RocketNJ said:They are monitored and assigned by UASI Central which I believe is located at Essex Co Sheriff's Dept
apu said:Going back to the original rulemaking, the FCC's intention for the VTAC/UTAC channels is on-scene use by field units from disparate agencies, not field-to-base station uses.
Under our Rules, an entity must have a license to operate a base or control station on these interoperability channels. Mobile operation, however, is permitted on these channels without an individual license (i.e., a blanket licensing approach). Public safety licensees who are eligible to hold a Part 90 license, or who are otherwise licensed under Part 90 of our Rules, can operate mobile units on these interoperability channels without an individual license. Additionally, as suggested in comments, we also will require, as of January 1, 2005, every newly certified public safety mobile radio unit to have the capacity to transmit and receive on at least one nationwide interoperability channel (i.e., the calling channel) in the band in which it is operating. For licensing and administration of these interoperability channels, we will rely on the four public safety frequency coordinators. We envision that the four coordinators would jointly develop an interoperability plan regarding the management and nationwide use of these interoperability channels.
apu said:I don't have a link to something that is as explicit as my one-line summary but see paragraph 90 of http://wireless.fcc.gov/releases/fcc00-348.doc which reads in part:
A public safety agency doesn't need any license for mobile operation on the interoperability channels - just be eligible for a license. This goes along with the goal of getting every public safety agency on these channels while mobile (in the field).
However, to operate a base or control station, you have to go through the normal licensing and frequency coordination procedures and that falls to the national interop management and use plan which limits base and control stations to just a few per state. In NJ, the state gave counties mobile interop repeaters all of which can be remotely shut down if there is abuse or a misconfiguration. A welcome side-benefit is to reduce or eliminate the type of abuse that is so common on SPEN 1.
BTW... in your brush fire scenario, theoretically if you tried calling Essex County on one of the CALLing channels, they should have been able to either take a message and pass it along, or patch you through to whomever you needed communicate with in Passaic County.
res148cue said:I believe I was on UTAC4. The calling channel is not repeated, so I doubt they would have heard me.
THANK YOU! And by phone, I'm sure you don't mean the admin line either, you mean 9-1-1!dun34 said:Did you have a cell phone with you? I would imagine in Passaic the reception would be pretty good. People always tend to get this illusion that if they call in by radio they will get serviced faster. Most dispatchers, including myself, will tell you that we much rather receive these types of reports by phone.
NJUTAC4 through 6 would not be subject to the FCC rulemaking regarding national interoperability channels. The NJ UTAC channels are licensed by the state like any other channel, then designated for interoperability by users who are authorized by the state to operate on that license. They can choose to follow the FCC rules for national interop channels, but wouldn't have to as long as they're otherwise complying with the basic license requirements.apu said:Going back to the original rulemaking, the FCC's intention for the VTAC/UTAC channels is on-scene use by field units from disparate agencies, not field-to-base station uses.
dun34 said:Did you have a cell phone with you? I would imagine in Passaic the reception would be pretty good. People always tend to get this illusion that if they call in by radio they will get serviced faster. Most dispatchers, including myself, will tell you that we much rather receive these types of reports by phone.
Also, from my understanding, UTAC/VTAC/ITAC is not meant for the purpose you mentioned. While I cannot find any official documentation regarding these channels, the MIRS information booklet (which I'm sure you have read, in that you live in Morris) states:
UCALL - Calling Channel to UASI Central.
UTac 1,2,3 - Tactical Direct On Scene Communications
UTAC 4,5,6 - Regionwide Repeater.
(http://www.morrisoem.org/blogs/training_group.asp)
I also heard that the repeaters have to be activated.
robbinsj2 said:NJUTAC4 through 6 would not be subject to the FCC rulemaking regarding national interoperability channels.
res148cue said:You would think they would tell us public safety people. I see we have been left out of the loop once again.
ken,kenisned said:There are times, when the radio is quicker and more effective for true emergencies.