Wollongong & Katomba Comm's to Close

[scanSydney]

Operators not very happy at the moment. Keeps asking why units who should be on 204 are coming through on 104.

Funniest so far is sending 261 to an AFA 1.5 hours away, with the supervisor soon coming on asking them if they usually attend jobs this far out - replying with a big "NO". Code 2 soon after. Seems like ESCAD isn't being very friendly at the moment...

Another interesting thing is, all stations giving Code 5's are being told to do them via telephone from now on. I'm assuming they haven't been told beforehand?

[scanSydney]

I'm still trying to get my head around all the patches currently in place - has anyone got an updated list?

From what I've gathered so far:
10101-10102-10103 are together.
10104-(10129-10130?) (hearing all of western and southern NSW on 10104, so those talkgroups don't seem to make sense for the south).

Where does 10115 (D204) come into it? It sounds like that's another channel they're pushing stations onto.

Completely lost at the moment.

EDIT: Hearing northern NSW on 10104, but only the operator side resulting in some stations cutting over...

[CodeOne]

G'day all, Just to let you know, I am in Mildura Victoria, I am hearing Newcastle Firecom tonight. Appears only one side of the transmissions, then suddenly you hear the other side. We used to hear the link from Katoomba.

I am hearing this as the local NSW FR station is Wentworth. 494?? from memory.

Just now heard Pumper 500 call, then Firecom answered, silence........then Firecom saying Received, Channel Clear. Did not hear what P500 said. This has been the norm tonight. Hope they figure out what is patched and what isn't soon.
Cheers. CodeOne.

[Bigfella237]

I actually heard a console operator in Sydney Comms acknowledge a call with "F.A.B.", guess he must be a Thunderbirds fan too!

Andrew

[ivahri]

He has used FAB for many years...

[ivahri]

G'day all, Just to let you know, I am in Mildura Victoria, I am hearing Newcastle Firecom tonight. Appears only one side of the transmissions, then suddenly you hear the other side. We used to hear the link from Katoomba.

I am hearing this as the local NSW FR station is Wentworth. 494?? from memory.

Just now heard Pumper 500 call, then Firecom answered, silence........then Firecom saying Received, Channel Clear. Did not hear what P500 said. This has been the norm tonight. Hope they figure out what is patched and what isn't soon.
Cheers. CodeOne.

I can explain that one for you... the operators have access to full duplex audio by holding their key/footswitch down. It keeps the channel up for them but mutes any incoming audio from being broadcast. It is a popular feature with some operators & has been around for a few years now.

Cheers,

Richard

[cartman]

Found a reference about the Channel Operators + a short video

http://gov.cebit.com.au/nsw/emergency-s ... escue-nsw/


Grant

[JAFO]

G'day all, Just to let you know, I am in Mildura Victoria, I am hearing Newcastle Firecom tonight. Appears only one side of the transmissions, then suddenly you hear the other side. We used to hear the link from Katoomba.

I am hearing this as the local NSW FR station is Wentworth. 494?? from memory.

Just now heard Pumper 500 call, then Firecom answered, silence........then Firecom saying Received, Channel Clear. Did not hear what P500 said. This has been the norm tonight. Hope they figure out what is patched and what isn't soon.
Cheers. CodeOne.

I can explain that one for you... the operators have access to full duplex audio by holding their key/footswitch down. It keeps the channel up for them but mutes any incoming audio from being broadcast. It is a popular feature with some operators & has been around for a few years now.

Cheers,

Richard

What Richard has explained is very common here in Sydney and most of us riding the Trucks hate it, as when responding to incidents that other stations are already at, and the operators use the feature we can miss hearing a lot of information from crews already on site.

Although, it has it's good points too, one appliance can be transmitting a message and another at the same time can Send a "RED" and most times the Comm's Operators seem to hear the "RED" being called, and give that callsign channel priority.

You have to take good with the bad I guess

[ivahri]

Hi Grant,

Thanks for that feedback... I've been working on the P25 PMR design & one of the features being included is full duplex links from the operator to the base stations to give them operator over-ride the same as they have on the GRN. I believe Police have the same capability (so I was told by a Police tech) but I don't know if they use it.

Cheers,

Richard

[Bigfella237]

Yep, police dispatchers have had this one-way duplex feature for as long as I can remember, well back into the deep dark analogue past. If you turn the volume up really loud you can still here the audio coming from the cars even if the console operator is still pressing the FTSW although I'm not sure if that may simply be their boom mic picking up audio from their own headset?

Andrew