Officials knock new radios
JANESVILLE — As a Janesville police officer grappled with a suspect in the city's Fourth Ward, he radioed in for backup.
No reply.
The officer radioed in again, this time shouting for help from other officers. Finally, the officer used a Taser on the suspect.
Still no reply.
The officer made three or four calls before one of the radio dispatches got through and other officers responded to help subdue the suspect, Janesville Police Chief Dave Moore said. The other calls were cut off before they even reached dispatch.
The incident, which happened Sept. 13, was just six blocks from one of the department's digital radio receiver sites. It's an alarming example of the problems that Rock County's new digital radio system has had since it went online in June.
The problems include completely locked up radio receiver sites, spotty reception in the fringes of the county and calls that get cut off in the field—or never make it to dispatch, officials said.
Technicians from three digital radio vendors and officials at the Rock County 911 Center are scrambling to iron out the kinks in the $1.9 million radio system. Yet some local police and fire agencies say they're losing patience with the problems.
"It's very concerning to us," Moore said. "We have always striven to have portable (radio) coverage throughout the city. That's our standard."
That's not happening.
Some agencies, such as the Janesville Police Department, for weeks have toggled back and forth between digital transmissions to analog to try to keep a signal. Others, according to Milton Fire Chief Loren Lippincott, have relied on personal cell phones during digital radio logjams.
The county switched to all-digital radio communications to prepare for a federally mandated narrow banding of analog radio, which will take effect Jan. 1. The switch to digital was intended to maintain the same level of radio capability for countywide agencies when analog frequencies are curtailed.
Yet since July, it hasn't worked that way.
Kathy Sukus, Interim Director of Rock County 911, said the three vendors who installed the radio systems believe they've isolated and repaired a major glitch that has caused transmissions to and from local fire departments to go offline and in some cases completely lock up.
Crews learned the county software that converts radio transmissions from towers on County A in Janesville and Mill Street in Beloit were getting overloaded and locking up, she said.
That leads to dropped or blocked calls for fire departments because the system could not properly coordinate radio transmissions.
As of Monday and Tuesday, crews reported both the main towers had begun to relay transmissions without a single malfunction, Sukus said.
With that problem fixed, the vendors plan to work with the Janesville Police Department and other agencies on weak and spotty radio coverage, another problem that has plagued the new system, Sukus said.
That has led to garbled calls and transmissions being dropped between officers and smaller digital receiver sites around the county, she said. Those problems have left Janesville police and other agencies "more comfortable" using their old analog radio systems.
Testing is in early stages, but to expand and improve radio coverage, the county might have to install new digital receiver sites and, despite the potential cost, new towers, Sukus said.
For now, the vendors' troubleshooting isn't costing anything.
"It was part of the agreement, system acceptance," Sukus said. "It needs to work before we pay it. So we don't see a bill."
The bright spot, Moore said, is the county still has until the narrow banding deadline in January to iron out the glitches. Still, that's not stopping agencies from exerting pressure.
Moore said his department met with the radio systems' vendors and played 911 recordings and Vidmic footage of the officer who on Sept. 13 was struggling with a suspect but couldn't reach dispatch.
The footage was uncomfortable for the vendors to see and hear, but it needed to be played, he said.
"We're really looking for an improvement in radio coverage and clarity. And we're not bashful about holding people's feel to the fire to getting that accomplished," Moore said.
Lippincott said his department and others don't blame Rock County 911 for the problems.
"I'm displeased with the length of time it's taking, but I understand it's not the 911 center's fault. They're just as frustrated as we are," he said.
Agencies countywide have spent $4 million to purchase and install digital equipment that is supposed to be compatible with the county system, according to municipal records.
Janesville's police and fire departments alone have spent about $800,000 for the upgrades, Moore said. Milton Fire Department spent about $78,000 on digital gear, according to municipal records.
Lippincott said his agency and others are wondering when the equipment will actually operate properly.
"I guess from our standpoint, that is one of the biggest issues—the amount of money we spent," he said. "We should start getting what we paid for."
Oct 11, 2012 at 5:02 p.m.
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wisconsinheat: Uniden BC785D now on an outside ground plane 20ft above a two story roof.
Oct 2, 2012 at 12:52 p.m.
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What's all the fuss, so what if the county spent loads of taxpayer dollars on a system that wasn't proven to be reliable? It's just public employee's lives on the line right? I mean, if we've learned anything from the current regime running this state, public employees are expendable, one goes, just go out and get another one at half the price. And when we have to spend thousands more dollars to repair or replace this system, guess who's pockets we can reach into to defray the cost thanks to Scooter? That's right, the same public employees who's lives are being needlessly risked by this pathetic excuse for a communication system. Ain't life grand!
Oct 1, 2012 at 5:19 p.m.
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Jvlhomeowner...just curious, what brand of digital scanner are you using?
Sep 29, 2012 at 1:01 p.m.
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In my last post at 2am I meant to say they went digital at 4 pm Friday ( again) This morning I found that Janesville was operating on the County tactical freq, the sheriff was on the Special events channel and the radio techs were working on both main channels. After switching back to their assigned channels, the 911 center still says units are garbled on their end - listening on my scanner I could hear the units just fine!
You'd think they would have gotten this right BEFORE lives depended on it!
Sep 29, 2012 at 2:33 a.m.
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Just a note; Janesville went analog at 4 pm Friday ( again) I'm hearing units running suspects being asked to repeat details because they are "breaking up", an officer standing next to him also unable to hear dispatch ( "a loud stead beep coming from the radio").. yup working fine!
