New Chicago OEMC Public Safety - 800 MHz P25

[werinshades]

All CFD Operations (Fire & EMS) remain on this system. During the week, heard a few companies switch over to the "regular CFD channels" for various radio tests. As in the past, it didn't appear to go well enough to return to the old, and the "800 Trunking" appears to be working well with little to no coverage issues. Since yesterday however, have noticed the Fire-Main dispatch position's audio to be very low, and might be using a different console? A couple companies have complained of the "low audio", but nothing has been done yet.

On another note, CPD Zone 3 has been utilizing radio position C-15 due to a constant rogue radio interfering with transmissions. I was able to determine TGID 5130 (encrypted) is in use on this system and is probably them. Radio ID's and all day/night consistent transmissions are my clue to this. It looks as if the Zone console is using a portable radio and not the console radios.

 

[werinshades]

OEMC Radio folks are putting new Fire consoles on line, but the audio is very very low coming from them.

 

[MITTYCPD]

Hopefully they balance out the audio levels. Previously the office audio was blasting out and the field units had very low audio.

 

[werinshades]

Hopefully they balance out the audio levels. Previously the office audio was blasting out and the field units had very low audio.

This will be a problem, especially with the "low talkers". I'm sitting right on top of the scanner, and certain dispatchers can barely be heard. A loud siren will be drowning them out, and the chorus of "can you hear me/did you hear me" will be echoing...lol!

 

[werinshades]

Hopefully they balance out the audio levels. Previously the office audio was blasting out and the field units had very low audio.

This will be a problem, especially with the "low talkers". I'm sitting right on top of the scanner, and certain dispatchers can barely be heard. A loud siren will be drowning them out, and the chorus of "can you hear me/did you hear me" will be echoing...lol!

Apparently they're on to the issue too . Two problems I "suspect" after using a similar or same wireless headsets they're using. One is mouth proximity to microphone, and they're was a transmit level control on the box where the PTT button is. Either they're not all turned up all the way, or they are too far from the microphones. Could also be a console transmit level which I never had an opportunity to look into.

 

[JT-112]

Plenty of work on audio levels and dispatchers are all at the right levels at this time.

Been listening for most of the day over the last few days and the trunked system sounds great. Some companies need to honor the talk permit tone at times but it's not horrible. Nothing garbled at any time.

Even with radio ID I still hear the "caaaaawwww" from time to time, which is disappointing. I would have hoped for that to be a thing of the past.

 

[werinshades]

Plenty of work on audio levels and dispatchers are all at the right levels at this time.

Been listening for most of the day over the last few days and the trunked system sounds great. Some companies need to honor the talk permit tone at times but it's not horrible. Nothing garbled at any time.

Even with radio ID I still hear the "caaaaawwww" from time to time, which is disappointing. I would have hoped for that to be a thing of the past.

Not all are right yet. Fire-Englewood dispatcher can barely be heard this morning, and companies aren't responding at times with the loud environment. It's working well, some occasional "wrong Zone" issues still, but most seem to be in the right place.

I've noticed more ambulance apparatus radios that have been programmed over the past few days.

As far as the "cawww" thing, they'll figure it out eventually. I don't think the consoles are programmed to see the radio ID's yet, or they're just ignoring it.

 

[JT-112]

To clarify - from ~830a to now I haven't heard any low volume dispatchers on 800 trunked.

Doesn't mean there haven't been any! But none that I've heard.

All the radio checks are good - more than just the comm vans now. I don't know if these are random or just a selection of units. I haven't been able to listen much since they left VHF as the UHF voted stuff was low in received signal strength here, so I'm not sure if these are new or not.

The caaaawww'er will be outed. Maybe stun the radio... ha, just kidding, not appropriate for the fire service, but...

 

[werinshades]

To clarify - from ~830a to now I haven't heard any low volume dispatchers on 800 trunked.

Doesn't mean there haven't been any! But none that I've heard.

All the radio checks are good - more than just the comm vans now. I don't know if these are random or just a selection of units. I haven't been able to listen much since they left VHF as the UHF voted stuff was low in received signal strength here, so I'm not sure if these are new or not.

The caaaawww'er will be outed. Maybe stun the radio... ha, just kidding, not appropriate for the fire service, but...

Engine 88 was drilling in front of the firehouse, took numerous calls to respond for a run. Engine 127 returning to quarters, numerous times to respond for a run. Other times calling companies, frequently not answering on first try, so it's still a problem. As I've said before, might have to do with proximity to microphone on headset.

No issue with the "cawww", just having some fun between companies, playful banter that's been around for a long time. If they were swearing or throwing out racial slurs, that's a different story.

 

[JT-112]

For some reason I had associated caw'ing with racial overtones, but apparently that's not the case, so that's good.

 

[werinshades]

I'm not sure why a new thread was started, but here's a link to it for anyone following this system:

Until further notice CFD will be using the 800 trunk radio system for EMS and Fire

forums.radioreference.com

 

[JT-112]

Ahhh, I didn't see that, thanks. I was starting to think this might happen after they'd been on 800 for a long enough time to shake out the bugs, and performance has been good.

