Milwaukee OpenSky radio system fails

[mkescan]

The city told Milwaukee Journal Sentinel it would cost them about $50,000 for Open Records Request.
Guess that explains why media isn't saying much about this.

WTMJ AM620 interviews alderman Bob Donovan
http://www.620wtmj.com/podcasts/charlie_sykes_podcast/104783499.html?video=pop&t=a

 

[R8000]

The city told Milwaukee Journal Sentinel it would cost them about $50,000 for Open Records Request.

Seems a bit steep. Cover up ?

 

[mkescan]

Seems odd the Mayor & Chief say everything is ok, but won't show records. Also Cops are afraid to talk about it now. I say let a TV station listen to a recieve only OpenSky radio for 1 week.

 

[70cutlass442]

/\ Rumor has it they were locked into a non disclosure agreement about this topic.

 

[N9NRA]

Hey there, been reading this thread, and i have a question that`s nagging at me, it`s kinda related to what`s being discussed here. What i`m wondering is, when the MPD is using the OpenSky system, can the officers in the field hear all the traffic or just what`s intended for that perticular officer/unit? Just curious, as from what i`m getting, that seems to be one of the gnarlier bugs in this system. Thanx guys for any answers ya may have, ya can pm me if ya have more that`s too long for a post . N9NRA

 

[tencom]

Hey there, been reading this thread, and i have a question that`s nagging at me, it`s kinda related to what`s being discussed here. What i`m wondering is, when the MPD is using the OpenSky system, can the officers in the field hear all the traffic or just what`s intended for that perticular officer/unit? Just curious, as from what i`m getting, that seems to be one of the gnarlier bugs in this system. Thanx guys for any answers ya may have, ya can pm me if ya have more that`s too long for a post . N9NRA

I believe they only can hear only messages with-in their talk group. Of course we can't be sure since it is unmonitorable by the general public. Any general traffic, probably is sent as computer text as well as most dispatching, as I understand is done by computer resulting in less errors.

 

[N9NRA]

Hey thanx Tencom, i was curious about that as i personally would want to hear all traffic, like when i`m checked into a storm net, that way if someone puts out something i need to know i`ll hear it, rather than waiting for the dispatch/NCS to relay it to me. The other thingy that got me asking is that from what i`ve been able to learn (thanx to all of you guys here ), is that the radios and the system are IP-based, which had me thinking that it was kinda like some IP-based modes i use on the ham radio (like D-STAR and echolink). Thanx for the info guys! 73 de N9NRA

 

[dwillborn]

Yes, yes, and the base stations have floppy ears and a long striped tail.....
And..... every once in a while.....if you look really close....a monkey will fly out of its butt....

It works just like any other trunked system, of course it scans.
However, in this case Admin limits it.

Sorry, I've been enjoying the works of fiction here. This one just put me over the top.

 

[OpSec]

^^
Best. Post. Ever.

 

[a1emt]

It works just like any other trunked system, of course it scans.

Sorry, I've been enjoying the works of fiction here. This one just put me over the top.

Good one RD-1! In speaking with someone who works on the system, it was stated that once the 'controller' was back up, it took at least 30 minutes for all the subscribers to re-affiliate and begin to work. Seems the system has to 'push' a lot of information over the air (individual personalities or whatever) to EACH radio before it will even begin to operate. On EDACS, Smartnet or P25, radio affiliation is completed in a second or two. This seems like a LONG time for a public safety trunked system. Why does each radio need to do this every time it is turned on?

Jim

 

[dwillborn]

Good one RD-1! In speaking with someone who works on the system, it was stated that once the 'controller' was back up, it took at least 30 minutes for all the subscribers to re-affiliate and begin to work. Seems the system has to 'push' a lot of information over the air (individual personalities or whatever) to EACH radio before it will even begin to operate. On EDACS, Smartnet or P25, radio affiliation is completed in a second or two. This seems like a LONG time for a public safety trunked system. Why does each radio need to do this every time it is turned on?

Jim

Jim,
Great question.
Take this with a grain of salt because I don't get to play with it, I just wrench on it.

