Congers FD Radio Communications New 700 Mhz Radio

Congers FD Radio Communications New 700 Mhz Radio System

Low Band Disadvantages • Paging is tough due to terrain, building construction and distance from either of the 3 towers • Low band pagers are not made by Motorola as of March 2014 • You are dispatched on the same channel that command responding units operate on.

Low Band – VS – Hi Band 700 Mhz

Low Band (VHF) • • • Very high frequency (VHF) 30 MHz to 300 MHz Fire 1: 46. 180 MHz – Dispatch Frequency Fire 2: 46. 080 MHz – Fireground Frequency Fire 3: 46. 480 MHz - Fireground Frequency ( Fire 1 2 & 3 are licensed to the county of Rockland ) • Fire 4: 46. 320 MHz – Dispatch Frequency • Fire 5: 46. 360 MHz – Dispatch Frequency ( Fire 4 & 5 are licensed to the county of Rockland ) Fire 6: 46. 080 MHz – Private frequency ( Fire 6 is licensed to the Congers Fire District )

• Currently channel’s 1, 2 & 3 are all monitored and recorded by 44 -Control. After the 700 MHZ switchover it will not be monitored by 44 -Control. • CFD Channel 6 is NOT monitored or recorded by 44 -control. Only CFD units have this frequency programmed. ( Some older radios from Dept 9, 4, 14 & 22 still have )

Hi Band (UHF) Ultra high frequency (UHF) 300 MHz - 3 GHz UHF-2 460. 6125 UHF-3 460. 6375 UHF-4 465. 5785 UHF-5 465. 6125 UHF-6 465. 6375

• UHF channels are now monitored and recorded by 44 -Control • Most departments in the county use channels 2 – 6 as a fireground operations channel. • Some departments use a privately licensed frequency

UHF Information • CFD uses channel 3 • Hi-Band (UHF) will still be the primary fire ground channel. This is not changing with the switchover to 700 Mhz • All members are still to carry a Hi-Band Radio

700 MHZ • The 700 Mhz will replace the older low band radio system. • Will broadcast from 10 tower sites. • Is a digital trunking system. • Channels are commonly referred to as talk groups.

How it works? • No longer direct radio-to-radio communications. • All communications go through the repeaters at the closest tower site and back out over all 10 tower sites.

10 Tower Sites • • • Cheesecote – Pomona Jackie Jones – Pomona Helen Hayes – West Haverstraw Stag Hill – Mahwah St Mary's – Sloatsburg Grove St – Monsey Mountain View – Valley Cottage Blue Hill – Pearl River Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory – Sparkill Overlook Drive – Fort Montgomery

Fire Paging • Fire dispatch is done on a separate channel 470. 8000 – It is being broadcasted from all 10 tower sites in the county. This improves paging from the old low band system. Paging coverage is dramatically improved. • Because it is on a separate channel it will not interfere with command responding units.

Fire Talkgroups • • • RC Fire 1 - Response/Operations 1 RC Fire 2 - Response/Operations 2 RC Fire 3 - Response/Operations 3 Fire Spc Ops - Fire Special Operations Interop 1, 2, 3 & 4

• RC Fire 1 - Response/Operations 1 • RC Fire 2 - Response/Operations 2 • RC Fire 3 - Response/Operations 3 • The above channels replace the old low band channels 1, 2 & 3

Federal Interop Channels • Radio to radio communications – Do not use the tower/repeater sites • • • 7 CALL 50 D 7 TAC 51 D 7 TAC 52 D 7 TAC 53 D 7 TAC 54 D 7 FIRE 63 D 7 FIRE 64 D 8 CALL 90 D 8 YAC 91 D 8 TAC 92 D 8 TAC 93 D 8 TAC 94 D

Responding to calls • Use the new 700 MHZ radio to sign the truck in service • Use the new 700 MHZ radio to talk to command prior to getting on scene • Use the new 700 MHZ radio to announce the apparatus on scene Use HI-BAND channel 3 once on scene. Command is the only unit to remain on the new 700 MHZ channel

After the tones…. . • Once the county transitions over to the new 700 MHZ radio system; after dispatch members will not be able to hear any radio traffic on the 700 MHZ channels. • 44 -Control will rebroadcast any information that needs to get to the membership – Examples, Working Fire or Respond with caution

44 -Control is working on having the 700 MHZ fire 1 frequency simulcast over the 470. 8000 paging frequency. For now members must know that they will not hear command on the new channels. We will have to rely on 44 -Control to rebroadcast important messages over the paging channel.

Radio Equipment • Portables – APX 6000 • Mobiles – APX 6500 • Radio Room - MCD 5000 Desk Set Radio

Portables

Mobile Radio

Radio Room Desk Sets

Emergency Button • Red Button on top of the portable and on the speaker microphone. • Red button on the face of the mobile radios. • We will be coming up with a procedure for this function of the radio.

• If you do have an emergency announce your emergency. Remember when you press the red button and the radio goes into emergency mode the mic on the radio is hot for 15 seconds. Meaning everything you say for 15 seconds will broadcast to the entire county.

• If accidental, press the button again and hold for 2 seconds; announce to 44 -Control your ID (Portable 12 to 44 -Control that was accidental) • The microphone will still remain hot

How does the audio sound

Audio 3 -5 calling 3 -1 , 3 -3 answers

Audio 4 -2 calling 3 -1

Things to remember • The new radios have a wait to talk tone. Please make sure that you WAIT FOR THE TONE to talk. Once it beeps you can talk.

Why does the audio sound funny? • This is a digital system, the radios are converting your voice into a digital format. Just like the old “Nextels” used to work. There is nothing wrong with the radio, that is the way we will sound. You will get used to is as time goes on.

New Pagers • The new pagers are Minitor 5 Pagers. • Not much difference from the current ones we use. (No stored voice after dispatch) • Channels – – A – Does not monitor, just alerts when we have a call B- Does not monitor, just vibrates when we have a call C- Open – Will monitor new paging frequency, will alert when we have a call D- Open - Will monitor and will alert & vibrate when we have a call

Things to remember • Please remember, as we transition over to the new 700 MHZ system you will no longer be able to monitor on scene operations with you pager. With that being said it is very important once you get to the firehouse to monitor the 700 MHZ radios from the truck or radio room. 44 -Control will broadcast any important messages over the paging frequency.

PLEASE REMEMBER • All members are still to carry a Hi-Band Radio • Make sure your hi-band radios are on channel 3 prior to getting off the truck at any call. We ask all members to take a portable radio if one is available.

Questions? ? Please fell free to ask any questions!!!!