StarCom21
Encyclopedia
StarCom21 is a statewide public safety trunked radio system
in Illinois
. Owned and operated by Motorola
, the State of Illinois
is a major partner in the system. It is used by all Illinois State Police
posts as well as the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
(ISTHA) Maintenance and Police divisions.
may apply to use the system. Most agencies would pay $53.00 per radio per month to operate on the system in addition to the cost of the radios. Those agencies with resources to share for the system, such as licensed radio channels or desirable tower space, may negotiate different costs with Motorola
.
Various grants and funding sources have allowed StarCom21 radios to be installed at many locations and provided to many agencies for mutual aid purposes. These include radios offered to every police
, fire
, rescue
and EMA agency in the State, hospital
s, central dispatch centers, State and other college
s and universities
and others.
StarCom21 Customer Users (those who pay a fee to use Motorola
owned infrastructure) include the Illinois State Police
(21 posts) as well as other state agencies and:
Several other agencies and localities have expressed interest in or tried the system.
StarCom21 Partner Users (Those who own their own compatible infrastructure under the same System ID and have roaming agreements for StarCom21) include:
StarCom21 Affiliated Systems (Those who own similar infrastructure under a separate System ID) include:
The so-called Affiliated Systems include the same type of technology, and system parameters (Talkgroup and user ID's etc.) are coordinated with StarCom21 to allow roaming and interoperability. Several other agencies are considering building or upgrading to similar or compatible systems to allow roaming on the various systems. Those making these considerations include Cook County, DuPage County and others.
thruout the state of Illinois
, many owned by state agencies. It uses radio channels in the 700 and 800 MHz. bands, all licensed to the State of Illinois
. It uses APCO-25 9600 baud control data signals and APCO-25 digital modulation.
technology that shares and reuses radio channels, the system is capable of handling thousands of individual Talkgroup
s and radio ID's. Since most radios are only transmitting a small percentage of the time, the channels are shared among many users. The same radio frequency
may be used at many sites throughout the state.
Of the many individual tower sites there are simulcast groups covering the Chicago
, St. Louis, Peoria
and Rockford
metro areas. These simulcast sites allow for better coverage over a large area by transmitting the same conversation on the same frequencies at each tower in the simulcast site.
Trunked radio system
A trunked radio system is a complex type of computer-controlled radio system. Trunked systems use a few channels , and can have virtually unlimited talkgroups. The control channel computer sends packets of data to enable one talkgroup to talk together, regardless of frequency...
in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Owned and operated by Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, the State of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
is a major partner in the system. It is used by all Illinois State Police
Illinois State Police
The Illinois State Police is the state police force of Illinois. Officially established in 1922, the Illinois State Police have over 3,000 personnel and 21 districts. The main facilities of the Illinois State Police Academy, which were constructed in 1968, are located in Springfield. Prior to...
posts as well as the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is an instrumentality and administrative agency of the State of Illinois, United States. The roads, as well as the Authority itself, are sometimes referred to as the Illinois Tollway...
(ISTHA) Maintenance and Police divisions.
Users
Any public safety agency in the State of IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
may apply to use the system. Most agencies would pay $53.00 per radio per month to operate on the system in addition to the cost of the radios. Those agencies with resources to share for the system, such as licensed radio channels or desirable tower space, may negotiate different costs with Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
.
Various grants and funding sources have allowed StarCom21 radios to be installed at many locations and provided to many agencies for mutual aid purposes. These include radios offered to every police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, rescue
Rescue
Rescue refers to responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or prevention of injury during an incident or dangerous situation....
and EMA agency in the State, hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s, central dispatch centers, State and other college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and others.
StarCom21 Customer Users (those who pay a fee to use Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
owned infrastructure) include the Illinois State Police
Illinois State Police
The Illinois State Police is the state police force of Illinois. Officially established in 1922, the Illinois State Police have over 3,000 personnel and 21 districts. The main facilities of the Illinois State Police Academy, which were constructed in 1968, are located in Springfield. Prior to...
(21 posts) as well as other state agencies and:
- McLean CountyMcLean County, IllinoisMcLean County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 169,572, which is an increase of 12.7% from 150,433 in 2000. Its county seat is...
(and several local agencies dispatched by McLean's 9-1-1 system) - The Illinois State Toll Highway AuthorityIllinois State Toll Highway AuthorityThe Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is an instrumentality and administrative agency of the State of Illinois, United States. The roads, as well as the Authority itself, are sometimes referred to as the Illinois Tollway...
