SLATER tones

[bdzig]

Nope

 

[scanman1958]

Not with their current system. With the old VHF dispatch frequencies they had specific tone out tones for each individual truck. But I believe the Uniden tone out program can only listen to one tone out set up at a time. Hazelwood has two houses and probably 5 or so units so you would only be able to set up one tone out per scanner.

 

[rjvalenta]

Not with their current system. With the old VHF dispatch frequencies they had specific tone out tones for each individual truck. But I believe the Uniden tone out program can only listen to one tone out set up at a time. Hazelwood has two houses and probably 5 or so units so you would only be able to set up one tone out per scanner.

now you have me wondering if this is possible with newer Uniden scanners like Home Patrol or SDS200... the VHF tone outs can still be heard (no idea for how long), but do you think it's possible to do this with the newer scanners?

and if so... anyone have a tone list?

 

[llzel]

All that the tones indicate is the type of call. In reality, Samantha (the computer voice over the dispatch talkgroups) is a backup to the 4-5 other ways that the depts get called out now so there is no need for depts to listen to it regularly.

Curious as to what the first 3 or 4 ways are

 

[scanman1958]

Probably talking about paging, computer dispatch directly to the firehouse, special phone dispatching etc. Just a thought.

 

[rjvalenta]

i'm just sitting here listening to all the calls on South Dispatch, which covers from Monarch to Mehlville... and i'm thinking to myself that if a bunch of guys from Des Peres run next door to the Schnucks with their APX radios, there's no way to keep those radios quiet for all the calls coming in until their truck is needed? used to be done with QCII tones... now... i mean, something is being done like that, i'd just like to know what it is... what would keep their radios quiet and maybe set off an alert on the radios for their house/unit, etc? gotta be more than just paging to the house, there's no way those super complex $5000 walkie talkies can't handle some sort of unit paging, they might use in case a truck is at a school doing something with the kids and they need to light them up and tell them to get somewhere, right?

 

[kruser]

i'm just sitting here listening to all the calls on South Dispatch, which covers from Monarch to Mehlville... and i'm thinking to myself that if a bunch of guys from Des Peres run next door to the Schnucks with their APX radios, there's no way to keep those radios quiet for all the calls coming in until their truck is needed? used to be done with QCII tones... now... i mean, something is being done like that, i'd just like to know what it is... what would keep their radios quiet and maybe set off an alert on the radios for their house/unit, etc? gotta be more than just paging to the house, there's no way those super complex $5000 walkie talkies can't handle some sort of unit paging, they might use in case a truck is at a school doing something with the kids and they need to light them up and tell them to get somewhere, right?

I'd think they may be using data over Slater to alert each fire districts radios. That's just a guess of course. I'd suspect the calls also appear on MDT like terminals in the trucks also.

You mentioned earlier they are still using the tones on VHF. I've not heard the tones on VHF in ages. After I saw your post earlier today, I monitored all of the CCE911 VHF dispatch channels and the main South (2 freqs) and North, ECDC etc didn't transmit a peep today. The Dispatch Freq of 155.430 from Franklin Cnty blasts right over CCE911 North's old VHF Disp channel on 154.325 on many scanners when you monitor 154.325 around here as well as way into the city of St Louis. Franklin Counties Disp channel is powerful and overloads many scanner type radios.
I also heard the old VHF tone-out system can be used as a backup but I'm not certain new firehouses even have the old VHF radio and tone alerting unit needed for tone outs.
They are starting to staff Monarch's newly rebuilt House 3 and I was told it has none of the old VHF radios for station alerting in the new firehouse. I can't vouch for the validity of that info however but I do know the new firehouse no longer has a VHF antenna on its new roof so it's possibly true.

 

[llzel]

Probably talking about paging, computer dispatch directly to the firehouse, special phone dispatching etc. Just a thought.

the deputy chiefs (and I presume the fire chief) in the city of St Louis use the Motorola Wave app on their phone. Pretty slick, they can monitor and talk on all their channels from their iphone. It also has a list of calls they review. Perhaps the same system is utilized at the county fire districts?

