Chester County, Pennsylvania

Emergency Responder Radio User Training

ECP3126A

Objectives This supplemental training is designed specifically for Radio Users utilizing the Chester County, Pennsylvania Communications System. The following objectives are specific to their functions and the use of their radios

At the Completion of this course, the user will: 1.Understand how a trunked simulcast system works

2.Have a basic understanding of the difference between Trunked and Conventional radio communications 3.Navigate to the multiple systems that are programmed in the radio 4.Successfully transmit and receive radio calls on different talk-groups 5.Set up a customized scan list as well as turn scan on and off 6.Have knowledge of how to initiate an emergency call as well as understand the agency established procedures for handling these calls

ECP3126A

Conventional Simplex Radio Communications

CONV POL_D1 25

CONV POL_D1 25

-Radios Transmit and Receive on the same frequency • Whether it is your agency issued Harris XG-75 radio or an inexpensive Family talk-around radio, the operation is the same. • Two or more radios with the same frequency programmed to a channel and the radios will communicate with each other on that common frequency.

Trunked Communications System

Chester County 325+ Talk Groups

Trunked Communications System

TRUNKED COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

Chan 1

Chan 2

Chan 3

Chan 4

Chan 5

Chan 6

Trunked Communications System

Chan 2

TRUNKED COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM Chan 3

Chan 1

Chan 6 Chan 4

Chan 5

Simulcast Systems All Tower Sites within a system have: – The same number of frequencies – Radios communicate to towers and towers to radios not radio to radio – Radios (like cell phones) select the tower with the strongest signal – Transmissions are broadcast

to every site in which a radio is selected on the talk-group which is transmitting

Portable Radios

Harris XG75 Pe System Model

XG-75 (System Model) Views

Locking/Unlocking the Keypad WHEN THE RADIO IS POWERED ON THE FRONT KEYPAD IS LOCKED

2

1) Press the Menu key front keypad of the radio

on the

2) Within 2 seconds, press the top side button . This unlocks and locks the keypad

3 1

UNLOCKED BACKLIGHT CONTRAST

3) The display will show the status of the keypad for about 3 seconds immediately after locked/unlocked 4) All keys on the front of the radio are locked except the button. 5) If the keypad is locked, the top line of the display will show LOCKED, when any key is pressed

LCD Display

LCD Display

Radio Front Display 1) The top line will be the “System” name. All public safety radios in Chester County will have one of the following systems displayed: —HOME —CONV —REGION and so on …

—EAST_FD —WEST_PD —CENT_PD —8CHES

—CHESTER —ICS —DIRECT —MONTCO

—8TAC

—HOSP

2) Line two will display the selected talk group/channel Examples are: —E_POLICE —W_POLICE —C_POLICE —PD_EMER and so on ...

—E_FIRE —W_FIRE —C_FIRE —FD_EMER

—POL_D1 —FIRE_D1 —8CHES91 —EMS_D1

Radio Group Structure POLICE

FIRE/EMS

How to Change Systems in the Radio KEYPAD MUST BE UNLOCKED

2

1) The arrows on the front of the radio are used to move up and down the different Systems in the radio Example: HOME, REGION, CONV CHESTER, DIRECT, 8TAC… 2) Once you are on the system you want, you can select the group within that system by using the top selector knob HOME

3

W_TAC 25

III

3) The talk group name will appear on line 2 of the display

1

Making a Group Call 1

2

5

POSITION 1 2 3

4 5 6 7

4

8 9 10

3

11 HOME

E_POLICE 25

II

12 13 14 15 16

HOME C_POLICE 52PD C_PG WCHESTER 67PD 41PD 75PD 54PD 33PD 93PD WGOSHN WCCERT C_TAC C_MA 52PD EMERG

1) Turn on the radio using the volume selector knob 2) Then use the talk-group selection knob on the top of the radio to select the desired talk group 3) Group names appear on Line 2 of the display 4) Press the Push-to-Talk (PTT) button 5) You will hear a go-ahead-tone and the Indicator will light red while transmitting

SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE

Receiving A Call

3 1) The caller’s Radio ID or Console ID appears on Line 1 (ex. 1151050)

2) The talk group that is being received appears on Line 2

1 1151050

2

C_PG 25 III

3) The Indicator light will be green while receiving a call

Declaring an Emergency 1

Top View

1) Press and hold the orange EMERGENCY button for approximately 2.5 seconds 2) *TXEMER* appears in the display and will continue to flash, alternating with the Emergency talk-group identifier until the emergency is cleared

2

HOME *TXEMER* 25 I

3) Dispatch consoles will be alerted both audibly and visually that an emergency has been declared 4) All Emergency declarations must be cleared by a dispatch console. Radios cannot clear emergencies.

