Standardized Alpha Tags for Salt Lake Area UCAN (P25)

[KD7DDC]

Standardizing Alpha Tags for the New UCAN (P25) System​

As we continue to identify talkgroups (TGs) for the new UCAN (P25) system, it’s clear that Alpha Tags are becoming inconsistent. To address this, we need a standardized format to ensure clarity, consistency, and ease of use for all new submissions.

Current Issues with Inconsistent Alpha Tags​

One major issue with the current Alpha Tags is the inconsistent use of "SL", which creates confusion about whether it refers to Salt Lake City (SLC) or Salt Lake County (SLCo). Additionally, variations like "Salt Lk" are vastly different from "SLC" and add to the ambiguity. This lack of clarity can mislead users, especially when it comes to regional agencies such as Unified Police Department (UPD) and Unified Fire Authority (UFA), which do not operate within Salt Lake City proper.

Examples of Inconsistent Alpha Tags for UPD​

1. "UPDSLC West":
   • Issue: Including "SLC" misrepresents UPD’s jurisdiction, as this talkgroup serves areas like Magna and Kearns in Salt Lake County, not Salt Lake City proper.
   • Corrected: "UPD West Disp" to reflect Unified Police Dispatch for the western part of Salt Lake County.
2. "UPDSLC East":
   • Issue: "SLC" in this tag suggests a connection to Salt Lake City, but it actually covers areas like Holladay, Millcreek, and White City.
   • Corrected: "UPD East Disp" to clearly indicate Unified Police Dispatch for eastern Salt Lake County.

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Examples of Inconsistent Alpha Tags for UFA​

1. "SL UFA Car 2":
   • Issue: Prefixing "SL" implies that Unified Fire Authority operates in Salt Lake City, which has its own fire department. UFA serves unincorporated areas and other cities in Salt Lake County.
   • Corrected: "UFA Car 2" to reflect the countywide scope of Unified Fire operations.
2. "SL UFA EOD" (Explosive Ordnance Disposal):
   • Issue: The "SL" prefix incorrectly ties UFA’s specialized teams to Salt Lake City.
   • Corrected: "UFA EOD" to accurately represent Unified Fire Authority’s countywide explosive ordnance disposal operations.
3. "SL UFA TRN 1" (Training Channel 1):
   • Issue: The prefix "SL" falsely associates UFA training with Salt Lake City.
   • Corrected: "UFA TRN 1" to reflect UFA’s broader training activities across the county.
4. "SL UFA Ops 1":
   • Issue: "SL" suggests city-specific operations, while UFA operations span across the county.
   • Corrected: "UFA Ops 1" for Unified Fire Authority Operations Channel 1.

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1. Consistent Prefixing​

Alpha Tags should begin with standardized prefixes to identify agencies and departments. These prefixes ensure quick recognition and maintain a logical structure.

Agency Prefixes​

• SLC: Salt Lake City
• SLCo: Salt Lake County
• UPD: Unified Police Department
• Sandy: Sandy City Departments
• WJ: West Jordan
• WV: West Valley
• SSL: South Salt Lake
• UofU: University of Utah
• Granite: Granite School District
• VECC: Valley Emergency Communications Center
• Bluffdale: Bluffdale City Departments

Function Suffixes​

Add a suffix to specify the role or function of the talkgroup:

• PD: Police Department
• FD: Fire Department
• Tac: Tactical
• Disp: Dispatch
• Pg: Paging
• Ops: Operations
• SAR: Search and Rescue
• EOC: Emergency Operations Center
• HLT: Health Department
• SCH: School District Operations

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2. Examples​

The following examples show how to convert inconsistent or lengthy Alpha Tags into a standardized format:

Before:​

1. "Salt Lake City Police 1 (Pioneer)"
2. "Salt Lake City Fire 3 Paging"
3. "Unified Police West (Oquirrh): Magna, Kearns"
4. "South Valley Police South: Jordan, Riverton, Herriman"

After:​

1. SLC PD 1 Disp: Salt Lake City Police Pioneer
2. SLC FD 3 Pg: Salt Lake City Fire 3 Paging
3. UPD West Disp: Unified Police Dispatch West (Oquirrh Area)
4. South Valley PD Disp: South Valley Police Dispatch: Jordan, Riverton, Herriman

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3. Key Advantages​

• Clarity: TG names are concise and informative.
• Consistency: Uniform formatting eliminates confusion.
• Scalability: The structure can accommodate future additions without complexity.

Let’s apply these guidelines to ensure the UCAN (P25) system remains well-organized and user-friendly. Suggestions for further refinements are welcome!

 

[theaton]

Thanks for posting these suggestions! I do most of the Utah RR edits and could use the help. People submit stuff in all different formats. I'll wait for further comments then try to implement these ideas. Some other questions:

Is the old UCA system still in use anywhere? Is it time to deprecate it? Once we do, I'm thinking of dropping "P25" from the new system name.

Someone submitted TG 4515 - 8TAC94. Any clue what that could be? I posted some other SLCo TGs that I couldn't decipher and could use some help.

 

[KD7DDC]

Thanks, @theaton You’re doing an excellent job keeping up with all these changes. I’ll work on submitting some correction updates over the next few days, and I’m definitely eager to hear input from others on which tags make the most sense.

As for the old system, I’m not entirely sure about its current state, but I believe it’s mostly obsolete now. Maybe we should keep it running for at least a few more weeks, just in case. Regarding the system name, I think keeping "(P25)" is a good idea. It makes it clear that it’s a P25 system, which is helpful for people researching what scanners to purchase.

And honestly, I’m with you—I have no idea what "8TAC94" refers to.

Keep up the amazing work!

