Wichita Falls EDACS digital system

[nd5y]

I found this on the FCC web site today.

http://wtbwww05.fcc.gov/default.sph...pp_main2__Aapp_slist_results_html___2414381.0

The city of Wichita Falls filed an application for a trunked system on April 30.
The attached letter at the bottom says they are building a M/A Comm EDACS digital trunked system.

Tom ND5Y

 

[nd5y]

Update:
The 800 MHz and microwave antennas are installed
on the water towers now but the system is still not on the air.

Tom ND5Y

 

[INDY72]

Lovely, yet another Provoice system.... hope you liked hearing that area becuase the listening is over when that goes online lol.

 

[Stephen]

Well if the county does not go to the system then that will be at least one area that you don't have to worry about going unscanable, plus you have a DPS office right in the middle of the town with plenty of traffic.

 

[INDY72]

Hey is that DPS office gone to the digital yet, or is it still analog?

 

[Stephen]

It will be soon it is the next region to go the reason it is taking a bit longer is that they are re routing some repeaters to other regions and other repeaters to this region to help with skip and signal strength, so they have to install a few more microwave dishes at the DPS office there. So it should be a matter of months and it will be digital.

 

[INDY72]

Once it does, let us know how it sounds.

 

[SABRAVEST]

Very sorry about wichita falls going to provoice, provoice really sucks i live in san antonio and everyday i check the fourm i pray i see a post that says san antonio now analog!!! but i wont give my hopes up

 

[Stephen]

I will do that I was just turned on my state radio a minute ago to there channel and notice that in denton I can hear both them clearly and Tyler clearly as well as waco so I guess skip is up today.

 

[edwftx]

As Wichita Falls Turns

Driving around here in town in W.F. I do see the antenea and microwaves on the water towers and at the new "public saftety training center" that the city build (over budget and beyond completion date).

The powers that be plan to move all communications to this new building once its ready to move in.

A lot of politics are in play here these days with new police chief and the mayor council and ex police chief exchanging quips so who knows whats gonna happen next.

As for S.O. (county), the city contracts S O s coms/dispatch in exchange for county housing city prisoners. Do not know if the county cars are getting new coms or not.

By the way the new public safety training center was to be for the in house police and fire academies but after it was built the city powers decided to no longer have in house acadamies and hire P D officers already trained and certified from local community colleges

 

[nd5y]

The system is on the air now.
857.9625 is LCN02 control channel without ESK.
I have not heard any voice traffic yet after sveral hours.

Tom

 

[edwftx]

W F hasnt switced YET

I am still listening to all Wichita Falls public safety on the old system:

P.D.
460.350
460.275
460.225

F.D.
460.600
154.430

The Wichita Falls DPS dispatch is still on 154.445. I still dont understand why I can not get the 159.210 DPS repeater out of Windthorst Tx since I can get the S.O. repeater out of Archer Co. in pretty much the same place as the DPS rep. is located.

By the way Im still using non digital scanners RS pro 50 and BC 350

 

[nd5y]

Re: W F hasnt switced YET

I still dont understand why I can not get the 159.210 DPS repeater out of Windthorst Tx

Thats because there is NOT one there. (or else they keep it disabled)
The closest 159.21 repeaters to WF are in Decatur, Throckmorton & Vernon.

Tom

 

[DPS8504]

TXDPS Digital

The Wichita Falls DPS office uses 155.445 for it's primary radio channel. The Decatur repeater on channel 14 159.210 is scheduled for digital conversion in late February. Throckmorton control has been changed to Wichita Falls due to a better signal path between Throckmorton and Wichita Falls rather than Mineral Wells. After Decatur is converted to digital, later in the year both Channel 8 and Channel 15 at Throckmorton will be converted to digital.

The Decatur repeater will also undergo a frequency change due to all the interference from the repeater at Denton, Aledo, and Fairfield.

DPS8504

 

[edwftx]

The RR database says 3/23 will be the change over date...all of the coms will not be pro voice but will all be EDACS.
Now here is my question ..What scanner do you guys reccomend that I purchase keeping in mind that all of the outlying communities and counties will still be conventional...(low cost counts too). DPS in my area will be going digital too, so an all around scanner would be great..or am I gonna have to have 3or 4 different scanners to get half of what I am able to hear now on my old RS.

UPDATE: listening this morning 2/25 the 460.350 freq repeater stuck open with a high squeal they moved all radio traffic to the info/records channel .now the FD main freq is doing the same. what causes this?

 

[blantonl]

Sounds like a microwave or T-1 problem.

 

[edwftx]

The same contractor that put in Bexar co system (Dailey/wells) has Wichita Falls...hope they have success implementing the new system but from what I read and hear its gonna be a nightmare.

 

[nd5y]

Wichita Falls used to have problems with the PD & FD repeaters
locking eachother up & making audio feedback at times.
I guess it still does that.
The main problem was probably either the city not wanting to spend the
money to do anything right or the incompetent vendor that took care of all
their radios (if it's still the same shop I think it is).

I can only imagine what will happen once the warranty runs out on all
their new EDACS stuff.

Tom

 

[edwftx]

At one time it was Bobs communications then mobile phone of Tx. the mayor was recalled along with the city manager retiring and the the director or of administrative services (Check tx monthly) should be some pretty good kick backs to take them through thier retirement

 

[phonewiz]

W.F. EDACS system

Mobile Phone never serviced city's equip. Bob's is the shop that has service agreement w/city.