Orange County CCCS P25 Update

[kearthfan101]

Was this on the new P25 system or the old CountyWide Cell that got retired today?

I had both systems sitting next to each other. The units that were encrypted were the P25 units with their new 59—— ID’s. They came up as 65520 on smartzone which was a standard patch.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

Normally the only ones who have take home radios are battalion chiefs and above, safety officers, and arson unit. The article in the LA Times said they have more than 1,500 radios. Figure a base radio and two to three mobile radios three to eight HT’s per station depending on the staffing it adds up. Normally the BC will have a two or three spare HT’s for their battalion too. Not sure about how OC’s new system but normally each HT is assigned to a seat on an apparatus, engine 74 captain, Engine 74 firefighter, etc. so when the oh sh*t key, dispatcher appreciation, emergency button is pressed they know who did it. So I bet the radio techs are having to go to each station and update each radio.

I could see the 1,500 just the radios at the stations and on frontline equipment and HT’s on the floor.

That’s what I was thinking. I just went to their Wikipedia pages for them, took the number of stations, and did some rough math. I could see LE having take home radios, especially if they have take home cars too so that’s where I imagine most of the radios are.

 

[Mikek]

Documents published online by OCFA indicate they purchased 1,555 new mobile and portable radios...for OCFA only.

Not included in that number are all other OC cities with their own FDs, and folks like Corona, LA County, Camp Pendelton, Seal Beach Naval, Los Al, JHAT, USFS and anyone else that uses the CCCS as part of their agreed-upon mutual aid processes that will need reprogramming.

Also - OCFA contract cities can be weird - it’s possible that some of them still own the radios in equipment dedicated to their cities...

 

[kearthfan101]

Is the SO Transit channel a console patch to something on the OpenSky system (if it still exists) or is that their true channel? All radios are coming up with the dispatcher’s ID and sound horrible. (Worse than usual, since that channel always sounds bad)

 

[allend]

AIRCALL is in the clear on Talkgroup 421

 

[yardbird]

Now if everybody would follow this we would be in great shape.

I personally see no reason for encryption on fire and ems radios.

After all it might be a call goes out and you could provide assistance to a neighbor before advanced help arrives

Thumbs up to the Orange County California Fire Chief for stepping up and doing what is right

David

 

[allend]

Per OCFA they are having meetings next week for a timeline on how long its going to take to re program the radios and take the encryption off their radios before Fire Season hits with its fury.

 

[Randyk4661]

Hello everyone, new to the group here. Long time scanner listener.

I have a new phase 2 scanner arriving Friday. I am not clear what I need to program in it .

I believe the new system is phase 2 and not phase 1 as listed on the system frequency list?
Do I use the list under fire for the control channels?
Is the list even updated for the new system?

Thanks, everyone

 

[MEDIC135]

Hello everyone, new to the group here. Long time scanner listener.

I have a new phase 2 scanner arriving Friday. I am not clear what I need to program in it .

I believe the new system is phase 2 and not phase 1 as listed on the system frequency list?
Do I use the list under fire for the control channels?
Is the list even updated for the new system?

Thanks, everyone

It is a Phase 1 system
All the control channels are currently correct
Just beware that FD is still encrypted till further notice but there are a few channels still in the clear
Also know that each Site needs its own system when programmed into the scanner
Every talkgroup on the system is slaved to a specific Site

 

[Randyk4661]

Much like the older system, certain talkgroups were on certain sites.
I'll figure it out by the time they go unencrypted.

Thanks for the information.

 

[2wayfreq]

Ok, So it's Phase 1 now. Are they "Cutting Over" to Phase 2 with the new hardware?

 

[allend]

The hardware on the Countywide cells shows Phase II but they are running in Phase I

 

[PaulNDaOC]

Were the fire people claiming "safety" as the reason for encrypting fire comms? I always thought playing the "safety card" was a method to get their hands on all the DHS grant money for "safety" in communications equipment.

Paul

It is. I know this from the way grant applications I have reviewed were written.

It's probably in some manual somewhere titled 'how to spend like the best bureaucrat can only know how' complete with an
example on how to write it.

 

[PaulNDaOC]

I could see the 1,500 just the radios at the stations and on frontline equipment and HT’s on the floor.

they're quite a few agencies that issue Personnel individual radios with the thought that you will take ownership of the radio and take better care of it. At the end of a shift it may just get tossed into their locker what's the rest of their uniform Etc. I'm not claiming that's the situation here but just keep that in mind.

 

[PaulNDaOC]

I submit that it's not too late for Orange County. Especially if somehow those that live in Orange County and those that are affected by Orange County where to get together a class action lawsuit. I don't know what the cause of action would be though. There's no constitutional right that allows us to listen what is taxpayers that live in the city we are forced to pay through our taxes for a communication system we can't listen to. I don't live in Orange County so when I say we I mean those of you that do.

The same issue is going to come up in San Bernardino where I do live in the mountains. I see no reason why the dispatch channels for the sheriff's department are encrypted or even the ATAC or the CTAC channels that are used for search-and-rescue. I worked with SAR and we had specific radio codes that would indicate that a victim had been located deceased. I wasn't with them long enough however to know how frequently they found someone that was the victim of violence.

That being said, since the discovery would have been after the fact anyway there wouldn't be no exigent circumstances present that we should cause the sheriff's department to go to encrypted mode. I wonder if someone good at writing could write a letter template and for example word or Excel and then share it with the rest of us so that we can send it to our Board of Supervisors as well as our elected officials.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

The general population is not going to give a darn so building a local political consensus forget it, and good luck getting a court order. We only hope is the regional news media as well as Orange County Register hammering away on a transparency issue with the talking point being government is now going to determine and tell us what the news is and what is not news.

I totally respect this website's right to determine what content is acceptable and what is not but for the life of me I do not understand all these posts about banning the sort of discussion it's ridiculous not in their interest

 

[KevinC]

I totally respect this website's right to determine what content is acceptable and what is not but for the life of me I do not understand all these posts about banning the sort of discussion it's ridiculous not in their interest

Banning what discussions?

 

[engineco16]

Funny, I went after OCFA for encrypting their radios and we get then to remove the encryption. I never thought it would cause so many questions here. LOL Just wait until the next fire department tries We just need to have a little patience for the time being and be thankful.

 

[Robertolson]

It is a Phase 1 system
All the control channels are currently correct
Just beware that FD is still encrypted till further notice but there are a few channels still in the clear
Also know that each Site needs its own system when programmed into the scanner
Every talkgroup on the system is slaved to a specific Site

So you cannot do (multi sites) like on the old system...... one site only

 

[allend]

RED Channel on the new P25 is now Encrypted.

 

[ed3750]

I get to Orange County a few times a year and glad to hear they will soon be back in the clear. Regarding the switch over, wouldn't it be helpful to listeners if they began the process by turning E off for the dispatch consoles. I believe several agencies around the country have their dispatching in the clear and units E. A friend advised me that SFO airport fire is an agency that dispatches in the clear, but units are encrypted.