 

[hazrat8990]

I already tried to make a suggestion about DB entries and it didn't go so well. In fact, I was pretty much attacked by everyone that responded to my suggestion of limiting the number of characters to the same as the system itself uses.

Attention Admins and Folks Submitting TG's for New UCA System

I really appreciate everyone who is submitting data in order to keep the DB updated! That said, I really hate to be a pain, but please try to keep the short alpha tags limited to 14 characters for future submissions. While everything show up great on a scanner display, the same can't be said for...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[hazrat8990]

Thanks for posting these suggestions! I do most of the Utah RR edits and could use the help. People submit stuff in all different formats. I'll wait for further comments then try to implement these ideas. Some other questions:

Is the old UCA system still in use anywhere? Is it time to deprecate it? Once we do, I'm thinking of dropping "P25" from the new system name.

Someone submitted TG 4515 - 8TAC94. Any clue what that could be? I posted some other SLCo TGs that I couldn't decipher and could use some help.

8TAC94 is one of the national interop channels that are already in the system.

 

[enosjones]

Thanks for posting these suggestions! I do most of the Utah RR edits and could use the help. People submit stuff in all different formats. I'll wait for further comments then try to implement these ideas. Some other questions:

Is the old UCA system still in use anywhere? Is it time to deprecate it? Once we do, I'm thinking of dropping "P25" from the new system name.

Someone submitted TG 4515 - 8TAC94. Any clue what that could be? I posted some other SLCo TGs that I couldn't decipher and could use some help.

national guard on TG 27456 is still using it , they are the only active entity I've heard on it down here...

 

[enosjones]

I've also noticed some of the Talkgroups that were in use on the 800 system, I haven't heard on the 700 system. I'm not sure if they've switched over or just unusually quiet..

 

[bhall7]

Thanks for posting these suggestions! I do most of the Utah RR edits and could use the help. People submit stuff in all different formats. I'll wait for further comments then try to implement these ideas. Some other questions:

Is the old UCA system still in use anywhere? Is it time to deprecate it? Once we do, I'm thinking of dropping "P25" from the new system name.

Someone submitted TG 4515 - 8TAC94. Any clue what that could be? I posted some other SLCo TGs that I couldn't decipher and could use some help.

The old UCA system (on the UT Co Simulcast) is still in use primarily by TG 6560 (Adult Probation and Parole) and a dwindling collection of random groups. I also propose that we do not yet deprecate the old UCA system nor drop the P25 from the new UCA system name in the label.

 

[enosjones]

the P25 needs to stay on the UCA system, especially if not everyone is on the 700 p25 system. if there are users on the 800 system we need to keep things as they are. I thought all entities were moving over. but maybe not...

 

[kf7yn]

Thanks for posting these suggestions! I do most of the Utah RR edits and could use the help. People submit stuff in all different formats. I'll wait for further comments then try to implement these ideas. Some other questions:

Is the old UCA system still in use anywhere? Is it time to deprecate it? Once we do, I'm thinking of dropping "P25" from the new system name.

Someone submitted TG 4515 - 8TAC94. Any clue what that could be? I posted some other SLCo TGs that I couldn't decipher and could use some help.

I have not heard anything on the old UCA system for a few weeks but I don't monitor it constantly.

BTW, TG 2888 is VECC PD Service Request, not Taylorsville PD Ch 2.

Thanks

 

[ecps92]

Someone submitted TG 4515 - 8TAC94. Any clue what that could be? I posted some other SLCo TGs that I couldn't decipher and could use some help.

Only being a tourist, but maybe a Patch from the TRS to the 8TAC94 Interop Repeater(s)

 

[N7OLQ]

AP&P (6560) is still very active on 800 UCA right now, at least on UC Simo.

 

[enosjones]

AP&P (6560) is still very active on 800 UCA right now, at least on UC Simo.

thats one I haven't heard much on 700, like I did on 800. so far I've just heard Utah National Guard on 800, 27456 but neither one of those on 700..

 

[N7YUO]

Quote "8TAC94 Any clue what that could be?"
I will repost something from hazrat8990. (Hope this isn't a violation)
The link in the system notes explains everything you need to know.
Utah Communications Authority (P25) Trunking System, Statewide, Multi-State

Scroll to page 18 here: https://www.uca911.org/file/5161dc71-4757-4af1-b358-95515703b01a

My input:
Even though UCA is now on 700 MHz, they still have the 800 MHz State Rp & State TA channels.
They also have some nationwide 800 interop channels (8TACXX) and 700 interop channels (7TACXX)
I created an Interop Favorites List in my SDS100. It has all the UCA interop channels, + 7TAC, & 8TAC.

 

[theaton]

Do you think 8TACXX is a conventional channel, possibly P25 with an associated TG, or is it a TG on the new system with a link to a conventional channel? I'm still confused how to list it. I thought we had all the Interop TGs figured out, but 4515 isn't listed.

 

[N7YUO]

Standardized Alpha Tags
If the Alpha tags are too ambiguous, I edit mine so that I only have to glance at one line to see the info I need.
Example: UHP Davis Co. Mine reads UHP DAVIS C2C.

At least in Utah we are trying to limit the text.
When I program other states, there is way too much excess text.
Example:
When I program Bannock County Idaho (Lava Hot Springs) My SDS100 looks like this:
System:
Idaho Cooperative Agencies Wireless Interoperable Network (ICAWI
Department:
State Police
Channel:
District 3 Primary

I Would edit this (channel) to read
ISP DIST 3 PRI

 

[N7YUO]

To the best of my knowledge, all of the Nationwide Tac channels are Conventional.

National Interoperability (United States) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for National Interoperability (United States)

www.radioreference.com