New Chicago OEMC Public Safety - 800 MHz P25

[werinshades]

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

If you're close enough to O'Hare you can put in both Site 1 & 3. The O'Hare and Midway stand-alone sites are not very strong and requires you to be pretty close. If you're listening target is CFD both city and airports, Site-1 would be your best bet. Are you bringing an SDS scanner? Site-1 is simulcast is why I ask.

 

[jacobnelson]

Gonna be running a Unication G5, thanks for the information

 

[werinshades]

Gonna be running a Unication G5, thanks for the information

I know they don't scan sites, so Site-1 is definitely your best choice.

 

[INDaviation]

--deleted--

 

[jacobnelson]

Ok, I'll probably just run them off the ORD site, I only care to listen when close to the airport. Thanks!

 

[werinshades]

I've only ever heard them on the ORD site. I've heard the MDW talkgroups on the ORD site before, but it could've been my scanner was set up wrong

Were you close? They're on the Simulcast site also. I think you might be mistaken on the sites.

 

[werinshades]

Ok, I'll probably just run them off the ORD site, I only care to listen when close to the airport. Thanks!

I'd recommend Site-1 for ORD Fire. You venture too far east of Mannheim, or about a mile from the airport, you will lose the site. I've listened to ORD Fire from the suburbs via Site-1.

 

[jacobnelson]

Ok, as long as they seem to be fulltime off Site-1 I'll give that a shot.

 

[INDaviation]

Were you close? They're on the Simulcast site also. I think you might be mistaken on the sites.

I was in Rosemont, so pretty close to ORD

 

[werinshades]

Ok, as long as they seem to be fulltime off Site-1 I'll give that a shot.

They are, listening on the southwest side of the city to them now and since they migrated over to the city Trunking system.

 

[werinshades]

I was in Rosemont, so pretty close to ORD

If you heard MDW Fire, you probably were on Site-1.

 

[werinshades]

Ok, as long as they seem to be fulltime off Site-1 I'll give that a shot.

ORD & MDW Fire conduct radio checks each morning with all the companies at 0845 Hrs, so you can confirm if you're close enough to Site-3, but I listen on Site-1 due to my location. CFD conducts a radio check at 0900 on Main & Englewood Fire which can be heard on Site-1.

 

[Mex]

Where is the FAO simulcasting from onto the system. Its showing External when they talk.

 

[werinshades]

Where is the FAO simulcasting from onto the system. Its showing External when they talk.

Where are you seing that?

 

[Mex]

Where are you seing that?

DSDPlus. SDS100 and broadcastify is displaying RID 0 aswell. I was listening cause I was logging RIDs for my RID Spreadsheet

 

[werinshades]

DSDPlus. SDS100 and broadcastify is displaying RID 0 aswell. I was listening cause I was logging RIDs for my RID Spreadsheet

I believe they're using Harris consoles which don't transmit a radio ID. I've been seeing 991xxxx Radio ID's, but I believe that's an issue with Uniden's Phase 2 decoding issues previously documented.

 

[werinshades]

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.

Last week Tuesday & Wednesday, EMS companies were reporting to 106's quarters (Old EMS Field Division North), and EMS Field Division South to "exchange radios" Once received, EMS companies were performing radio checks and all were coming up as Portable-2. Many were the same radios that I saw "mic blowing" over the past week or so on the 800 EMS Command talkgroup 1019. On working fire responses, they're still utilizing the UHF EMS Ops channel 7, so haven't heard activity on the new talkgroup yet.

The last couple of days, ambulances were reporting to the radio shops to have the new MDC's and brackets installed. I've also seen some of them getting their apparatus radio programmed with the 800 EMS talkgroups.

Still some buzz about the intentions of staying on 800 or "back to the old" as it's described. The lack of apparatus radios with the 800 and inability to scan are the hang ups. I think the scanning issue is being looked into from how it was told to me. As always, keep your ears peeled and I'll try to update when I hear something I can pass along.

 

[werinshades]

There Will Be A 'Simulated Aircraft Fire' At O'Hare On Saturday

O’HARE — No need for alarm: Emergency response teams will be at O'Hare Airport Saturday to practice their full-scale response to a potential aviation

blockclubchicago.org

Disaster drill at O'Hare this morning.

 

[JT-112]

One nice thing about the 800 MHz system is that it has a much further reach than the 477 system does.

Even with marginal commercial equipment (1" duck antenna), there's good coverage well into Kane and Lake (IL) counties from the simulcast system.

 

[werinshades]

EMS Command (TGID 1019) was used today by a Field Chief and an Ambulance. "4-5-1 to 45, switch to EMS Command", and the conversation continued. Portable 1 was used by the ambulance which confirms the radios were updated.

In the past week, many ambulance companies had their apparatus radios reprogrammed, and now have the 800 trunking system on all the radios. MDT's and brackets are being replaced at the radio shop. They drop off the rig in the morning, utilize one of the stocked spares at SLD, then return in the afternoon to pick up their regularly assigned rig. I also saw Field Chief 4-5-9's buggy radio was programmed with the 800 trunking zone.

Fire rigs and Chiefs have some of their radios programmed too. Truck 41 picked up their new rig the other day, and the apparatus radio was programmed.

It's been a busy week for CFD, numerous high profile incidents. I previously mentioned the 19xxxx were exempt rank radio ID's, but I believe that configuration is used also for companies not assigned a district. Office of Fire Investigation 4-6-3's portable radio ID was 1904631 for example. When the buggy radio is programmed, it will probably be 1904637, still following the pattern of 7 at the end indicating it's an apparatus radio.

Nothing heard officially as to the intent of staying or not on the 800 trunking. With all the effort being put in to this, I would think 800 trunking is permanent, but don't know for sure.