GRN FUNCTIONS.

[Tone7]

Couple of things i would like to see improved on the GRN in the next generation.

That there are more GRN's ordered per brigade.  One portable per truck is not sufficient.

When you change talk group it tells you what talk group you are on.
When there is a busy tone it say's "Network Busy" instead of beeps
When there the battery is going flat it tells you "Battery flat"

These whole tone things are crap for the every day farmer... for people like me i live for tones and flashing lights to tell me errors but not every one has letter after your name like me, to understand them

SAPOL have some pretty kewl functions.

im sure other people have got some suggestions we could use... as i see mr bau is registered maybe he could take these ideas on board!

[RescueHazmat]

Maybe if you put your ideas on paper, and forward them through the correct chain..


I would start with the brigade / group comms officer..

 

[Tone7]

please dont make me LOL... you asking me to put something on paper and forward up the food chain... OMG LOL sitreps dont even get up the food chain correctly and they are a leagal requirement... its like Chinese whispers...  HA HA>..... no offense... i like going straight to the top and i know it does piss people off and step on peoples toes and i dont mean it and i have the best intentions in the world but i like my message to be clear and actually reach the top and be heard... thats why im jumping up and down about this innovations committee... maybe im going about it the wrong way.. but i have tried the other way and things keep getting squashed at local level because people dont like change...

[Timbo]

That there are more GRN's ordered per brigade.  One portable per truck is not sufficient.

When you change talk group it tells you what talk group you are on.

We have 5 portables for 2 vehicles, I'd check your SOFC to see how many you should have been issued, and check if some are lost or 'in hiding'

Talk Group - why not just look at the screen?

[RescueHazmat]

please dont make me LOL... you asking me to put something on paper and forward up the food chain... OMG LOL sitreps dont even get up the food chain correctly and they are a leagal requirement... its like Chinese whispers...  HA HA>..... no offense... i like going straight to the top and i know it does filtered people off and step on peoples toes and i dont mean it and i have the best intentions in the world but i like my message to be clear and actually reach the top and be heard... thats why im jumping up and down about this innovations committee... maybe im going about it the wrong way.. but i have tried the other way and things keep getting squashed at local level because people dont like change...

Just be careful.. - Breaching the chain of command can constitue a Red 22. - Suspension / Termination of the service can be one of the more severe results.

I know everyone likes their idea's to be heard, however right/wrong they may be... But there are ways of doing it..





- Goodluck anyway.

[Tone7]

I believe SAPOL have programmed in there toggale switch the ABC switch... programmed main talkgroups they used and when they flick it says the talkgroup... good idea i think.. means u dont have to take the radio off your belt or jacket and look at the screen...

Im just putting ideas out there on what i would like to see i suggest others do the same... who knows who is watching this forum..

[Pipster]

SAPol spent very large sums of money upgrading to the next radios...they are heavier than the old ones (bad for police officers who lug them around, attached to the belt    )

Talking channels...it's cute for the first day.  Then it becomes really really annoying.

The biggest problem with the radios is their cost...I heard a figure quoted of each handset is in the vicinity of $3500...(it may not be correct - perhaps someone else can clarify it..?)

If CSF were to purchase these new handsets, then the Government will have to provide some additional funding...or a number of brigades just go without other things...like appliances!!              

Pip

[Tone7]

So they are short and ugly pip

yeaharound the 3k mark is correct... didnt know they where heavier ...

lol and how many hand holds does your brigade have pip.. we have two for Lincoln...... and 19 lost/missing in action in the system from the group... how poor is that... i was officially told the R6 was the last to receive GRN and they didn't order enough and by the time R6 even got the radio warranty was already out of date and they stopped making them... LOL how bad is that...  i think R6 should be first this time... hell we might even get 5 or 6 per truck like some people in R1 and R2 got...

[medevac]

That there are more GRN's ordered per brigade.  One portable per truck is not sufficient.

When you change talk group it tells you what talk group you are on.

We have 5 portables for 2 vehicles, I'd check your SOFC to see how many you should have been issued, and check if some are lost or 'in hiding'

Talk Group - why not just look at the screen?

hmmm... in a heavily urban group we have one per appliance plus one per captain... not enough really. there should be at least two available ON the appliances plus the captains.

[Pipster]

AS I understand it, it was meant to be one GRN handheld per appliance, plus one for the Captain....

Not sure about the 5 or 6 per truck like Region 1...certainly haven't seen that....

And it would appear that there were a few issues with a number of brigade actually getting the numbers they are meant to have......  but I'm alright Jack!!  

Pip

[Tone7]

Pip has her own specail radio  it talks to her so she does feel all alone...

[backburn]

That there are more GRN's ordered per brigade.  One portable per truck is not sufficient.

When you change talk group it tells you what talk group you are on.

We have 5 portables for 2 vehicles, I'd check your SOFC to see how many you should have been issued, and check if some are lost or 'in hiding'

Talk Group - why not just look at the screen?

It does not matter what the SOFC say. They will tell you that there are no more in the state and they are not making them any more. We should have 2 but only received 1 have been trying to get the other one but no luck.

[Pipster]

Pip has her own specail radio  it talks to her so she does feel all alone...

