Palm Beach County System Motorola or LTR?

[transitman]

The RR database currently lists the Palm Beach County System as a Motorola Type II Smartzone. While recently attempting to monitor this system using a RS Pro-96 and the frequencies shown in the database, no transmissions were heard nor was a control channel evident when the frequencies were set to Motorola mode (all frequencies were entered). After boarding a Palm Tran bus, I discovered the radios used were EFJohnson model 5300 which I believe are not compatiable with Motorola systems. Fortunately a call came through over the bus radio and I was able to monitor the conversation using FM mode. The conversation lasted long enough to scroll through the various mode options. No group display appeared when set to LTR, however when set to Motorola, a group number appeared which corresponded to the RR database. So, is this system a Motorola Type II or LTR Multinet? Your thoughts and comments are requested!

 

[bravo14]

Make sure each site is a different bank like site 1 can be bank 1 and site 2 bank 2 etc... I see they are Digital and Analog. I don't think they are multinet if so it would say multinet. I would make sure the Freq's are in order also. To make sure I would put all freq's for each site sometimes they might have changed the CC from red to black.

 

[N4DES]

Palm Beach County is Motorola Type II SmartZone just like the database says.
Yes the EFJ 5300's are compatable with Motorola.

 

[grem467]

how do you like those EFJs mark?

 

[UFEMTFF]

Anyone know what PBC is planning on doing when they begin Locution in July?

Are they still planning on simulcasting the dispatches on the UHF channel? It's going to be a computerized voice, right?

 

[N4DES]

That is still up in the air as CMND 1 will be the paging frequency. There is talk of them using Command 2, but that is not finalized yet.

 

[UFEMTFF]

That is still up in the air as CMND 1 will be the paging frequency. There is talk of them using Command 2, but that is not finalized yet.

Gotcha.

I forgot to ask...is the new system going to involve paging tones at all, or will the stations be set off automatically through a direct line (not over the radio)?

 

[N4DES]

No paging the stations via radio at all.

 

[4truck]

Is there a go-live date set for Palm Beach County and Locution? I thought May 2nd was doing to be it. Will they be going live with Intergraph the same time?

They don't tell us anything in the field...and a few of us are actually looking foward to the technology....-thanks

 

[spetty]

I'm researching the Locution system and am wondering what anyone thinks about it? How has it worked out, how does it sound, any problems?

I'd also like to talk to anyone that is within receive range of it. I'd like to stream it back to me for a couple of days to listen for myself, and can provide the software to do it. I'll make the link available for everyone to listen if someone is close enough to provide the PC and scanner for a few days.

Any interest?

Sean

 

[AndreniW]

So does that mean we won't hear "engine 23 rescue 23 respond for a structure fire" anymore?

 

[pinellasfirefighter]

whats this all about?

 

[visegrip72]

I was listening to the scanner just now (live in PBC) and heard a computerized voice dispatching the fire calls just after a tone that sounds like an FRS handheld page sound. I noticed no signal codes, all english. They also do not give map page numbers, but do give nearby major intersection. It sounded sorta weird and I didn't know what was going on, and figured I should check here if I saw anything. I had no clue this was going to happen. I know I did hear that the police/fire were planning on going to english instead of codes for disaster and cross-district reasons or something like that.

it basically has the frs paging tone, then gives car accident, us highway 441 and okachobee blvd. (sometimes a cross street) zero nine hundred hours. Unfortunately, no station code, so no clue which station is being called. that really stinks. I liked to know when the 2 stations nearby were called, or when something major happens, you can look at the station map and get a quick idea of where the incedent is.

I say bring back the person, or at least the station number. is there a thread or article or anything that explains why this is the new way? We are no longer on the need to know basis? I know they removed the online dispatch page a while back, that was really neat, I made a custom web page that was fed from that which I could click on the call and it would bring mapquest up with the location. It was nothing like the pinellas thing (http://www.co.pinellas.fl.us/ces/ActCallsPub.htm) but it worked.