Sep 28, 2012 at 4:26 p.m.
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The existing transmitters are being used with digital encoders/decoders piggybacked to them. That would be why they can't just use the analog system while they test the digital. Narrowbanding was introduced in the 90s and made mandatory by the end of this year Radios made since 99 -2000 are compatible with narrowbanding, but not digital, as someone said the county drank the system sellers Kool-aid. As many departments had radios that were more than capable of doing narrow band. P.S. the reason the FCC mandated narrow band by 12/31/2012 is frequencies are licensed and by narrowing the band widthes more descreet channels are available to police fire and businesses
Sep 28, 2012 at 11:13 a.m.
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wisconsinheat... you beat me to it. You know someone's pocket is being lined here. I would go so far as to say that there is probably a politician with significant ownership in the companies involved with this equipment.
Sep 28, 2012 at 9:30 a.m.
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Perhaps they were using Verizon? Can you hear me now? NO Can you hear me now? NO!!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 28, 2012 at 8:35 a.m.
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Jvlhomeowner
Thanks for that information. :-)
Sep 28, 2012 at 8:18 a.m.
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I think this is a case where the requirements are are turning out to be bigger than the capability of the present digital technology.
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According to the technology salesperson the transition will always be seamless. From computer programs, systems, and software to digital radio has anyone ever seen a seamless transition? I'll bet we all have stories.
Sep 28, 2012 at 8:11 a.m.
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Yada... you have it wrong, we are trying to improve ways to make more money off of it. Just like cars, they were safe 10 years ago, now we added more and more and more safety crap that the car weighs 1000 lbs more and has to use more fuel...but since technology has increased and the engines burn more efficiently they get the same MPG as they did 10 years ago. We gain nothing. We can not use less fuel because that would be less money spent. The communication field is the same... they "made it better"...That is just a ploy to collect more money. It is all about money... nothing else.
Sep 28, 2012 at 6:24 a.m.
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Technology is important - but regarding the previous system that was in use - - If it's not broke don't fix it. We are always trying to improve something that already works really well.
Sep 27, 2012 at 10:41 p.m.
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Any political money involved in any of these FCC decisions?
I know the answer....do you?
Sep 27, 2012 at 10:26 p.m.
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The FCC mandate for NARROWBAND transmissions was made years ago. NO one political party has the blame for this. It was your Rock County Commissioners who drank the radio salesman's cool-aid and bought "digital", which is where the problems are.
I am an avid scanner listener, and have several scanners and outside antennas. I can hear signals from the Chicago and Milwaukee areas on a regular basis. Many agencies have changed over to Narrowband, with out going digital, and have had little or no problems from the change. The Rock County system is totally different than was was sold to Milwaukee ( made by Harris radio) which is totally un monitor-able by the public and any surrounding community that does not have a Harris (Milwaukee)supplied radio.
As I listen here daily to our county's system, I hear many missed calls, and have heard the frustration by officers and firefighters on ALL channels that have been converted to digital in the county system. I appears the only back up for the Fire channel is cell phone, and I hear the sheriff's channel users doing the same.
Luckily, JPD has their analog radios to use, and currently seems to be the only ones in the county system to be using it. I have heard dispatchers telling officers that the state patrol can no longer talk directly with them as the do not have digital in all their cars. If this is true, and the police and fire in surrounding counties don't have digital radios, then the whole argument of "interoperability" has failed.
Narrowbanding came to us from the same FCC that mandated digital TV, which has caused thousands of people outside the major cities to loose their tv reception ( ask people on farms around Baraboo for example).... Another example of "to serve you better" ...
Sep 27, 2012 at 9:13 p.m.
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"For now, the vendors' troubleshooting isn't costing anything." Dollar wise... what are they going to do when someone loses their life due to a communication failure? That is pretty costly for their testing and tuning if you ask me. I would demand all money back, return it all, return to 100% analog until the system is tested and 100%.... once it is working then make a deal. Why would anyone ever put faulty untested nonworking equipment in the emergency service field? Holy lack of management.
Sep 27, 2012 at 7:25 p.m.
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Just to be clear, the federal mandate is not to switch to DIGITAL. The mandate is to switch to NARROW band ANALOG.
It was the county's choice to go digital.
Mr. Sleeter is enjoying his retirement in Texas.
Sep 27, 2012 at 6:53 p.m.
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"Technicians from three digital radio vendors and officials at the Rock County 911 Center are scrambling to iron out the kinks in the $1.9 million radio system."
AND
"The county switched to all-digital radio communications to prepare for a federally mandated narrow banding of analog radio, which will take effect Jan.1 "
So let me understand this...a 1.9 Million Dollar System is not working....HMMMmm..Problem #1...
And it is due to a FEDERAL MANDATE ????...Problem #2....
You gotta be kidding me...and just which political party is responsible for this??? I do NOT know the answer, and could care less if a Dem or Republican...this is just one more example of why we need LESS Federal Government in OUR states..
Unreal...and the real losers are not the taxpayers, but the Police...
Someone please answer my question, as it will definitely have a place in my decision on which way to vote this year.
Sep 27, 2012 at 5:25 p.m.
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Many problems are on record during Milwaukee's conversion from analog to digital radios. This article doesn't specify who the vendor(s) are, but Milwaukee's system is called Open Sky.
http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/457...
Sep 27, 2012 at 5:02 p.m.
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The FCC will most likely extend the Jan. deadline to allow for some analog backup use. The alternative is for the FCC to pull the radio licenses of police and fire stations across the country that are not yet compliant. That wouldn't exactly result in a public relations uptick for the FCC.
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