Radio Survey Results-Question 1

Sample Size = 59

Please rate your overall satisfaction with the radios system since rebanding occurred.
1 = Not Satisfied
2= Satisfied
3= Very Satisfied

November PTT Report

Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT): The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.

Law Enforcement – 102,248
Fire – 43,306
EMS – 44,611
Agencies –66,513
DPS – 826
County Agencies – 61,231
Municipal – 6,551
Total County Wide – 325,286 PTT's for the Month of November

Monthly PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 21,383
EMS – 37,635
Police West – 17,602
Police East – 62,900
Police Data – 17,572

Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 9.36% Forward 4.42%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 10.52% Forward 3.1% Reverse
EOC- 8.36% Forward 2.01% Reverse
Courthouse- 10.04% Forward 1.04% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.78% Forward .39% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 6.8% Forward .37% Reverse
Ship Cell- 9.83% Forward .45% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.47% Forward .34% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 7.14% Forward .37% Reverse
Rose Garden- 6.53% Forward .21% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 6.76% Forward ..11% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5.16% Forward ..22% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 6.44% Forward .12% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 6.94% Forward .11% Reverse
Kings Gap- 4.88% Forward .06% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.41% Forward .02% Reverse

The busiest site was Reesers Summit utilizing only 10.52% of its capacity at one spike with a 3.1% reverse path (calls from users to site).

As of this report we have 2,397 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 23
Mobiles: 656
Portables: 1718

Touch II Coming Soon...

DPS is happy to announce "Touch II" in the rebanding process will begin in Janurary 2011! This phase will see the delivery of discrepancy items, the removal of old frequencies from the portables and software upgrades for portables and mobiles. A "Touch II" schedule will be release soon!

Site Outages- South Mountain & Pine Grove

On Monday November 15, 2010 at 0500 hrs there is an equipment upgrade and replacement that needs to occur at the South Mountain radio site. In order to perform this work the site must be taken “off line” which in turn will also take down the Pine Grove State Park site.

The outage is to last approximately 30 minutes. During this time we will be monitoring incidents in the 911 center and if something major comes up we will get the sites back up as soon as possible.

The areas affected will be the South Central part of the County. In and around Mt. Holly Springs and areas in and around Pine Grove State Park.

It will be especially important to use the VTAC if available for ALL in building communications. Some areas may experience difficulties while on the street as well so please use them on every call during this outage.

We appreciate your cooperation. This project is related to an equipment upgrade to better ensure the link of communications from one site to another and back to the 911 center. It is also in conjunction with adding three (3) new sites in the County and enhancing two others for more capacity.

Any questions or concerns please direct them to our office.

Battery Care and Maintenance Session

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Thursday, December 2, 2010 from 1800 to 2000 hrs. Harris will be hosting the promised battery care and maintenance session. This program will include a free dinner for those who attend.

More details will follow with location and any other specifics. We would like 2 members from each agency to attend.

LEATHER CASE RIVET ISSUE

The Leather Case Manufacturer found a defective process for rollover inspection on a specific batch of leather case rivets that were manufactured between 9/2008 and 6/2009. The items in question can be identified by a stamp on the back of the leather cases with a date range of 0908 - 0609. Cases within this date range may show signs of loose rivets and need replacement. It is important to note that the rivet issue does not affect all leather cases within this date range. However, upon visual inspection and with minimal use, the end user should be able to inspect the case rivets to see if they appear loose. Once you have identified cases needing replacement, you should contact Lori Miller from Harris Corporation (contact info below) to obtain an RMA (Return Material Authorization). Leather cases found to have loose rivets will be replaced by Harris Corporation at no charge and should be returned to:

Harris Corporation
Customer Resource Center
221 Jefferson Ridge Pkwy
Lynchburg, VA 24501

A note should be placed in the package referencing TR# PROD00030874 and include the RMA#, agency name, mailing address and contact person with phone number. Harris will continue to replace cases within this date range that are exhibiting this rivet issue until February 1, 2011. The rivets in question loosen with minimal use and can be easily identified by visual inspection, therefore it is anticipated that all cases needing replaced will be returned well in advance of the February 2011 end date. It is imperative that end users take the time to inspect their cases immediately to ensure that they return them in a timely manner for replacement.

Lori J. Miller
Technical Order Specialist
Harris Corporation
RF Communications Division
1000 Kreider Drive, Suite 600
Middletown, PA 17057
Ph 717-930-1028
Fax 717-930-1020
lori.miller@harris.com

SEPT 10 PTT Report

Due to a hard drive crash this report only has data for half of the month.


Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT):
The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.

Law Enforcement – 64,629
Fire – 26,658
EMS – 28,748
Agencies –48,868
DPS – 5,122
County Agencies – 41,489
Municipal – 6,310
Total County Wide – 221,824 PTT's for the Month of Sept.

Monthly PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 14,364
EMS – 24,288
Police West – 12,197
Police East – 39,197
Police Data – 10,286

Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 9.94% Forward 3.68%
ReverseReesers Summit- 10.92% Forward 6.72% Reverse
EOC- 9.07% Forward 2.28% Reverse
Courthouse- 10.28% Forward 1.24% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.92% Forward ..43% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.32% Forward .44% Reverse
Ship Cell- 8.41% Forward ..46% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.79% Forward .46% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 8.4% Forward .38% Reverse
Rose Garden- 7% Forward .25% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 7.03% Forward .13% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5.25% Forward .27% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 6.94% Forward .19% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 7.13% Forward .13% Reverse
Kings Gap- 5.12% Forward .08% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.61% Forward .02% Reverse

*There were no queued calls this month.