 

[jerk]

I was listening to the scanner just now (live in PBC) and heard a computerized voice dispatching the fire calls just after a tone that sounds like an FRS handheld page sound. I noticed no signal codes, all english. They also do not give map page numbers, but do give nearby major intersection. It sounded sorta weird and I didn't know what was going on, and figured I should check here if I saw anything. I had no clue this was going to happen. I know I did hear that the police/fire were planning on going to english instead of codes for disaster and cross-district reasons or something like that.

it basically has the frs paging tone, then gives car accident, us highway 441 and okachobee blvd. (sometimes a cross street) zero nine hundred hours. Unfortunately, no station code, so no clue which station is being called. that really stinks. I liked to know when the 2 stations nearby were called, or when something major happens, you can look at the station map and get a quick idea of where the incedent is.

I say bring back the person, or at least the station number. is there a thread or article or anything that explains why this is the new way? We are no longer on the need to know basis? I know they removed the online dispatch page a while back, that was really neat, I made a custom web page that was fed from that which I could click on the call and it would bring mapquest up with the location. It was nothing like the pinellas thing (http://www.co.pinellas.fl.us/ces/ActCallsPub.htm) but it worked.

Just look at the Station coverage areas, then cross-reference the location, which will give you what Station is responding. There ia also AMR which used to tell Zone/Station when responding, but have been out of the area, so I'm not sure if this is being done.

It's just going to take a little more work. But also should be availabe on the 800MHz system who's responding.

 

[visegrip72]

Also just heard they are not broadcasting all locations. there was a fight and it just said refer to pager for address. so even less information out there. As for finding where, it just gives address/cross-streets, so I really have to know where everything is. I was using the station # to tell me where the incedent was, since PBC is so huge. I have the trunking system all set up. just may need to update my talkgroups to hear the responding replies. Would that be a talkgroup or are they changing everything again?

 

[N4DES]

PBCFR is moving to a silent dispatch system. Within the next 2 years all of the MDT's will be installed and staff will be used to their alpha pagers. In the future the ONLY time a unit will be dispatched via voice on Fire Main is if they are out of the station. The system is programmed to know where the unit is via their GPS location the the network makes the decision as to do doing a voice dispatch and they are looking at doing unit acknowlwdgement via MDT instead of voice.

They are not going back to a live person for dispatch, but remember this system has only been in operation for 2 days and they still have some work to do.

 

[pinellasfirefighter]

we are in the testing period for this in our county....

 

[n4voxgill]

less and less to hear with the scanner, dispatch is about all there is to isten to on fire

 

[pinellasfirefighter]

its really going to suck if we gp fully to this.. but that would take time to install all those in over 200 units and the computers are by motorola and cost 6 grand a pop so i dont see happening anytime soon. here`s a pic what they look like.

East Lake Fire Rescue purchased five Motorola ML 900 laptops for its front line apparatus for a total of $36,000. Motorola was chosen after extensive research by the department laptop committee (Commissioner Dedman, Division Chief May, DC Hejl, and Lt/P Edling). The laptops are mounted on a special swivel docking station inside E56, S57, E58, D57, and P57. The ML 900 includes such features as an Intel Pentium 4-M, 1.7 GHz processor, 1GB SDRAM, CD-ROM, a patented thermal management system, fingerprint scanner, on-board digital video recorder, a removable, heated 40 GB hard-drive, 12.1” transmissive touch XGA screen, and a backlit keyboard. It also supports Wireless LAN, WWAN, GPS and Bluetooth™ wireless technology simultaneously.

The new technology gives firefighters the ability to access the Pinellas County 911 system from the apparatus. In addition it gives incident and pre-arrival information, maps utilizing unit GPS, hydrant locations and flow data, building pre-plans, and the ability to instant message from unit to unit.

 

[n4voxgill]

money shouldn't be a problem, Orlando has a budget surplus of30 million dollars and is going to add digital to their system with encryption for units that want it. Orange County also has a big surplus talking about spending 300 million on new basketball arena so pinellas should also be sitting pretty on the budget.