Batboard

Good day too all (and Happy Thanksgiving)
I started a thread around 2001 that asked what the most popular / what radio your public safety (Police, Fire) carry (reached about 3 pages long). That was almost 7 years ago, I just figured I'd make a new thread with what your public safety currently carry's for radios. Figured it would be interesting to see what radio appears the most, and who uses what.

I guess I'll start :
Around here (CT) the local police use mostly Motorola MTS2000 model I's / HT1250's, and CDM / Spectra mobile radios. The CT state police still use XTS3000 Model II 800MHZ. I see fire departments with mostly Kenwood portables.

Ok guys, let's hear it !

In metro Atlanta, XTS5000's are rapidly replacing MTS2000's. APD still uses mostly MTS2000's but that is changing...every other agency (Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Rockdale et al) are using XTS5000's. Since you started that thread back in 2001, the following metro Atlanta trunking systems have changed dramatically:

Cobb county moved to a new Astro 25 system, their old Smartnet II is still up being used by the Fire department, and the Marietta Police are still using it, along with a handful of private EMS companies. Everyone else moved over to the new digital system (all cities, CCPD/CCSO, public works, water, etc)

Fulton county finally upgraded controllers, abandoned their type IIi subfleets, a pure type II Smartnet system. Plans are to move to Astro 25 next year.

DeKalb county just rolled out their new Astro 25 system, testing is complete. Supposed to have moved everyone off their old Smartnet II system by now but as of this date they are still using the old system. (one of the oldest in Georgia, 1986 to be exact. It just turned old enough to drink!)

Gwinnett county still on Smartnet II, county approved a move to replace it with Astro 25 with full time encryption in 2008.

Douglasville city still on their Smartnet II system.

Rockdale still using type Smartnet II.

State of Georgia is building out UASI (Urban Area Security Initiative) metro wide 800 Astro 25 Smartzone system, a five year project.

Everyone here is still conventional HT1000's and HT1250s The ISP and chicago are XTS's

Well since I moved to FL in Y2K I've seen my county go from a EFJ MultiNet system to a Smartzone
Astro P25 digital/analog using XTS2500/5000 and Astro W4 mobiles with analog users using MTS2000.

Next county was using these horrid looking brown Standard VHF portables with I believe Kenwood in the cars. They have since gone to a P25 system.

What surprised me most when I moved here was the lack of Motorola products in use here, especially with the assembly point being located in Sunrise FL. But apparently P25 upgrades have changed the tide.

NYPD still to this day is using an Analog Conventional (non-trunked) system. utilizing a fleeting amount of Conventional Sabers, Vertex VX-537 and Mototorola SSE-5000 portables very few if any mobiles in the system.

Kenwood mobiles and portables
Mototola m1225 and cm300
Motorola cdm1250

Vertex and Icom are just starting to sell here

Some ems agencies here are still using the old motorola maratrac radios......

I personally like and use the Kenwood 7160 and Icom F33G

All County services, Sheriff, city PD's using county Smartnet II system with XTS2500/XTL2500 & 5000 units.

Fire departments are moving to the county trunk but primary operation is mostly VHF conventional using mainly CDM mobiles & HT1250 portables. Still some Vertex & Kenwood as well.

County is in the process of upgrading to Astro P25 digital. Should be completed in 24 months. All Public Safety will migrate to the trunk and VHF frequencies will be backup and for paging.

Everything will be XTS/XTL 2500.

XTS 3000/5000 here.

* Cops
* Fire (RFS and urban)
* Ambulance
* SES
* Parking inspectors
* Dog catchers
* National parks officers
* Dept of Defence security guards
* Protective Service

MT2000
HT1000
for this area anyway there are some BK's around & Kenwoods
Payson is still analog here.

Racine police uses MTS2000 portables,and ASTRO spectras for mobiles.We are still on analog vhf.

Our city's 800 Smartnet II system, west of Chicago, uses a mix of MTS2000s and XTS 3000s. Mobiles are MCSs and Astro Spectras. RFP sent out and proposals returned on a new multi city P25 simulcast system with ability to upgrade to Phase II. Looking at XTS and XTL 5000s, if it goes Motorola. M/A Com and Tait also part of the process.

David White

Eastern Massachusetts:

Portables:

PD: overwhelmingly HT1000, now seriously migrating to XTS2500, as a result of UASI.

FD: a conglomerate, probably dominated by HT1000, now mostly migrating to XTS5000 or XTS2500.

Mobiles:

PD: a bit of a mix, with an awful lot of Spectras, followed by MCS2000. Some migration to XTL2500/5000, but not as strong as portables.

FD: also a conglomerate, with a heavy presence of CDM 1250 and 1550. Expect some migration to XTL, but not quickly.

Spectrum:

Except for SP, all eastern Mass. PD is UHF conventional analog (450, TV14 and TV16). FD is about 3/4 same and 1/4 VHF hi-band, with conversion to UHF underway and expected to be completed 1-2 years. SP (and some state agencies) are 800 SmartZone.

Only known exception is Lexington, MA PD, which is TV14 P-25 voice.

In New Hampshire, (Where I work) they have undergone a complete VHF Conventional ASTRO Upgrade. XTS3000's, 5000's and most recently some 2500's for the PD. XTS2500i's for the FD guys. ASTRO Spectras for mobiles. They've also done Quantar Base Stations and MCC5500 Consoles all through Interoperability Grants.

