What's going on in PG????

[chief34a]

It has been a while since any updates on the new radio system for the fire department so I will try bring you guys up to date on what’s going on.

Two operational zones have been moved and most have been renamed. What was known as zones 8 and 82 (now 8G and 8H) has been moved and will not be used as normal day to day operational zones. Zones 80, 81 and 83 (now 8A, B, and C) will be the day to day operational zones.

The narrow band VHF channel (155.685) that will simulcast fire dispatch is scheduled to be operational on Friday. Simulcast between the old 490 system and the new TDMA system is scheduled to start on Monday. The simulcast setup is:
Old channel 1 is new channel 1 in all zones
Old channel 2 is new channel 2 in all zones
Old channel 3 is new zone C channel 3
Old channel 4 is new zone A channel 4
Old channel 7 is new zone C channel 7
Old channel 8 is new zone A & C channel 8
Old channel 9 is new zone A channel 9
Old channel 10 is new zone A channel 11 (not a typo)
This might help id some of the talk groups.

They will start installing the mobiles towards the end of the month and that is expected to take about 3 months to complete. Portables are expected after the mobiles are installed and complete system changeover will be after the portables are issued.

And to dispel some of the rumors going around about the system being FDMA for fire, not true. It will always be TDMA unless an out of county unit affiliates with the system and then the talk group that the unit is on will go to FDMA until it leaves the system.

I will try to get a copy of the new new zone map on the Wiki page in a couple of days.

73's

 

[ka3jjz]

John if you have trouble getting the chart uploaded and posted, send it to me and I'll attend to it. My email is ka3jjz (at) verizon (dot) net

73 Mike

 

[Dewey]

John... many thanks for your contributions!

Dewey

 

[ResQguy]

John, I believe channels 1 and 2 will be FDMA until further notice, regardless of affiliation.

 

[OldsDoug]

Thanks Chief, good info! Wonder if I'll be able to hear the VHF channel here in Gaithersbush...

 

[chief34a]

The new zone map has been added to the Wiki page with help from KA3JJZ. This should be the final final map for a while..........

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Prince_George's_County_(Project_25)

 

[ka3jjz]

There's a VBulletin bug that cuts off the last parenthesis that makes the URL invalid (already reported) - here's the corrected one...

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Prince_George's_County_(Project_25)

best regards Mike

 

[WA3CSX]

hey chief does that mean the old pager channel is/will be out of service?

 

[The_B_Chief]

Well there is one thing that is for sure. There are going to be a ton of bugs to be worked out. Not necessarily technical bugs with the system itself however from what I’m hearing that will be the case as well. There will be some problems with using this new system in the type of department that is in place currently in Prince Georges County. It may work well for a completely career system but I have a feeling that will not be the case in PG.

It’s seems that those in charge of this endeavor have become blinded by the aura of a brand new radio system and have forgotten or may have never known how operations in PG are conducted. It may also be that these folks haven’t been on a fire truck or ambulance in quite some time and have become out-of-touch with what goes on outside of their office or “Chiefs Buggy”. The Big “M” I’m sure has had their input into this whole ordeal too. I’m sure that they had their hand in the pot to help inflame this frenzy that has consumed those that are out-of-touch.

It’s the end of another era friends. As so many have mentioned on here in the past. Again the romance of monitoring this and other analog systems is gone. Everyone will sound like robots. That is if they can even relay their message verbally. Oh wait, we will have buttons for that now. The passing of emotion or sense of seriousness will be gone as the police have found out. In other words you wont “hear it in his voice” anymore. No more talk-around as we knew it. Talk Around which was always an essential part of fire operations or every day operations. No more being able to make-out a weak transmission by just paying real good attention. As we all know you either hear it or you don’t with digital radios. Those taking the training at Public Safety Communications have been told that these radios will have very little coverage indoors. Which is another little thing that the cops have found out already. But hey, we’ll have a million channels right? Ummm…..who is going to be assigned to dispatch on all of those million channels since we all know that PSC will not be increasing their staffing?

So when the so called “old and out dated” system goes dark and the “new fancy state of the art” system goes online, remember that it was better for all of us. Even though those talking on it can’t talk on it and the scanners can’t scan it. I pray to god that no one gets hurt or killed during all this. PG County is not like anywhere else on earth. We don’t fight fires like they do in the rest of the country. We shouldn’t be the “Guinea Pigs” for an untested technology either. At one time we set the standards across the country in this county. Now we seem to be trying to lower ourselves to the rest of the nation. Just a thought.

That is all…….

 

[WA3CSX]

and also chief34a are the pager tone codes gonna change?

 

[chief34a]

The new alerting system for in station alerting and minitors will be on 155.79 MHz narrow band. And yes there will be a new "quicker" alerting system and all the codes will change. We are also working on getting a new alpha/numeric paging system for everyone that will be run and be managed by PSC and the fire department. Waiting on pricing on that.........

 

[vinzep491]

Thanks for the good info, I'll be traveling thruthat area soon, so I appreciate the updates.

 

[m4a3t]

To any that may be interested, PG County's Fire service is broadcasting in FDMA mode using TGs 1143 and 1133.

 

[troymail]

To any that may be interested, PG County's Fire service is broadcasting in FDMA mode using TGs 1143 and 1133.

I found out that some AA County fire radios were programmed with the new PG Fire talkgroups today... the same day this new activity is showing up.... (thanks for the tip Chief34a!). Pro96Com is currently showing 1133 as FDMA -- will be watching to see if it drops back to TDMA.

 

[troymail]

Interesting -- all TG 1133 seems to have now gone away on Pro96Com... there is (dispatch and non-dispatch) activity on the fire dispatch UHF channel but nothing now on TG 1133... perhaps was some type of temporary patch or maybe some type of training going on?

 

[troymail]

Just had a few additional "random" hits in Pro96Com on TG 1133 -- but looks like some type of patch from the UHF -- I'm only showing a single radio ID for all the activity earlier.

 

[troymail]

Found this while poking around.....(probably already posted in another thread but oh well...)

Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department: PGFD's New Radio System - "The Sky is Falling - The Sky is Falling"

 

[Dewey]

Ok, as of this morning, I can confirm the simulcast/connection between PGFD-1 (Dispatch), and TG 1133. What I am still trying to figure out is what is the dispatch type activity I'm hearing on TG 1135. Sound like it might be an ambulance dispatch TG. Update... just heard the dispatcher confirm a medic responding on conventional CH 7, but the medic's answer was over TG 1135.

Dewey

 

[WA3CSX]

been listening to the vhf channels,nothing heard.

 

[chief34a]

As of last night the VHF is not up yet. They found some problems with the transmitters and are working on the problem. Both of the sites should be up soon.