San Diego City 700MHz System

[shadow925]

Thanks Paul. I was thinking of picking up a G4 or G5 so it sounds like a good choice.

 

[Anderegg]

A few quick notes on Unications. No scan delay. No L/O or nuisance delete when scanning. Only scans one system at a time. 128 zones with 8 channels in each zone, so you can have 1024 lock in individual talkgroups. Works best as a lock in device, not as well as a general scanner due to no delay and no l/o.

Paul

 

[celbaseman]

Paul, with the Unication, can you hold on a certain talk group? Or is that what "lock in" means?

 

[Anderegg]

You can hold as long as you only programmed that single specific talkgroup into it's own scanlist/channel. Imagine setting up a Uniden with 0 sec scan delay, pressing scan, then not being able to touch any of the buttons, just watch it scan to the next talkgroup as soon as someone unkeys the mic. By lock in, I meant you need to program channels as channels, with only one single talkgroup in the scanlist. As that, it shines.

Paul

 

[shadow925]

Watched a programming video and it looks complicated. Did you have any problems Paul?

 

[Anderegg]

It's rather simple, once you learn the new software...you can import systems and talkgroups in batches of 512 through Radio Reference, just like a scanner. You export a CSV from RR website, import into teh Unication lists, and it basically dums up to 8000 talkgroups into a pool of available talkgrups. In the zone channel programming page, you then just selct the channel's talkgroup or talkgroups to scan, up to 64, or just a single one if you wish. The time consuming part is that...and once you put something in a specific one and channel, you cannot move or rearange it, so that can be a PITA. Is Zone 1 Heartland and Zone 2 is Northcomm, but you forgot to add Heartland 2's as Zone 2, well you cannot insert it in between, youd have to reprogram everything again or live with the newest aditions being in the last zone.

Paul

 

[Anderegg]

It FUBARS me mid edit

It's rather simple, once you learn the new software...you can import systems and talkgroups in batches of 512 through Radio Reference, just like a scanner. You export a CSV from the RR website, import into the Unication lists, and it basically dumps up to 8000 talkgroups into a pool of available talkgrups. In the zone/channel programming page, you then just select the channel's desired talkgroup or talkgroups to scan, up to 64, or just a single one if you wish. The time consuming part is that...and once you put something in a specific zone and channel position, you cannot move or rearrange it, so that can be a PITA. If Zone 1 is Heartland and Zone 2 is Northcomm, but you forgot to add Heartland 2's as Zone 2, well you cannot insert it in between, you'd have to reprogram everything again or live with the newest additions being in the last zone.

Another user glitch is that the menu and zone buttons are locked out and inaccessible when the Unication is receiving, so if you are scanning say all the SDPD dispatches, and it's the middle of the day and busy, it may take you a very long time to switch zones!

Paul

 

[shadow925]

Got my G4 today and have it working without too much trouble. Programmed the SDPD talk groups in 1 knob position and Eastern only in a second knob position. We'll see how it goes before I continue programming others to make sure the methodolgy makes sense.

By the way the reception is fantastic.

 

[Anderegg]

Last night, Western was working a crash at 1AM...two 700MHz radio units went to D2 to coordinate. The conversation was only coming across on 700MHz, and was not receivable on the 800MHz Western D2 talkgroup. Assuming they are set up to only pass audio between the 700 and 800 sites if a radio is affiliated on both simultaneously. Similarly, 7A and 7B are up on 700MHz in the day, but not at night.

Pau;

 

[SDBud]

Last night, Western was working a crash at 1AM...two 700MHz radio units went to D2 to coordinate. The conversation was only coming across on 700MHz, and was not receivable on the 800MHz Western D2 talkgroup. Assuming they are set up to only pass audio between the 700 and 800 sites if a radio is affiliated on both simultaneously. Similarly, 7A and 7B are up on 700MHz in the day, but not at night.

Pau;

Had the 700 system on for a while tonight, and NOTHING was there. Between midnight and 1am. Several hot calls on the 800 system.

 

[Elpablo]

Question for the thread... When listening to the 800 MHz system, I am hearing (mainly) police units with what sounds like two different types of modulations. One is the standard, analog sounding transmission that I am use to. The other or new modulation seams more digital and condensed and harder to decipher. Is what I am hearing now, radios operationing on the 700 MHz systems being simulcast or repeated on to the 800 MHz system? And will this continue to increase as more units move over to the 700 MHz system? Thanks in advance. ~EP

 

[Anderegg]

You are correct, the muffled digitized sounding units on 800MHz are transmitting into the system on the 700MHz side. The analog 800MHz units sound just as bad when they come across the 700MHz side. The lower their voice level into the system, the harder it is to understand them. The 800MHz system has a bit of audio mic boost that the 700MHz system doesn't, so officers will have to eventually get used to not being able to say "97" or other voice traffic from 3 feet away while pressing the car PTT on the dash!

Also, another instance of 700MHz only traffic overnight on Mid City Dispatch 2...nothing coming across on the 800MHz side.

Paul

 

[Elpablo]

Thanks Paul!

Does anyone know the actual plan and timeline to phase out the 800 Mhz system as they seem to have ramped up the phasing in the 700 Mhz system as of the middle of this year. I do appreciate all the contributions on these forms.

 

[Anderegg]

SDPD is supposed to be fully reprogrammed by September 26, but as far as I know, SDFD hasn't even begun to reprogram their radios. With the poor audio between the systems, it is unsettling what firefighters on a working incident will have to deal with during thre transition, audio quality/intelligibility wise.

Paul

 

[K6CDO]

SDPD is supposed to be fully reprogrammed by September 26, but as far as I know, SDFD hasn't even begun to reprogram their radios. With the poor audio between the systems, it is unsettling what firefighters on a working incident will have to deal with during thre transition, audio quality/intelligibility wise.

Paul

My understanding is that SDFD is programmed, and is waiting for the RCS fire agencies to complete the transition to P25 before switching over en mass.

 

[Anderegg]

SDFD must be going the "switch zones" method instead of the SDPD reprogram and keep a spare backup 800 zone route.

Paul

 

[SDBud]

LOTS more traffic the past few days on the 700 system, but ONLY in the daytime. Nights are still quiet as a mouse. Did pin down more than a dozen new talkgroups, with others pending IDs. (hint, take the PD D1s, and change last digit to a 5 for D2s)..

 

[Anderegg]

You must be programmed incorrectly if you are not hearing 700MHz traffic at night. All D1's, all D2's, and probably the tacs when they use them, are active all night on the 700MHz system. I have noticed that this week that many divisions that were mostly 100% transitioned over to the 700 system (Eastern and Northern mainly), are back on the 800 (most units)...I have a feeling the officers themselves switched to their old "zone 40" 800 channels because they don't like how the 700 systems sounds or the range?

SDFD is still 100% 800MHz, with just 7C-7I (and medcom) being patched at night. For some reason, 7A/7B only comes across in the day.

Paul

 

[SDBud]

Right, I heard plenty in the daytime, and nothing at night, so it MUST be me.

I am in search mode, and hear anything that's there, day or night.

 

[Anderegg]

Sorry, you are programmed fine, it's your scanners that are misprogrammed

Seriously though, I monitor them on 700 all night.

Paul