> wd8chl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: ... and you're doing a great job! I can use your replies so I don't have to type my fingers off (more than normal).
> Anyone on a talkgroup hears everyone else on the talkgroup. > Think of a talkgroup as a 'channel'. So fire has a main > dispatch TG, and all FD radios are programmed to power-up > on that TG. A fairly hard concept for uninformed people to get their mind around. > Everyone will hear everything anyone says on that TG. AND ... there is a simple programming feature built into (some) radios called "block decode", which allows trunking system administrators to get very, very creative (added features) in the area of assigning ID Codes. > Then yes, you can have TAC TG's to offload some traffic. AND with simple planning you can easily assign priority to non critical traffic at the time of radio programming. > Radios can be setup to scan any TG's, and I've heard whole > conversations between two users who were on different TG's, > and scanning between them! Set the scan delay to zero, and > it does work. Same thing with block decode and you don't have to use the scan feature. > > Our public safety users are smart enough to know which TAC > > channel to use and the circumstances that require it's use > > or they wouldn't be using a radio. Trunking brings nothing > > to that table. Which clearly indicates to us the experienced trunking system users and owners how really uninformed you are... with more than a casual amount of typical "public safety - empire builder" included in your attitude. > Just that you can have a LOT more of those as needed without > having to add actual RF channels, hence licensing issues. A > dedicated TG for covert ops, which can be encrypted, special > events, like a convention or a big-wig comes to town, the > annual 'spud festival', whatever. We're talking THOUSANDS and > THOUSANDS of possibilities. More Applause! > > The dispatcher MUST have control at all times - in the > > "loop" between what the repeaters hear and what goes out > > on the air - not connected as a "user" and competing for > > air-time. > If the dispatcher has a console, it is connected directly > to the system, and can have ruthless preemption on any > talk-group the console has privileges for (setup by system > admins), just like conventional, only more. It's all in > programming. I cracked up when I first read "ruthless"... thinking about some of the dispatchers I know. But the information is good... Priorities are assigned by physical connections and admin. > > Aside from those issues, we have politicians that will not > > say no when it doesn't cost them any money. ? > > Our dispatchers are up to the task at the moment but > > couldn't / wouldn't handle garbage trucks, health department > > and all the other non public safety users that would get > > added to the system without a thought: You really need to have someone with even modest trunking system knowledge sit down with you and give you the real picture. Right now you're a bull in the china shop... > > politicians are inherently incapable of rational thought! If you feel that way... > Dispatchers don't have to be given anything they don't want > or need. It's all in programming. They can be given as much > or as little as desired. And anything in the console can be > muted temporarily at any time. And the non public safety users can be dispatched from other locations (even simple base station radios) without they (the dispatchers) and the main dispatch locations even knowing the other is on the air talking to their respective users. It's all transparent to the actual users... and easy to do. > > So - a trunked system would get loaded up with everyone > > and anyone who bought a radio and dispatchers and system > > be damned! Just exactly how far ___________ is your head...? (in the sand) :-) > It's all in the design and engineering. And operational programming > You determine roughly how may radios and users you will > likely have (easier then it sounds), and people that know > how can determine how many actual RF channels you need > to support them. Statistics are kept in the system that > will tell you if you are getting too many "busies", meaning > a user tried to access the system and all the channels > were busy. On a properly designed system, it should be VERY > rare, on the order of less then 5-10 seconds of queuing > in 6 months. On a properly designed and administrated system... there are really no public safety busy-out and user wait queuing ever. > If there is a big incident, yes it will get busy, but there > will be MUCH more traffic passed then there would have been on > conventional channels. Oh, and with, I think you said 9 > channels you have now, I'll guess you could handle roughly > 5-10,000 radios without anyone stepping on anyone else's toes. The FCC has/had magic numbers related to trunking users/radios per actual repeater (over time). It's a little over kill but the idea is not out of the ball park. > Oh, and trunking isn't limited to 800 MHz. There are plenty > of good systems on VHF and UHF. It's all about licensing > correctly. Yep... and not having the proper licensing hasn't stopped some of the private trunking system operators from using the format. > > However, some of the features found in trunked systems > > would be very nice to have... Keyword "features".... and lots of them. > I don't know of too many ways to get those features and > stay analog. MDC, GE-Star, and Fleetsync are pretty much it. > P25 will do most everything in conventional that it will do > in trunked, There's no reason why one can't use the LTR format in conventional operation (yes you might need to re-read that last comment). > but it is digital, and yes, I agree that digital is not > appropriate in many, many circumstances the way it is now. > Fireground is a prime example of when you should be on > ANALOG SIMPLEX. Any place with high background noise > should stay analog. At least for now. I agree... but not for the same reasons... > I'm not very good at explaining things sometimes, and I'm > sure there are people much better suited then I to do it > as to how it all works and the features. You did a great job! You're hired... minimum wage and all the pride you can swallow (after all it's two-way radio). cheers, s.
