Channel W digital

[Longreach]

Hi all, I hear the cars in the Southern Highlands complaining about the digital up there a lot. seems to break up cut out etc.
im trying to get my head around how the system up there works but what i notice using my Saber and XTS5000 is that the radio id of the actual unit(in the Highlands) transmitting will pop up sometimes for a fraction of a second sometimes for a second. as they start to transmit and talk the id will disappear then ID 4 will come up and will basically repeat what was started to be said. is this called console repeat?
now also listening up in that area on both the input and output of the repeaters the difference can be nearly a second. on the input the radio id of the unit will appear. on the output it will do above and mostly show 4.
now i guess the main thing being, is console repeat nessessary? it may also explain why they have so much trouble up there. i will point out the cars in the analogue area sound fine and have no such problems with 'console repeat'.
hope someone can explain how this works?
cheers
Matt

[matthewn1983]

i was at la parouse today and was playin with the scanner, and had that channel on 78mhz, 468 analog and P25, u know the 78mhz was the clearest. lol the p25 sounds very unstable but im assuming its just a simulcast thing anyway. we got a new p25 freq where i am at Yanderra, and even that just cruising on the hume hwy is scratchy. mind you im only using a dse96 handheld, but still when 78mhz sounds better then the rest, must be hell for the rest of em.

[Longreach]

yeah it does sound bad. chops and bangs but i think the main issue is the console repeat(im pretty sure thats what it is, it does repeat itself) it can get quite annoying espessialy when you hear the first 2 words then the repeat kicks in and you hear it again.
cheers
Matt

[matthewn1983]

not just that, but the digital noise/artifacts as well. the clipping of transmissions, i was listening to a nswpf digital channel today in clear in sydney metro (oops) and they were going street by street and it wasnt the best quality, i was sayin to myself wish this was back in analog mode coz at least if the reception wasnt 100% u could still make out what they were saying.

[Longreach]

yeah but the Pro96's a bit odd on P25 PMR anyway. i admit though the P25GRN sounds better on them but they dont quite cut it like a PSR500 or a uniden XT series. remembering they came out in 2003 so theres been improvements since then.
not defending the police digital either, its always sounded ordinary compared to the new P25 GRN.

So can anyone help with the original question??
cheers
Matt

[cartman]

From what I recall ... and we are going back to 2006 and 2007 ... the 458-459Mhz output signal is encrypted and what you/we hear is the dispatcher audio rebroadcast
I think the device that was installed was called a comparitor or something similar ... it made the Sydney metro channel audio sound terrible at the time
They encrypted back in November / December 2006 but it wasn't until May 2008 before they went to the full encryption (input and output) ie removed the dispatcher rebroadcast audio
On the extremities of the P25 digital encryption, we can hear Southern Highlands and the two Hunter P25 LAC's in the clear because they are patched in with an analog channel but can be removed at the press of a button if VKG so desire (ie for a special op)
Presumably it would be encrypted if that happened
I think it is set up that way because the P25 digital encryption will eventually be rolled out north and south of their current locations (which is why those frequencies have started appearing)
So it is set up that way for a reason with a longer timeframe in mind than the here and now
I think the car crews & dispatchers had trouble as well hearing in Sydney .... not a new problem
So the end game is that i think Goulburn will eventually have P25 encryption at some point in the future ..... its coming

Grant

PS No doubt i have the technical details probably skewed but that is how i understood what was going on at the time when it happened in Sydney

[centralcoastscanman]

I doubt goulburn lac will go encrypted anytime soon, it will more than likely occur when the police go over to the grn..

the cost alone to upgrade the analogue repeaters in the goulburn area would be ridiculous, especially if the grn covers the exact same area and is already on p25...

[cartman]

NSW Police are suppose to be rolling out TB9100 Tait P25 repeaters for their country network as equipment is replaced
There is a stack of Goulburn area frequencies that have just been posted on the ACMA so i would say sometime in next 12mths analog may become P25


Grant

[Longreach]

yeah even sooner than the 12 months i reckon i see one base near marulan that appears ready(antennas are up). if it goes encrypted it goes cant stop it, ill be disappointed though. there might be a hurry up round here too they are having a lot of problems with the VHF system here breaking up so could be expidited who knows?
cheers
Matt

[aircadet]

So what will non police users of channel W do if it all goes encrypted?? eg careflight rta etc???