Ocean County Radio Failure

[elias1988]

All channels are currently down due to power outage,700 MHz remains operational. We were pretty much told we’re on our own to communicate.

 

[GTR8000]

So, what exactly failed, the T-Band SmartZone system? Conventional channels? Both? But the 700 MHz ASTRO 25 system remains operational?

 

[elias1988]

Everything besides 700 MHz

 

[GTR8000]

Ouch. How the hell can they have all of those resources unprotected like that? No bueno.

 

[elias1988]

Not sure how long it’s going to last but they better start handing out loaner radios.

 

[wa8pyr]

Ouch. How the hell can they have all of those resources unprotected like that? No bueno.

As a provider of communications services to local entities, the county should be obligated to have some sort of plan in place for just such an eventuality. Simply expecting everybody to shell out the bucks to hop over to 700 MHz (which is probably what they're hoping this will accomplish) isn't an acceptable solution.

I've got multiple layers of backup in place for our users, just in case; we may never need it but it's there if we do.

 

[railtrailbiker]

As a provider of communications services to local entities, the county should be obligated to have some sort of plan in place for just such an eventuality. Simply expecting everybody to shell out the bucks to hop over to 700 MHz (which is probably what they're hoping this will accomplish) isn't an acceptable solution.

I've got multiple layers of backup in place for our users, just in case; we may never need it but it's there if we do.

Agreed; the County is hoping this will trigger subscribers to upgrade their systems.

 

[Mark181]

Seems like its back up, no?

 

[elias1988]

Starting to hear some channels now.

 

[rr60]

As a provider of communications services to local entities, the county should be obligated to have some sort of plan in place for just such an eventuality. Simply expecting everybody to shell out the bucks to hop over to 700 MHz (which is probably what they're hoping this will accomplish) isn't an acceptable solution.

I've got multiple layers of backup in place for our users, just in case; we may never need it but it's there if we do.

I have seen firsthand in our County a major site that hosts many players totally fail. Power lines first went, many sections down during a storm. Then the generator failed (MX woes). Then 8 UPS in series failed. Good thing I had my PS stuff on 200 AMPs of AGM batteries. If it can break it will break. Figured it could all fail and it did. Got down to the 4th layer of protection. Good thing my stuff was not on MW like most. Was a breeze for me.

 

[elias1988]

Trunking appears to be coming back up.

 

[K2NEC]

Radio repair was doing some testing on analog island channels. Repeaters never went down, county just stopped answering.

 

[rr60]

Both Ocean 700 P25 Sites 02 and Sites 10 normal way up hear to the North. And yes the paging TG is working (someone was asking) hearing 55 getting hit out for an alarm.

 

[IFRIED91]

😱 😱 hopefully no ones radios go into band hunt and attempt to affiliate with a nearby system if within range…. I’ve read this is one of the weaknesses of P25II

 

[wa8pyr]

😱 😱 hopefully no ones radios go into band hunt and attempt to affiliate with a nearby system if within range…. I’ve read this is one of the weaknesses of P25II

Any trunked radio will go into CC Scan or Band Hunt if the pre-programmed system vanishes, but if it finds something that doesn't match what's programmed in the radio (SysID, WACN, etc), it won't attempt to register. It'll just keep looking.

 

[ecps92]

So more of a failure at the Dispatch Center than the Radio System then ?

Radio repair was doing some testing on analog island channels. Repeaters never went down, county just stopped answering.

 

[K2NEC]

So more of a failure at the Dispatch Center than the Radio System then ?

Seems like it. All the island units were able to talk amongst themselves on the repeater. County just never responded to anyone.

 

[GTR8000]

😱 😱 hopefully no ones radios go into band hunt and attempt to affiliate with a nearby system if within range…. I’ve read this is one of the weaknesses of P25II

You either read that wrong, or took it out of context. It all depends on how the subscribers are programmed, as there are myriad options available. Also, there is no difference between a Phase I or Phase II system in this context; both use FDMA control channels.

Generally speaking, if a subscriber loses contact with the control channel it had last acquired, it will check through the secondary/alternate control channels that the site was last broadcasting. Finding nothing there, it will check the control channels from any adjacent site broadcasts it has stored in memory. If it finds nothing on those, it will check through the list of control channels that are pre-programmed in the codeplug. If this is a single site/cell system, or no adjacent sites are being broadcast, the subscriber will go back to checking through the list of pre-programmed control channels. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Only if Full Spectrum Control Channel Scan is enabled in the codeplug (disabled by default) will the radio actually start looking for control channels outside of the ones it already has knowledge of. And as @wa8pyr already stated, it's not just going to come up on any old system that it doesn't recognize, that would be pretty silly behavior.

 

[IFRIED91]

You either read that wrong, or took it out of context. It all depends on how the subscribers are programmed, as there are myriad options available. Also, there is no difference between a Phase I or Phase II system in this context; both use FDMA control channels.

Generally speaking, if a subscriber loses contact with the control channel it had last acquired, it will check through the secondary/alternate control channels that the site was last broadcasting. Finding nothing there, it will check the control channels from any adjacent site broadcasts it has stored in memory. If it finds nothing on those, it will check through the list of control channels that are pre-programmed in the codeplug. If this is a single site/cell system, or no adjacent sites are being broadcast, the subscriber will go back to checking through the list of pre-programmed control channels. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Only if Full Spectrum Control Channel Scan is enabled in the codeplug (disabled by default) will the radio actually start looking for control channels outside of the ones it already has knowledge of. And as @wa8pyr already stated, it's not just going to come up on any old system that it doesn't recognize, that would be pretty silly behavior.

I came across an article a while where an agency just got brand new full spectrum radios and for some reason full spectrum control scan was somehow enabled… they had radios attempting to affiliate with the next state over due to atmospheric conditions being just right..

 

[elias1988]

So more of a failure at the Dispatch Center than the Radio System then ?

The generator failed at the dispatch center during a power outage,countywide message was put out stating everything would be inoperable other than 700 MHz and to use other means to communicate.