IPN SAN004

SkipSanders · Post by **SkipSanders** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 1:53 pm

Well, if you should see a page coming from IPN-SAN004, that's me. Just got accepted as a dispatcher there.

Now to diligently try to avoid screwing up a page.

PStuart · Post by **PStuart** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 3:26 pm

I'm becoming very familiar with basic scanning (trunking, digital/analog, programming different systems and what-not) but I've never caught onto "paging systems". Is this something that the city implements? Where did you get hired?

SkipSanders · Post by **SkipSanders** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 3:53 pm

IPN is a notification service that sends emails to pagers, or anything else that can accept (small) emails notifying subscribers of newsworthy events going on in their areas.

The 'official' news agencies use them as backups, to help them catch anything their own dispatchers missed, and they're useful for scanner listeners who want to be told if something major is going on they might want to get listening to.

Being a dispatcher for them isn't a paid position (well, not generally), it's just a volunteer thing scanner listeners can do, which earns them credits toward use of the service otherwise, and a few minor 'prizes'.

You can find them at IPN Home Page

Rescue Pooh · Post by **Rescue Pooh** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 8:58 pm

Welcome to IPN from SAN003

N6ATF · Post by **N6ATF** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:33 pm

I wonder, was the first San Diego IPN user 000 or 001? So there are a total of 4 or 5 registered?

SkipSanders · Post by **SkipSanders** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:53 pm

They obviously fill in 'expired' users, since the dispatches show up to SAN096 sending in dispatches recently.

So don't figure that because they handed me #4 that there are just three others. I believe they do use 000, though.

N6ATF · Post by **N6ATF** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 10:05 pm

Ha, good to see that practice. So many sites don't.

SkipSanders · Post by **SkipSanders** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 10:42 pm

I should say, if you actually want constant 'hey, this is happening' info, the paging groups probably won't give it to you, as they specialize in the more newsworthy stuff, and also, even if, say, I hear a 2 alarm fire going down, unless I catch (and write down) the address, something you often never hear after the first dispatch on the air, I can't page it out. Pages have to have full info, by policy.

A real 'local scanner fan' group would be better off, perhaps, to arrainge an IRC chatroom for them all to hang in, or better, if they feel well enough off financially, perhaps to set up a GMRS repeater that covers their area, and get licenses and good radios so they can actually have a live net running with things like 'Did you catch that? Highrise, but nothing showing.', or 'Another fire in that damn Oceanside riverbed!'

w6pix · Post by **w6pix** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:14 am

SkipSanders wrote:
A real 'local scanner fan' group would be better off, perhaps, to arrainge an IRC chatroom for them all to hang in, or b!'

We tried that here, put up a free pager reflector for the forum users.. Everyone wanted it, but no one ever put anything out on it...

N6ATF · Post by **N6ATF** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:49 pm

I am now SAN028!