As of this report we have 2,397 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 23
Mobiles: 656
Portables: 1718

OpenSky2

Harris has announced the release of the next generation of the OpenSky system. OpenSky2 is an enhancement to the current OpenSky system which provides radio communications for public safety, utility, industrial and transit organizations. OpenSky2 will offer improved user services, enhanced coverage and a number of audio improvements and features!

DPS will share more on this release as we learn more about OpenSky2.

July 2010 PTT Report

Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT): The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.
Law Enforcement – 121,964
Fire – 46,209
EMS – 45,735
Agencies –85,168
DPS – 4,097
County Agencies – 62,869
Municipal – 6,178
Total County Wide – 372,220


PTT's for the Month of MayMonthly PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 26,143
EMS – 38,516
Police West – 22,878
Police East – 72,925
Police Data – 20,515


Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 10.14% Forward 4.71% Reverse
Reesers Summit- 11.24% Forward 3.82% Reverse
EOC- 8.7% Forward 2.21% Reverse
Courthouse- 10.28% Forward .75% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 9.11% Forward .36% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.69% Forward .47% Reverse
Ship Cell- 8.67% Forward .52% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.69% Forward .48% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 7.75% Forward .43% Reverse
Rose Garden- 6.88% Forward .2% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 6.89% Forward .12% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5.32% Forward .22% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 6.78% Forward .14% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 7% Forward .12% Reverse
Kings Gap- 4.9% Forward .06% Reverse
Pine Grove- 4.02% Forward .14% Reverse

*There were no queued calls this month. As of this report we have 2,383 radios on the system in Cumberland County and 399 Talk Groups.
Control Stations: 23
Mobiles: 658
Portables: 1702

Radio Project Timeline-22 Years

Every wonder how the 800 MHz radio project got it's start? Well it was 22 years in the making to get where we are today and there are lots of plans for the future of this radio system.

800 MHz Radio Project Timeline
1988– Cumberland County contracts third party to conduct a study on the public safety legacy radio system in use at the time. Study recommends several upgrades to the sites (Lambs Gap and 3 Square) and the addition of the South Mountain site. Study also forecasts the need for a future study to look into the eventual replacement of the legacy system.

1995– Study conducted by SE Technologies explores options for a new radio system in the near future. Study recommends an 800MHz trunked digital system. At the time 18 800MHz frequencies were available and Cumberland County attains licenses for these frequencies from the FCC.

1998– Cumberland County requests proposals/bids for an radio system falling under the specifications of the 1995 study. Proposal submitted by Motorola, AMP Wireless/M/A Comm, and Ericcson. All three bids are rejected.

August 1999– Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awards contract for state radios system to M/A Com. M/A Com submits unsolicited proposal to Cumberland County and offers state contract pricing for the project.

May 2000– Cumberland County signs contract with M/A Com for a $6,000,000 800MHz trunked digital system. Contract is for 6 high profile radio sites and 5 cell sites.

2004– During testing phase, DPS begins noticing minor interference from cell phone carriers. The FCC releases a report in August requiring thousands of radios systems nationwide to relocate on the 800 MHz band to solve cell interference issues. FCC directs Sprint Nextel to cover full cost of nationwide rebanding. DPS files with the FCC for the first time to report interference from cell phone carriers. Previously Cumberland County had been dealing directly with Nextel Partners (before they were acquired by Sprint Nextel) Cumberland County hires SSI (later to become Kimball) to serve as a consultant during the potential rebanding process.
Tower sites are added at Pine Grove State Park as well as Waggoners Gap to improve coverage.

December 2005– Law enforcement agencies in Cumberland County officially transition to 800 MHz system.

2006– County fire police officially transition to the 800 MHz system. Also this year the Shippensburg Cell Site is added to increase radio coverage in the Shippensburg area. Cumberland County submits request for planning to 800 MHz Transition Administrator.
This request would begin the process for Cumberland County to seek an agreement with Sprint/Nextel, resulting in Sprint/Nextel as the party financially responsible for Cumberland County’s rebanding.

2007- County Fire and EMS departments officially transition to 800 MHz system. New sites added at Holy Spirit and Courthouse. Frequency Reconfiguration Agreement (FRA) process begins between Cumberland County and Sprint Nextel.

2008– Cumberland County continues to experience, investigate and file with the FCC reports of cell phone interference.

Aug 2009-Cumberland County begins to receive equipment for rebanding to warehouse, managed by Kimball.

Jan/Feb 2010– Cumberland County receives final FRA from Sprint/Nextel. This final FRA was three years in the making, as numerous hurdles were over come in the process. The Commonwealth of PA was also negotiating an FRA, which influenced Cumberland County’s RFA, Tyco was purchased and transitions to become part of the Harris Corporation, and several amendments had to be made to the original FRA. Cumberland County, along with Kimball, Harris, SSC and B. Moyer Communications, began the process to exchange 1,461 portables, and reprogramming of 468 mobile radios and 80 control stations.

June 2010– Radio exchanges and reprogramming completed. CTC, Lambs Gap, Shippensburg University, Pine Grove and the Shippensburg Cell site are all retuned. DPS receives approval to place a new tower site in Middlesex Township. Tower site upgrades and 4.9 Link Shot project begins. Project to be completed by end of 2010. This is a $1.7 million upgrade to the system.

Fall 2010—”Second touch” schedule to occur, in which old frequencies will be removed from portables. Mutual aide sites are also scheduled for retuning in the fall (3 Square and South Mountain).

Future Plans– Cumberland County has plans to add 3 additional sites, to improve system coverage. No dates are set.