So, from what I've seen:

You kinda answered your own question. OTAP in P25 & EDACS is forced. i.e. admin decides when a unit gets a new personality. In OpenSky its native. If the floppy eared devil doesn't like your personality, your getting a new one, right now, like it or not. Normally very cool. Unless the devil thinks a couple hundred units have issues. And their all turned on at the same time. Seams to to chew up a little bandwidth.

Day to day you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between an Opensky an EDACS or a P25 radio. 1 TX 1 RX and your in.

Just my theory. Oh, I think a monkey just flew out my butt. :-0

RD-1

 

[tencom]

OPEN-SKY wins Award

The "National Association Of State Informarion Officers" has given it's Highest award for information Technolgy, to the State of Pennslyvania, for it's state of the art OPEN-SKY Based STAR-NET system. I think this is great news as it comes from an impartial source and should be reqagarded as a plus for Harris Communications, as it seeks to gain ,greater deployment, to other areas of the USA. for OPEN-SKY







http://www.nascio.org/awards/nomina...nfo. Communications Technology Innovation.pdf

 

[Robinsmark]

Really?

So they lost communications for 30 minutes... not that uncommon. No system is perfect; every once in a while here in Joliet, IL, the county EDACS system takes a dump for the same amount of time. We're lucky to live in the era of constant communication that the public's safety is not going to be in any immediate danger. Also, a lot of officer to officer communication is done via NEXTEL PTT phone, and dispatch uses CAD to give the officers information on calls; so it's not impossible to still do their job.

Yea, it sucks that the system went down, and unfortunately because this is the new expensive system in a fairly large metropolitan area it makes the news. But the facts are that this happens a lot more than you think.

If this becomes a daily occurrence, that's a problem...[/QUOTE

The problem is that this was an AVOIDABLE problem. You cannot always relay on CAD on Nextel. The radio system HAS TO WORK especially for 18 million dollars.

 

[OpSec]

The "National Association Of State Informarion Officers" has given it's Highest award for information Technolgy, to the State of Pennslyvania, for it's state of the art OPEN-SKY Based STAR-NET system. I think this is great news as it comes from an impartial source and should be reqagarded as a plus for Harris Communications, as it seeks to gain ,greater deployment, to other areas of the USA. for OPEN-SKY







http://www.nascio.org/awards/nomina...nfo. Communications Technology Innovation.pdf

An Information Technology-based group throws praise at a radio system because it's more computer than radio and terms like VOIP and TDMA are integral parts of the system, then you drink the Kool-aid.

You really are just an OpenSky fanboi, aren't you? Show me an end-user group support OpenSky....union, officer's association, FOP lodge, etc.

 

[R8000]

Show me an end-user group support OpenSky....union, officer's association, FOP lodge, etc.

I think the Netgear home hub/router group endorses OpenSky.

 

[R8000]

The "National Association Of State Informarion Officers" has given it's Highest award for information Technolgy, to the State of Pennslyvania, for it's state of the art OPEN-SKY Based STAR-NET system. I think this is great news as it comes from an impartial source and should be reqagarded as a plus for Harris Communications, as it seeks to gain ,greater deployment, to other areas of the USA. for OPEN-SKY

http://www.nascio.org/awards/nomina...nfo. Communications Technology Innovation.pdf

This has so much fail in it...I don't know where to begin.

 

[ssd]

Open sky is like a Nextel system. If u have a Nextel phone with derk talk when u go to ues it ur cell turns off then back on. In to dc mode when ur dun it turns off and back on loging in to the iden system. Open sky radios have to do the same. .when they want to do simpex radio to radio. With a little black box in the cop car or with a swat officers.. that's y open sky s#$k. And when a radio is turned off all the info on the radio it erased. Like when u remove a battery form a astro saber with turning it off the enc key is erased. So when the open sky radio turns on. It says id. 1827585838740. Is 10-8 can I have my radio codepuge now. And the system go ok here u go. And now I am loged in and can tx rx every 5 ss. So that's y it takes 30 mm for the radios.to work when it f#$% up. And no fell soft on open sky systems it's. Not a conventional capable system. It's a over size over paid maybe a koo looking new Nextel phone.