SVRCS Question Thread

[ea1321]

No, Santa Cruz County won't be.
I've worked with the County guys for going on 20+ years now, and they've looked at it. Santa Cruz county would not offer itself well to 700MHz. They already have a crap-load of radio sites to get what they need on VHF, having to triple or quadruple that to achieve the same coverage is well beyond what the tax base can support. They did play around with some 800MHz stuff, but gave up on it.
As for the APX, some cities have moved to them. I do think Santa Cruz SO has some APX radios as they needed something to replace a few failing XTS radios that are long past their prime, however rumors are that the sheriff officers don't really like them. A few cities have been buying the APX to replace radios as needed. It's very likely they'll be replacing most hand held radios with Harris XL models in the future.
P25 on VHF is likely in the future, existing repeaters/receivers are mostly converted over to Tait, and new radios are all being purchased as P25.

700/Trunked county wide will not happen in my lifetime.

Great. That is what I like to hear!

 

[thebassman3939]

Hey there,
The whole county of Santa Clara is going to this "trunk scheme" unfortunately. SJFD is still working out the kinks in the hose. SJFD has switched over to an automated dispatch system. This where they tone out the station and the details, then the dispatcher will give more info when it comes in. So for a long convoluted answer. Yes. SJFD is making the switch. Their command channels 21, 22, and 23 are digital as well. The weird thing is they can still be picked up on both Analog and Digital. So I do not think they have fully made the switch as of yet.

Are they still using tac channels? I know other counties have the tac channel on the digital system as well so you can hear that chatter from almost anywhere. I was hoping SJFD was going to do the same things but I don’t know if they will. Any insite you can give?

 

[ea1321]

Are they still using tac channels? I know other counties have the tac channel on the digital system as well so you can hear that chatter from almost anywhere. I was hoping SJFD was going to do the same things but I don’t know if they will. Any insite you can give?

For SJFD and the county Fire Departments. Yes. They have assigned TAC channels that are on SVRCS. Do the ground units like it and think it is safe? I don't think so. I was monitoring a residential structure fire, and the units in the fire had to keep repeating themselves since there was way too much background noise. Eventually the CP and Communications made the switch back over the old analog command channel.

For the Law Enforcement Agencies. Yes, they have TAC Channels. Unfortunately most of them are encrypted.

 

[Stealthguy05]

On another note. Does anyone on this thread know if Santa Cruz County will be making the switch anytime soon? I noticed the S/O and I believe Capitola PD has deployed the Motorola APX portables. I have tried numerous threads, but no answer. Thanks!

Santa Cruz County was included in the radio ID numbering plan for the Bay Area wide trunking systems. Day-to-day operations will likely remain on VHF for eternity. I can see those agencies having 700 megahertz band enabled in the radio for interop when they come over the hill.

 

[mmckenna]

Santa Cruz County was included in the radio ID numbering plan for the Bay Area wide trunking systems. Day-to-day operations will likely remain on VHF for eternity.

Yep, too expensive to build out a 700MHz system, and not enough traffic to need trunking.
Many years back Motorola was intensely interested in one of my sites above Santa Cruz as a possibility to build out a trunked system as part of one of the bay area regional systems. My director wanted to buy an old SBA monopole at that site to be ready for it. After several meetings, I was able to stop him from moving forward with that. Motorola sales was salivating at picking up all that business, and when I explained to them I had zero interest in joining a regional system, they sort of backed off. Sales guys were very much out of touch with reality.

I can see those agencies having 700 megahertz band enabled in the radio for interop when they come over the hill.

Right now, everything is single band. Older radios are XTS (and failing fast). Some are using VHF APX-6000's (and don't like the audio on analog), currently they are considering the Harris XL-185 VHF radios. Maybe some will get XL-200's.
Not a lot of interoperability between the two counties.

 

[ea1321]

Santa Cruz County was included in the radio ID numbering plan for the Bay Area wide trunking systems. Day-to-day operations will likely remain on VHF for eternity. I can see those agencies having 700 megahertz band enabled in the radio for interop when they come over the hill.

That's exactly my thinking...

 

[ea1321]

For SJFD and the county Fire Departments. Yes. They have assigned TAC channels that are on SVRCS. Do the ground units like it and think it is safe? I don't think so. I was monitoring a residential structure fire, and the units in the fire had to keep repeating themselves since there was way too much background noise. Eventually the CP and Communications made the switch back over the old analog command channel.