In Maine, (Where I Live) we have a mix mash of VHF HI & UHF with All flavors of low-mid tier radios. ICOM, KENWOOD's, CDM's HT's and the Like. A bunch of the towns that border NH are buying ASTRO equipment to interoperate (is that a word?) with New Hampshire Agencies.

-Nick

Our PD uses HT1000's, and we just bought XTS2500's, so it's about half and half now. It should be all 2500 by next January. Most surrounding departments also use the HT1000, as well as the Fire Departments. Jedi's seem to be the radio-of-choice in this area.

Welcome to the North East land of conventional

NJ: Mostly HT1000, Some HT1250's. Now buying MT1500

Mobiles: MCS2000, CDM1250 FOR PD

FD: You name it, someone has it...
EMS: Same

In regards to the NYPD, I havnt seen a patrol officer with an saber or sse in a while now, most have vertex's. Transit is all vertex now i think. NYPD Traffic is getting stuck with the old bricks...

From my home town:

Eugene Police:
TK-330's w/ post DTMF for as long as I can remember.
XTS3000's during their transition to P25 Conventional
Astro Sabers after all the 3000's had too many problems
Currently they're switching over to 5000's for the new County-Wide UHF 9600b system.

LCSO:
Motorola System Sabers I believe.
Astro Saber II's for their conventional analog UHF system
XTS5000's for their new County-Wide system

SPD:
Unknown for Early Radios
Switched to Astro Saber III's in 1996 for their "new" VSLEP system
Still using ASIII's, but they're running IMBE

Eugene Fire:
MT1000's for years (simplex VHF remote base style)
Now, TK-290's I believe
TK-790's in the trucks


OSP:
Kenwood TK-290's


My new home, Seattle.

SPD: Astro Sabers for the 800mhz Analog 3600 baud SZ system
Bellevue: XTS5000's on the 800 system (analog)

WSP:
TK-290's for VHF (I believe) Some have EFJ multinet (5100-style) for talking with WA-DOT

contrak10 wrote: In regards to the NYPD, I havnt seen a patrol officer with an saber or sse in a while now, most have vertex's. Transit is all vertex now i think. NYPD Traffic is getting stuck with the old bricks...

NYPD still has tons of sabers in various conditions. Some have antennas doing a loopy-loop, some don't have stickers on them. But most task force now has vertex, while most patrol officers still use sabers

Transit is still mostly saber, there are fewer VHF vertex than UHF vertex.

vertex is more and more often in traffic enforcement.

Almost all ESU and bosses now have vertex

Most highway patrol officers still use Saber I, some with Saber II

In Des Moines, IA, we are one of the few left that are still UHF conventional. Neighboring systems use 800MHz trunking. Some EDACS, some Smartzone.

PD Portables – Mostly HT1000, migrating to HT1250s. We have a few stragglers that include Visar, MT1000, MT500, and even a MX360 that are still in use.

PD Mobiles – Some Spectras and MTS2000, migrating to the XTL2500.

FD Portables – A large portion of them still have sabers and are migrating to the HT1250

FD mobiles – All are CDM1250

Mostly everyone in Northern Virginia is using XTS5Ks.

Arlington County:
New P25 system will up up soon.
XTL5000 radio in all fire vehicals
XTL5000 and Astro Spectra Plus in all police/Sheriff cars
XTS5000

Alexandria City:
Just went to a type II digital system.
Astro spectra/xtl5000s
XTS3000/ XTS5000

Fairfax County:
Type II digital, soon to upgrade to APCO25
mix of Astro Spectra/ Astro Spectra Plus/ XTL5000

Virginia State Police:
VHF XTL5000 with 700MHZ vehicular repeters
Arotron mobils
GE rangers
HT220
MT500
GE portables
XTS5000 700/800MHZ model II

City of Oklahoma City is on EDACS Provoice.

Oklahoma State DPS still has a lot of MTS/MCS2000's for their Smartzone system, but i am starting to see XTS2500's model II's out there. Most of the larger suburban communities in the OKC metro area have switched to this system and are using XTS2500/5000 model II's and XTL2500/5000's.

The police in the city in which i live in is on the DPS system and has a mix of MTS2000's and XTS2500's for portables, and MCS2000's for mobiles.

The sheriff dept i work for is on DPS and using LTS2000's and a few XTS2500's for portables and MCS2000's for mobiles. And for our VHF backup repeater we have a mix Radius and Spectra mobiles.

Most of the surrounding smaller agencies are using VHF or UHF and use a lot of lower tier Radius gear and misc. other cheaper brands of radios.

Montgomery County Sheriffs Office: MTS2000 I/II's on a Motorola Type II Smartnet system

Moraine PD: MTS2000's and Spectra W7's FD: XTS5000's and MTS2000's
West Carrollton PD: MTS2000 I/II's and MCS2000's FD: MTS2000's/XTS2500's and MCS2000's
Miamisburg PD/FD: MTS2000 I/II's and MCS2000's

Miami Township PD/FD: A mix of MTS2000 I/II's and XTS5000 II/III's and MCS2000's/MaxTrac's.

Kettering PD: Saber III's from the early 90's to '07 and now XTS5000's
Kettering FD: MTS2000's
Both are on the county type II system.

NYPD still uses mostly Sabers (about 80%). As a matter of fact just last week I saw traffic still carrying MX300 series brick! I was amazed. since this thing must have been 25-30 years old! Still going strong I think Moto at some point in the 90s realized that if the keep making radios wjich work forever they will be out of buisnes. Hence the XCS5000.....