NZ Fire Service Radio, Scanning Auckland Channel

[Shaz351]

what type of scanner did you use for this????

[CarlosWilkie]

the touchscreen unit is:

The iPilot 8000™ is a feature-rich, highly integrated touchscreen mobile computer specifically designed to meet the requirements of mobile fleet applications. Built on an XScale® processor and Microsoft Windows CE .NET operating system, the iPilot 8000™ offers an efficient open platform for graphical navigation map and application integration. Integral private radio digital signal processing and cellular internet protocol modem.

[CarlosWilkie]

The iPilot 8000™ is a feature-rich, highly integrated touchscreen mobile computer specifically designed to meet the requirements of mobile fleet applications. Built on an XScale® processor and Microsoft Windows CE .NET operating system, the iPilot 8000™ offers an efficient open platform for graphical navigation map and application integration. Integral private radio digital signal processing and cellular internet protocol modem.

[hhhh1997]

Could someone please give me the frequency for this?..

[dmmmac2]

could someone tell me what happens when 1st 2nd 3rd alarms are transmitted? please

[mewrox99]

Are those weird noises the K codes and do they appear on screen

I'm real n00b when it comes to scanning but plan on getting a uniden scanner from trademe with money i get this Christmas



[FireFighterEccles]

the touch unit is actually still made by tait industries but with help of steelcom and the ambulance rt manufacturer they designed this unit for that exact purpose its both digital and analog and ready for map use and gps tracking when nzfs switch to digital in the near future hope this helps you

[nzmedic]

Can someone tell me more about the touch data terminal that appears at 2:45 - like who makes it and what its capabilities are. I am guessing it's linked to the RT?

[A1nzfan]

@nzmedic Yea it’s linked with the RT to replace the old tait radio head units. I’m not sure who makes the touch screen itself but the radio connected to it is a tait. There’ve been on trial in the Auckland region since they introduced the new uhf frequencies. I’ve heard the fire service want gps tracking and maps intergrated in them in the future, probably when the fire service move to a digital radio system. At the moment theres still bugs in the touch screens operating system supposedly.

[A1nzfan]

@A1nzfan Someone I hope can shed more light on the units current capabilities other than transmitting status's through the radio

[walkintalkinman007]

voice

[A1nzfan]

oh no! sounds like the fire service are contiuning there radio relationship with the police anoucing that there going to trial talk groups on the police's new digitaly encrypted system in Wellington. Looks like theve been sucked in by the polices PR group. Honestly why does a PFA call need to be encrypted.

[hifromrich]

@A1nzfan The encryption is equipment dependant. If the fire service doesn't think it needs it, they can run in clear mode on the same network. They may be using the VHF 140MHz subnet rather than the 490MHz system.

[hifromrich]

@hifromrich Futher to my last. Found an article on it from late 09: "Project Manager Dave Watson says The system can operate in conventional or trunked modes. Police have rolled out a trunked network in Wellington, with better voice clarity and secure encryption which means their radio comms cant be listened to via scanners.

For us, the new system will see status messages (selcall) removed from the voice traffic channel, so there will be no more distracting bleeps.

[A1nzfan]

@hifromrich I know the fire service was keen to get rid of tones on the voice channel as its very distracting at times where the dispatcher needs to record sitreps etc. It would sort of make sense that police fire and ambulance work off the same system but I dont think they need the layer of encryption constantly. Other than maybe the police. Well buying a P-25 scanner might be back on the cards. Really need a nz scanning forum for this haha. Thanks hifromrich

[A1nzfan]

@hifromrich Thanks for the info mate. From the information what I've heard they would run encryption with a different id code on the police trunking system. But from what you've explained would accualy make more sence for the Fire Service do have the conventional capibility as well. And Also It may sort of end up like now with the police mainly using the 490MHz sytem for portables and the VHF for in car mobile which freqs would be shared with fire on the system sort of like now with the 70MHz

[hifromrich]

@A1nzfan The Police radios will be running with either AES or DES encryption modules. The key is validated by the system when the officer presses the PTT button.

I definitely think that this system will basically replicate what they have now in terms of VHF and UHF, indeed they are mostly using the same sites. They did say in a press release I saw that existing coverage was already very good.

The difference here being that both the VHF and UHF systems will function together as one system.

[worldtravellerplus]

Very interesting video!

I am not from NZ, and have never heard all of the beeping and noise which comes out of your radios. What exactly is the purpose of it?

[A1nzfan]

Thanks. There called selcall tones. Each Fire Truck or Car has a radio head unit has a keypad with numbers and 2 call buttons (seen at 2:15 in the video). Each number corresponds to specific K codes which are used like ten codes in other places. Lets say a firefighter presses the 1 button and send on his radio. This sends a tone over the radio to the dispatcher to say that the truck is K-1 which is the NZ fire service code for responding. There basically there to keep voice traffic down.

[A1nzfan]

Read the discription for more

[rarbiart]

Read the description of the video!

[eerrbb256]

thats a 5-tone page right?

[A1nzfan]

yea 5+1 selcall tones if thats what you mean.