I get a special radio, cos I'm special   

And without it, people have trouble finding me..(cos the MDT is next to useless,)  and I don't hang around in the office for too long, in case people give me work to do !!!!   

Pip

[Alan (Big Al)]

Same as Medevac 1 per truck and one for capatain, some groups run 1 per truck and per briagade officer??

[Sam]

One per captain and one per truck is the standard however, you will find that some urban areas or multi agency eg a lot of MFS/CFS responses will have two GRN portables per truck. I am aware some brigades in the Para group and some others all have 2.

[medevac]

^^pity they dont keep the extras in the trucks lol

[2090]

Tone 7, Youre an interesting chap. LOL LOL LOL OMG OMG LOL we have as many per appliance as we need. Our Hazmat and Rural appliances both have two GRNs. I really cant see a need for more than one on a 'normal' appliance as only the OIC is meant to have GRN? Now, more VHF's for the crews could be good.

[Tone7]

Yeah i have now changed my name 2, its

Nasty PR guy that hates little old ladies / interesting chap...    hehehe

YES totally agree more VHF, but some that actually work..... finally after fighting heaps we will soon have 4 VHF per appliance.  See the problem was and still is normally the OIC takes off out the truck and takes and GRN and VHF, only coz 90% of our captains dont have their own GRN.. so that leaves us with one VHF and no portable GRN... sounds fun...

From my understanding the person at the pointy end and pump op should both have a VHF to start off with?

I keep saying, why isnt there two external speakers on the back of the truck near the pump with a microphone so when u jump out of the truck u flick the switch and you have comm's on the back near the pump.  Both VHF and GRN..  Its NOT that hard to set up... Another innovation ideal brought to you some one who cares that no one is not being listened too.


i think i could say Lincoln brigade has the best hand signals in the west.... we can work magic in scrub and over hills especially where VHF doesn't work... 


This VHF not working is starting to become a problem...

Does any one else find VHF a problem???

then trucks start going back to GRN again because the VHF didn't work and that it then causes the other problem... we wont go there..

Cheers

Nasty PR guy that hates little old ladies / interesting chap...

[Darius]

regarding VHF at the back of the appliance, yes it's a good thing, I don't know why it's not a standard fitment.  I am about to start doing the paperwork to get our 24 modified to have an extension speaker/mic and volume control for the truck VHF at the rear for the pump operator to use.  Enabling the truck VHF to be used like this effectively frees up a portable.

if you want more VHF portables, contact Tetracom and buy them (my group bought an extra bunch not long ago), but do it soon as Icom no longer make them except in special one-off runs.  How much longer Icom will continue this I don't know.

the other mod I have recently done is on our 24 (single cab hino) is had a GRN extension speaker fitted to the rear crew seating area (no mic just a speaker).  This enables the crew on the back to hear sitreps and info while responding to an incident allowing everyone, not just those in the cab, to be prepared what to expect.  It's ok with dual-cabs but with the old 24's those on the back are sitting in a cloud of dust facing backwards and have no idea what is happening.  I was told this mod had not been done before but now Tetracom have the wiring all worked out and it is approved by HQ, so anyone can now have this done.

regarding ideas and the chain of command, if your comms ideas are being squashed at the local level for no reason (there might be a reason that is not apparent to you of course) then take them to your regional rep on the state volunteer telecommunications committee.

[Camo]

If you follow the correct GRN protocols you should only need one hand held per appliance.

Only one person from the appliance needs to be talking to the GO or Base.  And in the event of a large incident your truck shouldnt be using GRN at all as all communications should be done on the VHF system back to your sector commander who then talks higher up the chain on GRN.

[Tone7]

so camo what happens when the crew cant talk to the sector commander on VHF because of the poor quality of the system i have found.

you try advising 30 trucks they shouldn't be using the GRN at a huge incident.

[bajdas]

so camo what happens when the crew cant talk to the sector commander on VHF because of the poor quality of the system i have found.

you try advising 30 trucks they shouldn't be using the GRN at a huge incident.

Can you use the GRN radios in Simplex mode which means they talk to each other ig the have 'line of sight' & not use GRN tower space ?

[Pipster]

You can - but it means you are no longer on the main channel...which is a vital part of the CFS Comms plans - the GRN radio is for the command side of an incident, as well as for safety messages, such as wind changes etc.... if you change to a simplex channel, that link is lost..unless you have another GRN radio on the main channel......   

Pip

[bajdas]

Enhancements I would suggest are:

* portable radios to have a screen or led lights on the microphone, so you can see what is happening without removing the portable radio base from under your PPE.

* More remote ear-pieces / microphones available to use. Similar to ones used by SES bikes, SES BA & some paid staff.

* this I do not think will happen, but it is a wish list  -- place a potable GRN repeater in each vehicle (like SAAS ambulances). This will allow the 5watt portable radios with poor antenna placement to use the 35watt (I think) console radio with good antenna placement.

[backburn]

If you follow the correct GRN protocols you should only need one hand held per appliance.

Only one person from the appliance needs to be talking to the GO or Base.  And in the event of a large incident your truck shouldnt be using GRN at all as all communications should be done on the VHF system back to your sector commander who then talks higher up the chain on GRN.

We got told that going by the GRN protocols if you where a EMA brigade you get a extra portable but we are still waiting for that one.