PSP- Another fact or rumor

[ECHO3]

When M/A OpenSky kicks in the following may be moot, unless the this rapidly growing two-way radio "giant" keeps its original promise to make a monitoring device available (for sale, of course) to the news media, other public service entities, etc. In Harrisburg today a former colleague advised that the PSP is considering how it dispatches and identifies units. I'll use Hamburg and Troop L as examples. Troop L, Hamburg is or has been assigned a two digit numerical number; perhaps, for fiscal purposes as have other monitoring a dispatcher call Hamburg 28, the dispatch would go to 9528. Does any colleague have personal knowledge regarding this matter? Better yet, does any colleague have a copy of the assigned numbers for all PSP entities if this system is to be implemented in the near future?

 

[dic]

I always enjoyed monitoring the PSP. It was simple, logical and it worked.
The car numbers corresponded with the radio ID and monitoring was easy.

What ever happened to "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?"

 

[ECHO3]

Do any colleagues (including techs and dispatchers) know the radio ID for the PSP HQ/Troops/Barracks? No, I do not have a two-way radio. I have been in LE for 31 years and I certainly don't play "cop". Based on the above response, I doubt that the ID in my example would be L-28 when all portables use 4 digit numbers. My colleague may be incorrect in assuming that a two-digit fiscal/facility code is/will be the first two digits in the ID. I do belive that he is correct that this change will preceded the complete transition to M/A Com. Thank you for any input. Please send me a PM if this information is considered sensitive.

 

[Mattsenft]

If the person whom you got your information is correct that the identification changes will preceed the switch to Opensky it should be reletively easy to determine based on some listening. We (I assume you do) already know what troops use the current channel pairs. Based on this if the second part of the ID corresponded with the car number the troop numbers as well as any numbers utilized by the CDCs should be fairly easy to determine. At the current time all PSP units I can monitor are still using the troop name/car number system; Harrisburg, Jonestown, York, Ephrata, Hamburg, Reading, Lancaster. On an additional note due to the continued use of the VHF hi system by Lancaster units fairly often I would assume their Opensky testing must not be meeting their expectations.

 

[dic]

I know I asked this question not too many posts ago, but which troops have converted and which haven't?

I have read posts that say some are testing, some have converted, etc.

Maybe a PSP OpenSky "Update" post?

Dic
N1XBA

 

[ctrabs74]

I know I asked this question not too many posts ago, but which troops have converted and which haven't?

I have read posts that say some are testing, some have converted, etc.

The only station that's testing at this time is Lancaster. PennDOT has already converted to the new system, but not PSP.

 

[ctrabs74]

At the current time all PSP units I can monitor are still using the troop name/car number system; Harrisburg, Jonestown, York, Ephrata, Hamburg, Reading, Lancaster.

Same with Skippack, Embreeville, and Avondale. Incidentially, Embreeville and Avondale have yet to migrate to the Harrisburg CDC (they're still being dispatched in-station). I don't get too near Lancaster County on a regular basis to monitor anything, but I think I Ephrata and Lancaster have already moved dispatch ops to Harrisburg.

On an additional note due to the continued use of the VHF hi system by Lancaster units fairly often I would assume their Opensky testing must not be meeting their expectations.

I wish that were true... But, to be realistic, they're probably restricting the testing phase to commanding officers or for special/sensitive investigative details. To use an example:

West Chester PD is supposed to migrate to a conventional digital system (and to that end, I'm getting conflicting reports as to whether it can be monitored or not; one cop says that's not the case, but the chief of police and the chief dispatcher/ID claim that's not the case, but that's another thread); according to the department's annual report, only patrol sgts. and narcotics investigators were using the new digital radios, while regular day-to-day ops were analog.

That may be the case with PSP Lancaster, which is why you're probably still hearing the same level of radio traffic.

 

[dic]

Thanks Creighton

Dic
N1XBA

 

[RoyNolt]

About Lancaster PSP I used to hear them alot, now I hear them Harrisburg calling Lancaster cars... and mention "on VHF" as if not the norm.

 

[Audiodave1]

I guess they need to know what radio to grab.

Interesting.

Dave

 

[ECHO3]

Quote:
Originally posted by Mattsenft
"If the person whom you got your information is correct that the identification changes will preceed the switch to Opensky it should be reletively easy to determine based on some listening."


My colleague and I removed ourselves from the M/A Com project about 6 yrs. ago. He stayed on in another position. I went with the feds. Having said that, his accuracy rating from the bits and pieces he hears is about 95% accurate. "If" is only a two letter word, but can have a powerful impact. Logic would dictate that the proposed change as described in my initial post would happen before the tranformation to OpenSky. However, I believe that we will have a small window of opportunity to decode the new system. Getting our "ducks in a row" now could either be perceived as an intelligent move or meaningless endeavor, "IF" a scanner with pro-voice decoding capabilities is or isn't forthcoming.