Monroe County, PA P25 Phase 1 system coming

[smorris]

It appears that when you submitted the EMS repeater back in January, you reversed the output/input. I've submitted the correction along with the NAC.

Thank you, though.

 

[smorris]

UPDATE

I was able to get an update on the P25 project from Gary Hoffman. He says there are 7 sites up and running,with an additional 3 to come. Coronavirus Has put the project behind schedule by 6 months and winter is coming
He tells me that the UHF dispatch channel(453.750), will stay analog when the P25 system comes online.

I am still hearing occasional testing on P25-IOP(460.275) Agencies are in various stages of purchasing radios. Some have them. Keep an eye out for those new radios! A friend has told me that Stroud Regional PD have some APX’s.

 

[BigLebowski]

Perhaps you could run Pro96Com on this new system and post the system info for us.

 

[smorris]

Perhaps you could run Pro96Com on this new system and post the system info for us.

As far as I know, there have not been any talk groups set up yet. The system is only running conventional phase 1. They want to ensure there is sufficient coverage before they do anything else.

 

[BigLebowski]

This thread is confusing... is it P25 Conventional or P25 Trunked? Sticking up a conventional repeater is not a reliable way to test coverage of a trunked system.

 

[smorris]

This thread is confusing... is it P25 Conventional or P25 Trunked? Sticking up a conventional repeater is not a reliable way to test coverage of a trunked system.

It will ultimately be trunked, however the system is still being built up and since the county is so large, they want to make sure they have enough sites to blanket the county. As far as the methods go, I can’t speak to that. I believe the contractor to be TuWay in Bethlehem, PA.
The control center has set up a multi site P25 conventional channel called P25 Interop on 460.275 2C3 NAC. This channel will be used to evaluate the system and to allow agencies to “try out” P25 and get used to the digital voice. Once every agency has the new radios, they will turn on P25 phase 1 trunking. They have been installing equipment at the sites, but I’m not sure what or how much they have installed. The system will eventually be phase 2, but this won’t be right away. Gary Hoffman has described this project as a “slow grow” process. He knows our volunteer agencies have financial constraints. I hope that explains things a little better.

 

[maus92]

It will ultimately be trunked, however the system is still being built up and since the county is so large, they want to make sure they have enough sites to blanket the county. As far as the methods go, I can’t speak to that. I believe the contractor to be TuWay in Bethlehem, PA.
The control center has set up a multi site P25 conventional channel called P25 Interop on 460.275 2C3 NAC. This channel will be used to evaluate the system and to allow agencies to “try out” P25 and get used to the digital voice. Once every agency has the new radios, they will turn on P25 phase 1 trunking. They have been installing equipment at the sites, but I’m not sure what or how much they have installed. The system will eventually be phase 2, but this won’t be right away. Gary Hoffman has described this project as a “slow grow” process. He knows our volunteer agencies have financial constraints. I hope that explains things a little better.

Generally P25P2 requires more sites than P1 Conventional or trunked - I hope nobody expects better indoors performance.

 

[smorris]

P25 UPDATE

http://www.monroeco911.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/p25-end-of-year-update-1-6-2021.pdf

 

[mshumeyk]

P25 UPDATE

http://www.monroeco911.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/p25-end-of-year-update-1-6-2021.pdf

The second bold paragraph will likely spur considerable interest in Unication G2 or G3 units as pagers

 

[smorris]

The second bold paragraph will likely spur considerable interest in Unication G2 or G3 units as pagers

Yeah, but the last time I checked the G2/G3 could not scan analog channels and P25 TG's in the same scan list, unless that's changed or will change with FW upgrades. That's why I went with an SDS100.

 

[Ryanwr944]

Rumors have it this system will be full time encryption

 

[smorris]

Rumors have it this system will be full time encryption

Unless they changed it, Gary Hoffman told me it was going to be clear except for PD from time to time. In any case, encryption costs money, according to Gary, they’re having problems just buying the new radios at individual agencies.

 

[Ryanwr944]

Unless they changed it, Gary Hoffman told me it was going to be clear except for PD from time to time. In any case, encryption costs money, according to Gary, they’re having problems just buying the new radios at individual agencies.

Thank you it sucks when rumors fly around like this

 

[GTR8000]

Rumors have it this system will be full time encryption

Thank you it sucks when rumors fly around like this

Except that you're the one making them fly around here, and you have been called out on it previously in the Bucks County and Montgomery County threads. I think you need to find more reliable sources, and if you can't do that, then at least stop spreading misinformation.

 

[zerg901]

If anyone intends to use the Monroe County GIS to study this new radio system - it seems that the Monroe County GIS also includes Lehman Twp in Pike County. Maybe because Monroe County dispatches for Lehman Twp. I am trying to update the Zerg90 fire station map for Monroe County and its a doozy. (Possibly they even confused Google Maps.)

Pennsylvania - NE area - Google My Maps

 

[GTR8000]

Monroe County dispatches Bushkill FD/EMS, even though the majority of their area is in Pike County.

 

[n3obl]

In any case, encryption costs money, according to Gary, they’re having problems just buying the new radios at individual agencies.

ADP encryption can be had very cheaply and shuts out all scanner users. Not that hard to implement in all radios on a new system.

 

[smorris]

If anyone intends to use the Monroe County GIS to study this new radio system - it seems that the Monroe County GIS also includes Lehman Twp in Pike County. Maybe because Monroe County dispatches for Lehman Twp. I am trying to update the Zerg90 fire station map for Monroe County and its a doozy. (Possibly they even confused Google Maps.)

Pennsylvania - NE area - Google My Maps

You know, I asked around and way back in the early days of 911, Pike had very poor reception from their tower sites into Lehman, but Monroe Co had much better line of sight, so it was agreed that Monroe would dispatch for Lehman. I’m sure, over the years as technology advanced and the funds became available, Pike could have taken back Lehman, however due to the fact that the East Stroudsburg Arra School District has 3 schools in Lehman, it would make sense to keep things the way they are.

by the way, most people don’t know this, but the Monroe County 911 center is not a county agency. The control center is actually owned and operated by Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg boroughs. The other municipalities in the county, including the county itself and other miscellaneous agencies contract out to them to provide 911 services and to use their frequencies.

 

[GTR8000]

The original three transmitters for Pike's 154.445 FD simulcast and 155.265 EMS were on High Knob, in Tafton, and on Greenville Mtn (Orange County). Last year they added two additional sites on both frequencies, one in Dingmans Ferry and one in Bushkill. Assuming they are both active, coverage should be much improved down there.

 

[smorris]

During the race yesterday in the late afternoon, I heard what sounded like routine traffic on the P25 IOP channel as well as 453.9000, which I saw in the RR database several years ago tagged as Pocono Raceway to 911 center link, but I'm not positive. 453.9000 is licensed to MCCC. All traffic on both channels were P25 and the radio ID's I saw were control center ID's as they were 45XX. Curiously, 453.9000 is not licensed for P25, only analog.

Additionally, the following licenses have been modified by the MCCC in the ULS for both analog and trunked phase 1.
WNXP562, WRKR510, WRKY585 - 460.1500 (Currently PD Regional)
WPEP947, WREN232, WREN234 - 460.3250
WPGA937, WRDT764 - 460.2750 (Currently used for PD Tac on analog side and P25 IOP)
WQEB569, WRKS657, WRKT620 - 453.4250 (Currently used for Incident Command)

Trunked phase 1 only (I suspect, they will be control channels)
WRJP313, WRJP479, WRKD558 - 453.6375, 460.0625
WRKY830, WRKY831, WRMA171 - 453.5125