Silicon Valley Regional Communications System (SVRCS)

[rachelbythebay]

This morning, there was a bunch of public works type traffic. I haven't gone back to fully inspect it and figure out just which city was involved and what they were doing, but it's beginning!

 

[Stealthguy05]

Was hearing that PW traffic too on TGID 3757. Sounded like water department type coms. Sunnyvale fire has been testing their old channel 4 alongside the new system too.

 

[rachelbythebay]

Yep, that's it. 3757 is active right now, in fact, and I've decided to call it Sunnyvale Public Works since all of the locations they've been discussing seem to apply out there. Wolfe at Homestead, Baylands, etc.

How does their old channel 4 tie into all of this?

 

[ScannerDude244]

That's really weird that Public Works is on the system first or they simulcasting?

 

[whisper16]

If Public Works is on the new system first, I actually think that was a great idea. What better way to give a new system real world testing without risking the life or limb of a Police Officer or Firefighter. Not that I'm discounting the work of the guys in Public Works, but if the system has bugs that need to be worked out, I think it's better to have a broken transmission about a sewer line than shots fired!

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Stealthguy05]

Channel 4 is Fire Tac. The old Sunnyvale public works channel (which is still programmed into the MTS2000's and Astro Specra's) Hasn't been used since Narrowbanding. The new PW channel isn't simulcast at all and is the only channel being used at this time for PW.

 

[Stealthguy05]

Rachel, do you mind posting all the TGIDs with observed uses for us with TDMA Scanners to compare with? Thanks

 

[rachelbythebay]

Sure thing. Here's the entire list, with my best guesses from listening to the calls. The past couple of days have been pretty enlightening in terms of figuring out some of the newer channels.

| 1 | NULL | 184 |
| 2 | NULL | 70 |
| 3 | NULL | 7 |
| 4 | NULL | 39 |
| 5 | NULL | 18 |
| 10 | NULL | 17 |
| 1651 | Santa Clara PD 1 | 142 |
| 1652 | Santa Clara PD 2 | 3 |
| 1653 | Santa Clara PD 3 | 118 |
| 1655 | NULL | 2 |
| 1751 | Sunnyvale DPS PD 1 | 1866 |
| 1752 | NULL | 6 |
| 1753 | NULL | 6 |
| 1755 | NULL | 2 |
| 1756 | NULL | 1 |
| 1758 | NULL | 1 |
| 1759 | NULL | 2 |
| 1801 | NULL | 7 |
| 2551 | Santa Clara FD 1? | 1 |
| 2552 | Santa Clara FD 2? | 3 |
| 2651 | Sunnyvale DPS Fire 1? | 105 |
| 2653 | Sunnyvale DPS Fire 3? | 1 |
| 3751 | Sunnyvale Public Works - Roads? | 90 |
| 3752 | NULL | 8 |
| 3753 | NULL | 1 |
| 3755 | NULL | 5 |
| 3757 | Sunnyvale Public Works - Water? | 214 |
| 3758 | NULL | 3 |
| 3761 | NULL | 2 |
| 3762 | Sunnyvale WPCP 1 - Station 1 | 228 |
| 3763 | Sunnyvale WPCP 2 - Ops | 10 |
| 3764 | Sunnyvale WPCP 3 - Maintenance | 11 |
| 35700 | NULL | 2 |
| 35721 | NULL | 1 |
| 35728 | San Jose testing? | 483 |
| 65534 | MSI (Motorola) testing | 563 |

 

[vince48]

I'm monitoring the system today and i see Sunnyvale PD and FD active, but I do not hear any voices. I'm using PSR800 and Unitrunker with other configured radios and both have no voices when the talkgroup is transmitting.
According to Unitrunker the transmission type is 4 (non-encrypt). Anyone get voices transmissions today?

vince48

 

[Stealthguy05]

Copy that. Will do, thank you.

 

[Stealthguy05]

So Sunnyvale Public works is 100% transitioned. Public Safety seems to be using the channels as tac channels for now. No daily coms just yet.

 

[ptburton11]

Is this P-25 phase 1 or 2?

 

[Stealthguy05]

From what I know, this system is all TDMA Phase 2 with the exception of mutual aid talk groups that have Dual Dynamic Mode

 

[Stealthguy05]

Bad news. The Big E has arrived... I'm hearing encryption in some talk groups. Mainly San Jose

 

[Stealthguy05]

Further on the E. Sounds like the Motorola MSI channel, some San Jose channels and a Sunnyvale PD Tac channel so far. All dispatch has been in the clear.

 

[mkewman]

Further on the E. Sounds like the Motorola MSI channel, some San Jose channels and a Sunnyvale PD Tac channel so far. All dispatch has been in the clear.

this is normal. The batwing uses encryption when setting up systems for their own use. The reasons (as far as I can see) are two fold:
First: They're demoing this system. Showing agencies and the powers that be, the capabilities and features of a system. So you're going to see all sorts of crap going on, you'll see encryption, data traffic, emergency triggers, patching, interconnect, i-call, the lot.

Second: Imagine the rumors that would get started if they're *just testing* and setting up a system, and a technician says something over the air like like "hey Larry, xxx isn't working, it looks like we're having connectivity issues" and it gets taken out of context when some scanner geek like me says something on a message board, or someone at an agency hears it? Suddenly "brand new multi million dollar radio system isn't working" type-rumors get started, unions get pissed off, supervisors and board members get involved and it becomes a HUGE mess.

All when in reality, someone didn't plug a network switch in or mis-configured a port, it's a simple mistake and it's fixed in 5 minutes. It doesn't mean that every radio on the system will be equipped with Encryption, it doesn't mean that entire agencies will be encrypted, it doesn't mean ANYTHING other than Motorola was using it.

Now I don't know if this is the official reason for the use of encryption by MSI when they're setting up a system, but I do know that it's Standard Procedure during setup and testing.

Now, for Phase II stuff: Until EVERY radio and EVERY console on a talkgroup is Phase II compliant, the talkgroup will remain Phase I. This means that until each agency replaces their Gold Elite consoles with the new Phase II consoles, you will be able to monitor them with older Phase I scanners. Phase II isn't system-wide. It's per talkgroup. My understanding from talking with Motorola Solutions folks is that If a talkgroup has all Phase II radios logged on and is set to allow Phase II, then it will be Phase II, but then if someone turns their Non Phase II radio on, and switches to that talkgroup, it will be Phase I until that radio gets off the talkgroup.

TL;DR: Just because Encryption is seen on a system during initial phases of development, doesn't mean it will be widespread or in use at all.

 

[Stealthguy05]

Fair enough. Thank you! This system is ground up Phase II and I have yet to hear any FDMA on talkgroups other than mutual-aid groups. From what I have read on SVRIA.org is that there have been some microwave radio issues that are currently being resolved before "mission critical" traffic is transitioned.

 

[Stealthguy05]

First official event took place yesterday at Levi's stadium. We were using "SBLaw1" on portable radios. Let me just say that this system works wonderful. I have a list of new talkgroups to add to the DB that I will submit soon. Traffic can be listened to at Super Trunking Scanner: SVRCS [testing mode]

 

[vince48]

Stealthguy05
was the transmission phase 1 or phase 2?

 

[rachelbythebay]

I think it was all phase 2. I have yet to see a non-TDMA voice grant on there from my control channel debugging stuff, but it's also possible I missed ordinary calls.

Note: the above audio comes off my PSR-800 and it started getting really bad around the 4-5 PM mark. The audio quality gets terrible, presumably from "multipath issues".

It's not to the point of being all done in software (SDR). Yet.