Owensboro going digital?
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OPD Upgrading Radios to Digital
OPD Upgrading Radios to Digital
BY JAMES MAYSE
MESSENGER-INQUIRER
04-Jan-2014
Owensboro police officers will begin training next week on the department’s new digital radio system, and once everyone is trained, officers will switch to the system later this month.
OPD and agencies such as the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department and area fire departments currently use analog radio systems. Paul Nave, director of Owensboro and Daviess County’s combined 911 dispatch center, said digital radios will provide a much clearer signal than analog.
Nave said radio signals from areas outside Daviess County can sometimes be heard on the analog radios.
“With digital (radio), it’s computer generated,” Nave said. “It’s very precise and clear versus analog. With analog, you had the potential of receiving signals that can bounce off the atmosphere and can interfere with your communication.”
The switch required dispatch to install new infrastructure at the dispatch center. Many of the department’s existing radios are capable of being upgraded to receive digital signals, Nave said.
Dane Galloway, the city’s finance manager, said the change is part of making the community “Project 25” compliant. The federal government wants communities to be “P25 compliant,” by switching to digital voice communications that communities can use to communicate with one another during disasters when other forms of communication, such as cellphones, are not operating.
“Some of our radios can be converted to P25 and some are obsolete and cannot be converted to P25,” Galloway said. When communities are P25 compliant, “we can communicate across the Tri-State, to make sure each agency has the response they need” during a disaster.
The city spent $700,000 to upgrade the 911 center’s transmission tower, for hardware for the digital radio system and to purchase 70 radios that could not be upgraded to digital, Galloway said. The city purchased software for the digital system and to upgrade the radios that could be adapted to digital for about $580,000.
Nave said federal agencies that have radios capable of being programmed with local digital channels will be able to communicate with OPD during emergencies. The long-range goal is to convert all law enforcement and emergency response agencies to digital radios, he said. Nave said there won’t be a noticeable delay in the digital radios, but the officers will be trained so they can get accustomed to the differences between the analog and digital signal.
“The officers will hear a different quality of voice,” Nave said. “They’ll have to tune their ears to the change.”
James Mayse, 691-7303, jmayse@ messenger-inquirer.com
OPD Upgrading Radios to Digital
BY JAMES MAYSE
MESSENGER-INQUIRER
04-Jan-2014
Owensboro police officers will begin training next week on the department’s new digital radio system, and once everyone is trained, officers will switch to the system later this month.
OPD and agencies such as the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department and area fire departments currently use analog radio systems. Paul Nave, director of Owensboro and Daviess County’s combined 911 dispatch center, said digital radios will provide a much clearer signal than analog.
Nave said radio signals from areas outside Daviess County can sometimes be heard on the analog radios.
“With digital (radio), it’s computer generated,” Nave said. “It’s very precise and clear versus analog. With analog, you had the potential of receiving signals that can bounce off the atmosphere and can interfere with your communication.”
The switch required dispatch to install new infrastructure at the dispatch center. Many of the department’s existing radios are capable of being upgraded to receive digital signals, Nave said.
Dane Galloway, the city’s finance manager, said the change is part of making the community “Project 25” compliant. The federal government wants communities to be “P25 compliant,” by switching to digital voice communications that communities can use to communicate with one another during disasters when other forms of communication, such as cellphones, are not operating.
“Some of our radios can be converted to P25 and some are obsolete and cannot be converted to P25,” Galloway said. When communities are P25 compliant, “we can communicate across the Tri-State, to make sure each agency has the response they need” during a disaster.
The city spent $700,000 to upgrade the 911 center’s transmission tower, for hardware for the digital radio system and to purchase 70 radios that could not be upgraded to digital, Galloway said. The city purchased software for the digital system and to upgrade the radios that could be adapted to digital for about $580,000.
Nave said federal agencies that have radios capable of being programmed with local digital channels will be able to communicate with OPD during emergencies. The long-range goal is to convert all law enforcement and emergency response agencies to digital radios, he said. Nave said there won’t be a noticeable delay in the digital radios, but the officers will be trained so they can get accustomed to the differences between the analog and digital signal.
“The officers will hear a different quality of voice,” Nave said. “They’ll have to tune their ears to the change.”
James Mayse, 691-7303, jmayse@ messenger-inquirer.com
Talked to some officers. From what they described the portables will be Motorola APX7000.
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VASCAR2
Member
WFIE Channel 14 interviewed an OPD Officer and they were talking about the new P25 compliant radio system they are migrating to. From the news clip it sounds like the transition is starting now.
Caught several talkgroups in the 9000-series today.
Only transmissions were "testing, testing, test 1-2-3" in nature.
Guessing these are most likely OPD talkgroups.
9001 and 9002 had encryption at times.
Also, caught one Private Call with encryption.
Only transmissions were "testing, testing, test 1-2-3" in nature.
Guessing these are most likely OPD talkgroups.
9001 and 9002 had encryption at times.
Also, caught one Private Call with encryption.
dwh367
Amateur Radio Operator
Been hearing a lot of DTMF tones as well.
On what talkgroup(s)???
New P25 in service
New p25 went into service today (1-20-14) Old EDACS system gone.
DTMF tones are for FD dispatch.
New p25 went into service today (1-20-14) Old EDACS system gone.
DTMF tones are for FD dispatch.
1829 - Fire Dispatchh
1825 - Fire Response
1827 - Fire Tac 2
1809 - Police Dispatch
1810 - Police Info Channel
1814 - Police F3
That's all for now till I can confirm the rest. Changes have been submitted.
1825 - Fire Response
1827 - Fire Tac 2
1809 - Police Dispatch
1810 - Police Info Channel
1814 - Police F3
That's all for now till I can confirm the rest. Changes have been submitted.
The system sounds good from the Indiana side of the river!
Tbird41
Member
Owensboro p25 System
I have a Uniden HomePatrol1 Digital Scanner. All was fine until Monday when they switched. I can stille get County and State. I've read all of the post concerning the switch. What do I need to do in order to get my scanner to start receiving the new system. I do not have the extreme upgrade.
I have a Uniden HomePatrol1 Digital Scanner. All was fine until Monday when they switched. I can stille get County and State. I've read all of the post concerning the switch. What do I need to do in order to get my scanner to start receiving the new system. I do not have the extreme upgrade.
dwh367
Amateur Radio Operator
Tbird41
Member
I did that yesterday and it said I had the latest firmware.
But I will try it again. Thank you.
But I will try it again. Thank you.
dwh367
Amateur Radio Operator
I'm not all that familiar with the Uniden scanners, as I prefer the ones made by GRE, but from what I was reading there you should be able to update the database on your unit as well, with the latest frequencies, using the Sentinel software. They're calling it the "Master HPDB" They say they update their database every Monday morning, at the least, so if the new system isn't in there yet hopefully it will be soon. I'm not sure where they pull their database information from though. In the meantime there is a live audio feed, for Daviess County, that is carrying the new system so you would be able to listen to it there until you can get yours up and running. Daviess County Sheriff and Fire
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Either put the scanner in "SEARCH" mode or, as has been posted, sit and wait on the next update to Sentinel database over the weekend.
Tbird41
Member
Thank you guys for your help. It's greatly appreciated. I may have just missed the update since the switch took effect On Monday. Maybe it'll be there next Monday until then I'll try the search mode. Also the Daviess county feed. You guys are great.
Actually, they are using the Motorola APX 6000 Model 2.5. (Single Band) The radios basically look identical.
I've noticed they have been simulcasting OPD main channel on Owensboro/Daviess County Joint Ops channel sometimes.
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