MECA changes coming

[scannerfreak]

From the MECA Newsletter:

The new digital radio system went live the summer of 2008, but MECA’s customers felt the change long before the cutover date. The issuance of new radios, and programming of existing radios was a long and arduous, but necessary, task. At that time, all radios were programmed to operate on both the analog and digital system.

Analog talkgroups were identified with an asterisk. When the cutover occurred, users were instructed to hit their home zones and to operate on talkgroups without the asterisk. Prior to the radio programming, MECA met countless times with representatives from fire, law enforcement, and public service agencies to develop common radio templates.

When the system went live, we knew we would have to touch the radios another time to remove the analog talkgroups. Although the existence of these talkgroups do not hinder the operation of the radios, removing these talkgroups increases the safety of the user by ensuring that they cannot accidently try to talk on an analog talkgroup,

MECA has collaborated with the Fire community and modified their common fire template that will be programmed into the radios when the analog talkgroups are removed. This will include analog talk-around as a redundant means of communication during fires and incidents.

MECA has also begun collaborating with representatives from law enforcement to make modifications to the law enforcement templates. Some examples of changes being made are renaming Northeast to East District and the removal of the DT2 talkgroup.

It is anticipated that the Fire community will have radio programming completed first, while providing an opportunity to make other changes to the law enforcement templates.

All changes, whether to fire or law enforcement, are being decided by the agencies themselves. MECA is a facilitator of these changes.

Also, I'd like for this to serve as the new MECA thread..

 

[AK9R]

"This will include analog talk-around as a redundant means of communication during fires and incidents."

Any idea how they will be implementing this? Will it be a non-trunked, simplex channel?

 

[FD_1226]

interesting. No mention of the new automated dispatch for fire.

 

[DaveIN]

"This will include analog talk-around as a redundant means of communication during fires and incidents."

Any idea how they will be implementing this? Will it be a non-trunked, simplex channel?

I'm sure it's the old VHF channels for talkaround as the radios are already programmed for them.

 

[AK9R]

I'm sure it's the old VHF channels for talkaround as the radios are already programmed for them.

Huh? Their 800MHz radios are programmed to work on VHF? Interesting.

 

[frankcastle]

Huh? Their 800MHz radios are programmed to work on VHF? Interesting.

I didn't think that was even possible. Or were you being sarcastic?

 

[djl998]

Gotta be 800 Mhz simplex. The radios definitely have that capability, so it's just a matter of programming and/or user training.

 

[DaveIN]

Huh what? I'm talking about the VHF radios and frequencies used for fireground, not 800MHz.

Edit: Never mind the VHF license has been allowed to expire per the FCC.

 

[jerk]

"This will include analog talk-around as a redundant means of communication during fires and incidents."

Any idea how they will be implementing this? Will it be a non-trunked, simplex channel?

I imagine it will be Safe-T mutual Aid, their own set-up mutual aid and the NASPAC 800 MHz mutual aid channels. In addition could be 800 MHz simplex
But I say a combination of all three as it allows anyone with 800 MHz radio to communicate with Indy/MECA or they to communicate with outside Counties.

 

[scannerfreak]

interesting. No mention of the new automated dispatch for fire.

There was a whole section on that, I just didn't post it. I can later though, if you want to see it.

 

[scannerfreak]

More:

On Tuesday, June 2, MECA and its fire customers began the long anticipated and exciting cutover to the new Fire House Alerting System (FHAS). The cutover is scheduled to be complete by Thursday, June 4. At 7am on June 2, MECA staff, the FHAS vendor, and fire committee participants each broke off in four teams and began working at different stations to connect the new system.

Each station is taking approximately one hour to cutover. As soon as the station has been tested and approved by IFD’s Jeff Taylor, that station immediately begins operating on the new FHAS. The new FHAS, used in cities such as Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Worth and Cleveland, provides stations with a myriad of new functions, including new alert tones.

Firefighters will now be alerted with a new ramped heart-friendly tone for emergencies, which is easier on the firefighter’s cardiovascular system. In addition, the system has the ability to dispatch multiple runs at the same time over the IP network. Dispatchers will no longer have to wait in queue to dispatch a run.

For the 9-1-1 caller, dispatchers will now be able to maintain constant communications, rather than have the caller on standby while they dispatch the run. This is a great benefit to callers receiving emergency medical dispatch instructions.

This project finally came to fruition after a four year endeavor, thanks to Marion County firefighters.

 

[SCPD]

They are using the same talk around they always have the same 800meg freqs on there current lic since the system went online there has been a lot of fire training on them you must be close to hear them where they are. As for the robo voice it has not been online for a few days now they are back to norm dsp on the same tg so there must have been some delay or issue

 

[ofd8001]

Are the fire templates available for posting or to otherwise look at?

Might be helpful to us as we plow our way the new radio system in Louisville.

 

[DiGiTaLD]

Gotta be 800 Mhz simplex. The radios definitely have that capability, so it's just a matter of programming and/or user training.

They will most likely (or already do, on some radios at least) have both SAFE-T mutual aid groups as well as the 800 MHz conventional NPSPAC channels. Currently, radios are programmed for both pre-rebanding and post-rebanding 800 conventional NPSPAC channels (the ICALL and ITAC channels) in both direct (simplex) and repeaterized programming.

The radios containing SAFE-T mutual aid and pre-rebanding NPSPAC programming will have to again be reprogrammed when SAFE-T rebands.

Yes, it is a matter of three things. First, the users have to know that the channels are there. Secondly, they have to know what the channels are for. Third, they have to know how to use them, and who can be contacted on them. It comes down to training and education.

 

[GTO_04]

MECA Reprogramming

IMPD MECA radios are being reprogrammed today. One change is additional encrypted TGs, how many I don't know.

GTO_04

 

[Dispatch2323]

Radios are being reprogramed with all of the 3rd (ex: NO3, SW3) channels encrypted.

 

[W9NES]

WRTV Channel 6 news was reporing on Friday 9-18-09 7PM Newscast.This was the second story on the Newscast tonight and Todd wallace was reporting that MECA was getting garbled talkgroups all thru Metro Indianapolis/Marion County and that they(MECA) was upgrading the system for the system to have better audio quality.

 

[GTO_04]

WRTV Channel 6 news was reporing on Friday 9-18-09 7PM Newscast.This was the second story on the Newscast tonight and Todd wallace was reporting that MECA was getting garbled talkgroups all thru Metro Indianapolis/Marion County and that they(MECA) was upgrading the system for the system to have better audio quality.

I did notice that the audio was kind of choppy today. Now I know it wasn't my imagination!

GTO_04

 

[Dispatch2323]

I did notice that the audio was kind of choppy today. Now I know it wasn't my imagination!

GTO_04

Do you ever listen to Meca System 2...it really sounds bad.

 

[Dispatch2323]

I noticed in the database that Speedway PD have an analog talkgroup assigned on Safe-T...I'm sure it a back up to the digital meca system but could be a sign of things to come if fire departments are still unhappy with audio quality. Just a thought..