Trunked System Failure

[rescue4kicks]

My question is directed more towards members working in the fire service. But I would appreciate feedback from anyone knowagable in this area.

According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) all trunked radio systems shall have a secondary system that automaticly switches over to, when the primary fails. I was wondering if the Shawnee, Wyandotte, Sedgwick, or Johnson county system has an emergency system. If so is the secondary system a trunked or conventional system? Do the individual departments that use these systems have their own back up?

Thanks your help!

 

[jpm]

With the experience we had two years ago here in Illinois with the Lake County Public Safety trunked system failure they were using the 800 I-TAC/mutual aid frequencies. The fire department in my community also carry the vhf fireground radios in case of failure with the 800 trunked radios during a fire scence incident. Also noted one morning when the fire department reported to their dispatch that the station vhf back up didn't encode during a weekly test.

 

[thrace_merin]

Johnson county fire still uses their conventional system for primary communications, the trunked system is in testing but isn't expected to take over primary function any time soon. I don't know about the other agencies, but most trunked systems have failsoft modes for just this type of failure so i'm assuming that if the trunked system failed it would switch to failsoft on all of these systems.

 

[Buckskinner33]

We are still licensed in UHF and VHF, but all are pretty much dead - no activity.
Our TRS system has 1 primary (down town) and 3 back up locations (North, west and South) if I remeber right. Back up is tested at least once a month or we just seem to have that many probems.

You can realy tell when the back up kicks in, our hand helds dont work worth a hoot!

All though I dont work fire... The hand helds and mobile radios they have, as well as Police and Water dept. can go SIMPLEX or Conventional if the whole TRS system drops.

As I said earlier they test these almost every month... As to when it happens, It usually seems to occure around the begining or middle of the month. (or when they get a round tuit)

 

[KAA951]

The Motorola systems I have been around all have a "Failsoft" backup system built in in case the trunked controller fails. The Shawnee County one goes into failsoft regularly during thunderstorms due to power surges and lightning strikes on the towers.

During "Failsoft" the trunked system just falls back to operate like a 15 channel conventional system. Each radio is assigned one of the repeaters and from what I have encountered the transition is seamless. The radios beep and show failsoft on their face when the system goes into this mode.

In addition, Shawnee County has several 800 conventional backup repeaters set up in addition to the national 800 mutual aid repeaters.

The weak link in the chain seems to be in a failure of the dispatch software, T-1 lines or a tower falling onto a neighboring apartment complex (remember last year when the Topeka tower at I-70 and Gage was blown over).

 

[rick521]

What Happens to State Agencies

When the SN/Topeka system has a failure, "During "Failsoft" the trunked system just falls back to operate like a 15 channel conventional system. Each radio is assigned one of the repeaters and from what I have encountered the transition is seamless" Does this include Capital Police (including Executive Security), KBI, KHP, and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management? Or do these state agencies go on the State system?

 

[seamusg]

Warren, MI has a complete backup trunked system at a hospital 1.25 miles from the primary. The only thing the FD looses is that they can't work the bay doors from their radio's when on backup (was never wired on the backup system).

 

[KAA951]

When the SN/Topeka system has a failure, "During "Failsoft" the trunked system just falls back to operate like a 15 channel conventional system. Each radio is assigned one of the repeaters and from what I have encountered the transition is seamless" Does this include Capital Police (including Executive Security), KBI, KHP, and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management? Or do these state agencies go on the State system?

Failsoft includes all users of the system. And to clarify- there is no seperate state radio system in Shawnee County- the trunked system is licensed to the state and jointly owned/maintained by the State, Shawnee County and City of Topeka. The nearest towers on the state conventional system are Eskridge (to the west in Wabaunsee County) and Lawrence (near the K-10/U-40 interchange in Douglas County)- Neither of which covers the Topeka area. The Shawnee County trunked system is generally used by KHP from Holton south to Lyndon and from Lecompton west to Alma...

Remember- Shawnee County has 2 seperate simulcasting radio sites (30 repeaters total). So even if one goes down the system still works- though portable radio coverage may be affected in some areas.

(Also, a quick side note. Governors Detail (KHP Troop L) is not affiliated with Capitol Police (KHP Troop K) .)

 

[rick521]

Failsoft includes all users of the system. And to clarify- there is no seperate state radio system in Shawnee County- the trunked system is licensed to the state and jointly owned/maintained by the State, Shawnee County and City of Topeka. The nearest towers on the state conventional system are Eskridge (to the west in Wabaunsee County) and Lawrence (near the K-10/U-40 interchange in Douglas County)- Neither of which covers the Topeka area. The Shawnee County trunked system is generally used by KHP from Holton south to Lyndon and from Lecompton west to Alma...

Remember- Shawnee County has 2 seperate simulcasting radio sites (30 repeaters total). So even if one goes down the system still works- though portable radio coverage may be affected in some areas.

(Also, a quick side note. Governors Detail (KHP Troop L) is not affiliated with Capitol Police (KHP Troop K) .)

Thanks for the update, did not know that the State was involved with the system.