- Boone County/ BelvedereBelvidere, IllinoisBelvidere is a city in Boone County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,585 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Boone County. Belvidere is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- RockfordRockford, IllinoisRockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
PD - Macon County and DecaturDecatur, IllinoisDecatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
PD - MadisonMadison County, IllinoisMadison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Madison County is part of the Metro-East region of the St. Louis Metro Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 269,282, which is an increase of 4.0% from 258,941 in 2000. The county seat is Edwardsville, home to...
and ClintonClinton County, Illinois-Demographics: As of the census of 2000, there were 35,535 people, 12,754 households, and 9,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 75 people per square mile . There were 13,805 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
Counties (and several agencies in these counties) - PlainfieldPlainfield, IllinoisPlainfield is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2007 special census, the population is 37,334.The Village includes land in Plainfield and Wheatland townships. Part of Plainfield is located in Kendall County...
PD - Sangamon County SheriffSangamon County, IllinoisSangamon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 197,465, which is an increase of 4.5% from 188,951 in 2000...
and SpringfieldSpringfield, IllinoisSpringfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
Police Department. Dispatched By Sangamon County Central Dispatch System SCCDS - AmerenAmerenAmeren Corporation was created December 31, 1997 by the merger of Missouri's Union Electric Company and the neighboring Central Illinois Public Service Company . It is now a holding company for several power companies and energy companies. The company is based in St...
, a large utility company that operates in much of Illinois, is now also using StarCom21. Ameren had operated several networked trunked systems for its operations, these frequencies have largely been turned over to StarCom21 for general subscriber use. Since the 700 MHz. band is restricted to Public Safety users, Ameren can only use the 800 MHz. channels, so some sites that previously only had 700 MHz. channels have had 800 MHz. channels added to allow Ameren access. This has allowed StarCom21 access to additional radio channels and tower sites.
Several other agencies and localities have expressed interest in or tried the system.
StarCom21 Partner Users (Those who own their own compatible infrastructure under the same System ID and have roaming agreements for StarCom21) include:
- St. Clair CountySt. Clair County, IllinoisSt. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in St. Clair County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 270,056, which is an increase of 5.5% from 256,082 in 2000. Its county seat is...
- McHenry CountyMcHenry County, IllinoisMcHenry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 308,760, which is an increase of 18.7% from 260,077 in 2000. Its county seat is Woodstock. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest county, in...
StarCom21 Affiliated Systems (Those who own similar infrastructure under a separate System ID) include:
- Champaign CountyChampaign County, IllinoisChampaign County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 201,081, which is an increase of 11.9% from 179,669 in 2000.. It is the 10th most populous county in Illinois...
The so-called Affiliated Systems include the same type of technology, and system parameters (Talkgroup and user ID's etc.) are coordinated with StarCom21 to allow roaming and interoperability. Several other agencies are considering building or upgrading to similar or compatible systems to allow roaming on the various systems. Those making these considerations include Cook County, DuPage County and others.
Technical
StarCom21 uses about 186 radio towersRadio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
thruout the state of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, many owned by state agencies. It uses radio channels in the 700 and 800 MHz. bands, all licensed to the State of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It uses APCO-25 9600 baud control data signals and APCO-25 digital modulation.
Trunked Radio
Using the trunked radio systemTrunked radio system
A trunked radio system is a complex type of computer-controlled radio system. Trunked systems use a few channels , and can have virtually unlimited talkgroups. The control channel computer sends packets of data to enable one talkgroup to talk together, regardless of frequency...
technology that shares and reuses radio channels, the system is capable of handling thousands of individual Talkgroup
Talkgroup
A Talkgroup is the term given to assigned groups on a trunked radio system. Unlike a conventional radio which assigns users a certain frequency, a trunk systems takes a number of frequencies allocated to the system. Then the control channel coordinates the system so talkgroups can share these...
s and radio ID's. Since most radios are only transmitting a small percentage of the time, the channels are shared among many users. The same radio frequency
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
may be used at many sites throughout the state.
Of the many individual tower sites there are simulcast groups covering the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, St. Louis, Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
and Rockford
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
metro areas. These simulcast sites allow for better coverage over a large area by transmitting the same conversation on the same frequencies at each tower in the simulcast site.
External links
- StarCom21 PDF
- Radio Reference
- http://www.starcom21.com
- Motorola