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Hey everyone, well i've been down here off and on for a week now and been trying to get a good handle on the RCS South system, but I do have a few basic questions that unfortunatly, google hasn't helped with.

-What is zone talkgroup? For example, TG 8048

-Can I hear northern FD's on the south cell? Like North Comm, Del Mar and such? Which TG's are only on which cell if thats not to much to ask.

-What are the LE Blue channels used for? Worth monitoring? I've heard some interesting traffic on LE South command and Law Air

-What happened to heartland command 6? Should I leave a blank spot in case it comes back?

-I noticed that most of Heartland fire dispatches are run on CMD 1/Tac 1, others are sprinkled throughout. Is it first come first serve or are the commands and tacs associated with particular departments?

Thanks!

Heartland Zone is basically an admin channel. Units going out for training / repair / etc. Think of it as a hailing channel.

Generally speaking, medical dispatches go out on Command 1 Tac 1. When there are a lot of medical aids, you'll hear them alternate between Tac 1 and Tac 2.

Other responses get Command-2, 3 etc in ascending order.

For major incidents like a large wildland response, they use South Mutual Aid Command and Tac channels.

If you want to hear north county fire departments, you'll need to program the north loop frequencies & fire talk groups.

I'm on Medic 17 and we use zone to let Heartland know we're returning if we're at a hospital that's out of our first in such as Sharp. Example Heartland Medic 17 clear Sharp returning we'll go available in district.

I have LE Blue 1 & 2 in mine, but hear it only once in awhile. Most traffic I hear is on LE South CMD.

If I'm correct CMD 6 was used when National City had there own system. Heartland would dispatch them and they would switch to CMD 6. Now there on the south zone so there is no CMD 6.

The only thing I'm sure about on the Heartland CMD's and TAC's is medical aids are on CMD 1 and either TAC 1 or 2. They've also had us respond to MVA's on CMD 1 and TAC 1. I think depending on how many other calls are going out is how they utilize their other CMD's and TAC's.

A lot of county wide BOL's go out on the Blue channels

Thanks for the tips everyone! Sounds like I can cut whole swathes out of what I have programmed in now since the system isn't simulcast on South north and east.

I can't hear the north or east or even city trunking control channels where I am so am I right in guessing that the only FD's i'll be able to pick up are Heartland/Inland, CDF and Chula Vista? Or am I forgetting some?

I'll also cut out the north and east mutual aid groups as well, and add the LE stuff in its place.

Slowly but surely i'm getting a hang on SD's system.

Thanks!

You might want to keep Fire East Mutual Aid talkgroups programmed...depending on where you are. Big wildland fires in the mountains and Campo / Lake Morena / Dulzura areas (etc) are run on those.

Ok now i'm a wee bit confused. Are the East Co M/A talkgroups simulcast on the south system? Like I said before, I'm unable to hear any other trunking Control channels from where I am except the south one comes in at 5 bars loud and clear.

The basic way these SmartZone systems work, all talkgroups MAY be on all zones.

Whether or not they ARE broadcast on a zone depends on whether there's any mobiles which have affiliated with that talkgroup on that zone's controlers.

So if a unit is set to receive a normally North Zone Only talkgroup, but is IN south zone, (being controlled by a south zone controller), that talk group will be sent to that unit, (and all us listeners) on South Zone, as well as North Zone.

There are no doubt some caveats to this, depending on how the interzone control links work/are set, but overall, you expect any talkgroup MIGHT, sometimes, show on any zone.

Well...I haven't paid much attention since the east loop became operational, but I'm pretty sure East Mutual Aid talkgroups are still on the RCS south loop...as they ahve been in the past.

Zone - Non incident unit to dispatch com's
Cmd1 Tac 1/2 Mostly medical with some traffic ax if it sounds like a medical problem
Rescue / Ax calls/ Fire CMD 2/Tac 3,4 CMD 3/ Tac5,6 CMD 4/ Tac 7,8 Tac 8 is also used for the station alerting system just lock it out

CMD 5, Tac 9,10 Used mostly ( or when very busy) for Borderline North/South RCS cell calls broadcast on both systems Also used as travel chanels for FD strike teams

SMA Cmd 1 Tac 1,2 Heartland primary Dispatch for Mutual aid (brush)
SMA Cmd 2 Tac 3,4 Chula Vista primary Dispatch for Mutual aid (brush)
SMA Cmd 5 Airport M/aid calls in Heartland

LawAir/FireAir/MedAir ALL zone's for Air/Air Air to Ground