Migrating from XTS5000 to APX8000

[littona]

I was wondering when you guys were going to upgrade the old TDFM-7300 radios in the two helos. It'll be nice to finally be able to operate natively on the system across the river, instead of having to use old VHF channels that are barely maintained anymore.

In my line of work (medical helos), we've been transitioning to the TDFM-9000 series. So much nicer! The only thing that trips them up on programming is that one module is VHF/800 and the other is UHF/800. So they have to think about which radio they put the trunked systems in! It's quite the pain when you start loading it up with multiple trunked systems - and every agency's difference about system keys, locking programming, etc. Glad I don't have to mess with that end. That's on our mechanics, since it's FAA regulated. Oh darn!

 

[im800mhz]

We used to call them "whackers" back in the day.


Still a vaild term

 

[GTR8000]

In my line of work (medical helos), we've been transitioning to the TDFM-9000 series. So much nicer! The only thing that trips them up on programming is that one module is VHF/800 and the other is UHF/800. So they have to think about which radio they put the trunked systems in! It's quite the pain when you start loading it up with multiple trunked systems - and every agency's difference about system keys, locking programming, etc. Glad I don't have to mess with that end. That's on our mechanics, since it's FAA regulated. Oh darn!

Our TDFM-9000 (4 dual-band modules) has the 700/800 programming duplicated across the modules capable of that band for redundancy. It also allows them to operate on two separate talkgroups at the same time.

 

[MTS2000des]

It really only sucks if you don't know what you are doing with it. It's a huge time saver when used properly. You can't rush it so take a coffee break or two and let it do it's thing. The thing to keep in mind is have your system keys loaded in APX before you import the file into APX cps. That is the step that gets most people. Other than that, APX cps does a pretty good job at telling you exactly what it doesn't like.

Except the converted codeplugs all show talkgroups with no alpha tags on the personalities which makes sorting and building zones out properly to match your templates a PITA. Our EMA have 8 trunked systems, over 900 channels, and 42 personalities. Converted codeplugs still mean one has to go back in an rename EVERY SINGLE CONVERTED TG and such into the proper name. If you're gonna go through all that to build a CLEAN MASTER C/P that you use to build your "child" C/Ps and templates, do it RIGHT the first time.
But hey, apparently I don't know what I'm doing...7,000+ subscribers across 23 agencies later and several touches in at 6 years since we turned up this system.

 

[Sconnick]

In my line of work (medical helos), we've been transitioning to the TDFM-9000 series.

The 9000 looks like a very nice radio. We're transitioning to the Cobham (though I think they go by another name now) RT-7000, which will contain three APX8000 modules. We'll see how it goes.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Except the converted codeplugs all show talkgroups with no alpha tags on the personalities which makes sorting and building zones out properly to match your templates a PITA. Our EMA have 8 trunked systems, over 900 channels, and 42 personalities. Converted codeplugs still mean one has to go back in an rename EVERY SINGLE CONVERTED TG and such into the proper name. If you're gonna go through all that to build a CLEAN MASTER C/P that you use to build your "child" C/Ps and templates, do it RIGHT the first time.
But hey, apparently I don't know what I'm doing...7,000+ subscribers across 23 agencies later and several touches in at 6 years since we turned up this system.

My biggest complaint about APX CPS (at the moment): for portables it should have a feature that auto populates the "Top Display Channel" with a version of the "Channel Display" field. Truncate it if needed but auto populate it with ANYTHING that resembles the "Channel Name" field. As far as we have come with software I should not have to double type both the front and top display fields dangit.

Am I really asking for too much?

 

[GTR8000]

My biggest complaint about APX CPS (at the moment): for portables it should have a feature that auto populates the "Top Display Channel" with a version of the "Channel Display" field. Truncate it if needed but auto populate it with ANYTHING that resembles the "Channel Name" field. As far as we have come with software I should not have to double type both the front and top display fields dangit.

Am I really asking for too much?

At least they finally added the Top Display field to the mobile codeplug zones in CPS R25. Although that field is obviously pointless for a mobile, it would make a real mess trying to copy/paste zone rows between a mobile and portable codeplug. That is no longer an issue since the columns all match up.

The issue with "auto-populating" that field is that the Channel Name field is 14 characters, while the Top Display is only 8. Although it's a bit more work to manually enter them, I'd rather get them the way I want the first time, rather than editing them after they've been truncated by the software. Although I would 100% agree that even a truncated version is better than forgetting to do them, and winding up with C on the display for every channel (especially if it's a model 1.5...oops!)

A little trick for that column is to type them all out in a text editor, single column one row per top display alias, then copy it all to the clipboard. Go back to the zone in CPS, click in the Top Channel field for the first channel, then right click and paste. It will populate the column without overwriting the rest of the values.

What I would really love to see is a way to auto-populate the Channel Name field in the zones based on the Trunking Talkgroup or Conventional Frequency fields. Now that really seems like a no brainer...why should I have to type the same thing twice, first in the personality, then in the zone? 🤦‍♂️

 

[UNITYXG]

Unfortunately, the radios in question are mounted in a law enforcement helicopter that is used as a regional asset in suburban NY. There is virtually no "common ground" among towns/villages/cities and PDs/FDs/EMS. Many PDs are still working unencrypted VHF, which are easy. Some are digital, and a handful are encrypted. FDs are using a combination of UHF and VHF with some 7/800 mixed in. Some trunking, most not. The biggest pain in the ass is the fact that we do missions all over our county, and in our neighboring counties and states.

It's a massive undertaking.

Im surprised you didnt mention Interop frequencies. Wow, I do feel bad for you that everyone isn't on the same page or at least a simulcast system isnt in place, in 2021. I'm not saying that to sound like a smarta**, I legitimately am wondering.

 

[Sconnick]

Im surprised you didnt mention Interop frequencies. Wow, I do feel bad for you that everyone isn't on the same page or at least a simulcast system isnt in place, in 2021. I'm not saying that to sound like a smarta**, I legitimately am wondering.

We rely heavily on the VTAC, UTAC, 7TAC and 8TAC channels for interop when we can, but not every agency has them around here, and they're only simplex.

 

[UNITYXG]

We rely heavily on the VTAC, UTAC, 7TAC and 8TAC channels for interop when we can, but not every agency has them around here, and they're only simplex.

Ahh interesting! Down here, at least in the ATL region, I never hear anything on the interop channels, however we are heavily embedded with simulcast systems here as well and there are some ISSI links that help as well. I cant imagine a big city like NYC or at least Lower Manhattan having multiple systems for that type of operation. NYPD and NYFD always fascinate me anyways.

 

[MTS2000des]

I have a U-TAC43 repeater in midtown since super bowl, and an ancient simulcast 8-TAC repeater system is up co-located across several RFSS from multiple agencies. The Astro TAC comparator is at Cobb. The direction UASI is headed is to fund a Smart Connect/Critical Connect solution installed on multiple cores with a metro-E circuit and 10 talkgroups available on member systems to replace the current UASI ISSI connectivity if approved.