Oakland PD

[kma371]

The system is still active so it's not going to be removed, but as we mentioned about 15 posts ago, you don't need to monitor it because Oakland PD is only on the EBRCS system.

 

[inigo88]

It's not confusing. Oakland PD is noted to be using the EBRCS on the Alameda County page. It's been like that for sometime.

I think the confusion comes from your understanding of the system NAME vs the modulation type.

"Oakland P25" refers to the system name. That system is no longer being used by Oakland Police/Fire and channels previously used by Oakland Police /Fire have been marked as deprecated.

I suspect he's also confused by the channel naming used by OPD in the database. The short answer to him is, the tone of your post sounds pretty entitled. Why don't you plug them into your scanner and verify what they're used for? The radioreference database exists based on user submissions...

The long answer is this:

The core OPD channel names appear to have remained the same since the EDACS system, through the Harris P25 system and to their current state on EBRCS, but their usage has changed.

When I first monitored the EDACS system about 10 years ago, there were three dispatch positions and two service positions. "Service", "Inquiry", "Records" and other channel names are often used interchangeably in law enforcement to refer to a dispatcher whose job it is to run drivers license checks, call towing companies and assist on-scene officers with other non-urgent requests. Since OPD was pretty short staffed the years I monitored, everyone calling service would request a place in line, and they would be called back by the dispatcher one at a time. For example, "1A26 can I get on the list?" "904 1A26 on the list." That list seemed awfully long at times!

Originally the patrol channels were broken up as follows:

Patrol 1 - West Dispatch (West Oakland to Lake Merritt)
Patrol 2 - Central Dispatch (Lake Merritt to around High St, Fruitvale area etc)
Patrol 3 - East Dispatch (East Oakland)
Patrol 4 - Car-to-Car
Patrol 5 - Car-to-Car

At some point there was a change in chiefs, and the new chief cut a dispatch position, and changed all the radio channel assignments to this:

Patrol 1 - West Dispatch
Patrol 2 - West Secondary
Patrol 3 - Car-to-Car
Patrol 4 - East Secondary
Patrol 5 - East Dispatch

That system persisted on the Oakland P25 system for a while, and I think west took patrol areas 1 through 3 and east took areas 4 and 5 (on the OPD beat map).

I haven't lived in the area for quite a while so I can't verify what talkgroups are currently being used for what on EBRCS. I hear they might have moved back to option 1 (which made a heck of a lot more sense to have dispatchers on 1 thru 3 and freed Patrol 4 and 5 both up as car-to-car channels), but they may still be stuck on option 2. Radiobern could tell us for sure.

As a previous poster also said, there should be Tac 1 through Tac 15 waiting to be found on EBRCS.

^ The above is based on 5+ year old memory. You get what you pay for.

 

[Radiobern]

When I first monitored the EDACS system about 10 years ago, there were three dispatch positions and two service positions. "Service", "Inquiry", "Records" and other channel names are often used interchangeably in law enforcement to refer to a dispatcher whose job it is to run drivers license checks, call towing companies and assist on-scene officers with other non-urgent requests. Since OPD was pretty short staffed the years I monitored, everyone calling service would request a place in line, and they would be called back by the dispatcher one at a time. For example, "1A26 can I get on the list?" "904 1A26 on the list." That list seemed awfully long at times!

Originally the patrol channels were broken up as follows:

Patrol 1 - West Dispatch (West Oakland to Lake Merritt)
Patrol 2 - Central Dispatch (Lake Merritt to around High St, Fruitvale area etc)
Patrol 3 - East Dispatch (East Oakland)
Patrol 4 - Car-to-Car
Patrol 5 - Car-to-Car

That system persisted on the Oakland P25 system for a while, and I think west took patrol areas 1 through 3 and east took areas 4 and 5 (on the OPD beat map).

I haven't lived in the area for quite a while so I can't verify what talkgroups are currently being used for what on EBRCS. I hear they might have moved back to option 1 (which made a heck of a lot more sense to have dispatchers on 1 thru 3 and freed Patrol 4 and 5 both up as car-to-car channels), but they may still be stuck on option 2. Radiobern could tell us for sure.

As a previous poster also said, there should be Tac 1 through Tac 15 waiting to be found on EBRCS.

^ The above is based on 5+ year old memory. You get what you pay for.

Yes, what you have listed above is correct.

You have a very good understanding of our Service channels for someone who doesn't work there. Yes, we have multiple duties on Service, but mainly to backup the patrol channels. We do call backs, run plates, run people, run guns, order and enter tows, recover vehicles and much more. Often, these tasks involve waiting, so we also have to put units on a list until it is their turn. There are typically 2 dispatchers on Service but it gets patched when there is just one of us.

Patrol 1 and 2 are often patched. When it gets too busy or saturated with traffic, then it is unpatched, but that doesn't happen too often. Sometimes, all 3 Patrol channels will be patched for an incident that starts on the west end but a pursuit leads to the east end or vice versa.

As for Tac channels, there are only Tac 1 to Tac 9. They can be used for A's games, Raiders games, Warriors games or any other task/event.

 

[VistaListener]

Confusing....