Plus, the city didn't buy/build/maintain the trunked system just to have it sit in a very underused state - at some point it was going to get used.

While I kind of doubt it happening anytime soon, this does allow for ISSI usage for mutual aid.

 

[JT-112]

Note: there appear to be some drills this morning on non-FD talkgroups with messages from mobiles (not dispatchers) like "shots fired" "shots fired at officers" "officer shot" but little to no followup traffic. I didn't catch any TG IDs, sorry.

Updated to add: 141a (5146) so that would tend to indicate CPD.

2611 just asked for a radio check. Note: I am 0.00% familiar with CPD so no idea what that relates to.

Citing 1300 W Jackson - more shots fired, suspect down. Again, sounds like a drill.

 

[werinshades]

Ahhh, I didn't see that, thanks. I was starting to think this might happen after they'd been on 800 for a long enough time to shake out the bugs, and performance has been good.

Plus, the city didn't buy/build/maintain the trunked system just to have it sit in a very underused state - at some point it was going to get used.

While I kind of doubt it happening anytime soon, this does allow for ISSI usage for mutual aid.

Note: there appear to be some drills this morning on non-FD talkgroups with messages from mobiles (not dispatchers) like "shots fired" "shots fired at officers" "officer shot" but little to no followup traffic. I didn't catch any TG IDs, sorry.

Updated to add: 141a (5146) so that would tend to indicate CPD.

2611 just asked for a radio check. Note: I am 0.00% familiar with CPD so no idea what that relates to.

Citing 1300 W Jackson - more shots fired, suspect down. Again, sounds like a drill.

There's alot of "this guy/gal told me this/that" going around the firehouses I've been told. One of them is this is "temporary" until the conditions causing the issue resolve, another was they're looking at moving to other UHF frequencies less susceptible to the interference, to they're going to replace and reprogram the apparatus radios. So, take it with a grain of salt.

I've been listening to the training exercise which is taking place at the "current" CPD Training Academy at 1300 W. Jackson with the recruits. 2600 series call signs are training staff.

The "biggest problem" I've heard isn't range related, but something I've mentioned before. The dispatcher's audio fluctuations depending on the console they're on. Companies are having issues when outside or in a rig with lights and sirens going, and aren't responding to first or second call outs. Hopefully they get this resolved.

 

[werinshades]

It appears the city "hopes" to switch back to the P25 UHF Conventional system once the "atmospheric conditions clear", which they "think and hope" will happen at the end of the summer.

Meanwhile, all officer's portables are being exchanged at District headquarters so their radios can be reprogrammed, which my best guess is to allow scanning between 800 Trunking and UHF Conventional (Simplex channels).

I've also been hearing some "mic blowing" of numerous different EMS Radios on the self-identified EMS Command Channel (TGID 1019). At one point I saw 7 different ambulance company radio ID's come up rapidly which leads me to believe they're changing the channel layout on the EMS radios to add EMS Command as the current channel assignment has on P25 Conventional.

The audio fluctuations continue on the OEMC consoles and it appears to be user more than technology.

I see many apparatus radios have been programmed on the 800 Trunking system so far: Engines, Trucks, Ambualnces, Battalion Chiefs, Deputy District Chiefs, and the Airport apparatuses. It all depends on who they've swapped out to the APX 8500's.

 

[jacobnelson]

Long time follower of this forum. Will be in town next weekend and trying to plan how to monitor. I see the best way to monitor the new FD800 and EMS800 zones is on the Citywide Simulcast. Do the O'hare and Midway talkgroups come over their respective sites? Also, is there a radio ID format for Squads and specialty equipment? I saw the list for everything else on page 10 of the forum.

 

[werinshades]

Long time follower of this forum. Will be in town next weekend and trying to plan how to monitor. I see the best way to monitor the new FD800 and EMS800 zones is on the Citywide Simulcast. Do the O'hare and Midway talkgroups come over their respective sites? Also, is there a radio ID format for Squads and specialty equipment? I saw the list for everything else on page 10 of the forum.

If you're asking if the CFD Talkgroups are affiliating with the airport stand-alone sites, I can only answer about Midway since that's in my range and it's a negative.

The 3rd number for Speciality Units Radio ID's configuration is 4. 1140011 would be Squad 1 portable 1 for example. 1140017 would be Squad 1 Apparatus radio.

 

[jacobnelson]

Great thanks. I'm trying to figure out what site to put ORD Fire and MDW Fire channels off.

 

[werinshades]

Great thanks. I'm trying to figure out what site to put ORD Fire and MDW Fire channels off.

Site-1, but MDW Fire doesn't always affiliate on Site-1 and Site-2 if you're within range. MDW Fire traffic is better heard on the Fire-Englewood talkgroup on the 800 and normally doesn't report into the Midway Communications Center like ORD Fire does with the O'Hare Communications Center which normally affiliates on Site-1.

 

[jacobnelson]

Good to know! Is my best bet for ORD Fire to run it off Citywide Simulcast or O'hare Airport site?