For the Law Enforcement Agencies. Yes, they have TAC Channels. Unfortunately most of them are encrypted.

It looks like County EMS is making the switch as well. Just yesterday they were non-encrypted. However, I heard the techs hopping on and off the channel through out the day. It's just another agency we lose!

 

[KG7PBS]

Yep, too expensive to build out a 700MHz system, and not enough traffic to need trunking.
Many years back Motorola was intensely interested in one of my sites above Santa Cruz as a possibility to build out a trunked system as part of one of the bay area regional systems. My director wanted to buy an old SBA monopole at that site to be ready for it. After several meetings, I was able to stop him from moving forward with that. Motorola sales was salivating at picking up all that business, and when I explained to them I had zero interest in joining a regional system, they sort of backed off. Sales guys were very much out of touch with reality.



Right now, everything is single band. Older radios are XTS (and failing fast). Some are using VHF APX-6000's (and don't like the audio on analog), currently they are considering the Harris XL-185 VHF radios. Maybe some will get XL-200's.
Not a lot of interoperability between the two counties.

I think Santa Cruz Sheriff's and Police will be very happy with the Harris XL-200P. I have played with one in Reno and I really liked it. I am torn between the APX8000 and XL-200P both Great Radios in my opinion

 

[mmckenna]

I am torn between the APX8000 and XL-200P both Great Radios in my opinion

Big difference in the prices, especially when you consider it's taxpayer money we're spending. We're unable to justify the increased cost simply because of the brand name.

 

[KG7PBS]

Big difference in the prices, especially when you consider it's taxpayer money we're spending. We're unable to justify the increased cost simply because of the brand name.

Yes that is True the Harris is way Cheaper then the APX 8000

 

[thebassman3939]

It’s been a few months now, I was hopping that SJFD would have figured out the tac channels and put them on the new system. I have been listening to the old tac channels on a different Scanner the last few days and haven’t heard anything at all. Anyone know what tac channels they are using now?

 

[ea1321]

I haven't heard anything as of yet. When they switch over to Command 21, 22, or 23, I hear them loud and clear with no mention of a "tac" channel. Maybe that was for the old system, I have no clue. I do know that County Fire is having problems with switching to the new system. Some stations are getting toned out and some aren't, for the larger events. Lastly, the units can talk to each other and the dispatcher can't hear any traffic.

 

[thebassman3939]

I haven't heard anything as of yet. When they switch over to Command 21, 22, or 23, I hear them loud and clear with no mention of a "tac" channel. Maybe that was for the old system, I have no clue. I do know that County Fire is having problems with switching to the new system. Some stations are getting toned out and some aren't, for the larger events. Lastly, the units can talk to each other and the dispatcher can't hear any traffic.

 

[nokoa3116]

I haven't heard anything as of yet. When they switch over to Command 21, 22, or 23, I hear them loud and clear with no mention of a "tac" channel. Maybe that was for the old system, I have no clue. I do know that County Fire is having problems with switching to the new system. Some stations are getting toned out and some aren't, for the larger events. Lastly, the units can talk to each other and the dispatcher can't hear any traffic.

I believe SJFD still uses TAC 37 conventional for tactical communications at major incidents or incidents not requiring a dispatcher. Rest are on the SVRCS 21,22,23 as you said.

 

[ea1321]

Speaking of fire departments. Gilroy Fire has made the switch over to the SVRCS system as of today at 0800hrs.

 

[nokoa3116]

Speaking of fire departments. Gilroy Fire has made the switch over to the SVRCS system as of today at 0800hrs.

Do you know what site I can hear them on?

 

[ea1321]

I don't know for sure as I am in the San Jose area. I heard this from a colleague over at county comm that this was happening. I just popped on to Pulse Point and the 5-0 Radio app and it sounds like they are still on the old analog system. Maybe they are still working on the system? I should have been more clear on my original post, my apologies.

 

[b52hbuff]

Quick question for those of you who have followed SVRCS for a while. I just noticed that Sunnyvale PD is encrypted. Has this always been the case? Or did they transition to encryption recently?

 

[ea1321]

Quick question for those of you who have followed SVRCS for a while. I just noticed that Sunnyvale PD is encrypted. Has this always been the case? Or did they transition to encryption recently?

Yes, they have recently made the switch.

 

[nokoa3116]

Yes, they have recently made the switch.

Yeah I actually chatted with a SNY DPS rep regarding this, this is due to the CA DOJ requirement. Palo Alto PD encrypted a few days ago also, for the same reasons. With more coming, not many left....