Question about Open Sky capability

[jrm5265]

I work for a department in Newton County Ga that will be a user on the new Open Sky system thats being installed there. They came and put up our control station antenna for the office and the installer told me that we might start seeing radios in April. My question is that our unit sometimes needs simplex capability (we are a narcotics unit and sometimes work out of our county) I was told that the OpenSky portables will not do simplex, Ive been told they will Ive been told they will but that we will have to take a "box" with us that alows us to have simplex ? The person that told me the "box" story was not very radio savy so Im just rpeating what they told me LOL

any of you guys know the story on open sky simplex capability? Our swat Team already has some Opne Sky labeled radios (theyr actual;ly Kenwoods) and theyr using them simplex but I was told that tgheyr programmed simplex "for now"

Thanks
Joe

 

[mfn002]

If you'd proofread a little better, I could probably understand what you are trying to say.
From what I can gather, you are asking if OS radios have simplex capability. Well, they do, sort of. They have the nationwide interop freq's (VTAC, etc) and I suppose you could use those. Though I read that the SWAT team there uses Kenwoods, if that's the case, then they probably aren't on OS. Remember that MACOM won't let ANYBODY besides themselves make OS capable radios.

 

[N_Jay]

OpenSky does not have a simplex mode.

Some (most) OpenSky equipment will do simplex in analog, ProVoice, and/or P25.

The system administrator would have to allow such operation.

The "box" is the equivalent of a vehicular repeater acting as an OpenSky micro-site or "cell".

 

[jrm5265]

OpenSky

Thanks N-Jay your answer confirmed what I suspected that they possibly were giving us some type repeater.


As for the critical comments made by the Sam Houston University student, so I type fast and make mistakes. When you grow up and get out of school and get into the real world youll hopefully realize how silly pointing out insignificant things like that is. As for my comment about Kenwoods, the radio the SWAT Team has been issued says OPEN SKY on the front, right where Kenwood TK480s say Kenwood , The Ma/Com dealer confirmed to me that its a Kenwood framed radio and that I believe its the TK480 chassis and case and all accessories will work on it.
Go back in your room and listen to our scanner


Please grade this post and let me know how I did........


N-Jay Thanks for giving a mature response and being able to read my horrible post. .

 

[Grog]

Don't be surprised when someone points out that you write like a 7 year old. Your posts on the batboard are always hard to read, might explain why you don't get a lot of answers.

 

[SCPD]

Simplex communications

I work for a department in Newton County Ga that will be a user on the new Open Sky system thats being installed there. My question is that our unit sometimes needs simplex capability (we are a narcotics unit and sometimes work out of our county) I was told that the OpenSky portables will not do simplex, Ive been told they will Ive been told they will but that we will have to take a "box" with us that alows us to have simplex ? The person that told me the "box" story was not very radio savy so Im just rpeating what they told me LOL

any of you guys know the story on open sky simplex capability? Our swat Team already has some Opne Sky labeled radios (theyr actual;ly Kenwoods) and theyr using them simplex but I was told that tgheyr programmed simplex "for now"

Thanks
Joe

If you have any say in the matter, keep the old radios!
Use them for the survaillance operations. It's not mandatory that once you buy a new radio system, all the old radios can't be used anymore. All you need is one person with a both a new and an old radio that can run LEIN's and VIN's. All the rest of the crew can run the old simplex radios. Besides, woouldn't it be nice to be running around on "informal" radios that the command officers are not listening to (and maybe recording) everything you say to each other?

 

[N_Jay]

If you have any say in the matter, keep the old radios!
Use them for the survaillance operations. It's not mandatory that once you buy a new radio system, all the old radios can't be used anymore. All you need is one person with a both a new and an old radio that can run LEIN's and VIN's. All the rest of the crew can run the old simplex radios. Besides, woouldn't it be nice to be running around on "informal" radios that the command officers are not listening to (and maybe recording) everything you say to each other?

Not a good idea.

Get organized, make sure your proper radio system does what you need.

Chewing gum and duct tape like "keeping your old radios" and "informal, (non recorded) radios" is a bad idea, its bad procedures and allowing it is bad management.

 

[jrm5265]

closed

Im closing this one. I got an answer and then some!





note to self:
return College Degree, apparently its defective
remove Grog and 002 guy from my Christmas card list

 

[HM1529]

Here you can read about the VTAC and "Scene of Incident" mode on OpenSky radios:

http://www.macom-wireless.com/Channels/Volume4iss3/ERC 7225.pdf

 

[jrm5265]

Thanks, that was informative!

 

[bauker]

Kenwood Open Sky

My understanding is that Kenwood is either making a portable, or part of it, for M/A-COM. Some time ago we were told they would be a second source for Open Sky radios, particularly the portables.

 

[N_Jay]

My understanding is that Kenwood is either making a portable, or part of it, for M/A-COM. Some time ago we were told they would be a second source for Open Sky radios, particularly the portables.

OpenSky existed before M/A-COM bought them.

I believe they had Kenwood OEM their radios.

 

[CSHIFTLT]

Most likely your system will be set up with the various Dispatch groups; Fire, SO and EMS, (since ya have a different service), and covington fire, then a couple of tact groups (such as so ops, so 1 event 1, county mutual or a common group, fire 1, ems 1 etc.) Then of course you will have the conventional analog I-tacs, (I-call, I-tac 1, I-tac 2, etc.) thes will be in Rpeater mode and Direct (or Talk around, what ever terminolgy ya use.) so yes you will have simplex posssibilitys, but will your manager allow you to use the mutual aid freq's or use a 1 of your own freq's for the simplex, most likely for SWAT and other secure stuff you will use the digitial mode in simplex and for even more security you do have the option of encrption with it. (but douptful) I will give you an idea you will start with a bunch of groups and after 6 months or a year when everyone gets use to it, you will reprogram and stream line it some, and then about another year or 6 months some more tweaking on the profiles, it takes about 2 years to get it the way everyone wants it, because of the learning curve from moving from conventional to tunk and digitial. If you really have aot of Questions ask the other open sky users and they will give you plenty of info, but in the long run I belive you will like the New Trunk system.
Good Luck
cshiftlt

 

[EDACS-Master]

The 7200 line of radio will support all of your needs and then some..