KB5FAS
Member
Ok - I finally bought the RS Pro-96 and have begun monitoring the State's AWIN system and am finding myself with more questions that answers, so bear with me with what to many may be really basic questions. FYI...I live in Sherwood (Pulaski County) and monitor Shenal,Lonoke, East Little Rock and Cabot.
(1) "Statewide monitoring" -- I've read and heard that monitors are able to monitor communications statewide -- I agree and have been able to monitor ASP Troops B,K & L.
BUT...(here is the question)...the statewide communications appear really on and off. Listening the the system is almost like visualizing a series of doors. A door opens and all of the sudden Troop L is coming in non-stop for a few minutes or a few hours and then just like closing a door, the troop traffic is gone for the rest of the day. For instance, yesterday I was hearing Troops B & L and today only hearing Troop B.
One of my good friends who also monitors the system explained it this way: In order for a troop outside of your transmitter area (in my case outside of Troop A) to be heard, then a radio that is tuned to the outside troop must be on somewhere in the local transmitter range (ie: a trooper from Troop L drives to Little Rock to a school and as he drives into the Troop A transmitters such as Shinall, then the sytem "grabs that data" and begins simulcasting the information)
Is that the case? or as the sytem developes will the system stabalize some in that area?
(2) ADEM. I've noticed a good set of talk groups for ADEM. When a disaster, say a tornado, occurs outside of my "normal" listening troop...will I be able to hear the radio traffic if ADEM is involved. In other words, if the disaster is in El Dorado and ADEM is talking to field crews there, is that pretty much a given that the traffic would be heard here in Central Arkansas?
(3) During Severe Weather, would/does ADEM relay the severe weather watches/warnings over AWIN to the affected areas? This would be similar to the way State Health used to do it years ago.
(4) About the talk group that indicates severe weather reports being relayed to NWS...is that ADEM passing traffic on to NWS that it is receiving or is this individual AWIN users relaying traffic direct to NWS? And since NWS Little Rock is in Central Arkansas, would I be able to hear this traffic?
(5) Finally....is AWIN going to be encrypted? I've heard both sides on this with much of it coming down to money. However, the state does have a $400+ surplus so if they wanted to encrypt it, surely the money is there to do it.
Thanks for reading the post. I've monitored the Little Rock TRS site for years and have it eenjoyed monitoring that sytem. However, this AWIN can be very frustrating
Joe KB5FAS
(1) "Statewide monitoring" -- I've read and heard that monitors are able to monitor communications statewide -- I agree and have been able to monitor ASP Troops B,K & L.
BUT...(here is the question)...the statewide communications appear really on and off. Listening the the system is almost like visualizing a series of doors. A door opens and all of the sudden Troop L is coming in non-stop for a few minutes or a few hours and then just like closing a door, the troop traffic is gone for the rest of the day. For instance, yesterday I was hearing Troops B & L and today only hearing Troop B.
One of my good friends who also monitors the system explained it this way: In order for a troop outside of your transmitter area (in my case outside of Troop A) to be heard, then a radio that is tuned to the outside troop must be on somewhere in the local transmitter range (ie: a trooper from Troop L drives to Little Rock to a school and as he drives into the Troop A transmitters such as Shinall, then the sytem "grabs that data" and begins simulcasting the information)
Is that the case? or as the sytem developes will the system stabalize some in that area?
(2) ADEM. I've noticed a good set of talk groups for ADEM. When a disaster, say a tornado, occurs outside of my "normal" listening troop...will I be able to hear the radio traffic if ADEM is involved. In other words, if the disaster is in El Dorado and ADEM is talking to field crews there, is that pretty much a given that the traffic would be heard here in Central Arkansas?
(3) During Severe Weather, would/does ADEM relay the severe weather watches/warnings over AWIN to the affected areas? This would be similar to the way State Health used to do it years ago.
(4) About the talk group that indicates severe weather reports being relayed to NWS...is that ADEM passing traffic on to NWS that it is receiving or is this individual AWIN users relaying traffic direct to NWS? And since NWS Little Rock is in Central Arkansas, would I be able to hear this traffic?
(5) Finally....is AWIN going to be encrypted? I've heard both sides on this with much of it coming down to money. However, the state does have a $400+ surplus so if they wanted to encrypt it, surely the money is there to do it.
Thanks for reading the post. I've monitored the Little Rock TRS site for years and have it eenjoyed monitoring that sytem. However, this AWIN can be very frustrating
Joe KB5FAS