Receiving an Emergency 1) *RXEMER* appears in display and will continue to flash on radios that are selected or monitoring group where an emergency has been declared 2) Radios that are receiving or hearing an emergency will display the unit ID for the radio that has declared the emergency 3) Radios that are receiving an emergency will also receive an audible tone, alerting them that an emergency has been declared

2 1

1001001 *RXEMER* 25 II

4) Dispatch consoles will be alerted both audibly and visually that an emergency has been declared 5) Emergencies must be cleared by the dispatch console

Side Button Functions

Option Button 1 Option Button 2 Push-To-Talk (PTT) Button

1) Option Button 1- Is Used in conjunction with the “M” button on the front of the radio to unlock the radio keypad. The top side button is also used as a single press function for using the playback feature of the radio 2) Option Button 2 - This is set up as the Monitor/Clear button 3) Depress the Push-To-Talk (PTT) button to transmit on the radio

Audio Playback

Playback Button

HOME W_FIRE 25 II

Noise Cancellation 1) The XG-75 offers Noise Cancellation to provide clear voice quality in high-noise environments 2) The radio has two microphones - One in the front that you speak into, and one in the rear that is used to pick up and cancel out the surrounding ambient noise when the NC feature is enabled 3) When noise cancellation is enabled, it is extremely important to talk directly into the front microphone in a normal voice 4) Noise Cancellation is turned off by default in Police radios and is turned ON by default in Fire & EMS

Enable/Disable Noise Cancellation HOME C_POLICE 25 II

KEYPAD MUST BE UNLOCKED 1) Press the Menu key radio

on the front keypad of the

2) Within 2 seconds, press the top side button PHN

3) With the keypad unlocked, press the to enable and disable the noise cancellation feature 4) When Noise Cancellation is enabled, the appear at the bottom of the LCD display

icon will

Conventional Channels •

• • • •

Conventional “radio-to-radio” communications should be used whenever system coverage is not attainable. (i.e. when the radio is in “CC SCAN”) Typically used in heavy buildings and areas noted as having poor “trunked system coverage” Allows Operatives on the scene to communicate with each other directly “radio to radio” Helps keep people on the scene communicating and safe Once you switch to a conventional channel, dispatch can no longer hear you (you have switched off of the trunked system) You will not be monitoring any talk-groups in your scan list

Group Scanning POSITION

HOME

1

E_FIRE

2

WCFD

3

E_OPS1

4

E_OPS2

5

E_OPS3

6

E_OPS4

7

C_FIRE

8

C_OPS1

9

C_OPS2

10

W_FIRE

11

W_OPS1

12

W_OPS2

13

WCHEST

14

E_TAC

15

E_MA

16

FD_EMER

• You must select the groups you want to scan • There are three levels of priority. Priority (l) is the highest and Priority (III) is the lowest priority • Scanning must be off to create, add or delete groups from the scan list • Priority I is programmed in the radio to always be whatever talk-group you are currently selected on • The priority II talk-group is also pre-programmed in the radio to your primary dispatch group example:(W_POLICE, C_FIRE, E_FIRE ) • The III or lowest priority is “User Programmable” and the radio user can add or delete any other talk groups into their radio’s scan list

Turning Scan On/Off Keypad Must Be Unlocked 1) Press the Scan key 3 SCN to turn scanning on and off

2) The scan icon rotates clockwise to indicate the radio is in scanning mode 1

3) As a default setting, the radio will always be in scanning mode when it is first powered on

HOME

C_TAC 25

III

2

Establishing or Modifying a Scan List Scan must be OFF to create or modify a scan list!!

1

1) Position the selector knob to the group or channel that you wish to add to your Scan list 2) Unlock the keypad and turn scan off Scan by SCN pressing the 3 key once ADD

3) Press the 6 key once to add the group to the radios scan list 4) An icon (III) will appear in the display indicating the addition of the group to the scan list HOME

C_TAC 25

III

4

2 3 5

5) Pressing the 9 DEL key will remove the group from the radios scan list and (III) will disappear 6) You can only scan talk-groups within your selected system

Important Considerations Chester County uses a Digital, Trunked, Simulcast System. As a result, there are several things to keep in mind while using the radios 1) When in an area of weak signal strength, the radio may sound digitally garbled (also described as an “R2D2” sound) 2) When transmitting on one radio while listening to another (or on a scanner) there will be an audio delay — This causes an echo sound that can be transmitted over the radios and make your audio difficult to understand by other people — Because of this “digital delay”, officers and deputies must be aware of other radios that are in close proximity when transmitting & receiving

3) Radio users must wait for the “grant tone” before starting their radio transmissions 4) The radio microphones perform optimally when the radio user is speaking in a normal tone, directly into and approximately 3-4” from the face of the microphone

Alert Tones Call Originate

short mid-pitched beep (“beep”)

Autokey

short mid-pitched beep sounding after queued and an open channel is gained (“beep”)

Call Queued

high-pitched tone (“beep”) sounded when the system places the call request in a queue

System Busy

three low-pitched tones (“dut-dut-dut”)

Call Denied

low-pitched tone (“bomp”) sounded when the radio is not authorized on the selected system

Timing Out

five short high-pitched warning tones (“beep..”) followed by a low-pitched tone (“bomp”)

Key Press Alert short tone “beep”= access; low-pitched “bomp”= denial Low Battery

short quiet mid-pitched tone (“beep”)

