Orange County CCCS P25 Update

[Markb]

All airport Silver TG's are on the south cell. Not 100% sure, but I don't believe you need to set a bandplan/ trunking table. I haven't used a GRE scanner In a long time, but 7/800 P25 systems are standardized. Either there should be a setting for this or you might be able to leave it alone.

 

[monitor142]

The talkgroups are assigned to specific cells. Not too many that are permitted to roam. JWA Silvers are only carried on the South Cell simulcast. You need to program each cell as a system to be able to monitor certain talkgroups. The db doesn't show where the talkgroups are carried so it's exploratory. Most fire is carried on the Countywide simulcast, the exceptions are Costa Mesa, 3A and 3B are only on the South Cell but encrypted. Laguna Beach Fire 5G is only on the Laguna Cell and Moorhead ASR. 5H is allowed to roam over to the South Cell. I hope this helps you.

 

[monitor142]

I've been listening to this system (996P2) for almost two years now on the unencrypted TG's with no problems. Whatever is happening is new. The OC system was not a simulcast system, but it looks as if it has gone that way now. I would like confirmation from some local listeners that it has in fact now gone simulcast.

The previous Type 1 (Original system when Fire went from low band to 800), Type 2 Smartzone, and now the current P25 system have always been simulcast on the primary cells. Only the ASR sites are standalone (Carbon Canyon, Loma Ridge 700, Silverado 700, Corona del Mar, and Moorhead Reservoir/Laguna Canyon Road) (Laguna Beach area).

 

[mikkut]

There was a pursuit today with Santa Ana PD chasing a stolen vehicle all the way to downtown LA where the suspects foot bailed. There were numerous S.A. PD units on scene and air ships overhead with numerous officers seen on the news live shots talking on their radios . I was fairly close to the termination and was monitoring all the usual law mutuial aid/interop/CHP channels but I didn't hear a peep. Could they have still been on CCCS, does it have the range to cover that far north of OC?

 

[Markb]

Assuming they were on Red, yes. The Countywide Cell has a site on Santiago, so out-of-county coverage is pretty good.

 

[fireinoc]

So OCFA Fire Chief Fennessey taped a monthly "Ask the Chief" session for November 2021 where he discussed 800 MHZ decryption. He stated its still coming, the next time OC Communications goes to re-band all County radios. He stated he believed that was somewhere between the next 3 and 18 months. He stated that OC Fire Services had been misled by OC Communications about how easy it would be to end encryption, and that it was found that all radios in the County would need to be "touched" to get it done. The cost of doing that out of normal cycle was in the hundreds of thousands, so they had to be patient. But the Chief said that it will still be coming. He also stated they will maintain some encrypted channels for future law enforcement centric incident use.

 

[marcotor]

So OCFA Fire Chief Fennessey taped a monthly "Ask the Chief" session for November 2021

Don't you read all the expert posts here? All they have to do is FLIP A SWITCH!!!!!

 

[W6VVM]

Great news that they didn’t decide Broadcastify was a permanent solution. I’ll probably grab a Unication G4 the day it happens.

 

[Randyk4661]

So OCFA Fire Chief Fennessey taped a monthly "Ask the Chief" session for November 2021 where he discussed 800 MHZ decryption. He stated its still coming, the next time OC Communications goes to re-band all County radios. He stated he believed that was somewhere between the next 3 and 18 months. He stated that OC Fire Services had been misled by OC Communications about how easy it would be to end encryption, and that it was found that all radios in the County would need to be "touched" to get it done. The cost of doing that out of normal cycle was in the hundreds of thousands, so they had to be patient. But the Chief said that it will still be coming. He also stated they will maintain some encrypted channels for future law enforcement centric incident use.

It could be worse, it could have said 3 to 18 years.
And the reason why it hasn't been done yet is all about the money, just as I thought it would be as the cities would have to budget it into their yearly budgets.
Almost feel like a kid waiting for Christmas to come.

 

[Anderegg]

Decrypting isn't an all or nothing. For radios with slaved encryption TX, they cannot "toggle off" encryption. For radios being decrypted in waves, it is as simple as the TX being slaved to unencrypted, but the encryption keys being left in the radios. Any radio transmitting in the clear but remaining programmed with the encryption keys would operate the same as a radio with encryption toggled off, and that would be it would TX in the CLEAR and RX all clear and encrypted comms. There would be no difference in operation for the personnel involved, and unless they looked at the radio display to see if the cross hatch 0 was present, they would have no way to even know their radio had been changed to TX clear.,

Paul

 

[Eng74]

So there is still a chance.

 

[tsalmrsystemtech]

Basically they are going to have to touch all radios if they didn't enable all of the OTAP and OTAR and implement that on the back end or the back bone of the network. If the code-plug was not programmed correctly for future growth then each radio will need to be re-programmed and a new code-plug will have to be blown into the radios. I am pretty sure that is the case.

I believe radio comms had marching orders to encrypt everything and never thought they were going to turn the train around and go back to the depot for service again. Anyways hopefully its not at the end of around 18 months and happens earlier. Its been over two years now. But hopefully progress will be made soon.

 

[LAflyer]

Wonder what other changes are coming with fleetwide reprogramming.

Would imagine some cities/agencies have evolving needs so could see other talkgroup updates.

 

[Randyk4661]

Wonder what other changes are coming with fleetwide reprogramming.

Would imagine some cities/agencies have evolving needs so could see other talkgroup updates.

Simulcast the towers for one. I stopped hearing the non-encrypted stuff months ago on the 996P2.
Maybe planning ahead for Phase2 switch?

 

[KC3ECJ]

There should be an open talkgroup for generalized alerts. Things like road closings, be on the lookouts, weather and other disasters.

 

[ScanFanEd]

So OCFA Fire Chief Fennessey taped a monthly "Ask the Chief" session for November 2021 where he discussed 800 MHZ decryption. He stated its still coming, the next time OC Communications goes to re-band all County radios. He stated he believed that was somewhere between the next 3 and 18 months. He stated that OC Fire Services had been misled by OC Communications about how easy it would be to end encryption, and that it was found that all radios in the County would need to be "touched" to get it done. The cost of doing that out of normal cycle was in the hundreds of thousands, so they had to be patient. But the Chief said that it will still be coming. He also stated they will maintain some encrypted channels for future law enforcement centric incident use.

I sure hope that they are still planning on moving forward with the plan! It would be nice if the timing is much closer to the three months rather than the eighteen!

 

[marcotor]

There should be an open talkgroup for generalized alerts. Things like road closings, be on the lookouts, weather and other disasters.

There is. OC ACCESS broadcast SigAlerts, and other things. Not like the Red channel, but with everyone who needs to hear that having a dedicated radio in the vehicle strapped encrypted, why would they need one in the clear?

 

[2wayfreq]

Ok, I want to confirm. Are they eventually decrypting all of the Green Dispatches, Red and other channels or just Fire?? Just curious, used to scan OC when they were on UHF and parts of 800 (Back in tha day) lol

 

[Mikek]

Ok, I want to confirm. Are they eventually decrypting all of the Green Dispatches, Red and other channels or just Fire?? Just curious, used to scan OC when they were on UHF and parts of 800 (Back in tha day) lol

Unlikely - My guess (as it is anyone's guess right now) is that a subset of the talkgroups assigned to Orange County Fire Authority (specifically) will change. I wouldn't expect non-OCFA fire departments, or any law enforcement changes.

 

[Randyk4661]

Seriously doubt any PD would be unencrypted including Red. The techs will have their hands full just getting to all the fire and ambulance radios.