OLD SAFE-T Discussion Threads (2005-2012)

[scannerfreak]

Yes, more or less to avoid interference. When a radio is assigned an analog voice channel the radio must continuously send this sub-audible tone while transmitting. If it doesn't, audio won't be passed and a timeout timer will eventually expire causing the transmitter to be shut off.

 

[K9WG]

OK (light bulb finally turns on) I think I get it. Once the field unit "captures" the voice channel it is possible for another non-trunk unit to come in behind and access that analog channel.

 

[scannerfreak]

Current System Statistics From the IPSC

January 2011
Number of sites = 139 (See note 1)
Device Addresses = 56,480; (See note 2)
Group Calls = 11,739,827
Group Busies = 24,221
Channel Availability = 99.96%
System Availability = 99.68%
Devices Used/Devices Configured, 25,590/56,480 = 54.69%; (2010 total, 67.75%)

2011 Year-to-Date
Group Calls = 11,739,827
Group Busies = 34,339
Channel Availability = 99.96%
System Availability = 99.68%

Last year at this time
January 2010
Number of sites = 134;(See note 1)
Device Addresses = 53,880
Group Calls = 10,917,633
Group Busies = 28,963
Channel Availability = 99.97%
System Availability = 99.47%
Devices Used/Devices Configured, 26,034/53,880 = 48.32%

Note 1: each simulcast system is counted as 1, statistics not possible for individual sites within a simulcast system.

Note 2: There are approximately 4,361 device addresses used in wireline consoles.
System life average growth is 1.52%. Addresses will reach 64,830, near max, July 2011

 

[usswood]

TG 16 caught yesterday on Tower 038 a new radio being cycled through its talk group list...also TG 37472 has come up several times on 038 with key ups but never any voice transmissions....

 

[GTO_04]

Are they simply phasing out all the analog TGs, or are they going to a 9600 P25 system? I figured that was going to take a lot longer, but maybe not.

GTO_04

 

[dustinoboy]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

I live in Owensboro, Ky and monitor the Patronville site (Spencer Co) of SAFE-T. I have entered all talkgroups for ISP Districts 34 & 35, but I hardly ever hear them. I hear Spencer county stuff, but rarely
ISP. Is this just because they are not that active
on the radio or another reason? I guess I am
Used to KSP being fairly active and frequently assisting the sheriffs.
Thanks

 

[dustinoboy]

Update to my previous message: I am picking up the traffic on the ISP mutual aid channels, however I have not heard anything on their dispatch talkgroups. This has been true for both ISP 35 & 34. I checked this by listening in on a scanner app. My scanner only picked up the traffic on mutual aid, but not the dispatch traffic (I only heard it on the app). I have all the talkgroups programmed, but just to make sure, I "opened" the bank so that it would scan all the traffic from the trunk system. I have a Radio Shack PRO-2096 digital scanner. Any suggestions?

 

[Viper43]

Are they simply phasing out all the analog TGs, or are they going to a 9600 P25 system? I figured that was going to take a lot longer, but maybe not.

GTO_04

they are replacing ALL analog talk groups as part of the changeover to an IP P25 system because they can not add new users after June or July. also the new system will allow for integration of 700Mhz and fewer Zones and more sites. So in the end they should only have one zone South of Indy instead of two.

 

[dwh367]

Update to my previous message: I am picking up the traffic on the ISP mutual aid channels, however I have not heard anything on their dispatch talkgroups. This has been true for both ISP 35 & 34. I checked this by listening in on a scanner app. My scanner only picked up the traffic on mutual aid, but not the dispatch traffic (I only heard it on the app). I have all the talkgroups programmed, but just to make sure, I "opened" the bank so that it would scan all the traffic from the trunk system. I have a Radio Shack PRO-2096 digital scanner. Any suggestions?

If you go to the control channel for Patronville, what percentage signal strength are you getting? I'm pretty sure that the Patronville site has reflectors on the antennas to keep their signal from crossing over into Kentucky. I live on the northwest side of Owensboro part time and I have trouble picking up the Patronville tower, with my Pro-96, even with an 800 MHz antenna. Once I get on the front side of that tower, I can pick up it up here in Tell City.

Another problem you may be having is there has to be an ISP unit affiliated with that tower. If there aren't any ISP units within range of that tower, then you won't hear them. The system that KSP uses is different. When one of their units transmits, it keys up all the repeaters within the entire Post 16 coverage area. The reason you may be hearing the mutual aid channels is because central dispatch, in Rockport, is probably affiliated with that tower on that particular talkgroup. Patronville is the closest tower to them.

 

[dustinoboy]

Patronville

Thanks for the help. My reception percentage is in the 70-90% range. I did not realize that an ISP unit had to be on that tower to pick them up. Makes sense now why I only received them part of the time. Thanks for the info.

 

[Viper43]

TG 16 caught yesterday on Tower 038 a new radio being cycled through its talk group list...also TG 37472 has come up several times on 038 with key ups but never any voice transmissions....

