Thursday, March 23, 2006
It's only a $200,000 option !
It has been a fume dayz since I have added anything to this Blah-g so I figured I'd better give you an down-date.
Years ago the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) REQUIRED anyone making adjustments, installing, programming or repairing public safety radios HAD TO BE FCC LICENSED. No If’s, Ands or Butts.
The FCC Dropped all those regulations and I guess they figured NO ONE WOULD HIRE ANYONE that wasn’t licensed. That would make the FCC's job easier and they wouldn't have to police the public safety radio frequencies any more. The FCC would leave that job up to the end user.
Most end users like the Allegheny County Department of Public Safety and the Fayette County Department of Public Safety HIRED FCC First Class License Technicians and gave them a regular position of keeping the radio system up and running correctly.
BUTT, apparently the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety (WCDPS or something like that) decided that it was not necessary to keep their system operating properly ( or even working half the time it seems ) and did not hire a technician to be on their staff.
Because the WCDPS has such a large Parks and Recreation Maintenance Crew they should be able to handle that job, after all they hog up the frequencies a good part of the day so they should know how to fix 'em when they goes down. They gots toolz ya nose.
Boy what a FRIGGIN’ MISTAKE !
I am going to go out on a limb at this point and guess that probably only ONE technician that is working on the WCDPS’s Radio Cyst-Em is an FCC Licensed Radio Technician, and that person ONLY has an FCC 2nd Class License, NOT A FIRST CLASS which was Required To Make All Of The Adjustments and Repairs in the past… the good old days when radios WORKED and the radios weren’t a PIECE OF CRAP !!
The Technician that I am referring to grew up with me, we went to the same school and graduated the same year. He went for his FCC test and came out with an FCC Second Class License. I went and passed my First. I ONLY POINT THIS OUT TO SHOW THAT THERE IS A LICENSED TECHNICIAN working on the Cyst-EM. ONLY ONE !!
When I called Staley Communications ( under contract to repair our Cyst-Em ) a while back and ask how many of their technicians are FCC Licensed I was basically told to eat worms.
I DO NOT KNOW OF ANY OTHER LICENSED TECH’S that are working on our LIFE AND DEATH - FIRST RESPONDER COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM !
If that is the case then that would be like having your Grandmother Maintain The System... which IS perfectly legal now, and that is BASICALY HOW OUR SYSTEM SOUNDS. That would also explain HOW POORLY the Cyst-Em Is performing !
By pointing out that I have an FCC First Class License and the other guy only has an FCC Second Class License I am by NO MEANS saying that I know more than he does or that I am better in electronics than he is. It is my guess that this guy truly wants to have this emergency radio equipment work properly but perhaps due to understaffing at Staleys or maybe they have him doing other duties where he cannot get his hands on the Cyst-Em to repair it properly. Afterall, someone has to keep track of all those metal grounding washers they are collecting and using during radio installation jobs. The more holes they drill in the floor boards and firewalls of fire trucks the more washers they have !!
Again I’ll will point out that Motorola Radios used to be the INDUSTRY STANDARD in radio communications, however IMO these radios that were pawned off on our Fire and Police Departments and the EMS Crews are NOTHING MORE THAN CHEAP FOREIGN-OUT-SOURCED JUNK.
They couldn’t have been made in America because American’s take pride in their work and this WHOLE CYST-EM sure as HELL isn’t anything I would want my name printed on.
For the last few days AND nights, the Motorola Crews have been at 911 tweaking knobs and adjusting different setting, guessing and hoping… moving this and that and that and this and I’m here to tell you AS AN FCC 1st CLASS LICENSED TECHNICIAN, These Tech’s Just Don’t Understand Radios or How They Are Suppose To Operate !!! If they did the system would be working properly !
Even IF the technicians did understand how the equipment works, the equipment is SO BAD that I am impressed each and every time there is an actual transmission where both parties can hear each other.
That is very upsetting to those of us that know how a radio system should work and to sit back and listen to the DIGI-CRAP and DIGI-ECHO EFFECTS, the BREAKING UP OF TRANSMISSIONS and the 911 operators continuously repeating “I DIDN’T COPY THAT CHIEF” or “PLEASE REPEAT EVERYTHING FROM THE TIME YOU BEGAN TO SPEAK !”.
During high speed police chases I sit back and cringe as I hear “5__ Car ___ In purs___ of a Red _____ uck Westbound on __4__” ! Then I hear “Hey Hutch wher__________
Ance on East S_______erkdadadadadadadadadadaa____” !