Site Outage Updates

All 5 sites that were scheduled for work last week were successfully rebanded and are back on line working properly. Two more site retunes and outages will occur in July. These sites will take care of the NPSPAC Mutal aid sites. The outage will be very similar to the outages that occured last week and will effect the Three Square Site and the South Mountain Site. When dates and times are finalized they will be posted on the blog.

Site Outages Week of June 28th

Over the next week several sites will be out of service briefly due to rebanding or site modifications that need to occur. Below is the schedule for outages as they will occur. During these outages you should have adequate mobile coverage but portable coverage will be affected so please use the VTAC accordingly if you have one within your fleet. We are confident that the outage will more than likely go un-noticed.

Reeser's Summit
June 28 @ 0300 hrs site will be down 30 minutes to an hour at most. This site outage is a result of the microwave link from CTC to Reeser's being upgraded therefore causing the site to be down which coincidentally is unrelated to the rebanding project.

CTC (commonwealth technologies center - located in Harrisburg above Farm show complex)
June 29 @ 0830 hrs site will be down for approx 30 minutes or less.

Lambs Gap
June 30 @ 0500 hrs site will be down for approx 30 minutes or less.

Shippensburg University
July 1 @ 0930 hrs site will be down for approx 30 minutes or less.

Pine Grove State Park
July 2 @ 0930 hrs site will be down for approx 30 minutes or less.

We will notify you if any major changes to the schedule occur!

***As always if there is an incident at the time we need to take the site down we will postpone the outage until such time it is safe to do so***

Portable Case Problems

A quality issue regarding some of the portable cases issued during the recent equipment has been brought to the attention of DPS. Users are experiencing issues with rivets coming off and the paint rubbing off.



DPS has brought this issue to the attention of the Harris Corporation and they are actively working to resolve the issue. At this time we are asking that you contact Megan with any issues you are experiencing with the cases so that we may continue to report the issues to Harris.



Megan Silverstrim

mmoriarty@ccpa.net

717-240-6400

Emergency Button Testing

The Emergency Button Focus Group formed several months ago to explore the possibility of reactivating the emergency button for Fire, met last night at Company 30, Station 1. The focus group along with representatives from several fire companies from throughout the county, conducted testing and held open discussion regarding potential options for reactivating the emergency button. This group plans on meeting and conducting testing on future occasions, so that the best possible solution can be reached.

May PTT Report

Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT): The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.
Law Enforcement – 121,542
Fire – 43,987
EMS – 47,284
Agencies – 85,105
DPS – 6,476
County Agencies – 63,258
Municipal – 8,843
Total County Wide – 376.495

PTT's for the Month of MayMonthly PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 23,378
EMS – 40,006
Police West – 23,098
Police East – 73,258
Police Data – 20,979

Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 10.03% Forward 3.62% Reverse
Reesers Summit- 11.47% Forward 4.09% Reverse
EOC- 8.86% Forward 2.34% Reverse
Courthouse- 10.24% Forward .83% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.87% Forward .39% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.48% Forward .43% Reverse
Ship Cell- 8.82% Forward .50% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.37% Forward .43% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 7.49% Forward .39% Reverse
Rose Garden- 7.11% Forward .25% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 7.18% Forward .23% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5.32% Forward .22% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 6.91% Forward .15% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 7.14% Forward .13% Reverse
Kings Gap- 4.61% Forward .07% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.68% Forward .03% Reverse

*There were no queued calls this month.

As of this report we have 2,359 radios on the system in Cumberland County and 399 Talk Groups.
Control Stations: 20
Mobiles: 664
Portables: 1675

June 18th Deadline

Cumberland County DPS has set JUNE 18th as the final date to report any items that were missing the day of your exchange that you would would like to exchange or have added to your discrepancy list. Any items reported after this date will not be covered under the FCC Rebanding project and replacement of those items will be your agencies financial obligation.

Cumberland County Has Gone Green...

At this time all county fire companes, EMS companies and police departments have recieved the P7200 series portables!

April PTT Report

Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT): The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.
Law Enforcement - 111,738
Fire - 41,916
EMS - 43,412
Agencies - 78,056
DPS - 4,300
County Agencies - 61,257
Municipal - 6,835
Total County Wide - 347,517 PTT's

Monthly PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire - 24,021
EMS - 36,741
Police West - 22,154
Police East - 65,873
Police Data - 19,935

Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios

Lambs Gap- 9.75% Forward 6.48% Reverse
Reesers Summit- 11.03% Forward 6.48% Reverse
EOC- 8.63% Forward 2.23% Reverse
Courthouse- 10.06% Forward .89% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.65% Forward .42% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.38% Forward .47% Reverse
Ship Cell- 8.84% Forward .55% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.27% Forward .43% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 7.06% Forward .38% Reverse
Rose Garden- 6.81% Forward .24% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 7.00% Forward .2% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5.93% Forward .27% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 6.79% Forward .17% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 6.84% Forward .13% Reverse
Kings Gap- 5.93% Forward .14% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.54% Forward .01% Reverse


As of this report we have 2,359 radios on the system in Cumberland County and 399 Talk Groups.

Control Stations: 20
Mobiles: 664
Portables: 1675

Portable Radios Exchanged 1,127 of 1,506
Mobile/VTAC Radios Reprogrammed 353 of 883
Control Stations Reprogrammed 58 of 61

IMPORTANT NOTICE

As we near the end of the portable exchange process there are a few important things to keep in mind. Several agencies were missing equipment the day of the exchange or had units out preventing the software upgrades on mobiles. As soon as missing equipment is located or units return it is imperative that you contact DPS as soon as possible to address these outstanding items. Once the dates for the final portable exchange are scheduled a project end date will be set and any equipment not turned in or upgraded before then will not be covered under the rebanding project. If you miss the deadline it will be your responsibility to contact DPS to arrange for mobile software upgrades. Your agency may be financially responsible for this upgrade as well. If you fail to complete this mobile upgrade your mobile may no longer work, as it cannot be guaranteed to have the correct tower site list. Any portables or related equipment that is located after the project end date, will not be replaced either. Again, your agency will be financially responsible for replacing this equipment if you should choose to do so. All unaccounted for portables (P800 series) will be bricked and will no longer work on our system.

