To All StatusBoard Users:

Another new tab, "Z VHF Interop," has been added to StatusBoard for tracking the use of VHF interoperability channels. 

This tab is similar to the new Z 800 MHz Interop tab that was added to StatusBoard last month.

The "Z" prefixes were added so that these tabs are at the far right side of your open tabs. 

Within the “Z VHF Interop” tab, you will find each of the 100-plus state-owned/maintained VHF interoperability channel tower sites.  Each site name will have a two-letter prefix identifying the region.  The sites are alphabetized first by region and then by site name.  The four VHF resources that were previously found in the “MN” tab have been deleted. 

The VHF tower sites now listed in the “Z VHF Interop” tab had long been dedicated VLAW 31 (MINSEF) resources.  In June 2020, the state began updating these radios to be dispatch-selectable, multichannel radios. 

The transition started in the southern part of Minnesota and is working northward throughout the summer of 2020. 

As the sites are updated from VLAW 31 to multichannel resources, they will be added to the “Z VHF Interop” tab in StatusBoard. 

The applicable sites to your jurisdiction may not have been previously available to you as VLAW 31 console resources but may now be added to your consoles as new multichannel resources. 

When idle, the VHF interoperability channels identified in StatusBoard should be parked on VCALL 10, a national VHF hailing channel.  They only need to be reserved on StatusBoard when changed to a different channel for a dedicated use. 

When claiming a VHF Interoperability resource in StatusBoard, and as time allows, please note the specific channel being used and how it is being used.  As examples:

• SE Elkton – VFIRE 23 for air ambulance scene landing in Grand Meadow
• SE Alma – VTAC-11 patched to SE 2 for river emergency
• SC Blue Earth – VLAW 31 patched to LTAC-2 for a pursuit out of Iowa

If you would like additional information about VHF interoperability channels, contact Statewide Interoperability Coordinator Jim Stromberg, Northern Regional Interoperability Coordinator Marcus Bruning, or Southern Regional Interoperability Coordinator Steve Tait.