New Channel and Zone Allocations

Scotty
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by Scotty » Sat Aug 11, 2012 10:48 am

Thanks Grant and Richard for your input. Always appreciated.

ivahri
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by ivahri » Sat Aug 11, 2012 2:11 pm

that falls under grumpy operator editorial...

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JAFO
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by JAFO » Sun Aug 12, 2012 7:07 pm

From my prospective, it looks like there are 1 or 100 or so issues with the New ESCAD at the moment too, and like the old FireCAD in time hopefully these issues will be ironed out and the ESCAD will end up being a good functioning CAD System, but in the mean time, looking at the System, it is posing some issues for both the Comm's Operators and us out on the Appliances.

As far as Radio Channels and Patching goes, I think, I would hope in time we do see a split between Metropolitan and Regional Radio Nets/Boards, nothing on our country Retained Firefighters, but there are some who just go on with unneeded crap radio messages which just ties up valuable airtime, nothing worse when you are waiting to pass a arrival message and you have to wait for some Retained FF from whoop whoop to tell Comm's
"their taking *** Type 2 Pump for a Road Run along Murphy St, Smith St and then down to the Council yard to give *** Pump it's Weekly wash, and that they will be out for about 2 hours and available on pager and ERS"
. . . . use the phone for god sake or give us MDT's.
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ivahri
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by ivahri » Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:36 pm

Hi Grant,

I agree with you from the perspective that I find it a waste of radio spectrum to be listening to 88 pump while working on a solar powered site south of Eden. That just chews up power for no benefit.

On the other hand exposing the small, low call-out country firefighters to the slicker, generally more disciplined, city firefighter operating will help them appreciate what good radio procedure is all about. The example you gave happens because for years that was what they were directed to do... and that isn't helped by some country Zone Commanders & Inspectors being radio illiterate themselves! I could name names... and be hung when it leaks to them!!! Oh how I wish I could name them!

Cheers,

Richard

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JAFO
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by JAFO » Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:18 pm

ivahri wrote:Hi Grant,

I agree with you from the perspective that I find it a waste of radio spectrum to be listening to 88 pump while working on a solar powered site south of Eden. That just chews up power for no benefit.

On the other hand exposing the small, low call-out country firefighters to the slicker, generally more disciplined, city firefighter operating will help them appreciate what good radio procedure is all about. The example you gave happens because for years that was what they were directed to do... and that isn't helped by some country Zone Commanders & Inspectors being radio illiterate themselves! I could name names... and be hung when it leaks to them!!! Oh how I wish I could name them!

Cheers,

Richard
Yea know what you mean Richard, sadly even after 12 or 13 years of our States Wide PMR Network being in place, there are still a small portion of Retained Stations with Radio Procedure that dates back to pre PMR Days . . . where the radio work was done by the lone Retained Firefighter left at the Station after the pump had turned out, and what can only be described as CB Talk.

Use to hear the radio skip every once and a while when I was still in Albury, mainly from those Stations further West and NorthWest out of the Albury, for some not much has changed in their radio procedures.
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JimK
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by JimK » Sat Aug 18, 2012 8:32 am

ivahri wrote:Hi Grant,

I agree with you from the perspective that I find it a waste of radio spectrum to be listening to 88 pump while working on a solar powered site south of Eden. That just chews up power for no benefit.
It's not actually 'wasting' spectrum as a frequency has to be available for that area anyway, but the savings on FRNSW is enormous. They have halved their staff requirements in Fire Comms.

ivahri
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by ivahri » Sat Aug 18, 2012 9:28 am

I think I know that Jim... it is not a good use of spectrum broadcasting traffic that has no relevence to that area. And the second point is more significant- when you have solar powered sites in remote country areas rebroadcasting Sydney area traffic... get some bad weather as we are now & you may find the site crash just when it really is needed.

And they haven't halved their staff requirements, not even close.

Richard

JimK
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by JimK » Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:21 pm

ivahri wrote:I think I know that Jim... it is not a good use of spectrum broadcasting traffic that has no relevence to that area. And the second point is more significant- when you have solar powered sites in remote country areas rebroadcasting Sydney area traffic... get some bad weather as we are now & you may find the site crash just when it really is needed.

And they haven't halved their staff requirements, not even close.

Richard
I would not want that spectrum being used for anything else by ESOs, so I can't see how it could be used for anyone else.

Solar sites should be designed to take multi days of bad weather and heavy traffic, that is the specification in design.

44 Firefighters have been relocated from Comms back to fire duties, that is a lot of savings from the "Operational Communications" budget which is 100% state, back to budget that is 73% Insurance companies and 11.7 % from the local government....Enough to pay for a dozen solar sites.

ivahri
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by ivahri » Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:11 pm

Geez thanks Jim for the lecture on the design of solar sites... it isn't like I've been doing that for nearly 30 years!!!
You don't WASTE power regardless of how well the site is engineered, that is plain ol' common sense. The site that I am monitoring (and designed) is holding up very well after multiple days of minimal sun, but that doesn't change the principle of not wasting power rebroadcasting guff from 400+km away.

And I haven't the foggiest tthe point of your last paragraph... so what? Those funds don't go into radio sites or networks- that capital generally comes from Treasury.

Cheers,

Richard

ivahri
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Re: New Channel and Zone Allocations

Post by ivahri » Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:16 pm

ps. "Wasting" spectrum isn't the primary issue until we do have a major incident down the South Coast and the other ESOs roll out with FRNSW only to find that they experience busies all because 88 & 92 have something going on the Hume Hwy.

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