Orange County CCCS P25 Update

WX4JCW

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Metro Cities Fire Authority (Metro Net)
6 hrs ·
This past week, Orange County fire agencies switched to our new P25 digital radio system. The new radio system has been a multi-year project at the county level. Included with the new radio system is encryption of radio channels. When the new system came online this week, encryption was by default turned on for all channels.
Today, the Metro Net fire chiefs with OCFA agreed to turn off encryption for all but a few of our channels. This means our dispatch, tactical and expanded incident channels will once again broadcast in the clear.
To make this happen will take some effort on the part of the OC Sheriff - Communications Division folks so the change will not happen today but very soon. Metro Net will post again once the change is complete.
Thank you for all of your comments and support! It is nice to know so many of our citizens are listening

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Wonder what they mean by turning "off for all but a few of our channels (which are talkgroups not channels)". I know there are a couple of encrypted fire talkgroups but wonder if the MED talkgroups will stay encrypted or not?

I would imagine so


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hbscanner1

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thanks for all the info! I have a Uniden 436 HP, and programmed OC Countywide freqs and interested talk groups from Sentinel database. I can see on radio display when Central Net or OCFA dispatch sends a call, but speaker is mute; assuming then that the transmission is still encrypted until the entire radio system has turned off encryption? I sent Facebook comment to MetroNet THANKING them for beginning work of turning off the "big E"! thanks in advance for reply(s)
 

engineco16

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Thanks. There's an article in the LA Times today about it and some of my interview with the reporter. Don't have a link because I've viewed my limit LOL

this has huge ramifications that the decision to encrypt can be fought successfully, to everyone who had a hand in this, well done, well done, i applaud you
 

allend

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"The Orange County Fire Authority has reversed its decision to encrypt its radio and dispatch communications that was initiated Monday. The encryption was part of the county’s upgrade of its 800 MHz Countywide-Coordinated Communications System, managed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department."

LA Times Link

OCFA Chief orders decryption of firefighter radios
 
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allend

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30 to 60 days for reprogramming according to the article.

Yup because their new radio's were not enabled for POP25 programming via OTAP and OTAR. This means every radio needs to be touched and re-programmed. Most likely what they did is have a codeplug that was written with the old analog system and then the new P25 system in the new Zones 20 and up that had encryption strapped to all of the talkgroups and they were not prepared on the back bone of their system to manage all of these radios with Over the Air Provisioning. So yes, I could imagine that this will take a long time to touch all of the radios.

Orange County was probably on a tight dead line and just rolled out the system without being able to remotely manage radio codeplug's over the air. If so, this could of already been fixed immediately. Now its a waiting period and this runs into summer when the fire dangers get cooking.
 

Markb

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allend

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Sometimes I still get angry over this whole mess. I have email communications back and forth to Todd Spitzer's office from June,2017

This is two years ago concerned about this whole encryption with The Orange County Fire Departments. I pounded with emails until they finally answered and then spoke to a policy advisor via email once or twice and then got blown off several times and kept pounding them and still was thrown to the curb. This is why I am so bitter that this is all happening. This is now millions of dollars spent and now the decision was over turned when this could of been all avoided. So when people say I did not get involved I did and I have emails dating back for the past two years all saved.

On Fri, Jun 16, 2017 at 5:11 PM, Gardner, Martin <Martin.Gardner@ocgov.com> wrote:



I was forwarded your email you sent to Supervisor Spitzer. Please call me Monday to discuss.



Kindest regards,



Martin P. Gardner



Policy Advisor



Office of Supervisor Todd Spitzer, Third District



Orange County Board of Supervisors



333 W. Santa Ana Blvd.



Santa Ana, CA 92701



(714) 834-3330
 

Eng74

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Sometimes I still get angry over this whole mess. I have email communications back and forth to Todd Spitzer's office from June,2017

This is two years ago concerned about this whole encryption with The Orange County Fire Departments. I pounded with emails until they finally answered and then spoke to a policy advisor via email once or twice and then got blown off several times and kept pounding them and still was thrown to the curb. This is why I am so bitter that this is all happening. This is now millions of dollars spent and now the decision was over turned when this could of been all avoided. So when people say I did not get involved I did and I have emails dating back for the past two years all saved.

On Fri, Jun 16, 2017 at 5:11 PM, Gardner, Martin <Martin.Gardner@ocgov.com> wrote:



I was forwarded your email you sent to Supervisor Spitzer. Please call me Monday to discuss.



Kindest regards,



Martin P. Gardner



Policy Advisor



Office of Supervisor Todd Spitzer, Third District



Orange County Board of Supervisors



333 W. Santa Ana Blvd.



Santa Ana, CA 92701



(714) 834-3330
Like the article said, most of the current Chiefs were not hired when this decision was made. Decisions were made at that time with information and emotions then. New faces have come in with time to look back and see that it was not right for the departments and the public. You were in at the start and planted a seed, radio systems take time to build out and some people go away from the hobby, move to other areas, or never heard what was going to happen. Once it happens then everyone knows and in the past it has been too late to do anything. I think this proves now that the public does listen to radio traffic to be informed about what is going on in their community. Hopefully this is a good sign for other agencies going forward that more good comes from scanner listeners than bad.
 

allend

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Yes you are absolutely right. Decisions were made with older brass that were in charge at the time. How does the scanning community feel about turning off radio streaming for The County of Orange?

