. But, I'm pretty sure they would have been really annoyed to find they wasted their money had the city gone to encryption.

How many times have people gone out & bought a digital scanner to later discover their city or county went to encryption? I know people need to do research, but sometimes, you cannot predict what government entities might do.

Now, hopefully, they are sitting on the hot seat regarding this issue. I suppose this is an advantage of living in a smaller city where citizen/officer trust is vital to crime-fighting.

If the public is to help, they need to be informed. I cannot think of a better way to accomplish this other than riding in a patrol car.

McLennan County S.O. now has a Facebook page as of this week...... btw, I saw you have a you tube channel lol.

 

[Ensnared]

TG's Are Flooding Out of Waco Public Safety P25

I'm having difficulty keeping up with all of the talk groups I'm hearing today.

I believe that TG 33 is McLennan County Dispatch. Right now, I have my Pro-2042 parked on 154.875. This is really odd because I'm only hearing dispatch on this VHF frequency. But, on the PSR 500, I'm hearing both sides of the conversation.

Other unidentified talk groups are: 3; 4; 5; 34 (suspected SO). Since I'm hearing McLennan SO dispatch on TG 33, I will go on & submit such.

I suspect that TG 4 is Waco PD channel B, but I'm not for sure yet. The person who keyed up indicated they were participating in the move today which I assumed meant movement to the new PD.

 

[KevinC]

I'm having difficulty keeping up with all of the talk groups I'm hearing today.

So they cut-over today?

I believe that TG 33 is McLennan County Dispatch. Right now, I have my Pro-2042 parked on 154.875. This is really odd because I'm only hearing dispatch on this VHF frequency. But, on the PSR 500, I'm hearing both sides of the conversation.

This is easy, it's probably MSEL (multiselect) as opposed to a patch. In MSEL the console (dispatcher) selects what "resources" will be keyed when she/he talks. So, it the trunked TG and the VHF resource are both selected every time they talk both of those will key up. In a patch all the selected resources will be repeated, meaning both dispatcher and mobiles will be heard.

 

[kc5qih]

I'm having difficulty keeping up with all of the talk groups I'm hearing today.

I believe that TG 33 is McLennan County Dispatch. Right now, I have my Pro-2042 parked on 154.875. This is really odd because I'm only hearing dispatch on this VHF frequency. But, on the PSR 500, I'm hearing both sides of the conversation.

Other unidentified talk groups are: 3; 4; 5; 34 (suspected SO). Since I'm hearing McLennan SO dispatch on TG 33, I will go on & submit such.

I suspect that TG 4 is Waco PD channel B, but I'm not for sure yet. The person who keyed up indicated they were participating in the move today which I assumed meant movement to the new PD.

I think that 3 is going to be Waco PD Dispatch Ch A and 5 may be records (tcic/ncic) from what I'm hearing. I'm not sure about 3.

 

[kc5qih]

Okay TG 5 is Waco PD Ch C (records) so 3 is Waco PD Ch A (primary dispatch) and 5 is Waco PD Ch C (Records-TCIC/NCIC)

 

[Ensnared]

Variable Responses

So they cut-over today?




This is easy, it's probably MSEL (multiselect) as opposed to a patch. In MSEL the console (dispatcher) selects what "resources" will be keyed when she/he talks. So, it the trunked TG and the VHF resource are both selected every time they talk both of those will key up. In a patch all the selected resources will be repeated, meaning both dispatcher and mobiles will be heard.

Sometimes, I'm hearing base/dispatch on the digital radio & Pro 2042. It varies. But, I'm starting to hear TG 33 on Lorena 2 or TG 102 as well.

Now, on TG 48, Waco FD Dispatch, is asking, "is your mobile radio intermittently out of range?" On this TG, they are also saying "testing, base station fixed, did you receive the page?"

I've also identified another Waco Fire TG, but I cannot determine the nature of the transmissions, This TG is 61.

 

[kc5qih]

Sometimes, I'm hearing base/dispatch on the digital radio & Pro 2042. It varies. But, I'm starting to hear TG 33 on Lorena 2 or TG 102 as well.

