New P-25 Westchester trunked system

[K2KOH]

So I'm tracking some of the radio IDs on the new system. 60 Control has multiple radio IDs 60000X. Anyone know if the consoles are assigned to specific sets of talkgroups, or are they just random consoles at 60 Control. So far I have logged 600003, 600005 and 600006. Thanks

 

[GTR8000]

So I'm tracking some of the radio IDs on the new system. 60 Control has multiple radio IDs 60000X. Anyone know if the consoles are assigned to specific sets of talkgroups, or are they just random consoles at 60 Control. So far I have logged 600003, 600005 and 600006. Thanks

ASTRO 25 system consoles are not assigned to specific talkgroups, unlike the old SmartZone system. One ID per physical position regardless of talkgroup resource.

60 Control's consoles are in the 6000xx block, and so far 600001 - 600012 have been observed.

 

[CqDx]

From the conversations I am hearing by, the 6000xx block sounds like consoles.

 

[GTR8000]

From the conversations I am hearing by, the 6000xx block sounds like consoles.

Yes, I already confirmed that.

 

[lombardoj]

Good Afternoon.....I am looking for assistance with troubleshooting programming on a Uniden BCD325P2 and BCD996P2. I was sent code plugs that were confirmed working on both scanners. I did not make any modifications whatsoever and cleared the memory on both scanners prior to programming. However, I am only receiving some of the transmissions on the New P25 system. Even if I lock on to a specific channel that has known traffic, I am only receiving some of the transmissions.

There is a transmitter for the new system located in town, so it is not a signal issue. I can see full signal strength on the scanner and I have been adjusting the squelch.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[GTR8000]

There is a transmitter for the new system located in town, so it is not a signal issue. I can see full signal strength on the scanner and I have been adjusting the squelch.

Full signal strength doesn't mean that it's not a signal issue, just not in the traditional sense. The new system uses Linear Simulcast Modulation (LSM), which most scanners aside from the Uniden SDS series have trouble decoding. Even with full signal, the decoding can be hit or miss.

Do some searches for "simulcast distortion" and you'll find countless threads discussing the issue.

You might try enabling attenuation on the site to see if that helps somewhat.

 

[lombardoj]

Thank You!!! Likely the issue as there are actually two towers in town for the new system. I'll give it a shot.

 

[GTR8000]

Thank You!!! Likely the issue as there are actually two towers in town for the new system. I'll give it a shot.

It's a double edged sword...more transmitters sites is obviously great for the radios on the system, but not so much for scanners that weren't designed with the optimal hardware to deal with P25 trunking simulcast. It's really all about location, and what you can do to limit the amount of signal hitting the scanner. Yes, it's counterintuitive as most of the time you want to increase the signal strength, but in this case you have to try to find a balance. If you're lucky enough to be really close to one of the subsites, you may not have any issues, as the scanner would be less likely to receive transmissions from other subsites.

Unless you happen to be in the middle of the county, I would suggest only scanning either North or South, but not both. While not all talkgroups may be active on both sites 100% of the time, scanning between the two will cause the scanner to be less efficient and you will miss transmissions as it jumps between sites while scanning.

Here's a map of the subsites for each cell. North in blue, South in orange. I'm not sure if the Montrose and Sun Valley subsites are operational yet, they were slated to come online in 2022. Maybe @Alarms50 can chime in if he happens to know the status of them.

 

[seagravebuff60]

and have you noticed that the Hospital notification are all encrypted. Why ??? No names are being transmitted( NO Hippa violation) why does it need to be encrypted. ?? and the audio is extremely robotic sounding..... Explainall of this Tom,Steve,Bob, or someone in the know?

Yes, they are encrypted. No, it may not be a HIPPA violation because they are not releasing names, but they are releasing a lot of other information. Some may call that a HIPPA violation/sensitive info and some may not. Doesn't matter, The county chose to encrypt them. There might be no exact reason other than that they can.

So I'm tracking some of the radio IDs on the new system. 60 Control has multiple radio IDs 60000X. Anyone know if the consoles are assigned to specific sets of talkgroups, or are they just random consoles at 60 Control. So far I have logged 600003, 600005 and 600006. Thanks

Each console has its own ID just like GTR said, It's not like that convoluted mess of the old system. I find it easier to track down RIDs that way.

Does anyone ever hear anything on the County FD Tactical or Operations talkgroups?

Yeah, they are gone now, Replaced by Trunk Ops 1-6 I think. They prob got rid of them because no one ever used them on the old system.

 

[K2hps]

Yes, they are encrypted. No, it may not be a HIPPA violation because they are not releasing names, but they are releasing a lot of other information. Some may call that a HIPPA violation/sensitive info and some may not. Doesn't matter, The county chose to encrypt them. There might be no exact reason other than that they can.



Each console has its own ID just like GTR said, It's not like that convoluted mess of the old system. I find it easier to track down RIDs that way.



Yeah, they are gone now, Replaced by Trunk Ops 1-6 I think. They prob got rid of them because no one ever used them on the old system.

thanks for the insight

 

[GTR8000]

HIPAA (not HIPPA) - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Pet peeve.

 

[Alarms50]

Here's a map of the subsites for each cell. North in blue, South in orange. I'm not sure if the Montrose and Sun Valley subsites are operational yet, they were slated to come online in 2022. Maybe @Alarms50 can chime in if he happens to know the status of them.

Montrose and Sun Valley are the remaining two sites included in the Phase 1/2 implementation of the new system that have not been built yet.

