800 MHz

Answering Some 800 MHz Radio (Model 8000) Questions

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

With the May 2023 rollout of the model 8000 radio, some field personnel have been asking questions. Here are answers to the common questions:

  • The Wi-Fi symbol will be starting to appear on radios as the Wi-Fi system is turned on at stations.  It is the symbol above the C in MCFRS and below the Z scan symbol. The only purpose of the Wi-Fi is for radio programming. (No, you cannot connect your phone to the radio and surf the web.)

    800 MHz Portable Radio Model 8000 Interface

  • The satellite symbol between the Bluetooth and H indicates GPS lock. If it is flashing, it does NOT have GPS reception like when in a building.
  • The H indicates the channel or talkgroup is transmitting in high power. There are some channels by regulation that must transmit in low power and those will display an L.
  • The 3 dot button on the face of the new RSMs is unused right now and does nothing

800 MHz Radio Model 8000 FAQ

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

In 2023, the 800 MHz Radio Model APX8000XE will replace the APX6000XE and APX7000XE portable radios. Below are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) and information you need to know.

What is new about the 8000 portable radio?

  • All users — regardless of riding position — will now have access to VHF resources (e.g., 7V1, 7V2, etc.) and UHF backup med channels. As such, there will be no difference between the officer and firefighter radios.
  • New UHF zones: EMRC, MA41 and MA42
  • DC fire zones are updated. While that doesn’t match the rest of the fleet, differences do not affect fireground talkgroups.
  • You will receive a new remote speaker microphone. While it looks a lot like the previous model, the new version has better audio capability and does a better job of suppressing extraneous background noise.

Is there a new fleetmap?

How will I know which radio I have?

  • Model 6000 and 7000 radios each have a white sticker with black printing to identify the radio.
    Old Radio Sticker
  • Model 8000 radios each have a black sticker with white printing to identify the radio.
    New radio sticker

What about the batteries — are they different?

  • Model 6000 and 7000 batteries are each black with a green dot on the bottom, and a white label with green printing.
    Old battery bottomOld battery side
  • Model 8000 batteries are each white on the bottom and a black/white label.
    New batter bottomNew battery side
  • The model 8000 battery’s capacity is greater than the old battery’s capacity.
  • The model 8000 battery is intrinsically safe, rated through UL (Underwriter Laboratories).
  • The old batteries with the green dots are not compatible with the new radios and will need to be returned to TechOps once your station’s radios have been replaced.
  • Note: If you use the wrong battery in the model 8000 radio, you will get a message that you are using the wrong battery.

Are the Station Battery Multi-Unit Chargers (MUCs) different?

  • Model 6000 and 7000 chargers looked like this:
    Old radio gang charger
  • Model 8000 chargers look like this:
    New radio gang charger
  • If you come across an older style charger, please submit a TSR for radio equipment with the location of the old charger and a good point of contact to assist us in swapping it out.

What’s the plan for deployment?

  • We will swap out whole battalions at a time.
  • This is a one-for-one swap as the old and new radio IDs for the riding positions must match.
  • As we swap out radios by battalion, the loaners in the BC vehicles will be changed. If you get loaners from BCs other than your home battalion BC, they may have different radios/batteries than yours. Please get a loaner from your home battalion.
  • Volunteers will be asked to have their portable radios at their respective stations when those stations are scheduled for radio swap. People failing to switch out radios in a reasonable timeframe will have their radios turned off. Please do your part and, if you are unable to meet the exact timeframes, please communicate with Tech Ops.

How do I find out more information?

  • If you have specific questions, please submit a TSR and someone from Tech Ops will follow up with you.

 

 

Reacting to Failsoft on the 800 MHz Radio

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

When the 800 MHz radio system has major computer problems, but stops just short of completely breaking, we enter what is called Failsoft mode.

How to know you’re in Failsoft mode:

  • Failsoft appears on your radio’s screen.
  • You will hear a regular chirp seconds.
  • ECC will announce that we are in Failsoft.

What happens?

  • All of our talkgroups reduce to a handful of channels. Those frequencies are shared and no longer parsed into separate talkgroups.
  • EB is no longer functioning.
  • No radio patches are available. (Note: This includes EMRC.)

What should you do?

  • Refrain from talking on the radio unless you have something vital to say.
  • Turn off the Scan feature.
  • Treat Failsoft like Condition Red.

Here is the Failsoft fleetmap:

Failsoft Fleetmap

Understanding the 800 MHz Radio Changes (October 2022)

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

There are two main changes to the 800 MHz radio system for October 2022:

  • Fleetmap change regarding PG County zone
  • FDTA change regarding tone and EB

Fleetmap Change

PG County has realigned zone 8 to match MCFRS when it comes to Ops and Dispatch.

  • 8A1 is now Ops
  • 8A2 is now Disp

FDTA Tone Gone

Effective with the upgrade to your radio, you will no longer hear a tone when you press your PTT on FDTA. This may take some time for people to get used to, but it was necessary with the other change (EB, below).

FDTA EB Available (but Limited)

The EB is now functional on FDTA, but not exactly likely it is on talkgroups that go through the trunked system. (Remember, FDTA is still a simplex channel, unheard by ECC.) Here are the basics:

  • What happens when I am on FDTA and activate my EB?
    • You effectively launch an EB activation.
    • You will hear a tone every 10 seconds.
    • ECC will not know that you have launched an EB and it is up to your incident commander to include ECC.
  • Will people who are scanning FDTA know that I have launched an EB?
    • Their radios will flash EA received (with your apparatus name and position, as shown in the example below), but it will only flash for them. It will then jump back to their TG(s).
    • They will not hear an extended tone.
    • The orange banner will rotate briefly between your apparatus name with riding position and your known location (if accessible, unlike the image below).
      EB on FDTA
  • What is the range on who will know I have pressed my EB?
    • This is no different than the normal range for FDTA. Line of sight is about a mile, but buildings and various building materials shorten that.
  • What if I press the EB accidentally? Is clearing the EB on FDTA the same as on any other talkgroup?
    • Yes, simply press and hold a few seconds until it clears.
    • There is no need to tell ECC, though.

 

Finding the Right 800 MHz Radio Fleetmap

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

Looking for the right fleetmap? Please see the list below. Each link is a separate PDF, sized for an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper. Please see below the list of links for a color-coded legend.

2024 Fleetmaps: 


Fleetmap Key

EB TG Shift

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

When you activate the emergency button (EB) on 7D, 7E or any secondary talkgroup (TG) in an incident block, the radio uses emergency revert, which means you radio will jump back to the primary incident TG in the block and activate the emergency from there.