Tampa PD

[PJAY15]

A story in todays Tampa Tribune states that TPD wants to go with MA-com and become part of HCSO's system. MA_COM had the low bid at 9.5mil vs Motorola at 11 mil

 

[Bolt21]

That would be awesome! So long to TPD's hiss and hum hopefully! When they work, SO/PD patches are crummy at best.

And I doubt they'd go ProVoice across the board. Only 12 of the 120+ SO talkgroups I know of are ProVoice, so I'd imagine the TPD system would be set up in a similar manner.

 

[K7CB]

Actually, NONE of HCSO's talkgroups are ProVoice. Some of them are digital, but it isn't ProVoice.

Not only is TPD going to the HCSO radio system, but HCSO will be taking over dispatch functions for Temple Terrace sometime in the future.

Frankly, I wish Hillsborough County would scrap the MA/COM system and get a Motorola system like Pinellas, Polk and soon to be Pasco.

 

[Bolt21]

I based my post on the info in the database and assumed that "ProVoice" meant the digital voice on this particular EDACS system. Sorry.

Is Temple Terrace giving up their leased conventional encrypted Motorola system?

 

[brey1234]

It works but has its problems.

TAMPA - The police department has been using the same radio system since before Chief Stephen Hogue joined the force in 1973.
He likens the system to an old car. It works but has its problems. There's a lot of static, dead spots and transmission glitches.
"It's still running, but it doesn't have all the modern conveniences," Hogue said. "It breaks down."
Now the city wants to spend about $9 million on a new radio system that is supposed to be more reliable and improve communication between Tampa police and Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies. The two agencies now use different systems, making communication difficult
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/12/me-city-shops-for-new-police-radio-system/

 

[CanesFan95]

#1. For $9 million they will not get a system that doesn't have static, dead spots, and transmission glitches.

#2. The Hillsborough system will have static, dead spots, and transmission glitches no matter how much they spend.

 

[K7CB]

I based my post on the info in the database and assumed that "ProVoice" meant the digital voice on this particular EDACS system. Sorry.

No problem...I thought it was ProVoice as well, but I was recently informed otherwise. One morning, we were getting some transmissions from an unknown source that was kicking our consoles into ProVoice mode. The problem is, we (HCSO) don't have ProVoice (as it was explained to me by the radio shop)...but the main controller was set-up to allow ProVoice even though the system doesn't actually have that module installed. This would prevent us from being able to hear the units out on the street. The night shift dispatchers had to use an analog HT and key up the radio to kick the system back into analog. Eventually, it was theorized there was a temperature inversion causing come ducting from the east coast of FL and we were picking up another agency that had the same control channel frequency that we do. The radio shop simply switched our system to an alternate and that cleared up the problem. They also went into the set-up of the controller and disabled the ProVoice option.

The previous poster is correct...TPD is going to spend $9 million dollars to join our system and they'll still have problems. Granted, the problems would still exist even if the system was a Motorola system...but I still think Motorola is a better system overall. Right now, HCSO wants to do things that our current system just isn't capable of doing...like AVL (automatic vehicle location). Our system is over 10 years old and just wasn't designed to do what HCSO wants it to.

I don't know how everything will work with TTPD. Their dispatchers will have the option of coming over to work in our comm. ctr...the problem is: they'll become HCSO employees and have to take a pay cut. Yep, another example of a smaller agency that pays its employees better than a larger one...but I digress. How many of those dispatchers will come over will be interesting to see. I didn't know they had a Motorola system. Too bad we can't scrap our MA/COM and just expand TTPD's system.

 

[Bolt21]

Too bad we can't scrap our MA/COM and just expand TTPD's system.

Whoa!!! Don't say that! They're on conventional (non-trunked) encrypted APCO-25 VHF frequencies. A Motorola system may be a better alternative, but TTPD's system is a scanner hobbyist's worst nightmare!

 

[CanesFan95]

I was just gonna say, wouldn't expanding that system be the last thing you'd want?

 

[Bolt21]

And while we're on the subject of jumping on the Hillsborough bandwagon, Plant City PD/FR should get on board as well. Being completely surrounded by Hillsborough jurisdiction, interoperability is an everyday issue. Not too sure of Plant City's financial status, though. Maybe a strawberry tax could pay for it.

 

[kayleesdad]

Speaking of Hillsborough, what group is it that reports each "community contact" to "operations" by referencing area # and building # and time? It seems to be on a conventional system using 452.975, 452.7250 and a few others. can't seem to figure it out. Thanks,

 

[Bolt21]

Speaking of Hillsborough, what group is it that reports each "community contact" to "operations" by referencing area # and building # and time? It seems to be on a conventional system using 452.975, 452.7250 and a few others. can't seem to figure it out. Thanks,

Sounds like CIS, a user of the Brodie Communications LTR Standard System found in the database. This is a trunked system, so scanning it conventionally won't work. It needs to be set up as an LTR system.

 

[kayleesdad]

Thanks, CIS it is!

 

[K7CB]

When I made the comment, I didn't know that TTPD was on a VHF system.

In other news, we're re-banding our radios down 15 MHz to cut down on interference from Nextel's network.

 

[Bolt21]

In other news, we're re-banding our radios down 15 MHz to cut down on interference from Nextel's network.

Any word on when that's supposed to happen? Also, could the digital mode on the Hillsborough system possibly be AEGIS, since you advised that it's not ProVoice?

I read somewhere that the SO will be re-districting. If so, how far out is that?

 

[EMD91123]

Anyone know how to program the Sheriff Dept's system in a PRO-95. I have programmed the sytem properly and set it to EDACS and the control channel on open mode. I still get nothing. But as I manually go through the channels I get transmissions.

 

[Bolt21]

Anyone know how to program the Sheriff Dept's system in a PRO-95. I have programmed the sytem properly and set it to EDACS and the control channel on open mode. I still get nothing. But as I manually go through the channels I get transmissions.

If you haven't done so, make sure your frequencies start on channel x01 and not on channel x00. Scanner will not trunk track properly if the freqs start on x00. If set up properly, you should start on x01 and end on x15.

Also, you can only program one site per bank - west site on one bank, east site on another.

 

[gcr33]

For 9m you will still have a crap system by a toaster company, then a bunch of lawyers and then a toy company.
Maybe by then Tyco Toys can sell off that part of the business. They sold some of their electronic business.

 

[trooper890]

Tt

When I made the comment, I didn't know that TTPD was on a VHF system.

In other news, we're re-banding our radios down 15 MHz to cut down on interference from Nextel's network.

I believe you'll see the TT VHF system get yanked if the HCSO dispatch contract occurs.

Even though the Hillsborogh EDACS system blows, and has it's entire installed service life, it would just make sence.

 

[EMD91123]

Ok I have it up and running Bolt. I just cant get the Control Channel to stop on transmissions. All I get is the noise and talk group numbers flashing. The only way I get stuff is if I delete the control channel and leave it on scan of all the frequencies I have programmed. Quandry ??