If you have any questions regarding this issue please contact DPS as soon as possible!

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)
-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange and mobile upgrades were completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)
-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

York County Communications

Effective May 17, 2010, at 0800 hours, Cumberland County and York County will have connectivity between their radio systems. Cumberland County will initiate a patch for any Fire/Rescue incident in either County once an Ops Talk Group is assigned.

Cumberland County will assign an Ops talk group once units are responding for any incident in either County. The County in which the incident is occurring will monitor the patched talk groups.

Reminder: If the incident is in York County, all requests should go through the established York Command and York County Communications. Please note that network coverage may become unavailable as you distance yourself from our coverage. VTAC functionality will also be lost once you leave the assigned coverage area for VTAC’s. Daily out of County EMS communications will continue on the UHF system or local out of county radio systems as before.

Scan Short Cut Issue- 3-#

Some users may be experiencing issues with the Scan On/Off shortcut function on their key padded version of the P7200 series portables. On the P7270 series radio with scan off at power up as a default the 3# feature isn't working but can be changed through the menu. If the radio has FIXED scan at power up as a default there is not an issue. This issue was recently discovered and the Harris Corporation was made aware and has created a solution in the next round of software upgrades. Again the scan function can still be changed by going through the menus. All other shortcuts (1-# and 6-#) still function properly and are not affected by this software issue. If you are experiencing this issue, there is no need to contact DPS or Harris, as again, they are aware of the issue and will be fixing it at a later date.

The P7250 is not affected by this.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

As we near the end of the portable exchange process there are a few important things to keep in mind. Several agencies were missing equipment the day of the exchange or had units out preventing the software upgrades on mobiles. As soon as missing equipment is located or units return it is imperative that you contact DPS as soon as possible to address these outstanding items.

Once the dates for the final portable exchange are scheduled a project end date will be set and any equipment not turned in or upgraded before then will not be covered under the rebanding project. If you miss the deadline it will be your responsibility to contact DPS to arrange for mobile software upgrades. Your agency may be financially responsible for this upgrade as well. If you fail to complete this mobile upgrade your mobile may no longer work, as it cannot be guaranteed to have the correct tower site list. Any portables or related equipment that is located after the project end date, will not be replaced either. Again, your agency will be financially responsible for replacing this equipment if you should choose to do so. All unaccounted for portables (P800 series) will be bricked and will no longer work on our system.

If you have any questions regarding this issue please contact DPS as soon as possible!

Update...

998 Portables have been delivered so far...

Not reflected in the mapping, Cumberland County Prison and Transportation were also completed.

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)

-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange and mobile upgrades were completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)

-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

*Not able to be reflected on map, Cumberland County Adult and Juvenile Probation portables exchanges were completed this week!

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)
-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange and mobile upgrades were completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)
-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

A look at the numbers...

Portable Radios Exchanged- 885 of 1,506

Mobile/VTAC Radios Reprogrammed - 254 of 883

Control Stations Reprogrammed- 46 of 61

Mapping the Progress...

* These maps do not reflect the status of County agencies or the Carlisle Barracks. All County agencies and the Carlisle Barracks have been scheduled for training and the Sheriff's Department has completed their portable exchange.

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)

-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange and mobile upgrades were completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)

-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

Maps...

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)

-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange and mobile upgrades were completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)
-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

Polls...

DPS is looking for continued feed back on the P7200 portables and the system in general. We will be posting several polls every couple of weeks, to give you a quick, easy and anonymous way to let us know what you think and help us understand how the system is being utilized. The first two polls are posted until May 3rd, so PLEASE check them out and give us some feed back! We'll post results at the close of the poll and before a new poll is posted! And as usual you are encouraged to comment on the blog as well!

Thanks!

Don't leave just yet...

Don't stop checking the blog just because you have received your training and new portables!!!! The blog is still an important source of information as we move through and beyond this project. Readers can expect to find information on the "Second Touch" phase of the rebanding project, system/tower site upgrades, software upgrades, interoperability, training, patches and so much more! See keep checking back and we'll keep posting!

A look at the numbers 4/9/2010

Portable Radios Exchanged 590 of 1,506
Mobile/VTAC Radios Reprogrammed 169 of 883
Control Stations Reprogrammed 35 of 61

The weekend update...

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)
-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange and mobile upgrades were completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)

-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

A message from Harris...

Effective Monday, April 12, 2010, the Harris Office, RF communications Division in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania will be relocated and open for business at our new address:
Harris Corporation
RF Communications Division
1000 Kreider Drive
Suite 600
Middletown, PA 17057
All Harrisburg Operations including the Equipment Repair Facility, Warehousing, Field Services and
Customer Service will be operating at this new location.
The new main telephone number: 1-717-930-1010
The new Fax telephone number: 1-717-930-1020
For customers requiring Harris Maintenance or Field Services, our Trouble Ticket numbers are:
1-800-806-0949 or 1-717-930-1010
After hour emergency calls will continue to be forwarded to our answering service.

For all Customer Service support or equipment quotes, you may contact Lori Miller directly at
1-717-930-1028 or by using the main telephone number.