Negotiations and planning for these two sites are ongoing, and plans are moving forward for these two sites.

 

[10-75]

Yes, they are encrypted. No, it may not be a HIPPA violation because they are not releasing names, but they are releasing a lot of other information. Some may call that a HIPPA violation/sensitive info and some may not. Doesn't matter, The county chose to encrypt them. There might be no exact reason other than that they can.



Each console has its own ID just like GTR said, It's not like that convoluted mess of the old system. I find it easier to track down RIDs that way.



Yeah, they are gone now, Replaced by Trunk Ops 1-6 I think. They prob got rid of them because no one ever used them on the old system.

HIPAA DOES NOT cover radio transmissions it covers electronic documentation.

HIPAA and Radio Communication

What is HIPAA? HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Learn more about HIPAA from the Health and Human Services summary page. “The U.S. Department of Health…

brics.butlersheriff.org

What is HIPAA?

HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

Learn more about HIPAA from the Health and Human Services summary page.

“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) issued the Privacy Rule to implement the requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). The Privacy Rule standards address the use and disclosure of individuals’ health information—called “protected health information” by organizations subject to the Privacy Rule — called “covered entities,” as well as standards for individuals’ privacy rights to understand and control how their health information is used.”
– U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

HIPAA and Radio Communication

HIPAA, as with any complex law, is often the source of myths and misunderstandings.

Myth No. 1: Dispatch centers can’t give out any identifiable information over the radio.
Fact: HIPAA doesn’t prevent dispatch centers from communicating all information necessary for EMS response and treatment to EMS agencies. While patient names shouldn’t be given out unless truly necessary, a dispatch center may transmit any information necessary to facilitate the EMS treatment of a patient.
Myth No. 2: Ambulance services are violating HIPAA if they give patient information to the hospital over the radio.
Fact: HIPAA permits any and all treatment-related disclosures of patient information between health care providers. Ambulances are freely permitted to give patient information to hospitals over the radio for treatment purposes.
Source: HIPAA: The Intersection of Patient Privacy with Emergency Dispatch (PDF)

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services document titled Incidental Uses and Disclosures explains how, in the course of communication between healthcare providers, protected health information may be disclosed or overheard incidentally. It explains that HIPAA “is not intended to impede these customary and essential communications and practices and, thus, does not require that all risk of incidental use or disclosure be eliminated to satisfy its standards.”

Question: Why don’t you use encryption? Doesn’t HIPAA require it?

The majority of radio users in our surrounding counties have radios without encryption capability. In order to provide interoperable communications and the potential capability for our neighbors to communicate with hospitals on the BRICS network, we did not use encryption. No, it is not required by HIPAA. The Department of Health and Human Services states that the HIPAA privacy rule does not require encryption of wireless or other emergency medical radio communications which can be intercepted by scanners.

 

[KC2GSP]

Any word on whether the county will do UHF paging (either in conventional or trunk simulcast) ? I monitor Mohegan's current crossband but it's only useful in the north end of the county

 

[GTR8000]

Any word on whether the county will do UHF paging (either in conventional or trunk simulcast) ? I monitor Mohegan's current crossband but it's only useful in the north end of the county

https://emergencyservices.westchestergov.com/images/stories/pdfs/radio%20system%20updates/radiostatus2021.pdf

 

[seagravebuff60]

Any word on whether the county will do UHF paging (either in conventional or trunk simulcast) ? I monitor Mohegan's current crossband but it's only useful in the north end of the county

The county is also in the process of upgrading the paging system, I don't think it will go live until the next few months. Check the PDF above that GTR posted for more info.

Im also more in the north of the county and rely on the Yorktown UHF crosband repeter, and noticed the same thing that its only usefull up noth. when im down south i rely on 46.26 and it comes in fine. What i typicly do in the north is monitor both 46.26 and Yorktown UHF at thesame time and I don't seem to miss any traffic.

 

[seagravebuff60]

Does anyone know why Ossining is still operating on 46.26, and not switched over to the trunk system? Maybe the coverage will improve when they put the sun valley site online?

Same for a couple of other depts like Mohegan who operates on their own UHF, Pound Ridge Who operates on 46.06, and a few others that either operate on their own Channels on 46.26. A long time ago I made this list of departments that don't operate or are dispatched by 60 control on 46.26, don't know if it is still up to date or not...

 

[grantnet10]

Does anyone know why Ossining is still operating on 46.26, and not switched over to the trunk system? Maybe the coverage will improve when they put the sun valley site online?

Same for a couple of other depts like Mohegan who operates on their own UHF, Pound Ridge Who operates on 46.06, and a few others that either operate on their own Channels on 46.26. A long time ago I made this list of departments that don't operate or are dispatched by 60 control on 46.26, don't know if it is still up to date or not...

View attachment 117678

New Rochelle EMS is contracted by Empress, but exclusively dispatched by 60 control. Mt. Vernon EMS is dispatched by Mt. Vernon Fire, Pelham 37M1 is dispatched by 60 control, but the ambulance is by Empress, etc.

In the southern tier of the county, you'll also have agencies dispatched on 33.96, such as New Rochelle Fire/EMS, Town of Mamaroneck Fire, Larchmont VAC, Mamaroneck EMS, etc.

 

[GTR8000]

County PD F1 (155.310) is now patched over to the trunked system TG 383.

 

[GTR8000]

County PD F1 (155.310) is now patched over to the trunked system TG 383.

Note that TG 383 might come and go based on subscriber affiliations on either cell, so don't count on it being active full time on either cell.