Newton Open Sky updates....

[jrm5265]

anybody that has interest in the latest with Newtons Open Sky system can got to
Covington News and look at "E911 system minor problems" story in 4-29-9 edition
and newtoncitizen.com 4-24-09 "Radio system plagued with problems"

I dont know how to link to those so if somebody can link Id apprciate it

Thanks

 

[nunyax]

anybody that has interest in the latest with Newtons Open Sky system can got to
Covington News and look at "E911 system minor problems" story in 4-29-9 edition
and newtoncitizen.com 4-24-09 "Radio system plagued with problems"

I dont know how to link to those so if somebody can link Id apprciate it

Thanks

NewtonCitizen.com link

CovNews.com link

 

[MTS2000des]

just demonstrates how the mainstream media spins a story like a spider weaves a web.

OpenSky is a piece of junk, it's like using iDEN for primary dispatch...look at NY State's fun (NOT) ride with OpenSky.

The truth will come out, hopefully it won't be another Kyle Wilson tragedy to show how this digital trunked junk is not ready for prime time on the fireground.

 

[Metrofire31]

Interop

I'm also interested in a quote in the article that says "...they can also communicate with neighboring counties and state agencies". If they are the only OpenSky system around here, how is it they can communicate with neighboring counties and state agencies? Heck, it sounds like they can't even communicate with each other, much less other agencies.

Another example of government leaders getting sucker punched by radio sales people!!! All they had to do was establish a countywide repeater system on their VHF system.

 

[jrm5265]

system

yea I was dumbfounded by that too, we supposedly can talk to other people by some patch thing.........but I have not seen that in action. One thing that is a real pain is that the system pretty much stops at the county line (if not before) occasionally the group I am in needs to follow vehicles into another county and when that happens we go to our nextels our old 800 analog Moto I could talk back into it from way off alot of times.

Supposedly if a unit comes here we can get patched through to them but for instance if one of our public safety goes into an adjoining county(800) on any side the only way we could talk to them is if they go to an Itac channel and going to Itac is not just turning the channel selector. If its Butts,Jasper,Morgan were screwed nothing they or we can do to get us to them. I am NOT impressed but what do you do we have them now...........I am hoping the Harris thing will possibly get us off Open Sky and pull back to something basic ...........time will tell. I do think MaCom is trying because I am sure they need to use us as a "look what we did" system but it being digital, Open Sky, not-compatible to any of our neighbors I think theyr pushing a rope........the department heads all say give it a chance theyr working on it but all the day to day end users do not like it and fuss about it

I hope I dont get fired for posting this LOL

 

[nunyax]

yea I was dumbfounded by that too, we supposedly can talk to other people by some patch thing.........but I have not seen that in action. One thing that is a real pain is that the system pretty much stops at the county line (if not before) occasionally the group I am in needs to follow vehicles into another county and when that happens we go to our nextels our old 800 analog Moto I could talk back into it from way off alot of times.

Supposedly if a unit comes here we can get patched through to them but for instance if one of our public safety goes into an adjoining county(800) on any side the only way we could talk to them is if they go to an Itac channel and going to Itac is not just turning the channel selector. If its Butts,Jasper,Morgan were screwed nothing they or we can do to get us to them.

I had been wondering what happened if Newton units went into a neighboring county. I can see they'd be SOL for the VHF counties. Walton doesn't have ITAC repeaters up but the FEMA webpage https://www.rkb.us/search.cfm?action=filter&typeid=2&subtypeid=414 shows that the MA/COM Tyco radios they have listed are P25 trunking capable (no encryption) and P25 conventional so maybe they could use Walton's DTRS if it was set up (if they're using radio models with these capabilities.)

 

[ButchGone]

ha ha ha

I have to laugh whenever I read the line that the OpenSky, or any other digital trunked system, promotes interoperability. It's a joke. Before everybody started jumping on the "I need to spend zillions of dollars" bandwagon, they all had great interoperability that worked well and very simply in the field. Agencies had VHF 154.905, 154.935, 155.370 and 155.475 as mutual law enforecement channels. An easy flip of a channel selector switch on a radio got you there. No patches, no complicated menues to scroll through. Same goes for fire, as 154.280 works as a great mutual aid channel. For some reason the stuff that worked so well and simply had to replaced with costly junk that compromises safety. I think if everyody had remained on VHF, and went to digital transmissions on the same frequencies, it would have been much better. But nowdays it's all about spending millions of dollars that we really don't need to spend.
I just wonder, when Atlanta and others go P25, how simple it is for an officer to talk to another agency during chase or other hot situation? Flipping through menus...asking dispatch for a patch?
My two-pence worth.
BG..

 

[kc4wai]

I have to laugh whenever I read the line that the OpenSky, or any other digital trunked system, promotes interoperability. It's a joke. Before everybody started jumping on the "I need to spend zillions of dollars" bandwagon, they all had great interoperability that worked well and very simply in the field. Agencies had VHF 154.905, 154.935, 155.370 and 155.475 as mutual law enforecement channels. An easy flip of a channel selector switch on a radio got you there. No patches, no complicated menues to scroll through. Same goes for fire, as 154.280 works as a great mutual aid channel. For some reason the stuff that worked so well and simply had to replaced with costly junk that compromises safety. I think if everyody had remained on VHF, and went to digital transmissions on the same frequencies, it would have been much better. But nowdays it's all about spending millions of dollars that we really don't need to spend.
I just wonder, when Atlanta and others go P25, how simple it is for an officer to talk to another agency during chase or other hot situation? Flipping through menus...asking dispatch for a patch?
My two-pence worth.
BG..

Here, here!! Couldn't have said it better myself. I live in Barrow County where they still use VHF along with state band mutual aid channels. As both a radio amateur and a communications professional, I hope to be instrumental in persuading this jurisdiction NOT to go 800 trunking or even digital. They don't need it...though they've eluded to joining a multi-county 800 TRS with Jackson, Hall and Banks. They should just improve their existing infrastructure and stay on VHF.

Oh yeah back to OpenSky...total crap. Couldn't agree more. Should be called BrokenSky.