Now, on TG 48, Waco FD Dispatch, is asking, "is your mobile radio intermittently out of range?" On this TG, they are also saying "testing, base station fixed, did you receive the page?"

I've also identified another Waco Fire TG, but I cannot determine the nature of the transmissions, This TG is 61.

I heard an alert tone on TG 61 earlier but never heard a transmission after it.

I'm not sure but I'm thinking that they are still simulcasting on Analog VHF (154.875) for the smaller city agencies right now.

 

[Ensnared]

TG 4

Okay TG 5 is Waco PD Ch C (records) so 3 is Waco PD Ch A (primary dispatch) and 5 is Waco PD Ch C (Records-TCIC/NCIC)

Thanks for your observations. I believe you are correct in your observations.

Additionally, TG4 sounds like Waco PD channel B. If you are sure about your observations, then please submit.

 

[kc5qih]

I can verify that 5 is records. I spoke with a dispatcher i know and she confirmed who was working records today.

 

[Ensnared]

Keep Listening

I heard an alert tone on TG 61 earlier but never heard a transmission after it.

I'm not sure but I'm thinking that they are still simulcasting on Analog VHF (154.875) for the smaller city agencies right now.

I know for a fact they are transmitting on 154.875.

On TG 48, I'm hearing them talking to WFD dispatch. I believe this is WFD Dispatch.

 

[kc5qih]

TG 48 is WFD DIspatch, 248 is ETMC Dispatch. I went ahead and submitted TG 3 and 5. I'm positive of what those two are.

 

[Ensnared]

Cool Connection

I can verify that 5 is records. I spoke with a dispatcher i know and she confirmed who was working records today.

Awesome! This is exactly what we need. Here is what we need to do. Please, start working some magic on her and obtain the list of TG's. LOL.

We need to start a local scanning group. I don't know if I want to go as far as minutes and all that crap, but we might be able to assemble a tour of the communications center and then get them to give us a channel lineup.

Please, go on & submit your finding to the RR DB. I'm sure we're going to overwhelm them soon. Just got another TG showing up, TG18.

You don't know how much this helps. I greatly appreciate the assistance.

 

[kc5qih]

Awesome! This is exactly what we need. Here is what we need to do. Please, start working some magic on her and obtain the list of TG's. LOL.

We need to start a local scanning group. I don't know if I want to go as far as minutes and all that crap, but we might be able to assemble a tour of the communications center and then get them to give us a channel lineup.

Please, go on & submit your finding to the RR DB. I'm sure we're going to overwhelm them soon. Just got another TG showing up, TG18.

You don't know how much this helps. I greatly appreciate the assistance.

I got a chance to go up there this morning ( I work downstairs ) and let me tell you...it is NICE. I've been doing this kind of work (well i don't dispatch anymore) since 1998 and I've never seen a comm center as nice as what they have up stairs. Just the view makes you want to work up there. When they say state of the art they mean it..it's awesome.

ETMC Dispatch is 258 not 248

 

[Ensnared]

258 Already There

TG 48 is WFD DIspatch, 248 is ETMC Dispatch. I went ahead and submitted TG 3 and 5. I'm positive of what those two are.

Yes, TG 258 is already listed in the RR DB. TG 258 sounds like Waco Fire EMS to ETMC.

 

[loumaag]

This is easy, it's probably MSEL (multiselect) as opposed to a patch. In MSEL the console (dispatcher) selects what "resources" will be keyed when she/he talks. So, it the trunked TG and the VHF resource are both selected every time they talk both of those will key up. In a patch all the selected resources will be repeated, meaning both dispatcher and mobiles will be heard.

Yeah, League City and Friendswood used to do that all the time. It was funny because unless you listened to both VHF and the TRS you could only hear dispatcher side because they (the field units) would grab which ever radio was at hand to talk. Didn't matter to them since there were so many of the radios right there next to each other either in the rig / truck or hanging on everyone's belt. :lol:

Not sure if they are still doing that, I'm talking 2007/08.