The Fire Chief for OCFA did his part and reversed encryption. Now I feel we need to do our part in regards to Broadcastify and streaming and make sure streaming audio does not stream to the world all over CNN and FOX news. I feel if the fire departments chiefs realize that we are doing our part and its monitored to make sure its not happening then everybody is doing the right thing. This has been battled back and forth for years now about streaming audio. LE and Fire Chiefs just don't like it. Let me clear. The majority of chiefs not all. It's just not best practices.

If the department feels they want an official feed then its on them. If some scanner dude is streaming then its probably a good idea to hold them accountable. All I am saying is that this is a huge step moving forward in the county and they are working with us as a community. Everybody needs to be accountable like the old days of keeping everything on the down low and not chasing departments and rigs and being an A hole in the streets while they are doing their jobs. The media too. If you have a scanner then great you are in the area. Radio communications for public safety were never meant to be broadcasted to the world for obvious reasons.
 

mule1075

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Yes you are absolutely right. Decisions were made with older brass that were in charge at the time. How does the scanning community feel about turning off radio streaming for The County of Orange?

The Fire Chief for OCFA did his part and reversed encryption. Now I feel we need to do our part in regards to Broadcastify and streaming and make sure streaming audio does not stream to the world all over CNN and FOX news. I feel if the fire departments chiefs realize that we are doing our part and its monitored to make sure its not happening then everybody is doing the right thing. This has been battled back and forth for years now about streaming audio. LE and Fire Chiefs just don't like it. Let me clear. The majority of chiefs not all. It's just not best practices.

If the department feels they want an official feed then its on them. If some scanner dude is streaming then its probably a good idea to hold them accountable. All I am saying is that this is a huge step moving forward in the county and they are working with us as a community. Everybody needs to be accountable like the old days of keeping everything on the down low and not chasing departments and rigs and being an A hole in the streets while they are doing their jobs. The media too. If you have a scanner then great you are in the area. Radio communications for public safety were never meant to be broadcasted to the world for obvious reasons.
So when you were providing a live stream on Proscan how is that different? I know a lot less people will download a client just to listen but you did have a feed up so how is that different from Broadcastify?
 

gabrielm

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Yes you are absolutely right. Decisions were made with older brass that were in charge at the time. How does the scanning community feel about turning off radio streaming for The County of Orange?

The Fire Chief for OCFA did his part and reversed encryption. Now I feel we need to do our part in regards to Broadcastify and streaming and make sure streaming audio does not stream to the world all over CNN and FOX news. I feel if the fire departments chiefs realize that we are doing our part and its monitored to make sure its not happening then everybody is doing the right thing. This has been battled back and forth for years now about streaming audio. LE and Fire Chiefs just don't like it. Let me clear. The majority of chiefs not all. It's just not best practices.

If the department feels they want an official feed then its on them. If some scanner dude is streaming then its probably a good idea to hold them accountable. All I am saying is that this is a huge step moving forward in the county and they are working with us as a community. Everybody needs to be accountable like the old days of keeping everything on the down low and not chasing departments and rigs and being an A hole in the streets while they are doing their jobs. The media too. If you have a scanner then great you are in the area. Radio communications for public safety were never meant to be broadcasted to the world for obvious reasons.

The selfish part of me wants to shoot you down for suggesting this. I LOVE the ability to make mental note of a major incident from PulsePoint and then go back to the archives to hear it. Short of having my scanner on at work (which I’ve done...), it’s the only way I can hear a lot of incidents.

But the unselfish part of me thinks you’ve got a good point.


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allend

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Dude , we get it! I got your opinion many posts ago. You keep repeating the same thing.. WE got it. Please let it go already. Thanks...

Stop trolling and tell me to let it go. You know this is a violation of RR.com's policy. You did not contribute anything to this thread by telling another member to let it go. Right?????
 

allend

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So when you were providing a live stream on Proscan how is that different? I know a lot less people will download a client just to listen but you did have a feed up so how is that different from Broadcastify?

Well good point but when I figured out that that other people could download the client and listen I blocked it so it would just be for myself, not for the others to listen worldwide. Keep in mind i was very new to PROSCAN a couple of months ago and had no idea how the software worked since I just bought it and once figured out and gained knowledge over it I realized I did not like streaming to everyone and their mother. I intended for it to be just me while I am at work while my scanner was at home. Makes sense buddy!!! I never understood why other man is trying to beat another man down. I guess its internet bullying now.
 

Robertolson

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The scariest thing about this whole OC Fire going be E ........Was the other Fire agencies watching this ..........And Dominos start to fall ............The best news I've heard since I bought my first scanner in 1975 to monitor the OC Fire or CDF back then.
 

engineco16

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My goal is that no FD in California should be encrypted with the fires we have. PD and SO is bad enough, but to battle them will be real hard. But social media and news agencies will and can probably keep fire un-encrypted. But I'll battle until I die.
 
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