I empathize with Stingray327, trying to program OPD is not that easy for the novice user. I've been trying for about a day now and it still eludes me. I have a HomePatrol 2 and a BCD536HP. I've tried the Sentinel for the HP2 and I see the EBRCS, Oakland with the Patrol 1 - 5, etc. I've programmed those into my HP2 and occasionally I hear some radio traffic, but not what I expect from such a busy city. I go to Live Audio on the Radiorefence.com site and I hear much more radio traffic from OPD, so I know I've not done this correctly.

And, according to my Sentinel Favorites List I also see the ALCO NW Simulcast Site with radio frequencies in the 7xxxxxx. ranges. According to the previous posts on this thread, I think this is where the OPD radio traffic will be found. But, somehow, those aren't getting copied into my HP2. I've been on Youtube and watched the instruction clips on how to set up Favorites.

So, I hope someone would post a few simple instructions for the novice user on how to program OPD into a HP2. I've not yet tackled the BCD536HP, but may move onto that today.

 

[stingray327]

I empathize with Stingray327, trying to program OPD is not that easy for the novice user. I've been trying for about a day now and it still eludes me. I have a HomePatrol 2 and a BCD536HP. I've tried the Sentinel for the HP2 and I see the EBRCS, Oakland with the Patrol 1 - 5, etc. I've programmed those into my HP2 and occasionally I hear some radio traffic, but not what I expect from such a busy city. I go to Live Audio on the Radiorefence.com site and I hear much more radio traffic from OPD, so I know I've not done this correctly.

And, according to my Sentinel Favorites List I also see the ALCO NW Simulcast Site with radio frequencies in the 7xxxxxx. ranges. According to the previous posts on this thread, I think this is where the OPD radio traffic will be found. But, somehow, those aren't getting copied into my HP2. I've been on Youtube and watched the instruction clips on how to set up Favorites.

So, I hope someone would post a few simple instructions for the novice user on how to program OPD into a HP2. I've not yet tackled the BCD536HP, but may move onto that today.

What I did was lock out Contra Costa Co since Alameda Co. and Contra Costa Co. are both on EBRCS and lock out the Contra Costa Co. groups and left the Alameda Co. groups in. Maybe someone here could explain this more in depth and detail for us in simple terms easier to understand? Hope this helps.

 

[kma371]

If the NW site isn't being programmed into your scanner, that's the reason you won't/don't hear them. That's their primary site.

Where do you live?

 

[kma371]

The system is location specific. That's seems to be most people's confusion. First start where you live, program that site. Then look at what cities share that site and program those talkgroups.

If you can't hear other sites, you won't be able to hear talkgroups assigned to that site.

 

[kma371]

What I did was lock out Contra Costa Co since Alameda Co. and Contra Costa Co. are both on EBRCS and lock out the Contra Costa Co. groups and left the Alameda Co. groups in. Maybe someone here could explain this more in depth and detail for us in simple terms easier to understand? Hope this helps.

Not sure I even understand that. If you can't hear contra Costa talkgroups or sites , don't program them in.

 

[VistaListener]

I live in Richmond and I pick up OPD Patrol 3 just fine using my HP2 with the tiny stock antenna. From my location I can receive BPD, UCPD, and EMERYVILLE PD as well. I think Patrol 3 is East Oakland because I heard a call being dispatched to Fruitvale so I thought I would be able to hear the West Oakland channel. I don't think the ALCO NW Site is in the HP2, but could be wrong. I tried to manually search for that on the HP2, but maybe it is not visible that way.

My BCD536HP has better reception and I'm working on programming that one right now.

 

[VistaListener]

Also, earlier, I made a Favorites List for Alameda County and removed all the CCC channels. But, I've not yet heard from Patrol 1 or 2. Patrol 3 has radio traffic now and then, but not the amount I expected. Maybe it is range proximity after all.

 

[kma371]

I live in Richmond and I pick up OPD Patrol 3 just fine using my HP2 with the tiny stock antenna. From my location I can receive BPD, UCPD, and EMERYVILLE PD as well. I think Patrol 3 is East Oakland because I heard a call being dispatched to Fruitvale so I thought I would be able to hear the West Oakland channel. I don't think the ALCO NW Site is in the HP2, but could be wrong. I tried to manually search for that on the HP2, but maybe it is not visible that way.

My BCD536HP has better reception and I'm working on programming that one right now.

If you are hearing those agencies, you are def listening to the ALCO NW site, as that is the primary site for those agencies.

 

[VistaListener]

While programming my BCD536HP, I heard my HP2 squawking and noticed OPD Patrol 1 was coming in loud and clear for a moment. But, then the radio traffic ceased for quite some time. I logged into Broadcastify and listened to OPD with my iPAD to verify that OPD has radio traffic. I noticed my HP2 is not picking up their traffic now. So, I may be too far away, or terrain is blocking the signal.

 

[robocop80]

I had an issue similar to this when I was down in Oakland and I knew I had everything programmed correctly. After trying on multiple days I ended up turning my squelch all the way down and what do you know everything started coming in perfect. I didn't even have it up much but I guess enough that it wouldn't pick anything up. Im not sure if this is your issue but perhaps give it a try. If you know you are in range and believe everything is programmed correctly. I could be way off but just trying to help before someone comes and tears my head off.

 

[VistaListener]

Thanks. I'm pulling in OPD now, especially when I'm in the Oakland area. Now and then I can hear them from my home on my HP2. I didn't adjust the squelch to hear them, but I'll play around with that to see if it improves reception.