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Difference between revisions of "Chester County"

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=== County Conventional Repeaters ===
 
=== County Conventional Repeaters ===
  
In concert with the county TRS, there are 3 VHF-High licensed repeaters that rebroadcast dispatcher-only communications on the law enforcement side of the system, one for each of the police dispatching districts (East PD, Central PD, and West PD).  The East PD repeater is used sporadically, while the Central PD and West PD repeaters are fairly active.
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In concert with the county TRS, there are 3 VHF-High licensed repeaters that rebroadcast dispatcher-only communications on the law enforcement side of the system, one for each of the police dispatching districts (East PD, Central PD, and West PD).  As of 2008, all three repeaters are no longer utilized.
  
 
On the Fire/EMS side, dispatch paging can be heard on 160.185. All fire and EMS calls are dispatched on this channel. Also, there are 2 conventional VHF-High repeaters that simulcast both field and dispatch users.  The Central and East fire groups are simulcast on one channel, while the West Fire group is simulcast on the other channel.
 
On the Fire/EMS side, dispatch paging can be heard on 160.185. All fire and EMS calls are dispatched on this channel. Also, there are 2 conventional VHF-High repeaters that simulcast both field and dispatch users.  The Central and East fire groups are simulcast on one channel, while the West Fire group is simulcast on the other channel.
  
The Chester County Sheriff's Deparment also has an 800 mhz conventional repeater that simulcasts its respective county TRS talkgroup.
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The Chester County Sheriff's Office also has an 800 mhz conventional low-power repeater that simulcasts its respective county TRS talkgroup; this frequency can be heard from within a few blocks of the Chester County Justice Center in West Chester.
  
 
== Dispatch Centers ==
 
== Dispatch Centers ==

Revision as of 19:03, 5 July 2009

Communications Overview

Chester County Trunked Radio System

The Chester County Department of Emergency Services maintains an 800 megahertz LTR Multi-Net trunked radio system built by E. F. Johnson. Nearly all public safety communications take place on this 14-channel system simulcast from 18 separate towers located throughout the county. The system can not be tracked by any commercially available scanners, however frequencies can be monitored in conventional mode. All police, fire, and EMS users of this system are dispatched by Chester County DES from it's dispatch center at the Government Services Building in West Goshen Township.

Conventional Public Safety Radio Systems

The Borough of West Chester maintains and operates a 4-channel conventional UHF radio system built by Motorola, with a primary transmit tower located in East Bradford Township, a back-up transmit tower located to the rear of the Municipal Building, and three recieve-only sites located on the West Chester University campus, the Embreeville complex in West Bradford Township, and the Chester County Prison complex in Pocopson Township. The system is exclusively used by the West Chester Police Department. In December 2006, the system began full-time operations in APCO P-25 digital mode.

West Goshen Township uses a 1 channel VHF-High Band radio system for dispatch and talk-around. This system is used exclusively by West Goshen Police Department. This system is used for dispatch operations during weekday hours (generally between 07:00 and 23:00 Monday through Friday), however when the department is self-dispatched, there are occasions when the county TRS is utilized. During all other times when the department is dispatched by the county, the county TRS is utilized.

Most of the remaining law enforcement agencies in the county use specifically assigned channels on the county TRS for car-to-car communications. Only Downingtown (VHF-Hi) and Uwchlan Twp (UHF) are confirmed to be using conventional frequencies for talk-around.

Most fire companies within the county use a set of 800 mhz conventional frequencies for fire-ground operations, however a few companies still use privately licensed channels for that same purpose (among the companies confirmed to have active "private" company channels are East Whiteland, Goshen, Downingtown, and Longwood).

County Conventional Repeaters

In concert with the county TRS, there are 3 VHF-High licensed repeaters that rebroadcast dispatcher-only communications on the law enforcement side of the system, one for each of the police dispatching districts (East PD, Central PD, and West PD). As of 2008, all three repeaters are no longer utilized.

On the Fire/EMS side, dispatch paging can be heard on 160.185. All fire and EMS calls are dispatched on this channel. Also, there are 2 conventional VHF-High repeaters that simulcast both field and dispatch users. The Central and East fire groups are simulcast on one channel, while the West Fire group is simulcast on the other channel.

The Chester County Sheriff's Office also has an 800 mhz conventional low-power repeater that simulcasts its respective county TRS talkgroup; this frequency can be heard from within a few blocks of the Chester County Justice Center in West Chester.

Dispatch Centers

  • CHESTER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES
    • Most Municipal Police Departments
    • Chester County Park Rangers
    • All Fire Companies
    • All EMS Squads


  • WEST CHESTER BOROUGH
    • West Chester Police Department


  • WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP
    • West Goshen Police Department (part-time)


  • POTTSTOWN BOROUGH (Montgomery County)
    • North Coventry Police Department (operates on an encrypted talk-group on the Montgomery County TRS)