 

[llzel]

i'm just sitting here listening to all the calls on South Dispatch, which covers from Monarch to Mehlville... and i'm thinking to myself that if a bunch of guys from Des Peres run next door to the Schnucks with their APX radios, there's no way to keep those radios quiet for all the calls coming in until their truck is needed? used to be done with QCII tones... now... i mean, something is being done like that, i'd just like to know what it is... what would keep their radios quiet and maybe set off an alert on the radios for their house/unit, etc? gotta be more than just paging to the house, there's no way those super complex $5000 walkie talkies can't handle some sort of unit paging, they might use in case a truck is at a school doing something with the kids and they need to light them up and tell them to get somewhere, right?

I would think you could individually alert unit ID's with the APX radios. Don't know I'm just guessing. But lets say, Monarch house 2 C shift on 2224 has unit ID's 212356xx1-212356xx4...could they not just alert those radios for a 2224 call? maybe add 2202 or 2200 radio ID's as well??
I'm on your line of thinking that the Des Peres crew aren't listening through every call waiting to hear 2814

 

[scanman1958]

I think it boils down to the CAD system. Inside the firehouses it's quiet until the computer is activated by the call taker in the 911 center. The computer does most of the work. The units out on the road must be completely different.

 

[nick1427d]

i'm just sitting here listening to all the calls on South Dispatch, which covers from Monarch to Mehlville... and i'm thinking to myself that if a bunch of guys from Des Peres run next door to the Schnucks with their APX radios, there's no way to keep those radios quiet for all the calls coming in until their truck is needed? used to be done with QCII tones... now... i mean, something is being done like that, i'd just like to know what it is... what would keep their radios quiet and maybe set off an alert on the radios for their house/unit, etc? gotta be more than just paging to the house, there's no way those super complex $5000 walkie talkies can't handle some sort of unit paging, they might use in case a truck is at a school doing something with the kids and they need to light them up and tell them to get somewhere, right?

We have been carrying APX radios for over a decade and never had tone decode on the radios for alerting, we used to carry pagers, then we got active911. The radios can take paging decode but that is actually very inefficient and unreliable to be honest. We take a radio everywhere and are forced to listen but it's good to know who is going out and what's going on anyway.

 

[nick1427d]

I would think you could individually alert unit ID's with the APX radios. Don't know I'm just guessing. But lets say, Monarch house 2 C shift on 2224 has unit ID's 212356xx1-212356xx4...could they not just alert those radios for a 2224 call? maybe add 2202 or 2200 radio ID's as well??
I'm on your line of thinking that the Des Peres crew aren't listening through every call waiting to hear 2814

Not efficient, makes the dispatcher have to select the groups or individuals. CAD + G2 makes it all automatic and accurate. It's better for the responders and the dispatchers. Pay attention to how quickly the system dispatches additional units when they go available and are dragged on the call.

 

[llzel]

We have been carrying APX radios for over a decade and never had tone decode on the radios for alerting, we used to carry pagers, then we got active911. The radios can take paging decode but that is actually very inefficient and unreliable to be honest. We take a radio everywhere and are forced to listen but it's good to know who is going out and what's going on anyway.

well there you, thanks for the real world answer

 

[nick1427d]

This is an odd note, I think. I was driving past the old South County fire alarm building behind Mehlville seven house and noticed all the antennas (except for cellular) on the tower have been removed. I know CCE911/SLATER does VHF back up tone testing on occasion, so what locations do they use for the VHF signal?

I apologize if the antennas have been gone for a while. I usually take note of the tower since I frequent the medical buildings off Butler Hill and usually view the antennas.

tower locations per FCC for KAF919

ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - KAF919 - CENTRAL COUNTY EMERGENCY 911 - Locations Summary