For all calls regarding Sales, you may contact Roger Kohr directly at

1-717-930-1036 or by using the
main telephone number.

All Harrisburg Office employees’ direct dial telephone numbers have been changed.

By calling the
employee’s old telephone number, you will be provided a message

with their new direct dial telephone
number or they may be contacted at the main telephone number

1-717-930-1010.
All Harrisburg Harris employees’ email addresses will remain the same.

The Pennsylvania Harris Team

looks forward to serving you

from our new location.

As of 4/2/2010
Portable Radios Exchanged 530 of 1,506
Mobile/VTAC Radios Reprogrammed 152 of 883
Control Stations Reprogrammed 31 of 61


Fire/EMS/Other Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)
-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange and mobile upgrades were completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)
-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

What do you think?

Several agencies have received their new portables and we want to hear how things are going! Comment on this post and let us know about your experiences with the new portables! Also feel free to comment on the exchange process, so other agencies know what to expect!

Thanks!

Progress Maps...

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)

-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)
*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange and mobile upgrades were completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)

-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

A look at the numbers as of 3/22/2010

Portable Radios Exchanged: 331 of 1,506

Mobile/VTAC Radios Reprogrammed: 113 of 883

Control Stations Reprogrammed: 20 of 61

Progress Maps

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)

-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)

*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange and mobile upgrades were completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)
-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

Emergency Button Focus Group

Cumberland County has created a focus group to look further into the use of the “Emergency Button” for Fire. This group is exploring the ramifications of the emergency button in an effort to develop SOG's for MAYDAY concerns. Check back to the blog for further updates on this issue as the focus group continues their work.

A look at the numbers...

Portable Radios Exchanged to Date:
295 of 1,506

Mobile/VTAC Radios Reprogrammed to Date:
116 of 883

Control Stations Reprogrammed to Date:
18 of 61

Keeping Pace...

DPS has been working diligently to get new portables into the hands of our responders in recent weeks. We hope to continue this rapid pace, as we are also working towards an FCC deadline for project completion. This pace can only be maintained through your help and cooperation. When your agency is contacted about scheduling training for your portables, it is important that you respond as soon as possible. It is our hope to have your training conducted within a two week time frame after contact is made, with the actual portable exchange occurring at your earliest convenience, following training.

If you do not respond to the HACC representatives in timely fashion to schedule your training, DPS may shift your agency to the end of the project schedule, as it is imperative that we stay on schedule with this project and do not want to delay the delivery of portables to other agencies. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, and again encourage you to promptly respond when contacted for training.

Progress Report

TO DATE 295 PORTABLES HAVE BEEN EXCHANGED IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY!


Fire/EMS/Other Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)

-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)
*Not able to be reflected in the map: West Shore EMS portable exchange was completed.

Law Enforcement Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)

-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

What do you think?

Several agencies have received their new portables and we want to hear how things are going! Comment on this post and let us know about your experiences with the new portables! Also feel free to comment on the exchange process, so other agencies know what to expect!

Thanks!

Project Status

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)
-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)

Law Enforcement Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)
-Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)
-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)
*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

Dauphin County

As Dauphin County is transitioning to a new radio system, DPS has received several inquiries regarding the status of Cumberland unit’s ability to communicate with Dauphin County without buying another radio. Understanding this concern, DPS has been in contact with Dauphin County regarding this concern. Dauphin County has assured us that the current low band system in Dauphin will be used to patch into their new system for on scene operations.

DPS is working to address similar concerns in other counties as others are moving to new radio systems.

The Word of the Day is....Interoperability!!!!

A 25+ car pile up on the PA Turnpike last Friday was further complicated by whiteout conditions, drifting snow, and traffic back logs. One thing that was not a complicating factor, radio communications! As the incident progressed on Friday, DPS saw the need for direct communications between Command 47 and the multiple state agencies involved. Within a matter of minutes DPS was able to load a state Talk Group (Tac2) into the TG16 slot on a portable, making communications between Command 47, DMVA (Department of Military and Veterans Affairs), PennDOT and PEMA possible! Instant and simple interoperability!

Soon all portables and mobiles in the County will have Global 1, Global 2 and Commonwealth InterOps profiles in their radios, making this interoperability for major events readily available to all responders, as state agencies also possess these profiles! DPS is in the process of working on policy and procedure with The Commonwealth of PA to implement the three profiles in all Cumberland radios. A simple change in profile and you will be able to easily communicate with the state agencies you may be working with!

Cumberland County is the only county in the state that has the ability to directly communicate with the state like this! Other counties require special equipment or patches to do so.

What do you think?

Several agencies have received their new portables and we want to hear how things are going! Comment on this post and let us know about your experiences with the new portables! Also feel free to comment on the exchange process, so other agencies know what to expect!

Thanks!

Update...

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)

-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)

Law Enforcement Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)

-Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)

-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)

*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

West Shore EMS Staff Training Dates

February 23, 2010
1930-2200 hrs
West End Fire and Rescue
49 Lurgan Ave
Shippensburg

February 25, 2010
1930-2200 hrs
West End Fire and Rescue
49 Lurgan Ave
Shippensburg

March 1, 2010
0730-1000 hrs
Holy Spirit Hospital
Classroom 1 (basement below auditorium)
503 N. 21st St
Camp Hill

March 2, 2010
0730-1000 hrs
Hampden Township Fire
Station #1
1200 Good Hope Road
Mechanicsburg

March 2, 2010
1930-2200 hrs
Citizens Fire Company
100 Chestnut Street
Mt. Holly Springs

March 3, 2010
0730-1000 hrs
Cumberland County EOC
1101 Claremont Road
Carlisle

March 4, 2010
0730-1000 hrs
Hampden Township Fire
Station #1
1200 Good Hope
Mechanicsburg

