Digital Radio Problems for NZ Police

The New Zealand Police have begun there move away from there current analogue radio channels and radios to a new Tait manufactured P-25 encrypted network that is near impossible to scan even with new P-25 capable scanners.

There has been a few teething with the new system that has been launched in the Wellington Region to take over the Wellington city and Hutt channels. At the end of the month(August 09) the trial period for the $150 million new P-25 encrypted network will end and all communications will be on the new system full time.
This trial period is so that officers and Tait can iron out the digital systems problems with coverage and linking with the trunked system.

Problems with the network currently:
*Coverage bad in concrete Buildings.
*Cuts out in the Hills around the Wellington and Hutt areas.
*Delays in transmitting from when the Talk button is pressed.

Once the Network in Wellington has been fully fixed, it is likely that roll outs in Auckland and Christchurch in 2010 will be on time and only have limited faults.

See the earlier video about the Digital System by 3news here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32TsoklL2nM

Tech stuff
The radio network is an American developed standard called Apco Project 25 (P-25) Digital system.

The P-25 standard is used mainly in North and South America, parts of Asia and Australia and now New Zealand for digital radio.

P-25 can be used with or without Encryption.
Only non Encrypted P-25 can be scanned with a P-25 capable scanner.

Europe mainly uses a standard called TETRA for its digital radio for Emergency Services.

The radios have been manufactured by Christchurch based company Tait communications

The NZ Fire Service, Ambulance, Customs, MAF and Fisheries have all agreed to move from there analogue systems they run now to the new P-25 in the future although there have been no dates set for the change over for these agencies.

UPDATE: OCTOBER 2009
Police now say that tait and there ICT teams have fully fixed (or so they say) the network in Wellington, paving the way for it to be released in Christchurch and Auckland by November 2010. Also sounds like Tait will be building all other government agencys P-25 networks also.
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Big thanks and full credit to 3news for running the story.
http://3news.co.nz

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[tafftastic]

Under the blurring it would have said TP9100

[A1nzfan]

@tafftastic There is a random number there. (see related video) That wasn't blured in earlier stories but is in this one for some reason.

[Hellcat040369]

Judging from some of the comments below there are some very sad people out there that have to get their thrills out of listening to a police channel.

[A1nzfan]

@Hellcat040369 I wouldn't call them sad. More interested people that are disapointed and conserned. Yes some comments are radical, but if you've been scanning police channels since ages ago and then to have it taken away is a bit of a shock. People will still get there thrills from scanning (like me) just listening to the many other agencies and emergency services channels out there.

[rich88uk]

Why did they bother blurring the radio ID label, that info is of no use to anyone. In related news story its clear to see.

[A1nzfan]

exactly!

[smipe2001]

Were not criminals!!!

[myxmytosis]

yip definately the police as i have been to police check points to hear my details checked. crime scenes before the police have arrived. you can also receive the call center, will put up a vid with it in action

[44209david]

@myxmytosis ok your frequency converter only increases the Modulation by a factor of 10.0000Mhz

are you sure its the police? i know in wellington thay relay a different area onto the original TX simplex frequency just to keep the boy racers happy.. but its not attually the right city lol..

i would eventually document the new Frequencies one day, Basicly sit outside a station with a spectrum analyzer and monitor.. I dont know if there running on UHV,VHF or 800Mhz range..

[myxmytosis]

@44209david only saying as i can pick up on mine but it has a frequency converter as well

[44209david]

@volfirefighter1231 yes but... not very effective

and also if one of the radios gets stolen they have no way of disconnecting that radio off the air. unlike the P25 System theres also many other advantages of P25

[44209david]

@myxmytosis incorrect 

[44209david]

lol love the Analogue tait orca 2050 on the screen on the news...

[volfirefighter1231]

This is stupid... Have they ever heard of FM Analog ENCRYPTION?? it takes minutes to attach a encryption module to a radio...

[SnrSergntNEDDY]

christchurch police located a dicksmith fm transmitter in one of the vehicles it was broadcasting wat was heard in car including "encryted" radio transmissions

[SnrSergntNEDDY]

@Hellcat040369 much assistance is provided by members of the public/media though communication interceptions

[vorkev1]

use iden