Not sure whats up with TGID 16, but I see it pop up often on numerous sites in CZ as well as TGID 32, but as of yet have not heard anything from them. I wonder if these are test talkgroups though, would make sense, especially since it seems every time I see those pop up I also see IPSC or Motorola techs have been on the same site within 30 to 60 minutes of those ID's appearing.
LOL. just got another hit on ID 0 too, another odity.As well as 96.

 

[Viper43]

Odd situation this morning on SAFET. The Greenfield site had an open carrier on ICALL for over 12 minutes. And now it just re-appeared, again on Greenfields site. This time it ended in a minute.

 

[W9NES]

DNR SOUTH REGION 4-10-2011 Sunday

DNR South Region is having problems hearing DNR District Units hitting in."DNR South is advising a couple of units that they are not readable on 800"

 

[fish_squeezer44]

Re-banding Continues

This turned up in the FCC Daily Digest.

"Bombastic" Is a strange description in a legal document. Is that a pronoun or a verb?

http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0404/DA-11-602A1.pdf

 

[AK9R]

Bombastic is an adjective meaning high-sounding, high-flown, inflated, pretentious.

Makes me wonder how much of the State's money was wasted on paying an attorney or attorneys to write a petition that seems to have done nothing expect PO the FCC.

 

[kb9sxk]

Holy cats!

 

[Viper43]

The Morocco SAFET site is running off generator power since last nights storms. IPSC told one of the techs that if power wasn't restored in a couple of days to take a truck there... guessing he means a fuel truck. With the problems the IPSC had in the past with generators it's good to know at least one sites generator worked as it should during an outage. they said everything else with the site appears normal.

 

[usswood]

The Morocco SAFET site is running off generator power since last nights storms. IPSC told one of the techs that if power wasn't restored in a couple of days to take a truck there... guessing he means a fuel truck. With the problems the IPSC had in the past with generators it's good to know at least one sites generator worked as it should during an outage. they said everything else with the site appears normal.

Tower 038 was down for most of the night (ST ONLY) last night and this am...it finally was restored around 8 am. Makes me mad also because Terre Haute City doesnt understand ST and how to work around it! There work around is to stay on the ST Tower on there TAC 1 (ENC) TG and be limited to that towers range only! Why someone hasnt trained them to set there radios manually to tower 08, and still take advantage of wide area trunking is beyond me.

I don't see why they dont understand, no other departments have there ENC loaded in there radios and can't hear what the heck is goin on in the City.... Now this is what the dispatchers do, start selecting multiple TGs to try and make sure everyone in the City is hearing them. Police where using 2 channels simulcast, but 08 was rejecting TAC 1 (ENC) affiliations! Seems only DTF ENC gets pushed to 08. The FD takes the cake! They were simucasting on 4 different TGs and 3 of them where getting pushed onto 08, and with only 4 voice channels working, when Central keyed up on Fire, no one else could use 08 and the busies started to roll. TH Fire was on main dispatch, FG 5, FG 6 and SW MA 1...why the heck they had SW MA 1 tied in I have no clue! I don't know why they don't give those dispatchers more training on the system...training that they could really really USE!!!!

 

[fish_squeezer44]

It Happens All the Time.

Has anyone logged the time and duration of all of the times and issues with tower 38 or with Safety as a whole. Does anyone's trunk tracker software keep that sort of intel?

Don't misunderstand me, I don't want anyone to get hurt, but that maybe the only thing that will get the issues out to the public. The system falls a part because of an 15 minute thunderstorm, God forbid we have an unusual event.

Lets put all of our eggs in an obsolete, poorly designed basket with a large hole. If you don't, you don't get any grant money.

 

[Viper43]

IPSC is the only one logging times and duration a site is down, whether it's completely down or in site trunking. The fact that the site, one of 147 is having issues isn't an issue with outdated technology or being poorly designed, it has to do with equipment failure and that can happen with new technology or old. Would you rather have OpenSky? The present Motorola technology is no where near being obsolete or even outdated. Yeah they have a newer system coming, but that doesn't make the present setup obsolete. You can still buy them and parts, radios , etc.

As for grant $$, the feds do not care what you buy, they will give you grant $$ for OpenSky, EDACS, or single channel digital, even conventional. Obviously the the $$ amounts are different, but so is technology. Grant money has no bearing on which system you get, that would be unfair of the government to only give grant $$ for Motorola trunked systems and ignore Harris systems and other and would open the government to huge lawsuits.

Personally i'd stick with the present system, OpenSky has it's issues, EDACS has it's issues and Motorola has there issues too, but a whole lot fewer than the others. One thing you need to realize is the system is the largest in the world, there are bound to be issues with all the computers involved. Sites go down, it's part of life, but 99% of the time a site will go into site trunking, the site still works, it just can't communicate with surrounding sites or zone controller.And I'd keep whatever old system I have around as backup. Between possible failures and busies I wouldn't want to be caught in an incident with no comms.