[ScanIndiana] Re: Hoosier SAFE-T digital reception

[Matthew C. Payne]

> How does this work? Obviously the set of frequencies used by each
> adjacent  site is different. How does the radio know to switch sites?
> Does it  constantly monitor the control channel signal strength of all
> the nearby  sites to decide which site has the strongest signal?

Yes.  Absolutely.  And the system helps also, by telling radios affiliated
with it the location of it's neighboring sites, and their associated site
number.  The radio knows exactly where it can go, and scans appropriately.
 It's really quite impressive, unless you are trying to listen to a really
neat surveillance on a scanner, and the officers are bouncing from site to
site.  :-P

> If a
> Danville  firefighter is in another part of the state, could he key up
> his radio on  Danville Fire's talkgroup and talk to the other Danville
> Fire radios?

Yes.  I have been told at a later date that they will place restrictions
on how far talkgroups meant for local traffic can affiliate, in order to
prevent clogging up the system.  When you think about it, if 3 people from
Michigan City went to Franklin, and monitored 3 different talkgroups from
the northern part of the SAFE-T system, then the Franklin system would be
completely crippled.

There are ten Statewide mutual aid talkgroups.  Eventually, I have been
told, those, along with select agencies needing statewide access (Indiana
Fire Marshall, Indiana Excise Police, Indiana Drug Task Force, etc.)  The
10 statewide mutual aid talkgroups could be used by the Danville
Firefighter, to call SAFE-T headquarters (wherever that will end up) and
request a patch into the Danville Tower.  But I would imagine that ISP
would require an explanation to engage the patch.

> Also, will all of the sites recognize all of the talkgroups? If this is
> the  case, then my assumption is that the talkgroup numbers will be the
> same no  matter where you go. For instance, if Danville Fire is
> talkgroup 22736 on  the Mooresville site, will it be 22736 on the other
> nearby sites?

Exactly.  And this is nothing new.  Look at the talkgroups for the Indiana
State Police analog system.  See 1616?  That is the talkgroup for Indiana
Excise Police on the District 52 system, and several other systems
(including District 14).  Also, 16048 is District 52 dispatch, and it is
not re-used on any other system.

The State Police analog systems were the "prequil" for the SAFE-T system. 
And starting this summer, these systems are going to be phased out, and
replaced with systems integrated into SAFE-T.  There looks to be some
major growth on the system scheduled this year!

A pleasant side effect to this system is that officers seem to be nicer to
the dispatchers.  Make a dispatcher with sufficent authority upset at you,
and you now have a very heavy doorstop clipped to your duty belt :-)

Matt