P25 Paging Implementation

[KO4RJX]

I'm seeking any system admin that has made the transition from Analog Two-Tone Paging to P25 Paging using either Two-Tone OR Group ID Paging. We are currently looking at this switch and will soon begin discussing this with our external partners. I know Two-Tone P25 Paging alters the Hz for each tone and potentially limits the amount of usable tones. My feeling is Group ID paging is the better and quicker option as we currently have anywhere from 15-30 seconds worth of paging tones being activated on higher acuity calls. This would be implemented using Unication G4/5 Pagers, Harris Radios, and on the back end, ZetronMax Dispatch being controlled through Central Square One Solution CAD Interface.

 

[DisasterGuy]

We’ve been doing this for about 6 years now. We have no issues with two-tone on the G5. There was one set of tones in our tone plan that we did have to change but that was it. The TGID method was way too clunky for us operationally. The only difference is that we do fine activation from our Symphony consoles rather than using a Zetron from CAD.

 

[wsp44]

I'm seeking any system admin that has made the transition from Analog Two-Tone Paging to P25 Paging using either Two-Tone OR Group ID Paging. We are currently looking at this switch and will soon begin discussing this with our external partners. I know Two-Tone P25 Paging alters the Hz for each tone and potentially limits the amount of usable tones. My feeling is Group ID paging is the better and quicker option as we currently have anywhere from 15-30 seconds worth of paging tones being activated on higher acuity calls. This would be implemented using Unication G4/5 Pagers, Harris Radios, and on the back end, ZetronMax Dispatch being controlled through Central Square One Solution CAD Interface.

FWIW L3 allegedly will have two tone alerting over P25 trunking around the first of the year.

 

[DisasterGuy]

FWIW L3 allegedly will have two tone alerting over P25 trunking around the first of the year.

It’s been working for many years on Harris. Harris is partnered with Unication. We have been doing it since around 2018

 

[Echo4Thirty]

FWIW L3 allegedly will have two tone alerting over P25 trunking around the first of the year.

Are you talking about in the subscribers? The Harris P25 system here has been doing 2-tone paging for years over it. The Motorola subscribers and Unication pagers all work great on it as long as you have a good tone plan.

 

[wsp44]

Are you talking about in the subscribers? The Harris P25 system here has been doing 2-tone paging for years over it. The Motorola subscribers and Unication pagers all work great on it as long as you have a good tone plan.

Yes, I am referring to the subscribers, I was informed that the XL series currently doesn't support two tone decode over p25 trunking but it would by the first of next year? I know that Unication, Moto, and EFJ currently support it.

 

[speedway_navigator]

I know Two-Tone P25 Paging alters the Hz for each tone and potentially limits the amount of usable tones.

Is that caused by the A to D conversion? Our county is in the process of testing from VHF analog to P-25, have not heard any complaints.

 

[wsp44]

Is that caused by the A to D conversion? Our county is in the process of testing from VHF analog to P-25, have not heard any complaints.

I know a county that implemented qcii over p25 trunking with moto and they had trouble with a couple specific tones. I am looking for somebody to confirm they have XL series portables unmuting via two-tone decode on a phase 1 or 2 system specifically.

 

[DisasterGuy]

This was briefly discussed at the Users Group meeting in Ocean City, MD a couple weeks ago. Per the XL product line manager this is not something currently in development

 

[wsp44]

This was briefly discussed at the Users Group meeting in Ocean City, MD a couple weeks ago. Per the XL product line manager this is not something currently in development

That is fantastic news, because we were told otherwise...

 

[TWilsonHEI2]

Yes, I am referring to the subscribers, I was informed that the XL series currently doesn't support two tone decode over p25 trunking but it would by the first of next year? I know that Unication, Moto, and EFJ currently support it.

It has currently been implemented in the latest XLP code R22B

 

[wsp44]

It has currently been implemented in the latest XLP code R22

I read the other day it was implemented, I would like to see it working in the real world

 

[commtech124]

I read the other day it was implemented, I would like to see it working in the real world

I plan on doing some testing this week and see how well it works. It does not look like it has very much custimization from what ive looked at in RPM

 

[wsp44]

I'd love to hear more if you end of doing some testing

 

[commtech124]

I'd love to hear more if you end of doing some testing

so far no luck in getting it to work.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

I tested it and kept following it up over the years. P25 paging wasn't practical for those on wide area trunking systems with Unication pagers as Unication refused to provide a function to lock pagers to specific sites or provide any form of roaming tables. Without that, there was no guarantee that the pager would be on the site it was supposed to be which was a big problem when you were using a system that was using 4 to 6 sites to cover a single county. Unication did suggest to force the paging talkgroups over to all of the sites which would have presented some negative results due to differences in channel availability at certain sites.

What was deemed as the best solution was just to keep the analog two tone (multi-site) system in place and rebuild it. The total cost was about half the cost to replacing all of the analog pagers with digital pagers.

 

[1268]

I'm seeking any system admin that has made the transition from Analog Two-Tone Paging to P25 Paging using either Two-Tone OR Group ID Paging. We are currently looking at this switch and will soon begin discussing this with our external partners. I know Two-Tone P25 Paging alters the Hz for each tone and potentially limits the amount of usable tones. My feeling is Group ID paging is the better and quicker option as we currently have anywhere from 15-30 seconds worth of paging tones being activated on higher acuity calls. This would be implemented using Unication G4/5 Pagers, Harris Radios, and on the back end, ZetronMax Dispatch being controlled through Central Square One Solution CAD Interface.

I was with a group yesterday who are doing all this, and it worked great on the portable radios as they had calls come in while we were standing there. The Unifications seem to have some issues in certain areas, alerting, specifically with 1 department, until they made a tone change. Real-world info here, do a bunch of testing before going live with those Unification pagers. Take the portables inside some buildings like stores and schools etc and do the same.

 

[bhwaldre]

Do the Harris radios use the same two tone frequency ranges as the Motorola's and Unication pagers?

 

[wa8pyr]

Do the Harris radios use the same two tone frequency ranges as the Motorola's and Unication pagers?

Same frequency range, different specific frequencies.

Two-Tone Paging - Genave

Two-Tone Paging Signals Many public safety pagers and control systems use audio tones to activate. The most common type are two tones that are sent in sequence. Hence it’s names, Two-Tone Paging or Two-Tone Sequential. A valid two-tone page is comprised of four elements: First tone frequency...

genave.com