Info on the Opensky Radio System

PN is purchasing a new statewide radio system.

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Here are some more comments on new radio system

From: 
alt.radio.scanner Subject: �� Re: Pa. State Police==> 
LOOK HERE Date: �� Thu, Apr 13, 2000, 2:08pm  
Organization: �� Posted via Supernews, 
http://www.supernews.com X-Complaints-To: �� 
[email protected] X-No-Archive: �� yes 
On Thu, 13 Apr 2000 00:32:00 GMT, [email protected] 
(DDT) wrote: 
You won't be able to listen to any state agency 
anymore unless you live in the 5% of the state that 
won't be covered. 
Only if using the digital mode. Analog mode would be 
monitoriable w/o group following. 
This new system makes it easy for any county to tie 
in with it by only needing to buy the radios and 
using the state's infrastructure. It is MANDATED that 
every 911 center tie into the new system. How long 
will it be until they make every county use the 
system? 
READ CAREFULLY: 
There is NO, REPEAT NO MANDATE for the counties to 
use this system. 
REPEAT: 
There is NO, REPEAT NO MANDATE for the counties to 
use this system. 
Each county will have a radio to use to access the 
system, provided of course they purchase it. 
I work in public safety in the state of PA, and have 
followed this system very closely. The state would 
like to use several of our tower sites to co-locate 
some of their equipment. 
They are NOT MANDATING that counties use it. Some 
counties may elect to use it to replace/upgrade their 
systems. I am aware that 1-2 EASTERN area counties 
have chosen to migrate to this system. 
I've heard this nonsense repeated several times. Its 
based on the fact that the state WOULD LIKE each 
county EOC/911 center to have a radio to communicate 
with the new 800 system in the event of an emergency. 
This is NOT a MANDATE to use the system. 
My agency is WAY TOO FAR along the path of building 
out our own VHF (155 Mhz) system to switch, nor would 
we switch. The coverage problems with 800MHz in hilly 
terrain are known to all. I've got enough problems 
with the system we have with out moving it to 800MHz. 
Even if I don't have to build the infrastructure. 
Lets see 42 PD's, 12 EMS, 53 FD's are going to go and 
buy ALL new mobiles, portables even if on state 
contract, that's BIG TIME $$$$$$. I've got 
departments who only just got some decent portables 
thanks to a large PA based tower company putting in a 
tower in their borough. That's their first new 
equipment in probably 15 years! Now you want them to 
but $10,000 of 800Mhz radios to replace what they've 
got? Not going to happen. 
There are already going to be problems down the road 
when the FD's are told to migrate, yet again, from 
46MHz to 155MHz. They didn't like the last frequency 
change, one designed to get a channel free of 4 other 
counties, out of state, radio traffic. This is 
coming, 46MHz equipment is going to get tougher and 
tougher to maintain. All of the major radio vendors 
have quit making bases for this band. The spare parts 
that exist now will soon dry up. There is not even a 
low band Minitor 3, even with the problems that 
device has, a low band version has been promised yet 
not come to market. I doubt it ever does. 
This move of PSP and other state agencies to 800 will 
allow us to do exactly what we want, aquire more 
155MHz frequencies to use in our system. 
I wish them well, but no thanks on the system use. 
------- 
The Western Pennsylvania Scanner Frequency Page 
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/1060/

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This system will reportedly have repeaters in each vehicle to insure that portable radios can always reach the dispatchers. [I have a note about this - see 45peter/PA????) - Oct00]

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02Nov00 - this file was created and the info was moved from the PA.html file

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