Allegan County Public Safety

Miscellaneous Information

• System can not be monitored with any scanner currently on the market.
• DSD Digital Speech Decoder may be able to decode this system Digital_Speech_Decoder_(software_package)

• 858.9375, detected 151.4 PL on EDACS data (6/11)
• Talkgroup 04-023, heard tone paging in the clear. RID of 914.

Press Release from Allegan County Sheriff's Department

Allegan County 800 Megahertz Radio System And your Home Scanner 

Allegan County Central Dispatch begins use of the new 800 Megahertz radio System
 Beginning Monday, the 17th of January, Allegan County Central Dispatch and the law
 enforcement and EMS agencies of the county will begin to use updated 800 MHZ 
technology in their day-to-day communications. 

With this new 800 megahertz technology the use of current VHF scanners will not be
 able to monitor the day-to-day communications between Allegan Central and the law
 enforcement agencies of Allegan County. The new radio system operates using digital
 encryption, meaning that scanner listeners will no longer be able to track daily
 activities for law enforcement or EMS (Emergency Medical Services) as you have in
 the past. 

Allegan County Fire Departments will continue to use an enhanced VHF system and home
 listeners will continue to be able to listen to radio traffic between the Fire
 Departments of Allegan County and Allegan County Central Dispatch.

Allegan Central Dispatch Director Robert Larr knows of the disappointment that this
 will bring about to many residents. However the security of radio traffic has become
 a priority. Residents who currently listen to scanners regularly are asked not to
 call Central Dispatch asking for frequency ranges or to complain about the loss of
 signal.

The phasing in of the 800 megahertz system will begin on January 17th and will
 continue until the entire law enforcement community is in the system. At that point
 the old VHF system will be taken out of service.

Currently, there are 10 tower sites for this system in-operation across the county:
1.   Monterey Township
2.   Otsego Township (Otsego)
3.   Lee Township (Pullman)
4.   Manlius Township (Fennville)
5.   Saugatuck Township (Saugatuck)
6.   Gun Plain Township (Plainwell)
7.   Laketown Township (Holland) (leased space on existing tower)
8.   Valley Township (Allegan) (leased space on existing tower)
9.   Wayland Township (Wayland) (leased space on existing tower)
10.  911 center at the county's Dumont Complex (Allegan)