Wollongong & Katomba Comm's to Close

[Mike Alpha]

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

Hi Richard, can I ask, when the operator lazily keeps his foot on the pedal and is listening to a call on his own, is it being recorded? Is there a possibility that if it isn't being recorded, vital evidence could be lost?

I once heard a serious sit-rep being muted by the full-duplex option and when the operator asked the Inspector if he had overheard that, the angry reply was, "well no I didn't hear that because the operator had his fat foot still on the pedal" He wasn't a happy chappy.

And I remember before police went mute they were using full-duplex at the console. I remember many times when the operator is talking, hearing faintly an "urgent call" in the background. The operator would suddenly stop talking and allow the urgent call to be broadcast.

Mike

[ivahri]

Can't really comment on that Mike. It comes down to how the audio is being recorded I guess. If the audio is being recorded "off air" both sides of the call should still be there. If it is being recorded via an RF source (which some are) then yep there would be an issue. Not gonna buy into that... I understand the operators do have a motive for doing it, not just a lazy foot. Its been happening for a few years now.

Cheers,

Richard

[Longreach]

Hi all, i thought i was the only one who found the op pressing his/her pedal to mute the audio painful obviously others do too.
can i ask though is there a good reason to have it?
cheers
Matt

[Mike Alpha]

Can't really comment on that Mike. It comes down to how the audio is being recorded I guess. If the audio is being recorded "off air" both sides of the call should still be there. If it is being recorded via an RF source (which some are) then yep there would be an issue. Not gonna buy into that... I understand the operators do have a motive for doing it, not just a lazy foot. Its been happening for a few years now.

Cheers,

Richard

Richard, I'm not sure if I was clear in what I was asking above - when I say recorded, I mean recorded on tape at the comms center. I understand all radio comms are recorded for legal and operational purposes. When full duplex listening at the console stops the incoming call being broadcast, is it still being recorded internally at fire comms?

Mike

[ivahri]

Mike, the answer is "it depends". If the audio is taken off the full duplex link then the answer is yes. If the audio is taken from an RF source (like an XTL5000) then the answer is no. I'm told they use a mixture of the two depending on the talkgroup.

Richard

[Mike Alpha]

Mike, the answer is "it depends". If the audio is taken off the full duplex link then the answer is yes. If the audio is taken from an RF source (like an XTL5000) then the answer is no. I'm told they use a mixture of the two depending on the talkgroup.

Richard

Understood. thanks mate

Mike

[Garry]

I noticed tonight that more stationd from the Hunter Valley now use the tg Syd 4,, these include Branxton and Singleton etc.

at 10.25 tonight I heard one of the appliances from 444 (singleton) call up and the dispatcher didnt have any information on the job that he was responding to,, then after a few minutes FireComm called the appilance from 444 back and said he found the job and that the appliances new callsign is STT 59. I have no idea what STT 59 represents or why the change

[matthewn1983]

Hear that alot lately, comms having no idea whats going on. Appliances on one channel being asked to goto another for that job, then come back to original job when finished, like wtf?

[Garry]

yeh today I heard FireComm call an appliance for a job, gave the address, nature of job and working channel that they are to change to

[ivahri]

Garry,

Singleton are not using 104SYD4... you are hearing them on that because talkgroups are patched. 104 is a Newcastle controlled talkgroup (as it used in Metro West).

There are some big changes for operators to absorb. Some absorb better than others...

I'm not sure what is so unusual or strange about what you described in your last email... nothing in that is new at all. When stations are responded out of their zone they would change talkgroups, and the operator would advise them of that. Perfectly normal.

Cheers,

Richard