 

[Ensnared]

Questioning

Man, I need to settle down & think before I submit this information. I am unsure about TG 258 being WFD dispatch. To me, what I'm hearing is WFD talking to EMS. I've not heard any fire trucks being dispatched on this TG today. I've heard about bicycle injury and a seizure at Garrison & Waco Drive. Dispatch is saying, "707, post 909."

In fact, they are talking to something called Post 903 & 904. All of this traffic is EMS-specific. In the absence of a fire, I suppose this might be the case. I've not listened long enough to make this determination. This is why having an accurate list of talk groups would be essential to this process. But, I don't know anyone involved in this process.

But, on TG 48, I heard the following today: a) WFD dispatching to fire trucks; b) radio service sending out pages to radios and asking if they received tones.

Since I hardly ever listen to Fire Dispatch, anywhere, I'm unsure about this one. I'm sticking with LE more than Fire/EMS/ETMC. When I submitted the TG's in the 600's, I actually heard them identifying the talk groups in question.

Bam, we are heavy into migration. I've only eaten two pieces of toast today. I'm sure my blood sugar is crashing. I'd better go take care of myself.

More later.

 

[kc5qih]

Man, I need to settle down & think before I submit this information. I am unsure about TG 258 being WFD dispatch. To me, what I'm hearing is WFD talking to EMS. I've not heard any fire trucks being dispatched on this TG today. I've heard about bicycle injury and a seizure at Garrison & Waco Drive. Dispatch is saying, "707, post 909."

In fact, they are talking to something called Post 903 & 904. All of this traffic is EMS-specific. In the absence of a fire, I suppose this might be the case. I've not listened long enough to make this determination. This is why having an accurate list of talk groups would be essential to this process. But, I don't know anyone involved in this process.

But, on TG 48, I heard the following today: a) WFD dispatching to fire trucks; b) radio service sending out pages to radios and asking if they received tones.

Since I hardly ever listen to Fire Dispatch, anywhere, I'm unsure about this one. I'm sticking with LE more than Fire/EMS/ETMC. When I submitted the TG's in the 600's, I actually heard them identifying the talk groups in question.

Bam, we are heavy into migration. I've only eaten two pieces of toast today. I'm sure my blood sugar is crashing. I'd better go take care of myself.

More later.

707 is an ETMC Truck (my step-dad works for them) the post #'s are just the different locations around town.

I'm not sure why East Texas Medical Center does it like they do but when they dispatch a medical call they tone out to Waco FD who then turns around and tones it out on the fire TG. That's why you'll notice when ETMC, who's dispatcher is in Tyler, pages out medical they also say Unit # and Waco Fire..

 

[Ensnared]

Direct Request Failed

I just got off the phone with the Waco PD information officer. So, I directly asked, after introducing myself and my purpose, "can I have an official talk group listing for the new radio system." Well, as expected, I got the shuffling runaround routine that all government agencies are skilled at performing, the non-answer. "I don't know, you'd have to check with..............

What was I expecting? Well, time to return to the Waco PD FB page to drum up more interest. I know this for a fact. Of all the police departments in Texas, Waco is very interested in pleasing the major source of power in this town, Baylor University. Hence, their public image is very important to their existence, more so than some other LE departments in this state. LOL.

 

[Ensnared]

Bowing Out

707 is an ETMC Truck (my step-dad works for them) the post #'s are just the different locations around town.

I'm not sure why East Texas Medical Center does it like they do but when they dispatch a medical call they tone out to Waco FD who then turns around and tones it out on the fire TG. That's why you'll notice when ETMC, who's dispatcher is in Tyler, pages out medical they also say Unit # and Waco Fire..

Well, sir, you seem to know much more than I regarding the structure & activities of WFD & ETMC. I find it very confusing. What is your opinion on TG 48 & the tones? I thought this was WFD dispatch, but tones seem to be associated with this TG.

I'm going to stick with the LE side of this little puzzle. I just heard TG 48 talking about an aerial vehicle.