Spotsylvania Pro Voice Upgrade

[KT4HX]

As reported previously by myself and others, Spotsy County appears ready to upgrade to Pro Voice in FY05, per the following from County's approved FY04 buget:

"Pro Voice Radio Upgrade
This project purchases an encryption program upgrade for the County's radios. The software upgrade is for 260 Sheriff Department mobile and portable radios, 10 Fire Department radios, and two General Services radios. The need for functional digital encryption capability is necessary to ensure staff safety and security when operating over radio frequencies. Estimated costs for this upgrade are $95,000 in FY 05 with no ongoing operating costs."

 

[fireradio]

Great...

 

[Chris54]

Ok, but......?

Yes, the budget documents are public information. They suggest an emphasis of Provoice on Sheriff Department radios, a fraction of the Fire Department radios, and almost nothing on County Admin radios. This suggests to me that they will be using a mixed mode of both Provoice and open analog communications. Do I know for sure? Of course not, but look at the upgrade proposed distribution and form your own conclusions.

 

[dynamitedjs]

GEEEzzzzz, I hope Hanover doesn't do this..........

 

[KT4HX]

Yeah, I thought the distribution of the radio upgrades were awfully lopsided myself. The admin stuff I don't lisent to anyway. It looks as if some of the FD/EMS stuff will remain conventional EDACS. Time will only tell how they employee this scenario. I guess I and others will be stuck with Stafford and Fredericksburg to listen to eventually, as far as police activity. Unless I go looking for a ProVoice radio. Life is all about changes - even though you don't have to like all of them!

As for Hanover, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they don't look at changes somewhere along the line. Based on what I see of their system, they have a lot more going on down there than we do. Just depends if someone gets a bug about the safety of officers thing.

 

[jimf]

Hanover

A search of the Hanover County website reveals a presentation before the board by a representative of each public safety agency and other users of the current EDACS system. All of the alternatives are discussed and the recommendation is to switch to an "APCO 25 compliant system" to ensure compatibility with the major localities around Richmond. Search and read the minutes of the board of supervisors meeting on 3/17/04 for the details. They also had an RFP pending to contract an engineering company to study this and make recommendations and cost projections. I cannot find this at the moment, but I believe the contract was to be awarded in August. At any rate, one comment made was that installing a new system would take 5-6 years from singing the contract until the system was ready to use. Jim.

 

[dynamitedjs]

They (Hanover) had to take a tower down yesterday for about 20 minutes to repair something buy whatever they fixed it didn't work according to the pd.

 

[dynamitedjs]

Can EDACS be switched to an APCO25 system w/ the same freqs?

 

[dynamitedjs]

I did see on thier fiscal 2005 adopted budget they are getting some communications upgrade equipment and new portables......

 

[jimf]

Hanover

They also have license for 5 additional 800 mhz frequencies that they are not now using on a tower behind MRMC Hospital. I think once they see the price tag for a complete switch to APCO25, some additional discussion of alternative solutions will happen. Jim.

 

[dynamitedjs]

I'll be glad when they do go APCO25. Atleast I will be able to hear them more clearly. I knew when Hanover was the first to jump to this 800mghz. thing it was going to be a problem. At least their old 155.430 was good all except for the other units in the east couldn't hear the units in central or west and the dispatcher had to relay all messages. They should have kept that and put a relay on it like the state. Then later went to APCO w/ Henrico/Ches/Rich..... oh well ...live & learn....but at the cost of taxpayers money. They don't care!!

 

[Chris54]

The concept...

The APCO 25 concept is not really a bad one. Getting neighboring jurisdictions onto the same sheet of music regarding emergency communications makes good sense. Lets face it.

Motorola is not run by TYCO, whereas the fate of EDACS seems to be with whoever happens to buy the Ericsson rights. TYCO now, but who in 5 years from now? It kind of reminds me of Mocrosoft versus Apple. Apple is functional, has some good attributes, but is not the leading force in applications.

 

[Scanning-Virginia]

Hi Guys,

I'm new here but have been a longtime scanning Enthusiast & a dispatcher for the incidentpage.net IPN Network. I take it this upgrade is a digital one. I'm currently running a Radio Shack Digital Pro 96 and just inputted almost 400 Freqs from around the Northern Virginia Area.

Take Care,

Jason Breakiron
Fredericksburg, Va

 

[KT4HX]

I'm new here but have been a longtime scanning Enthusiast & a dispatcher for the incidentpage.net IPN Network. I take it this upgrade is a digital one. I'm currently running a Radio Shack Digital Pro 96 and just inputted almost 400 Freqs from around the Northern Virginia Area.