Or 911 will dispatch Fire Station 281 (example) to a fire and the Dispatcher will say “Two vehicle accident, no injuries with entrapment… operations are on Fire Tac 4”. Chief 281 will answer with “911, did you say no entrapment ?”. 911 will reply “Chief, there is entrapment but no injuries”. Chief 281 will reply “10-4 Matt, all units proceed non-emergency… no entrapment. Switch to Fire Tac 6”.
Either Chief 281 is on drugs, WHICH HE ISN’T or the Radio Cyst-Em is phucked up !
Gee, I wish all examples were that EASY.
But I have been blowing my nose over this for well over a year now… I keep getting emails from Fire and Police Chiefs telling me that I’m right on the money, keep it up but I’ve been keeping it up and it’s about time someone else took a HARD stand ON this !
Isn’t there ONE FIRE CHIEF (excluding C42) or ONE POLICE CHIEF that will go public, or at least write a short email explaining their station problems and put their name to it. I’ll publish it word for word.
^^^^
I don’t know when you checked the audio clips on this Blah-ger’s website but there are some new ones posted. If you haven’t done this yet, when you are on the audio clips web page, click on the different audio clips and when you are asked if you want to open the file or save it, Save It. Make up your own collection of these clips for future reference or when you need a reason to get pissed, or laugh.
When I am review the digital audio clips I may find a 911 screw up at the beginning of a 1 hour audio clip however at the end I might one cop telling the other one where to put his light bar. I can usually make an interesting audio clip using both the serious side and the comical side without losing track of the theme.
Download them and have fun. They are copyrighted and there is a reason I say that. NONE OF THE AUDIO CLIPS on my site have been ALTERED unless I specifically mark it as such, so I do not want anyone editing the files I have posted. That’s not much to ask now is it ?
/…
This and that and other crap… for some strange reason earlier this AM 911 was testing on Fire TAC 11, the dispatcher was making grunting noises as if he was constipated and would continuously click the microphone on and off as if he was sending Morse a Coed. I have the audio and when I can get tuit I’ll post a few seconds of it… but it’s really boring.
After I reported 911’s Bear Caves tower being down and the Ligonier Area being without proper police and fire protection, Mark and Rich’s Public Safety Talk Group #1 started a buzzin’. Unfortunately I chose NOT to listen into the encrypted conversation, but I can guess what was being said !
I have inside information that the conversation went something like this…
Official 1 – “what the F_uck is happening with the Bear Cave tower site now ?"
Official 2 – “T1 line is down again and Verizon’s repair line is out of order again”
Official 1 – “Do you think we can fix it ourselves ?”
Official 2 – “Sure, we have done it for over a year now ! I have the toaster ?”
Official 1 – “Good, I bought a new fork to go in the toaster”
Official 2 – “Oh yea, that was a shocking experience”
Official 1 – “You told me it wouldn’t hurt and the Cyst-Em would reboot”
Official 1 – “You just wanted to shock the monkey, didn’t you ?”
Official 1 – “Are you there ?”
Motorola – “Is that thing down again”
Official 1 – “Yeh and Official 2 isn’t answering me now”
Official 2 – “I’ve been calling but I must be in a DEAD SPOT”
Motorola – “Where are you at, where is the DEAD SPOT ?”
Official 2 – “Erk blit fern dadadadada bawa wa”
Motorola – “There’s that Digi-Crap again… I like to call it extra encryption !”
Official 1 – “Extra encryption ?”
Motorola – “Yeh, when the Digi-Crap is turned on, NO ONE can understand you !”
Official 2 – “Did we pay extra for that Digi-Crap feature ?”
Official 1 – “Yes, around $200,000 but it’s worth it”
Motorola – “Most people like it, You know your Transmissions are secure when NO ONE CAN UNDERSTAND YOU”
Motorola - "So where is that new DEAD SPOT ?"
Official 2 – “Oh, the DEAD SPOT is at the 911 Center in the John. Well we better plug in the toaster now for the master reboot, the Cyst-Em has been down for a few hours already. Who is going to hold the fork this time ?”
Official 1 – “Where’s Dan ?”
Decoded,
K3SAM
http://800.k3sam.com – website for the pros (and cons too)
news@k3sam.com – report all the inside information you can fit in one email !
AUDIO CLIPS – Direct Link to the Sounds of Confusion
Blah-ger note: If you are a 911 dispatcher reading this… and I know you read these, please don’t take the above as being directed towards you and your dispatching abilities. The management over you is who decides who gets to sleep during what shift and who gets the free meals with the Top Dogs... and it’s the Westmoreland County Commissioners who decides which 911 management official gets to monitor the hall each day. No one monitors the Commissioners… what a wonderful chain of command… too bad the missing link isn’t around !
R.I.P. TM
