RCMP Canada Wide 420 MHz Frequencies

[Deziel0495]

I'm not sure about other provinces, but here in PEI the RCMP use the 420 MHz frequencies for special use and for interop with neighbouring provinces New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. All use is P25 and encrypted.

Even though RCMP are moving to the P25 trunk system in NS and PEI, I've heard from multiple sources that the RCMP plan to keep the 420 MHz frequencies for backup use and that IC has allocated the 420-426 MHz band for RCMP use only.

If the RCMP has a 5 year Canada wide mandate to move to secure systems, why would they want to keep the 420 MHz band? Perhaps to have a single system, as most of the systems RCMP use across Canada are not compatible with each other.

Can anyone confirm or deny any of the information?

 

[kayn1n32008]

I'm not sure about other provinces, but here in PEI the RCMP use the 420 MHz frequencies for special use and for interop with neighbouring provinces New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. All use is P25 and encrypted.

They use 4xx.xxxMHz here as well, some for linking, some for special use. The ones they use for linking are analogue(RCMP use 15x.xxx conventional analogue repeaters) some are actual P25 repeaters with encryption.

Even though RCMP are moving to the P25 trunk system in NS and PEI, I've heard from multiple sources that the RCMP plan to keep the 420 MHz frequencies for backup use and that IC has allocated the 420-426 MHz band for RCMP use only.

In Alberta there are LOTS of LMR a users that occupy 420-426MHz. Most are SCADA although not all, some are used in trunk systems for business and local government, 3 pairs in 422.xxxMHz are used by STARS air ambulance. There are also 4xx.xxxMHz links being used by AFRRCS to link remote VHF sites to the P25 network.

If the RCMP has a 5 year Canada wide mandate to move to secure systems, why would they want to keep the 420 MHz band? Perhaps to have a single system, as most of the systems RCMP use across Canada are not compatible with each other.

Just because they move to secure systems does not mean they will not have a use for their assignments in the 400MHz band.

I doubt the RCMP will have a canada wide UHF system. Not with all the separate networks they already have on VHF/800/700MHz

In fact there is no way it would happen in BC. They are already in the process of going from 138/139/140/141MHz analogue to the same frequencies but P-25 with AES-256 full time encryption. The only place they are not using conventional is in the lower mainland where they are using EMCOMM EDACS system. Once EMCOMM goes P25, and MTS converts MTSFleetnet to P25, I would think the APX/UNITY radios would be able to use all the networks across the country. BUT with each division responsible for their comms, I just do not see the value of having a country wide network. Along the border, the divisions can patch, or even use each divisions repeater network.

Can anyone confirm or deny any of the information?

Lol nope.


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[mikewazowski]

Having a mandate to move to secure systems doesn't mean they have to change bands.

In Ontario they've been UHF since the mid 80's. They coexist with many other users within the 420-426MHz band. I don't think those commercial users are going anywhere.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Having a mandate to move to secure systems doesn't mean they have to change bands.

In Ontario they've been UHF since the mid 80's. They coexist with many other users within the 420-426MHz band. I don't think those commercial users are going anywhere.

I doubt the UHF LMR users would be willing to move here either.

 

[novascotian]

I don't think the RCMP uses 400 MHz in Nova Scotia unless it is some kind of portable radio set brought along for a particular occasion. For quite a while, years now, the RCMP has been using the NS 800 MHz trunk system, and there are many many federal policing talk groups on there which over the years gradually became encrypted. For the past year or so, the everyday talk groups of the front line RCMP have also been encrypted, except for the offices that share jurisdiction in Halifax with the Halifax Regional Police. Now the brand new 700 MHz trunk system is in the process of being implemented and on this ALL RCMP communications except those on mutual aid channels will be encrypted. In the existing 800 system and the new 700 MHz P25 system the RCMP has been and will be one of many agencies all able to talk to one another in what must be one of the best setups in Canada, as everybody that counts is on board. Everybody from provincial govt departments, EMO, GSAR, VFD, Halifax Fire and Police, and several federal depts are all on the same system, at least for liaison purposes if not more. it is certain now that Prince Edward Island will soon be part of this... in fact ScanPEI knows more about this than I do, and it looks like New Brunswick will eventually join as well. This will allow the RCMP in the three provinces to speak to each other in a totally secure and immediate way, which was one of the recommendations of the enquiry into the Moncton RCMP homicides.

In theory there could be room for other RCMP divisions to piggyback onto this across the country..