West Hartford Project 25 Phase I update

[n1chu]

@cg I don't see West Hartford or AMR having the license for that frequency. I do see Marcus and Alarm Room with one though. Is that just for coordination since AMR might not have trunked radios?

I do not see a FCC license for .. THAT .. frequency for them. I do see one for Hartford County Fire Emergency Plan though .....

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I believe the 166.

I do not see a FCC license for .. THAT .. frequency for them. I do see one for Hartford County Fire Emergency Plan though .....

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The 166.25 MHz frequency was a Kieth Victor “Alarm Room News” assigned frequency which I believe was originally intended to be used as a Hartford County Fire Emergency Plan channel to allow for comms between West Hartford and surrounding mutual aid departments.
Keith Victor was one of those who saw the need for interdepartmental communications when various towns and cities moved onto differing bands. It’s also my understanding there are no plans to take it off the air, so it’s probably just a temporary thing. If I learn differently I will post here.

I listened to the FD this morning from Birdseye Rd and Rt 6 in Farmington. They were strong. But when I returned home I haven’t heard a sound from them. I live next to the Westwoods Golf Course (close to Tunxis Community College). Moving west along Rt 6 from where I could hear them to where I could not is probably due to Rattlesnake Mtn, which Rt 6 crosses over putting me on the wrong side of the hill! And with digital, it’s either a “dead full quieting” signal or no signal at all. It’s time to get a yagi I guess!

 

[jfr454]

I hear them well on a SDS100 in my office on Executive Dr.

 

[cg]

The original West Hartford Trunked system (analog) was a 3 site simulcast system. Fern St at Hamilton Heights, Cedar Mtn in Newington, and the WFSB (Ch 3) tower on Deercliff Rd in Avon. The 166.2500 crosspatch at WFSB was the old conventional system channel before 154.385 repeater. The trunked system and the 166.2500 patch were then moved to the WCCC tower on Albany Av (Rt 44) in 2011. The height of the 166.2500 antenna was dropped quite a bit upon the move.

chris

 

[n1chu]

Good history Chris,

Thanks for the insight. I’m told the reason it’s currently down is due to system changes and it’s scheduled to come back online next week... sometime.

 

[cg]

Shouldn't be too long before the temporary channels go away in favor of the old ones. I think the PD is the only user left on the Motorola Type 2.

chris

 

[n1chu]

Shouldn't be too long before the temporary channels go away in favor of the old ones. I think the PD is the only user left on the Motorola Type 2.

chris

Yes. That’s also my understanding. The FD has moved onto the new digital system. It was always the intent to first move the non public safety talkgroups first, then the FD, and lastly, the PD... in an effort to identify any issues and correct them before FD & PD made the move. The FD insisted ALL of their part of the system be in place before they moved onto it but that proved to be Impractical as some aspects of the FD system were not yet in place and it was delaying the PD move. I believe since the system belongs to Marcus until final acceptance, West Hartford needed to let Bruce work according to his schedule... that’s just my guess.

And my source has become somewhat tight lipped about how things are progressing. As of late all I get is “The project is progressing according to schedule.”. But they are installing radios in the PD vehicles. I’ve been told they are taking their sweet old time about it but that’s neither here nor there. It is what it is I guess...

 

[PhillyPhoto]

A lot of hits this morning on TG 4007. I have it listed as "Public Safety Emergency", and 99% of the hits were emergency calls. No voice, it sounded like they were doing radio testing. Most of the radios were in the the 1551000-1551100 range, which should be police. I'm assuming this is part of the PD migration.

 

[buggiecar]

A lot of hits this morning on TG 4007. I have it listed as "Public Safety Emergency", and 99% of the hits were emergency calls. No voice, it sounded like they were doing radio testing. Most of the radios were in the the 1551000-1551100 range, which should be police. I'm assuming this is part of the PD migration.

I believe this is so...I heard them at around 6:30 this morning telling all the officers in cruisers to turn off the new radios that they would be testing the system this morning and afternoon.

 

[PhillyPhoto]

Have police moved over? I'm seeing a lot of radio units on the dispatch channel as opposed to mainly just the patch radio it has been.

 

[jperuta]

Has anyone else been listening to the new system the last couple of days. It’s sounds like they are having issues with certain radios. Mobiles and portables. Dispatch and field units not being able to hear each other

 

[PhillyPhoto]

Yeah, a day or two ago, I heard them tell all fire units to switch over to the conventional repeaters. Today, they've been doing testing off and on.

In some of the testing, a radio will key up for a second, then go dead for a second, and then come back and it cycles like that.