March 4, 2010
1930-2200
Holy Spirit
Auditorium C/D
503 N. 21st St
Camp Hill

Training Dates

Middlesex Township
Middlesex Township Building
February 24, 2010
0900 hrs

New Cumberland Police Department
February 25, 2010
1900 hrs


West Shore Bureau of Fire
March 3, 2010
1900 hrs

York Springs
March 6, 2010
0900 hrs

New Cumberland Fire Department
March 9, 2010
1900 hrs

West Shore Police Department
March 15, 2010
0700 hrs
March 15, 2010
1400 hrs

Project Update

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)
-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)
-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)

Law Enforcement Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)
-Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)
-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)
*The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

Progress Maps

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)

-Training Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)

-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)

Law Enforcement Map Key
-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)

-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)

-Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)

-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)

-The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

Training Date

New Cumberland Police Department 800 Radio Training

Date:
February 25, 2010

Location:
New Cumberland PD

Time:
1900hrs

2009 YEAR END PTT TOTALS

Push to Talk (PTT's) Report for 2009
*Other includes Agency Talk Groups, DPS, County Agencies, and Municipal

IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING P800 CONDITION

In preparation for the exchange process that is about to occur, it is important that agencies understand the expectations for the equipment they will be turning in. All returned equipment will become property of Sprint/Nextel. Sprint/Nextel will not accept broken or damaged equipment. All P800 series portables must be able to power up and connect to the network to be considered acceptable for return. Any broken accessories (belt clips, antennas, battery clasps, etc) will render the portable unacceptable for return as well. If an item cannot be returned, then you will not receive new equipment in exchange. If any of your equipment does not meet the standards described above you are STRONGLY encouraged to contact the Harris Corporation for service, so that problems can be corrected before the exchange. Harris will be able to advise you regarding who the financial obligation for repairs falls upon. Some repairs may be covered by warranty; others may be billed to your agency. If damage is the result of negligence by the agency repairs will not be covered under warranty.

If you have any questions regarding this policy please do not hesitate to call or email Megan.

Mapping the Progress

As part of Cumberland County's renewed commitment to improving lines of communication with 800 MHz system users, we will be posting weekly progress maps, so that you can track the rebanding and portable exchange process. Two maps will be posted weekly showing progress of law enforcement agencies and one showing progress of Fire/EMS/Other.

Law Enforcement Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process.)

-Scheduled (The training has been scheduled and tentative exchanged dates are set.)
-Pending (Portable training and exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)

-The exchange process does no effect municipalities without color, as they do not have municipal police departments.

Fire/EMS/Other Map Key

-Completed (Portable exchange is complete and all installs and software upgrades have been completed. A municipality will be considered completed when all services (not including law enforcement) that primarily serve municipality have been completed.)
-In Process (Harris and DPS are actively engaged in the exchange process. A municipality can be changed to “In Process” if any service within that municipality is engaged in the exchange process.)
-Scheduled (Portable training dates have been scheduled and tentative dates for exchange are set.)
-Pending (Portable training exchange process has yet to begin. No department or agency is engaged in the exchange process.)

Shippensburg Training Dates Announced

February 1, 2010
1400 hrs
Shippensburg Police Department

The dates below are open to all Shippensburg emergency services personnel.

February 4, 2010
1900 hrs
West End Fire and Rescue

February 6, 2010
1000 hrs
Vigilant Hose Company

February 8, 2010
1900 hrs
Shippensburg Firefighters Activities Center

February 10, 2010
1900 hrs
Shippensburg Firefighters Activities Center

What to Expect...

As we are moving forward with the exchange process we want to keep you updated as to what you can expect as the process unfolds. So here is the information break down…

Agency Contact
- Your agency will be contacted as your time to engage in the exchange draws near.
- Your agency will be contacted with 2-3 weeks advanced notice to schedule training through HACC.

Training
- Training provided by HACC
- Lasts approximately 2-2.5 hours
- Training radios provided for the class
- Conducted locally
- Super User’s Seminar to be held towards the end of exchange
- Harris battery management training to be offered in the middle of this projectAgency Visits-

Agency Visits-The Numbers
- 69 Agencies (40 Fire, 17 Law Enforcement, 12 EMS)
- 1,506 Portables
- 819 Portable Charger Install/Replacements
- 675 Mobiles and 26 Control Stations Reprogramming

Agency Visits- Who to Expect
- Harris: Reprogramming of mobiles/control stations and removal and installation of portable chargers
- Kimball: Managing warehouse, preparation and portable exchange
- Cumberland County DPS: Assisting in the exchange and activation of new portables

Agency Visits- What to Expect
- Agency visits and the actual exchange should occur about two weeks after you recieve your training.
- Teams comprised of Harris, Kimball and DPS representatives will be on hand to work through this project.
- You should have 1-2 agency representatives on hand the day of the exchange.
- All equipment that is to be exchanged and reprogrammed should be present on your scheduled day. Any equipment that cannot be located by the end of the county wide exchange will be removed from the system and will not be replaced.
- A DPS representative will be visiting or calling your agency the day of your exchange to make sure everything is running smoothly. A representative will also call in the weeks following the exchange to make sure everything is functioning properly.

Site and Radio Re-tuning
- Site re-tuning will occur at the completion of the exchange process. Technicians will visit tower sites and remove the old frequencies from the site and enter the new frequencies issued to Cumberland County through the band reconfiguration. Radio users will not be impacted by this process.
- A “2nd Touch” will occur at a later date as well. The “2nd Touch” involves removing the old frequencies from the P7200 series portables. This step will not occur this year and will most likely been seen in 2011.

