Montgomery County PSSM Program update

[Bjc123]

Yup, that is exactly what I did haha. it wasn't showing the new system that I had created and then I tinkered around some and it then showed the new system that I created. so, I did something right... don't know what though haha.

Thanks for the help guys I appreciate it

 

[maus92]

One can enter a system into Sentinel manually. I’ve done this for the new P25 system and set it to ID search. Still not much to hear at this point.

 

[Bjc123]

Yup thanks 👍🏻

 

[wireless]

Im a Volunteer in MCFRS and I can give you this “incredible” tidbit of info. We are close, really close to going live but I cant give any kind of concrete date as we have not been given 1. The radios are reprogrammed ( at least they’re supposed to be yeah) and we have had to take a mandatory online Training Course.
I can also tell you that on the side of MCFRS the FleetMap is a total rework so you will not be using any of the older TG ids.

 

[maus92]

It was November / December back in the spring according to a FCC filing, but it's likely January now - but so very close. Yup, new tg assignments and UIDs - no real surprise there. Waiting for someone to leak the fleetmap, lol.

 

[wireless]

It was November / December back in the spring according to a FCC filing, but it's likely January now - but so very close. Yup, new tg assignments and UIDs - no real surprise there. Waiting for someone to leak the fleetmap, lol.

I really feel it’ll be just a couple of weeks if that but that’s purely a feeling I and don’t wanna mislead anybody. As for the fleetmap, we can only hope.

 

[maus92]

Yea, January I think - Nothing is happening over Christmas / New Year's. Since you did the training, how will channels be referenced over the air? Similar to what is done now?

 

[firephoto184]

Yea, January I think - Nothing is happening over Christmas / New Year's. Since you did the training, how will channels be referenced over the air? Similar to what is done now?

Not sure if this has been discussed but it seems that they are setting up the zones similar to PG. For example 8A and 7A so on and so forth. It also looks like the channels are gonna be 7A1 OPS 1, 7A2 DISP, 7A3 OPS 3, 7A4 INC 1, 7H1 EMRC...the letter being the zone and the second number being the channel

 

[motorcoachdoug]

SO all we need is someone who has access to a radio and make a copy or someone who knows how the TG are set up and the numbers that go with them.

 

[wireless]

Firephoto answered Maus’s question spot on. Getting the names isnt issue right now, its getting TGID’s

 

[firephoto184]

I might be able to get something up by tomorrow

 

[maus92]

Firephoto answered Maus’s question spot on. Getting the names isnt issue right now, its getting TGID’s

Getting the tgids isn't a huge issue, it's associating them with the proper channel name - firephoto's post confirms what I expected as it follows the "modern" pattern seen elsewhere, (sortof.) Any intel that does relate channel name to tgids would be a huge time-saver, and much appreciated. I'm debating whether to create a wiki post / traffic analysis of what I've logged so far, but I'm skeptical of how useful it actually is at this point - most are single keyups.

 

[mocomdcitizen]

I have a recording of what could be originating from MCFRS 7A1 Ops 1 TG, but I'm not sure of the exact talkgroup ID, as the test transmission came from two TGs: 4005 and 4000 during the morning of December 14th. Between the two operators, they confirmed receiving transmission and one confirmed they were transmitting on the new TG for "7A1 Ops 1".

Admittedly, at the time I listened to it a couple of days ago, I could only make out "7A1" and thought the second part that was said was "Alpha 1" and not "Ops 1". Thanks to firephoto, and listening to it again, it's 7A1 Ops 1.

I'll attach those transmissions here. I've only renamed them with #1, #2, and #3 at the beginning of the filename to make it simpler. I've also included the JSON files for validity, as generated from trunk-recorder.

trunk-recorder labels its files as follows: Talkgroup ID - Unix Time Stamp _ Frequency - I've converted it to readable format in square brackets below.

- First transmission @ 6 seconds length (4005-1607955211_853275000)
[TG 4005 - Monday, December 14, 2020 9:13:31 - 853.2750MHz]

- Second transmission @ 5 seconds length (4005-1607955243_852912500)
[TG 4005 - Monday, December 14, 2020 9:14:03 - 852.9125MHz)

- Third transmission @ 57 seconds length (4000-1607955249_853275000)
[TG 4000 - Monday, December 14, 2020 9:14:09 - 853.2750MHz]

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Edit: looks like I goofed on the renaming on two of JSON files. Sorry about that. #2 JSON file should match up with the #3 WAV file and #3 JSON file should be with #2 WAV file.

 

[maus92]

I find it interesting that an ops channel is assigned knob position 1. Typically, the dispatch channel is assigned knob position 1 (and 16) as that channel is typically dedicated in a dispatch center (which makes it easy for a FF in distress to rotate the channel selector to its stop to call for help.) Perhaps this is signalling that there will an automated voice dispatch on A2? Or that that Ops 1 will always have a telecommunicator assigned? Hmm...

 

[Bjc123]

Weird I just noticed that as well.... Strange.

 

[mocomdcitizen]

Listening to them again, putting some very loose puzzle pieces together, primarily based on the 3rd WAV file, my guess would be 4005 is 7A2 Disp and 4000 is 7A1 Ops 1. We won't know if this is confirmed until more steady flow of transmissions flow from these two TGIDs.

Digging a little bit, it appears TG 4000 was active earlier this morning at 6:45am and sounds like we have Engine 923 responding on 7B, perhaps for inter-op? I think Frederick County has engine apparatus starting with 9xx. Confirming this with 7B transmissions this morning, PE735 responded on 7B at 6:47:02AM noting Engine 923 was on-scene for an accident on I-270S near Rt 109 as they passed on I-270N (https://openmhz.com/system/mocomdps?call-id=5fe1dcd500a0577f47fd58db&time=1608637622001)

 

[maus92]

Wait, you are hearing operational traffic on the new system? Was it only on the new system, or was it being simulcast on the SmartZone system as well?

 

[mocomdcitizen]

I have a test system that is tuned into just the P25 simulcast with frequencies listed on RRDB: Montgomery County, MD (P25) Trunking System, Various, Maryland - Scanner Frequencies. It is not simulcasting transmissions from the existing SmartZone system.

Those two recordings on TG 4000 this morning are the only ones that were transmitted this morning.

The rest of the transmissions trunk-recorder is recording are test transmissions, presumably after radio reprogramming, or presumably accidental transmissions on the P25 system on the following TGs (today so far):

- 6015
- 6025
- 6595
- 7600
- 7605
- 7610
- 7645
- 7650
- 7655
- 7660
- 7665
- 7670
- 7675

I've attached all recordings for today as of the time of writing this reply (9:46AM).

---

Edit: grammar, missed a few TGIDs

 

[maus92]

So no evidence of simulcasting tg both on the SmartZone and P25 systems? Perhaps it was an inadvertent use. Or *maybe* they were responding on a Frederick County channel, and that was crosslinked / patched into 7B?

 

[mocomdcitizen]

That would be my guess as well, that they thought they were responding on a Frederick County channel and it broadcast on what could be the Montgomery County P25 equivalent of 7B.

Which leads to another question, does Frederick County already have their radios reprogrammed to MoCo's P25 system, or was it somehow crosslinked/patched to transmit on it? Since, the 3 transmissions on December 14th had "Frederick County Maintenance" performing the initial test transmissions on TG 4000 and 4005 before, presumably, a dispatcher in Montgomery County (or could be a dispatcher/maintenance/someone else in Frederick County) confirmed receiving transmission.