Supplemental Radio User’s Guide for Chester County, Pennsylvania

Harris XG-25 Mobile

XG-75M Mobile Radio - Objectives

HOME

W_POLICE VOL

P25

III

• The XG-75M mobile radio is designed to operate in a challenging work & safety environment • We will learn how to: – Name the parts of the control unit – Originate and receive calls – Change user parameters – Set up a Scan List – Declare an Emergency

XG-75M Control Unit On/Off & Volume Control Knob

Programmable Keypad Status Keys

Display Area

OPT Key Playback Feature

MENU Key HOME

TX & BSY Indicators

Group Select Knob

VOL

System Control

C_FIRE

Programmable Soft Keys

P25

II

Ambient Light Sensor

CLR Key

Scan

Status Messaging Key

Scroll Control

Emergency Button

Display Information Line 1

Mode Icon *

Displays System/Ramp

REGION

P25 A or D

P

25

E_TAC II

VOL

Volume Bars

Scan On Icon

indicates relative volume level

Line 2 Displays Talk Group

* Icon Information

Rotates when scan is on

Channel Guard Icon

Scan Priority Icon III, II or I

If you are attached to a P-25 system, the P25 icon will appear If you are attached to an analog system, an A icon will appear If you are attached to a digital system, a D icon will appear

Originate A Group Call 1

HOME

4 5

VOL

C_FIRE

P 25

II

6 2

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

3

Turn the radio on using the volume knob Select the group you want to transmit on using the Group Selector Knob The selected system and group will be displayed on the screen Press the PTT button The light shows red when transmitting Speak into the microphone

Changing the System

HOME VOL

E_FIRE

P25

II

The radio also programmed with quick keys to quickly move to the three primary ramps/systems of the radio 1. Press the A button to take you to the HOME system 2. Press the B button to take you to the CONV system 3. Press the C button to take you to the REGION system

Selecting these buttons will take you to the first talk group of the designated system.

Changing the System

HOME VOL

E_POLICE

P25

II

All other systems of the radio can be accessed by utilizing the System Control toggle located beside the group select knob 1. Press up on the toggle switch to move up through the systems 2. Press down on the toggle to down through the various systems 3. Once selected on a system, use the group select knob to find the desired talk group or channel

Changing Talk Groups

HOME VOL

E_POLICE

P25

II

1) The Group name will appear on Line 2 of the display. 2) Use the lower left rotary knob to select the talk group. Rotate the knob in one direction to advance through the list or rotate the knob in the other direction to go back in the list.

Declaring An Emergency 2 3 HOME VOL

1)

*TXEMER*

P25

II

Press and hold the red EMERGENCY button for approximately 2.5 seconds

2) *TXEMER* appears in the display and will continue to flash, alternating with the Emergency group, until the emergency is cleared by a dispatcher 3) Once you have declared an emergency, the radio will have 5 seconds of an open microphone

1

Receiving An Emergency 1

HOME VOL

1)

2)

3)

*RXEMER*

P25

II

*RXEMER* appears in the display and will continue to flash, alternating with the Logical ID of the radio/unit that has declared the emergency You will only receive an emergency transmission if you are selected on or scanning the designated emergency talk group. The Emergency talk groups are preprogrammed in the radio to be scanned by default

Turning SCAN On/Off 2

HOME VOL

W_TAC

P25

I

1 ,3 1) 2) 3) 4)

Pressing the SCAN key turns the scan function on and off in the radio The scan icon will appear, and rotate clockwise when scan is enabled Press SCAN again to turn off the scan function and the rotating icon will disappear from the screen When scan is turned on the scan priority indicator I , II , III will always indicate I because the radios are programmed that the highest priority will always be the talk group that you are currently selected

Establishing or Modifying a Scan List

HOME VOL

W-OPS3

P25

III

2

4/5

1

3

1)

Make sure Scan is turned OFF by pressing the SCAN key

2)

Select the group you wish to add or delete from the scan list

3)

Press up on the right toggle switch to add a group to the scan list and push down on the toggle to remove it from the list

4)

If “III” is displayed in the lower right corner, the talk group will be in the scan list

5)

Talk groups that do not display the “III” are not programmed in the list

Status Messaging HOME

W_POLICE VOL

P25

III

STATUS #

ALPHA

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

ENROUTE ARRIVE CLEAR AV QUART SAA

SAU INSRVC

• All Harris mobile radios will be capable of status messaging • This feature replaces the SMU units to which you are accustomed 1) Press the 7STS button to initiate status messaging 2) Within 3 seconds choose a status from 1 to 7 on the keypad. If no buttons are pressed within 3 seconds, the radio returns to normal operation 3) When a status key is selected, it will display on line one of the radio 4) If the wrong status is chosen, simply select the correct one 5) Once the desired status is displayed on line one, wait 5 seconds without pushing any buttons and the status will be sent automatically

QUESTIONS If you have questions please contact: Name: KEVIN DESMOND Phone: (443)350-0189 E-Mail:

[email protected]