800 Radio Quality Assurance Program
- DPS is committed to renewing communications between our office and radio users. We want to work with you to address any issues that may occur during the exchange process and any problems that occur with the system after the radios are released.
- Megan Silverstrim is now serving as the point of contact for the 800 MHz radio program. Please contact Megan with any questions or problems.
Megan Silverstrim
245-8700
mmoriarty@ccpa.net

Portable Charger Installation

When Harris installs chargers into apparatus for the P7200 series, there will be a notable difference from the last time chargers were installed into your apparatus. When the P800 chargers were installed some were connected to the vehicle starter and some agencies preferred they be connected to the vehicle battery. All P7200 series portables will be connected to the vehicle battery upon installation. What’s the reason for this you may ask? Well it has to do with portable battery preservation. The lifespan of a battery only allows for a set amount of charges. We found that when connected to the side of the ignition that would cut all unnecessary circuits when the apparatus is started, the power interruption would start the charging cycle whether it was needed or not, with the end result being a shortened battery life. To prevent this problem it has been determined that all charges will be connected to the battery that is not part of the apparatus starting circuit if possible. The fewer times a charge cycle is restarted the longer the battery will last. While most apparatus in the County is shore lined, we realize that some are not. We understand the risk of dead vehicle batteries that may be associated with this install and non-shore lined vehicles, it is imperative that the install be connected to the vehicle battery. The solution to this problem, do not keep portables in the chargers in non-shore lined apparatus. Only place portable in the charger periodically to charge.

If your agency is adamantly opposed to having chargers that connect to vehicle batteries, a waiver will need to be signed stating that you understand the warranty on your batteries is no longer valid, as you have chosen not to follow the recommendations of Harris and DPS.

If you have questions regarding this installation policy please feel free to comment on this post and give us your feedback.

Contact Information

Megan Silverstrim has been appointed as the new spokesperson and contact person for the 800 MHz Radio Project. If you have any questions, comments or problems during and after the exchange process please contact Megan. Her contact information can be found below.

Megan Silverstrim
245-8700
mmoriarty@ccpa.net

The List...

Below you will find the order in which the portable exchange process will take place. Keep in mind the list is subject to some minor changes. Dates are not listed at this time. This list follows our original plan to start with all agencies in areas with major Nextel interference, then do a West to East sweep of Police, and complete the project with a West to East sweep of Fire/EMS/Municipal/Other. We are currently scheduling training for the Shippensburg Area, which should occur around February 1, 2010. The exchange process should begin about two weeks, give or take a few days after your training session. We will be running a 3 week rolling schedule to maintain consistency of minimum 2 week period between training and site visit.

If you have questions regarding this list or the upcoming events please contact Megan Silverstrim with DPS.

Megan Silverstrim
717-245-8700
mmoriarty@ccpa.net

Master List
Franklin Fire Co. 4 (Franklin County)
Friendship Engine and Hose No.1-Co.14 (Franklin County)
Shippensburg Borough
Shippensburg PD
Shippensburg Borough Fire
Vigilant Hose Company 52
Cumberland Valley Hose 53
West End Fire and Rescue Co54
Shippensburg EMS 73
Shippensburg Township
New Cumberland Borough Police
New Cumberland Borough Fire Co10
New Cumberland River Rescue Co.100
New Cumberland EMS Co10
New Cumberland Borough Fire Police
Middlesex Township Municipal
Middlesex Township Police
Middlesex Township Fire
West Shore Regional Police
West Shore Bureau of Fire
West Shore EMS Co. 80
East Pennsboro Township Police
East Pennsboro Township Fire
West Fairview Fire Co. 16
Midway Fire Co.17
Citizens Fire Co18
West Enola Fire Co19
Summerdale Fire Co20
Creekside Fire Co21
East Pennsboro Township Fire Police
East Pennsboro Township EMS Co75
Marysville Fire Co6
Marysville Borough Co6
Camp Hill Borough Police
Camp Hill Borough Fire Co14
Camp Hill Borough EMS Co14
Upper Allen Township Municipal
Upper Allen Township Police
Upper Allen Township Fire Co23
Upper Allen Township Fire Police
Newville Borough Police
Carlisle Borough Police
Mt. Holly Springs Borough Police
North Middleton Township Police
Silver Spring Township Police
Mechanicsburg Borough Police
Shiremanstown Borough Police
Hampden Township Police
Lower Allen Township Police
Cumberland County Sheriffs Department
Newburg Fire Co51
Newburg Borough Municipal
Penn Township Fire Co50
South Newton Fire Co49
Upper Frankford Township Fire Co48
Newville Borough Municipal
Friendship Hose Co47
Newville EMS Co47
West Pennsboro Township Municipal
West Pennsboro Township Fire Co46
Carlisle Borough Fire
Carlisle Fire and Rescue Co45
Union Fire Company Co41
Carlisle Borough Fire Police
Carlisle EMS Co40
North Middleton Township Municipal
North Middleton Fire Co39
Naval Support Activity Fire Co37
Carlisle Barracks Fire Co38
Dickinson Township Fire
Citizens Fire Co36
Yellow Breeches EMS Co91
South Middleton Township Municipal
South Middleton Township Fire
South Middleton Township Fire Co35
Shermansdale Fire Co34
Silver Spring Township Municipal
Silver Spring Township Fire Co31
New Kingstown Fire Co33
Silver Spring EMS Co72
Metro Med Co72
Hampden Township Municipal
Hampden Township Fire Co30
Hampden EMS Co71
Mechanicsburg Borough Municipal
Mechanicsburg Borough Fire
Citizens Fire Co27
Washington Fire Co28
Monroe Township Fire Co25
Lower Allen Township Municipal
Lower Allen Township Fire Co12
Lisburn Fire Co24
Lower Allen Township EMS Co74
Shiremanstown Borough Fire Co22
Carlisle Area School District
WEMA
Cumberland County Transit
Cumberland County Building and Grounds
Cumberland County Coroner
Cumberland Count District Attorney
Cumberland County Domestic Relations
Cumberland County Prison
Cumberland County Adult Probation
Cumberland County Juvenile Probation
Cumberland County SHOT
Cumberland County Executive Offices
Sentinel News
WHP CBS 21 News
Patriot News
WHTM ABC 27 News
WPMT-FOX 43
Messiah College Security
York Co. 911
Shippensburg University Police
Bendersville Fire Co7
Biglerville Fire Co6
Bendersville EMS Co7
York Springs Co9
Monaghan Fire Dept.
Fairview Fire Dept.
Carlisle Barracks Police
DCNR
DCNR-Pine Grove
DCNR- Col. Denning
DCNR- Kings Gap
DCNR- Michaux Fire SupervisorDCNR- Michaux Forest Ranger

