Plainfield Fire Division Audio

[rr60]

Finally someone had enough. The console position audio has been low, very low for a long long time.

While the tone alerting levels are close to correct, the mic level out from console was way low.

Someone today had them switch to non phone line source. They are now using remote radio complete with MDC ID. Going to need some PTT key up delay. Chopping responses, however, I can actually hear them now.

Amazing that it has been this terrible for this long.

The hetrodyne from Clark Fire repeater co-channel just 2 miles away is an entirely different story.😂

 

[bunangst]

Finally someone had enough. The console position audio has been low, very low for a long long time.

While the tone alerting levels are close to correct, the mic level out from console was way low.

Someone today had them switch to non phone line source. They are now using remote radio complete with MDC ID. Going to need some PTT key up delay. Chopping responses, however, I can actually hear them now.

Amazing that it has been this terrible for this long.

The hetrodyne from Clark Fire repeater co-channel just 2 miles away is an entirely different story.😂

Is Plainfield Fire still Dispatched by Plainfield PD Central or did they make a move to Union County?

 

[rr60]

Same. Dispatched from PD Central. Keep hearing rumors of a move.

The majority of folks still on conventional repeaters and using UC 2400 are
accessed by RF Control Stations at 2400.

That method would never work as 2400 closer to Clark. Clark would capture
receiver at 2400 trying to listen to Plainfield.

 

[bunangst]

Hmmmm...interesting. I can confirm they have been on radio control stations from PPD for several years on the analog repeater, no telephone radio tie lines. The only thing in the last year or so has been the patch to their NJICS TGs.

 

[Steve162]

It has always frustrated and amazed me how users in the field will simply accept a system at face value and opine, "well, the system sucks, what are we going to do?"

Many years ago the Irvington FD had dispatch audio that sounded like they were sitting 30 feet from the mike. Finally it got better.

Another department had an oddity with their VHF repeater system. If the dispatcher keyed up during the repeater hang time there would be two or three drops of the transmitter. Needless to say this resulted in missed digits on addresses and other lost information. One of the FF/EMTs said that they thought it was one of the mobiles in an ambulance but the vendor tested it and said it was fine.

You'd think that a technician would have recognized the problem straight up but it didn't happen. I got involved since I operated on that system and they got it fixed, finally.

My hometown PD went from VHF-Low simplex to UHF repeat. The vendor never explained the concept of talk-around and sometimes the F1/F2 switch on the MT 500s would get bumped. So of course only the mobiles and portables could hear that unit. This lead to all kinds of confusion. One time both the main and standby repeaters were activating with activity on the input. One cop's assessment of this was simply that the radios were "hump." I jumped on that one, too, since it was my hometown and I was riding as a volunteer EMT.

I live in Burlington County where the dispatch audio on the VHF as well as the linked P25 talkgroup varies among the dispatchers. It's been spoken of in these forums but it continues.

I try to tell people that if it doesn't sound good, check it out. It doesn't work all the time.

 

[KC2zZe]

"The vendor never explained the concept of talk-around and sometimes the F1/F2 switch on the MT 500s would get bumped. So of course only the mobiles and portables could hear that unit. This lead to all kinds of confusion."

Which is why radios should not have the talkaround of a repeater selectable via a switch that can be toggled or a unique button that can be pressed. Talkaround (if it's to be made available at all to the field units) should be another channel in the channel plan that must be intentionally selected by the operator, using the channel selector knob or button.