800 MHZ radio system

[Fire Comm]

Does anyone know of a Volunteer Dept. that is currently using (or soon to be using) an 800 MHZ trunked system? If so, how do they contact their members; pager or portable radio?

[Steve Makky Sr]

That's one of the problems being a volley department and using an 800 MHz system. Pagers are not made for 800 MHz, although portable radios may have "call alert" features. This is great for a career department with a handful of stations, but not so good for a volley department with 150 members.

Some affluent departments issue radios to their members. Others retain their old alerting system, although the focus for using it is now one-way paging rather than two-way use.

Yet other departments take the opportunity to develop advanced paging systems using dedicated paging infrastructure rather than using old tone/ voice paging systems. Alerting systems constructed with paging transmitters have greater versatility than those constructed with two-way radio components.

Alphanumeric paging could also be used, chaining the system into the CAD.

So, there is a great deal of local option, unfortunately 800 is not a part of this - and given the small niche market fire service alert paging means to a large pager manufacturer, 800 alert paging does not seem to be a future option.

Steve Makky, Sr., ENP
9-1-1 Coordinator
SCCG/ EMA

[FFCode3EMT]

My department, and the entire county, currently uses the 800MHz trunked system. We are still alerted to calls by our pagers. Command staff and Paramedics are issued their own radios so they can respond direct to the scene.

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**The preceding comments in no way represent the views of my department, its members, or associations that it may belong to.**

[BayRidge60]

The only ones I know of is Clinton Co. in northern NY. The whole county in on 800Mhz, however I believe they are still dispatched on VHF High Band.

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Glenn Ralston
Firefighter/EMT-D
Bay Ridge Fire-Rescue
ralston453@aol.com

[HOTDOG]

A friend of mine is chief of a Dept in a county that has went to an 800 MHZ system. They page with alpha pagers that are tied in with the CAD system and they also utilize their old vhf paging system as backup. They seem to be pleased.

[emsbrando]

Smith County Texas V.F.D.'S and Tyler Fire Depatment use the 800 radio system. It gives a couple of tactical channels for mutual aid and for coordination with other departments since on the Public Service Tactical Channels you can access PD, SO, EMS, and others.

We have used it several times on large emergencies and disaster drills. I like it, but I am with EMS and not a fireman in Smith County. (Carthage where I am a volley is in another county.)

Paging is done over the VHF channels, and our EMS can page out several fire departments with alpha numeric messages our of our CAD system.

Ed Brando

[fd4133]

The State of Delaware went 800 about 2 years ago. There were some problems initially, but now seems to be working FAIRLY well. Fire, EMS, Police,DNR,Hiway Dept, all can be linked together where necessary. Paging is starting to move to VHF-hi, but not without some problems.

[F52 Westside]

Our dept. uses the 800mhz system and are dispatched via Minitor 3 VHF pagers. The 800 system can be "patched" to be transmitted over VHF. We use our VHF also for backup if the 800 goes down.

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Eddie C. - a.k.a - PTFD21
ECarn21's Homefire Page
Local 3008
"Doin' it for lives n' property"