Project Kick-Off Meeting February 1, 2010

DPS will be engaging in a 800 MHz Portable Exchange Project Kick-Off Meeting on February 1, 2010. This meeting, which will signal the official start to the long awaited portable exchange process, will involve players from DPS, Kimball and The Harris Corporation. The purpose of the meeting is to finalize the resources needed for the exchange as well as schedules for agency visits, so that the exchange process can begin as soon as possible.

Agencies are once again reminded to start inventorying their portables and equipment for the exchange. Missing equipment will not be replaced in the exchange.

DPS and HACC Conduct Intstructor Training

On January 13, 2010 DPS along with HACC will begin the first in a series of steps that will lead up to the portable exchange process and rebanding. The 11 contracted HACC instructors will be attending refresher training on this date in the Cumberland County EOC and will receive the instructing materials they need to start training users in the field. These 11 instructors will deliver training to local agencies over the coming weeks and months as we begin the portable exchange process.

Users are encouraged to keep checking this site in the coming days and weeks. This site will become increasingly useful for users and a great source of information as we embark on the exchange process!

Radio Exchange

Agencies can expect to receive notifications and a schedule within the coming weeks regarding their involvement in the portable exchange process. The exchange process will initially target areas with known interference issues. Following that wave, a general west to east sweep will occur for all public safety agencies. This will be followed by the exchange of municipal and non-public safety portables.

Training
DPS will attempt to give your agency as much advance notice as possible regarding this process. Agencies can expect training to occur within a 1-2 week range before the portable replacement and reprogramming phase will take place.

Training is being conducted by Harrisburg Area Community College and takes approximately two hours. Courses will be conducted locally for the agency. Following the replacement and reprogramming phase- another “Super User’s” seminar will be provided for those individuals identified as local agency trainers and an updated training CD will be provided to the trainer.

Agency Visits
Unlike the original mobile radio installs and portable radio deliveries that were done prior to transition to the 800 MHz radio system; this will be done in the live environment. The Harris and county contracted teams that visit the agency will be doing various tasks – but will attempt not to completely place an agency out of service. Harris teams will reprogram mobile radios and control stations; and remove and replace portable chargers that may be installed in your fleet vehicles. County contracted teams will exchange and activate replacement portable radios; and exchange accessories related to the replacement portables. Prior to arriving at the agency – the replacement portable radios will have charged batteries ready for operational use. All batteries distributed will be previously conditioned according to manufacturer recommendations and verified the battery meets or exceed original manufactures specifications. Exchanged portable radios will be deactivated from the system during the visit. The agency should make any effort possible to have the inventory ready on day of visit. While we recognize all good faith efforts to have the inventory available – alternate arrangements for missing inventory needs to be discussed prior to the visit. At the end of all agency visits – all unaccounted portable radios will be deactivated – and the agency will be responsible to replace the radio and/or accessory at their own expense. No P800 series portables can be used following the realignment project.

Portable Radio/Accessory Replacement Requirements
Under the terms agreed upon by Sprint/Nextel and the FCC – a portable radio or portable radio accessory will only be replaced if an old radio or old accessory is available to be exchanged. If you do not have the old portable or old portable accessory – you will not be provided a new portable radio or portable radio accessory. The old portable radio and old portable radio accessory must be in working order – if it is not then it will not be replaced. Our replacement inventory was based on original M/A-Com sales records and follow up agency surveys. If third party items were purchased and not reported to our office – those items will not be replaced during the agency visit. If you have purchased third party items (documentation of purchase would be helpful) – the County will attempt to have Sprint/Nextel provide replacements following the completion of the agency visits. A note about portable radio battery – radio batteries have a service life – approximately two years. Old batteries “saved” in anticipation of replacement by Sprint/Nextel will not be considered for exchange. Sales documentation from original M/A-Com radio purchases were used to determine the inventory for actual batteries to be replaced. No more than two batteries will be provided for exchange and this will be on a one for one exchange validated by the original sales records.


Please be sure to check back here on a regular basis in the coming weeks, as we will have lots of information to release!

REMINDER: Are you ready for portable exchange?

As our office continues to work towards preparing for the P7200 series exchange, we would like to remind all services that they may need to do some preparing for the exchange as well. We are encouraging all companies and departments to begin inventorying their portables, batteries, chargers and any other accessories that will be exchanged. While we do not expect you to collect items at this time, it is important that you know the location of all items. We understand it is easy to lose track of a battery or charger along the way, but any missing items MUST be located for the exchange process to occur.