NJSP Switchover To Digital

[mfred]

I live in Bergen County and am looking to purchase my first trunking scanner. Not much trunking going on by me but Id like to listen to State Police PKWY. Will a BEAR CAT 780XLT work? Thanks for any suggestions.
Also, I have been reading about the State Police upgrading their radio system. It only seems like 6 or 7 years ago they used to be on VHF. I could listen to the Parkway patrol cars from my house in central Bergen county clear as day. Is there a need to upgrade again?

 

[Tech792]

The current NJSP 800 mhz system is at least 10-12 years old that I know of. It might even be older then that.

 

[RocketNJ]

Actually Troop B was just upgraded and Troops A & C are being upgraded this year.

The 780 will work fine for NJSP as they probably will not be switching to digital anytime soom.

 

[nosoup4u]

The NJSP system goes back to the 80's. I know that in late 1988 they were using it pretty much full time (although the NJTPK, GSP & Marine were still on VHF). Thats when I got my first Scanner. I don't know the exact history though.

 

[rr60]

Marine Digital

Heard units on the Marine patch from down South Jersey talking about a visit from the radio shop yesterday. They said the radios in the boats had been upgraded to be "encrypted". Of course we know they meant DIGITAL. Looks like Marine will be converting.

 

[gcr33]

Why do you equate digital to encypted or vice versa?

Digital is not encryption. Encryption does not have to be digital.

Don't assume.

 

[comsec1]

encrypted

digital ENCRYPTED, yes

 

[res5cue]

they were updated for DIGIAL capabilities. a friend of mine is a marine trooper and we were talking about their system and upgrades.. I think its a bad bad bad idea if they go digital. they have major issues now and they need to fix them before going digial. the Sussex Trooopers all carry new digital portables and in talking to a sgt from the area he said probably atleast a year before any change to the digial but some of the troopers are getting smarter and reading into digital etc and are very weary of it.. we shall see..

 

[gcr33]

Again, digital is not encrypted. What you heard was digital, or digital encrypted?
They are mutually exclusive. Although Motorola does not support analog encryption anymore.

Digital systems are used in the rest of the country on a daily basis. Is it that NJ is that much different then the rest of the US that it does not work or is it some guy using a scanner who does not want to buy a digital one complaining?

Time to move on.

 

[NESN]

Deja Vu, sounds like 1987 when the trunk was being phased in from the 44 mhz system. Numerous Troopers I was talking to kept telling me "Forget it, we've been told you won't be able to monitor us anymore, it's scanner proof". (just made me work harder)

 

[SCPD]

I can't imagine NJ going digital for years to come. One reason is the state is broke, unless they get a HS grant, which I doubt would pay for it completely.

Two, from a Motorola tech I know, digital signals don't travel well so if they go digital they would need more towers. Morris Co. was using VHF low band before going 400 Mhz digital and they had only 4 towers. When they went digi trunked they now have 8 towers.

If they went digital now, I would almost bet it would be survilleance and such, not road patrols.

 

[rr60]

My .02

I have used both modulation formats on a mixed mode trunked system.

My .02 is as follows.

Digital audio is not as rich in sound, it is very very"flat". My ears prefer
robust audio for easy listening.

Digital signal does not do as well as analog in weak signal areas. Add
multi path from buildings or terrain and it is just plain terrible.

For example, Near the intersection of RT78 and RT24 (Summit Springfield)
it is an RF hole and very weak signals for Troop B (multi path from sites in Montclair and Somerset County).

Digital will not perform well here, if at all.. Just my 02.

For me digital is not a cure all nor does it really extend range, in fact I think range is reduced over traditional analog.

 

[policefreak]

I would actually tend to agree. I have a digital scanner, but I think NJSP would have to fill in some coverage gaps before hand. One coverage gap I know is on the NJTP/I-295 in Mt. Laurel. It is right in between the Troop C and Troop A systems, and coverage is spotty at best on my scanner, so I can only imagine what its like on a patrolman's portable. Another one is on the NJTP between exit 8A and 9. I keep lose coverage completely in some areas with my scanner. If the system were to go digital, these radios would cut out completely.
Anyway, who the heck thought digital audio sounded better than analog? I think it sounds terrible. On every digital system I can pick up, the voice sounds all garbled and the background noise is too high. IMHO if it aint broke, why fix it...and waste precious money and resources in the process? The long short of it is I hope NJ doesn't go digital because WE are probably the ones who will pay for it.

 

[kenisned]

Well, I think the Morris County Digital trunked system, on a motorola digital radio... sounds great. It sounds like the other person is in the backseat. Don't judge based on what your scanner sounds like.

I understand the concerns about the infrastructure, and Morris County seems to have most of that covered (at least as far as mobiles go).

 

[SCPD]

Anyway, who the heck thought digital audio sounded better than analog?

MOTOROLA!!!

 

[gcr33]

You have to realize the digital age is here. With rebanding and replacement of radios the cost to get a digital radio to the subscriber is not that bad.

Digital works in the rest of the USA. It will work in NJ believe it or not.