Oh, analog ... how do I love thee? Let me count the ways ... 001 010 011 100

[plaws]

Radio "problems" today and yesterday in Norman. No idea if this was planned or not, but NFD and OUPD (and probably NPD) are not doing the Tulsa shuffle (digitized voice to Tulsa through whatever part of the system is there, then back to the site or sites). It's lovely, full-spectrum ANALOG. And oh, does it sound nice!

Too bad it won't last. :-(

 

[plaws]

And again this morning. Beautiful full-spectrum analog.

Well, as full-spectrum as you can do on a two-way radio. Sounds so much better than digital.

Yes, audio is digitized before being sent over the network to the system controller and back to the tower where it's analogified.

 

[SCPD]

analogified????
Is that even a word. Oh well. I guess it is now. lol

 

[kayn1n32008]

And again this morning. Beautiful full-spectrum analog.

Nice

Well, as full-spectrum as you can do on a two-way radio. Sounds so much better than digital.

Very subjective. I like quiet digital voice over scratchy analogue voice any day.

Yes, audio is digitized before being sent over the network to the system controller and back to the tower where it's

So you are listening to digital voice...

analogified.

HUH?

That is not even a legit word...


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[JD21960]

Oh analog ... how do I love thee? ...

I miss the analog voices. You could hear people laughing in the background of dispatchers, clear sound, I could even tell what the city was by the sound of the dispatchers voice without looking. With Digital? It's been described as Donald Duck underwater. That's true. All voices sound the same. The worst is when they blast a fire tone out in digital. Wavering, garbled mess. I just laugh. Glad there's still a lot of surrounding PDs/Fire using analog. Forward....

 

[plaws]

I miss the analog voices. You could hear people laughing in the background of dispatchers, clear sound, I could even tell what the city was by the sound of the dispatchers voice without looking. With Digital? It's been described as Donald Duck underwater. That's true. All voices sound the same. The worst is when they blast a fire tone out in digital. Wavering, garbled mess. I just laugh. Glad there's still a lot of surrounding PDs/Fire using analog. Forward....

Well, I don't know about the Donald Duck part but it certainly is flat and has plenty of jaggies. I'm glad I don't have to listen to it professionally because I think it would be fatiguing. On analog radios in use on the fireground, there is much fun stuff in the background ... that's all gone now as they had to go to strong noise-canceling so that digital would work at all (in that application).

On our OKWIN system, most sites are still Type II, though P25 sites keep appearing. Plenty of digital talkgroups regardless, but even on the analog channels, the audio is digitized (at the console? dunno) and sent across the fiber to the controller in Tulsa which then does whatever it does before sending it back to the appropriate sites (local traffic is primarily on Site 40, but there is quite a bit on 8 and some on 7).

Been like that since they upgraded one of the megawhippies to digital in preparation for P25 conversion. You'd have to dig through the messages here to find the megawhippy discussion. 2011? 2012? Forget when that was done. No sign of any of the local sites going P25 yet but it's coming.

 

[Freqed]

Yes I miss the analog too, Troop B had a dispatcher years ago, Linda, that could inflect attiude over the airways like no other! Now with this Digital I can't tell if a Troop B dispatcher has moved to Troop L or if they all sound the same.

 

[kayn1n32008]

I miss the analog voices. You could hear people laughing in the background of dispatchers, clear sound, I could even tell what the city was by the sound of the dispatchers voice without looking. With Digital? It's been described as Donald Duck underwater. That's true. All voices sound the same. The worst is when they blast a fire tone out in digital. Wavering, garbled mess. I just laugh. Glad there's still a lot of surrounding PDs/Fire using analog. Forward....

I use UHF DMR at work, and before DMR was VHF analogue, by a long shot I prefer DMR. I do not miss the static, pre-MDC, and the audio levels all over the place.

DMR: near uniform audio from all users. Noise cancelling, NO or very little background noise, battery life. Also going to DMR consolidated about 6 repeater sites down to two, possibly 3.

Thankfully there has been mic training to teach the users how to talk on the radio to maximize the active noise cancelling.

Not sure why you have problems with telling people apart, but with time and use, I have been able to tell the differences between different users.

All in all I am liking digital radio, both in my professional life, and my hobby as well(Amateur radio DMR and D-Star).


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[ff-medic]

analogified????
Is that even a word. Oh well. I guess it is now. lol

I like the clarity of Digital radio, but I miss the ability to pickup analog radio frequencies.



FF - Medic !!!

 

[N5TWB]

I use UHF DMR at work, and before DMR was VHF analogue, by a long shot I prefer DMR. I do not miss the static, pre-MDC, and the audio levels all over the place.

DMR: near uniform audio from all users. Noise cancelling, NO or very little background noise, battery life. Also going to DMR consolidated about 6 repeater sites down to two, possibly 3.

Thankfully there has been mic training to teach the users how to talk on the radio to maximize the active noise cancelling.

Not sure why you have problems with telling people apart, but with time and use, I have been able to tell the differences between different users.

All in all I am liking digital radio, both in my professional life, and my hobby as well(Amateur radio DMR and D-Star).


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I'm sure those are all wonderful attributes for digital (I have D-Star, too, DMR soon) but there's still nothing like hearing analog VHF-Lo keying up at 1kw and knowing who's on dispatch after hearing 4 or 5 words.

 

[rfradioconsult]

Nothing like driving down a highway in NE Oklahoma late at night with the ole Regency scanner hanging under the dash, with the flashing lights across the front when suddenly they stop on 44.7 and a deep voice recites that well-known K K Y 3 4 5. Somehow Troop L just doesn't sound the same.

 

[rapidcharger]

I use UHF DMR at work, and before DMR was VHF analogue, by a long shot I prefer DMR. I do not miss the static, pre-MDC, and the audio levels all over the place.

DMR: near uniform audio from all users. Noise cancelling, NO or very little background noise, battery life. Also going to DMR consolidated about 6 repeater sites down to two, possibly 3.

Thankfully there has been mic training to teach the users how to talk on the radio to maximize the active noise cancelling.

Not sure why you have problems with telling people apart, but with time and use, I have been able to tell the differences between different users.

All in all I am liking digital radio, both in my professional life, and my hobby as well(Amateur radio DMR and D-Star).


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You have valid points but lets compare apples to apples.
A full quieting analog signal to digital without any signalling.
Then what do you prefer?

Because DMR sounds awful to me but do I prefer it over scratchy, statc? Absolufreakinglutely I do.

 

[kayn1n32008]

You have valid points but lets compare apples to apples.

A full quieting analog signal to digital without any signalling.

Then what do you prefer?



Because DMR sounds awful to me but do I prefer it over scratchy, statc? Absolufreakinglutely I do.

I do like a full quieting analogue signal, but the audio levels were all over the place, some really loud, some quiet... So in that regard I like digital better.


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[plaws]

Thankfully there has been mic training to teach the users how to talk on the radio to maximize the active noise cancelling.

You can probably count on three hands the number of agencies that actually train radio operators (meaning anyone operating a radio) how to talk.

But it's why you like your radio system.

 

[Drkatzjr45]

KKT558

Yes I miss the analog too, Troop B had a dispatcher years ago, Linda, that could inflect attiude over the airways like no other! Now with this Digital I can't tell if a Troop B dispatcher has moved to Troop L or if they all sound the same.

How I miss good ole' KKT558 155.310 Troop B - and 155.070 TCSO Dispatch