Hi Jason, welcome aboard. Anyway, from what I can read it is purely a digital upgrade. Unfortunately, being that its ProVoice digital, we will not be able to monitor any transmissions using that protocol. It is a proprietary format, and the developer does not plan to release the coding for use by scanner manufacturers. However, also in the wording is that they plan to apply the upgrade to 260 mobiles/handhelds for the Sheriff's Dept, but only 10 radios for the Fire Dept and only 2 radios for General Services. Therefore, it appears that the majority of Fire/EMS traffic will remain as analog EDACS, and of course the normal county services (which I don't listen to anyway). Anyway, its a shame, but not much can be done about it. At least we still have Fredericksburg and Stafford, though I admit that I spent most of my time listening to Spotsy Sheriff traffic. I too have a Pro-96, a BC-796D and BC-780. Since I commute north (as you may as well), at least I can listen to the digital systems up there! Take care....Alan

 

[dynamitedjs]

KT4HX, as mentioned in another thread I saw somewhere, when the Spotsy sherrifs dept. calls you for a donation just say "Take off the ProVoice and I'll be glad to donate"......

 

[dynamitedjs]

Jimf, do you think they will run and hide from seeing the price tag or want to do more because it is cheap???

 

[Chris54]

Just a comment

I also listen to Spotsylvania, and using a Pro-96 feel that their EDACS system sure sounds clearer (analog), and really spins well depending on how you set the scanner up. Somewhere on the site, someone mentioned how modes like ProVoice are for special or even limited operations, when you do need over-the -air confidentiality. In all fairness, vetran listeners know that probably some transmissions should not be in the clear. But on the flipside, many jurisdictions know that they are being monitored and reap some benefits from it. People actually do assist law enforcement and other emergency services. 25 years ago, using a crystal Motorola HT-100, I was monitoring the police in my home town. I got the description of the suspect car in a robbery, and reported my sighting to the PD. Two robbers got 25 years and I got a thank you.

Remember the transition from conventional frequencies to analog trunking? We felt that was the end of the hobby. Not true. Then things went digital. Again, we are still listening. It has been suggested, and I do believe that we will eventually see a scanner that will take us through ProVoice, and perhaps into the 700 Mhz band that is being looked at. MA/COM will make money first selling the municipalites all the promises of secured and private systems, as Motorla has also done. But the upshot is a time will come when they want to cash in their technology to the scanner manufacturers. It has always been about money and time. Is this being two-faced? You bet, but they are out to make money, and TYCO impresses me as a greedy company.

Some MA/COM radios now have APCO 25 capabilities, at least in the conventional area. This tell me that they are recognizing the trend that they are not part of. APCO 25 leads in the point spread, and that suggests to me a favoring to Motorola over TYCO when it comes to stepping forward into the future of emergency communications.

This is only an opinion, but I think the trends are real.

 

[popnokick]

159.79?

Since a lot of Spotsy readers are in this thread...

Spotsylvania SD uses 158.79 regularly. I can hear it even though I am about 80 miles southwest of Fredericksburg. Unfortunately, they are on the same freq as the Wintergreen PD, which is a mountaintop transmitter. Different PL helps, but what I'm wondering is if you folks in Fredericksburg also hear Wintergreen PD whenever you have PL/CSQ off?

And any ideas if Spotsy will continue to use 158.79 after the upgrades?

 

[dtscho]

Do you mean Caroline County Sheriff uses 158.7900 [186.2]? That's who I always hear on it. And no, I never hear Wintergreen PD.

Dave

 

[Scanning-Virginia]

Re: 159.79?

Since a lot of Spotsy readers are in this thread...

Spotsylvania SD uses 158.79 regularly. I can hear it even though I am about 80 miles southwest of Fredericksburg. Unfortunately, they are on the same freq as the Wintergreen PD, which is a mountaintop transmitter. Different PL helps, but what I'm wondering is if you folks in Fredericksburg also hear Wintergreen PD whenever you have PL/CSQ off?

And any ideas if Spotsy will continue to use 158.79 after the upgrades?

80 Miles?? Wow you sure do well then! Of Course I'm still very surprised that my Ducky Antenna on the Pro-96 can pick up Williamsburg FD from Fredericksburg, not to Mention Christensburg & so much more. Funny thing is I must be missing all the spots traffic I need to get the correct Freq Listings I guess.....Looks like Police call isin't as good as I always thought.

I really hope we can somehow keep the Pro-Voice off but that is another story I guess.

Thanks,

Jason Breakiron