[eerrbb256]

@A1nzfan yup

[Jackcc5]

man that's annoying the call tones thing. they also got them on the police channel why is that

[A1nzfan]

Like I told Dowall54321 im not sure what the police use there tones for. All i can gues is for calling comms as some police radio units in there cars that ive seen have priority and routine call buttons like fire so maybe they can use them when the channel busy and they cant verbaly call comms. but i dont know for sure. And I dont mine the tones, they sort of make nz emergency services radio unique. Suposivly with the right gear you can decode them like you can with paging messages.

[Jackcc5]

can you still pick up the police with your radio scanner? i think they will soon go silent when the encryption comes in

[A1nzfan]

Yea deffinatly. Lucky I don't live in Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington. And suposivly because of the high cost of the digital system -reported to be 150mil per area- No more funding can be garrenteed to the new "secure" systems roll out accross the country. But sadly for Auckland and ChCh funding already alocated and the roll out will happen in the next 12 months. Sounds like the last summer with the anologue for the cities

[A1nzfan]

Has your scanner gone quiet? I wish the police went to a unencrypted p-25 system. I wouldnt mind scanning something a bit different.

[Jackcc5]

so the cities come first then everywhere else? so the whole of nz is going to be digital sucky man im going to miss listing to the police you get to know them after a while.

[A1nzfan]

Yip. Wellington is done. Then 2010 Auckland and Christchurch will be done by november then who knows who else will be next to join. I think they do the North-west channel first in auckland then metro and southern. all with in about a month or 2. And wellington free ambulance is reported to be trialing the polices system. And fire are going to begin planning next year for there digital p-25 network like the cops(hopefuly unencrypted).

[A1nzfan]

But yea it will be sad not being able to listen to the cops. you get to know the shifts and the officers and also hear the real side of policing and the funny moments. Sadly police mangament dont see it that way and thinks everyone with a scanner is an easedroper that could hamper there work. Its a shame the minority crims kill it for the scanning community.

[DOWALL54321]

I here those tones on the police channel, what do they mean exactly?

[A1nzfan]

There what they call Selcall tones. They basicly transmit data to the dispatchers computer via buttons on the radio. Im not 100% certain what the police use them for but yea i've heard them also. I do no that Fire , Ambulance and Rail use them to call there communication centres and the likes of fire use them to transmit the trucks status eg a tone may tell the dispatcher there K1 (responding) & then another tone for K2 (on scene) so it prevents having to do it verbaly and reduces radio traffic

[A1nzfan]

Hopefuly that answers some of your question. :-)

[ExtremeFireRisk]

That Papatoetoe one was just down the road from my house in Auckland!

[A1nzfan]

theres accually an extra bit to that call, that I was unable to post because of you tubes bloody 10min rule. they got called there two more time and on the last time they prority messaged for police to attend before they even left the station. then later in a sitrep later they said it was some domestic incident. lol

[sexcboi27]

yeah they do. but we have the light tender, so we get called to the MVA's aswell so thats pretty good. we get k28'd

[A1nzfan]

well thats a bonus.Its just seems being k-28'd is a big part of the job for most perm stations with a volly truck. Maybe apart from the likes of taupo. Don't no why they respond vollys to a pfa(unless its k88, k99or multiple calls) in large citys that already has like 3 other paid trucks going and you just no the perms are gona get there first then, it's gona go k77 then the annoying k28-1. lol

[TheFireRescue1]

Yeah it must suck being a station that only gets a few jobs a year and then get a resonably interesting job andk 28.1d before you get there.

[A1nzfan]

hell yea!

[MARTON8371]

i hate being k28-ed

[sexcboi27]

like wise. what station are you from ?

[MARTON8371]

station 83 western fire region. marton volunteer rural fire force

[sexcboi27]

i know. we always get boring calls like that. and nine times out of ten the perms get there b4 us coz they on station and 322 gets a k28-1 .

[A1nzfan]

yea that must suck. perms get all the jobs. and you guys get k28-1ed or you have to k25.

[dmmmac2]

@sexcboi27 They can dispatch 322 anytime right, not just in the evenings eh?

[underated27]

took 7 minutes to hear one call to howick station :(. everybody else had at least two callouts. pitty

[A1nzfan]

yeah haha. And only to a boaring alarm system activation, that was nothing.

[NZPOLICE1010]

Awesome Video!

[Jackcc5]

i never new what them sounds ment do you have any more information about it

?

[A1nzfan]

I've searched everywhere but cant seem to find any specific info on them. Iv heard they could be called selcall tones but im not 100% sure about that. There just normaly refered to as bleeps or tones. basicly they transmit information about the trucks status to the communications centre by pressing buttons on the radios keypad eg at 1:17 and firecom also uses them to activate the fire call tones in the station just before they make the response over the radio as heard at the start of this vid.

[nzmedic]

You are very close. They are actually CTCSS tones, but your description of what they are used for is correct. They cut down on radio traffic by sending groups of tones which represent common messages used on a regular basis. Because of the way the system works, it also minimises errors in reporting. The same tones are used to activate the volunteer sirens at unmanned stations.

[A1nzfan]

Thanks for the info! I wasn't 100% sure of what they were (the tones)

but I never thought of them being CTCSS tones.

Thanks heaps

[A1nzfan]

Especially *

[tumaitua]

the crew would be buzzing about persons reported at the house fire. haha.

[A1nzfan]

yea im pretty sure they would be.especial it being 2nd alarm as well.