Just a technical question, does a patch actually sound different? If so, how?
Oakland County M/A-COM OpenSky TRS
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Just a technical question, does a patch actually sound different? If so, how?
mikey60
Member
There's a voice quality difference when a digital system is patched to an analog system. Some times it's real subtle, other times quite noticable... The patch for Troy Fire is pretty good, but you can tell who's on the digital side.
Mike
Yes, a patch sounds different. Very often, you will hear the squelch 'break' at the very beginning of a transmission. Further, the audio sounds worse when converted from analog to digital, sounding somewhat garbled or mechanical. However, the patched systems sound 100% better now than they did in the beginning. The new code makes the digital voice really silky. You can still tell it's digital, but it really sounds nice.
As an aside, the implementation of Open Sky has continued: Rochester City and Lake Orion are now on the system. Waterford has been training on it and should be on by end of November.
Pete
WWW.Glass-Cockpit.org
Patched Audio Sound File
Just a follow up... I posted the audio from a patched system on my blog. Go four articles down. It's under the 'Radio Reference' blog entry. Look at the bottom of the article and you'll see the audio for 'Patched Audio'. I hope this helps!
Pete
WWW.Glass-Cockpit.org (click on 'Blog')
Just a follow up... I posted the audio from a patched system on my blog. Go four articles down. It's under the 'Radio Reference' blog entry. Look at the bottom of the article and you'll see the audio for 'Patched Audio'. I hope this helps!
Pete
WWW.Glass-Cockpit.org (click on 'Blog')
Waterford Twp. MI to Switch to Open Sky Dec 1st.
It is true that Waterford Police and Fire Departments will be switching to the Open Sky radio system. It is also true that it is a digital radio system. December 1st is the Police Department's change over date. I'm not sure about the Fire Department's change over date, although it will be at about the same time. It is my understanding that the public will not be able to monitor the radio traffic on the Open Sky system at this time. I heard this in one of my meetings that this is a byproduct of going to this new system. I learned that the reason that the public can not monitor the radio traffic is that there is not a publicly available scanner for digital radio traffic. My guess is that it won't take long for the companies who manufacture scanners to catch up with the newer technology and start producing scanners for the public.
I hope this answered all of your questions. If not, please feel free to email me directly.
Thanks,
Frank A. Mostek
Lieutenant
Waterford Police Department
5150 Civic Center Drive
Waterford, MI 48329
(248) 618-7517
fmostek@twp.waterford.mi.us
It is true that Waterford Police and Fire Departments will be switching to the Open Sky radio system. It is also true that it is a digital radio system. December 1st is the Police Department's change over date. I'm not sure about the Fire Department's change over date, although it will be at about the same time. It is my understanding that the public will not be able to monitor the radio traffic on the Open Sky system at this time. I heard this in one of my meetings that this is a byproduct of going to this new system. I learned that the reason that the public can not monitor the radio traffic is that there is not a publicly available scanner for digital radio traffic. My guess is that it won't take long for the companies who manufacture scanners to catch up with the newer technology and start producing scanners for the public.
I hope this answered all of your questions. If not, please feel free to email me directly.
Thanks,
Frank A. Mostek
Lieutenant
Waterford Police Department
5150 Civic Center Drive
Waterford, MI 48329
(248) 618-7517
fmostek@twp.waterford.mi.us
Hey! Thanks for your post! The technology to make the scanner already exists, it's just that M/A Com won't let the algorythm go. But even if they did, that's not the only hurdle.
Oakland County Open Sky won't be a simulcast system, so a scanner enthusiast could only hear THE most local traffic, within a few miles or so of his/her location. This is a function of tower heights, power outputs, terrain, and frequency (700 MHz to 800 MHz), and that's why Oakland County had to put up so many towers. Given what a scanner like this would probably cost, (and the relatively small area it could receive), I sure wouldn't pay for one.
With the state system, you can be anywhere in the state and hear every communication on the system, regardless of your location. With Open Sky, it would be geography-dependant. To be able to listen to a few different departments, you would probably need a tower, preamp, and low-loss coax. Even with the old 155 MHz system many police and fire departments once had, it was possible to hear numerous departments from your home. This will definitely not be the case here.
Have a great day!
WWW.Glass-cockpit.org
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mikey60
Member
A point of clarification on this comment. On the state system, you will only hear a communication on a site if there is a radio using that site. You won't hear every communication on the system on every site, that's just not realistic or cost effective. At any given time, there are hundreds (thousands?) of transmissions occuring on the MPSCS. Each transmission is only output on the sites that have radios using that site, and not output if there are not. If you're not near a tower site that's carrying that communication, you won't hear it.
Mike
bigbluemsp
Member
Exactly the radio has to be affiliated with the site to use the site and thusly be heard.
Also you can't hear every transmission from anywhere in the state on the MPSCS unless you have someone with a radio scanning their tg's 400 miles away.
UNless you sitting in the NCC office in Lansing.
RayAir
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Open Sky taking hold
Finally after many years of problems, Open Sky is finally taking hold as the current 800mhz analog TRS becomes quieter and quieter.
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2008/12/02/news/local_news/doc4935059267866162656107.txt
Waterford has been completely silent on the old freq's.
This sucks.
Finally after many years of problems, Open Sky is finally taking hold as the current 800mhz analog TRS becomes quieter and quieter.
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2008/12/02/news/local_news/doc4935059267866162656107.txt
Waterford has been completely silent on the old freq's.
This sucks.
I dont know what to believe...some say there will be a scanner someday, some say NEVER...hmmmm
AEGIS digital voice (15+ years old), no scanner available.
ProVoice, no scanner available.
OpenSky, don't hold your breath!
All of the above protocols owned by our "good friends" at M/A-Com.
RayAir
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FYI, for now Waterford FD can still be heard on 154.385MHz for tone outs and base to mobile/portable communications. I know they have O/S radios in all their vehicles. So, I don't know if they patch to 154.385MHz or if they are continuing to use it and just use the O/S radios to communicate with Waterford PD and county who will be on O/S. Waterford PD has been on O/S for several weeks.
N
N_Jay
Guest
All of the above protocols make way to small a market to deal with.
Mark01
Member
When the Waterford FD/PD made the OS switchover on 12/1 this year I definately monitored the FD on an Opensky repeater patch thru to the 154.3850 frequency much the same way Troys FD on 154.235 is currently patched.But on or around 12/13 the FD units switched back to there old analog simplex usage,not sure of the reason though...anybody?
RayAir
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I will be at Waterford FD for some training in a few weeks, I will ask about the O/S radio system.
RayAir
Member
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Here is some interesting stuff I found, not on Oakland County, but pretty much the same story:
Milwaukee Open Sky System Doesn't Work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXFkYGsFJmM
Orlando FD Can't Communicate Over Digital Radio System In Noisy Environments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3y_eVmRbEA&feature=related
(This is not a M/A-Com system, but it is digital, maybe this is a flaw of digital radio technology)
N
N_Jay
Guest
A very unrelated issue.
Well known and being studied.
http://www.iafc.org/displayindustryarticle.cfm?articlenbr=33964
http://www.ichiefs.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=719
Any word on cancellations from the Oakland County cities still on the list for an upgrade based on the downturn in the economy?
Ive heard that Novi might not want to switch, but its not set in stone
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