The Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS) Program will facilitate the communications of 21 participating state agencies by upgrading the existing Virginia State Police land mobile and microwave radio networks. STARS will create an integrated, seamless, statewide, wireless voice and data communications system designed to meet the needs of these agencies. The system will be shared by agencies engaged in public safety, protection, and service; and will facilitate interoperability with and between localities at the county and city level. STARS includes federal users and allows interoperability with their facilities within the Commonwealth. To accomplish this, the program will: increase capacity, upgrade the technology, and enhance coverage of the land mobile radio network; upgrade the technology of, and create disaster recovery alternate paths for the microwave radio network; and implement statewide law enforcement mobile data.

Connecting state agencies that respond to both routine public service requirements, and to emergencies, often requires coordination of multiple agencies. By facilitating interoperability with and between localities at the county and city level, the Commonwealth of Virginia Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS) will enable agency responders – wherever they are located, on whatever radio platform – to seamlessly communicate as one, facilitating the move from independent operation to interdependent collaboration and cooperation.

STARS utilizes the Project 25 Standard for Interoperability

STARS builds upon the already powerful State Police Land Mobile Radio (LMR) network – upgrading it with state of the art, Project 25 (P25) technology. The P25 standard and the TIA-102 suite of specifications has been developed collaboratively by multiple user disciplines throughout the country, and by radio manufacturers around the world. STARS provides P25 multi-channel, trunked integrated digital voice and data wireless communications specifically designed for public safety requirements. The adoption of the P25 standard and protocols for STARS allows P25 equipment from many manufacturers to operate on the STARS voice network. However, all equipment will need to be specified by STARS engineers (due to the complexity of TIA-102) and tested to ensure it is compatible with the current configuration of STARS.

STARS extends coverage throughout the Commonwealth… even in tunnels

STARS provides Very High Frequency (VHF) integrated voice and data and 800 MHz wireless communication coverage for seven tunnels in the Commonwealth (Big Walker Mountain, Hampton Roads, Elizabeth River Downtown, Elizabeth River Midtown, Monitor/Merrimack, East River Mountain and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel). The design allows for effective mobile radio, portable radio, and mobile data communications within these tunnels. In addition to being designed for STARS, the tunnel design also accommodates existing Virginia State Police (VSP) communication channels to increase the effectiveness of the overall Commonwealth migration to STARS. The tunnel design in the Tidewater area has been expanded to allow communications in the tunnels to those localities operating in the geographic areas adjacent to the tunnels on separate 800 MHz channels.

Digital Vehicular Repeater System (DVRS)

The STARS digital trunked infrastructure is designed to work with Very High Frequency (VHF) mobile radios in 14 communications zones with between 88% and 95% geographic coverage both on land, inland waterways, and ten miles out to sea. To extend coverage to portable radios, STARS will include a Digital Vehicular Repeater System (DVRS), which will translate the VHF signal used between the fixed infrastructure (towers) and vehicle, into a 700 MHz signal used for localized vehicle-to-portable communications. Use of the DVRS will allow communications to be encrypted and secure over the entire radio circuit from the originator to the recipient. It will also carry many features of the trunked technology to the portables.

Supporting Mobile Data

In addition to voice, STARS enables access to data needed for the law enforcement users. It will enable them to be better prepared and informed for officer safety and for enhanced decision making during critical situations.

STARS will employ an Integrated Voice and Data (IV&D) land mobile radio architecture that uses the same mobile radio for both voice and mobile computer communications. Integrating the voice and data networks saves the Commonwealth the significant expense of a separate fixed data infrastructure with an additional radio/modem in each vehicle. IV&D will maximize spectrum efficiency and provide the same statewide coverage as the voice portion of the network. The IV&D infrastructure will also provide Over-the-Air Re-Keying (OTAR) of the radio’s AES encryption. This allows the encryption codes resident in the vehicle’s equipment to be managed remotely.

The mobile data capacity of the STARS IV&D system will be limited, due to the necessity to prioritize voice communication higher than data communications. Even with this limitation, the system will support the law enforcement users in the field:

Remote access to law enforcement databases (including VCIN, NCIS, NLETS)
Intra- agency and inter- agency text messaging
Interfaces with Virginia State Police (VSP) Computer Aided Dispatch
Interfaces with Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Computer Aided Dispatch
Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) using the US Military’s Global Positioning System (GPS) to assist mobile data users.

Transportable Site

The STARS Transportable Site is a self-contained and portable radio system. It consists of a five channel P25 system with 50 portable radios operating in the 800 MHz band. The transportable site will also contain the following: SIRS Radio, STARS Radio (VHF), DVRS, ACU-1000, 800 MHz, and satellite telephone. Radios from other systems may connect to the ACU-1000 (if provided on scene and the proper interface cables are available), with immediate interoperability between the connected radio systems. Thus the transportable site will allow interoperability within common radio systems and among disparate radio systems.

Robust, fault- tolerant, secure – serviceable for years to come

STARS Microwave and IV&D Networks uses a redundant, fault- tolerant, hierarchal design that allows for rerouting in case of single point failure.

The STARS Network Fault Management (NFM) Network manages transmitter site/equipment alarms and controls various site functions. The NFM subsystem collects data automatically, and processes it for presentation to decision makers in the Network Operations Center (NOC). These management tools provide monitoring equipment and systems alarms for the Microwave and IV&D Networks. The data is used to operate the network, analyze the flow of site alarm and system control data, offer system solutions and handle pre-defined alarm situations automatically. The system generates reports for the engineers and operators administering the network.

The Network Operations Center (NOC) at the State Police Headquarters (SPHQ) houses personnel on 24/7 basis to identify, remotely correct alarm conditions or dispatch technicians. These same personnel also operate a help desk to assist users.

About UARC

The User Agency Requirements Committee (UARC) is a group compromised of two persons from each of the 21 agencies that have agreed to join STARS. The Commonwealth Interoperability Coordinator is also a member of the UARC as an advocate for the State Interoperability Executive Committee and Office of Commonwealth Preparedness. These persons meet at least quarterly to discuss progress, updates and issues, and to share their experiences in implementing STARS.

The key UARC objective is to ensure their agency’s unique requirements are identified and documented. Another objective is educational: providing STARS users with the information they need to operate a new system.

There are two ways localities and other state agencies can communicate with STARS:

Each county and city in the Commonwealth can be provided access to STARS. This patch will be activated for use by a STARS dispatcher, and will be able to interface any radio system, regardless of frequency band, technology, or manufacturer. This can be accomplished via radios located at STARS transmitter sites or COMLINC located at the locality or agency communications centers.
Entities including other state agencies and localities, with sufficient VHF radio frequencies for their use, will be able to join STARS through a needs-based assessment process. The new spectrum must work within the framework of the existing channel plan and equipment, and fund the infrastructure upgrade with transmitters using their channels. They would also need to purchase STARS compatible subscriber equipment and dispatch consoles directly or use the State Contracts.

STARS – Reaching across the Commonwealth

STARS is now operational in the Richmond and Chesapeake Divisions, which includes 34 counties and 15 cities.

Currently contracted operational stages:

Richmond - December 2005 (Currently Operational)
Tidewater - May 2008 (Currently Operational)
Culpeper - April 2009
Northern Virginia - November 2009
Salem - April 2010
Appomattox - May 2010
Wytheville - May 2010

For more information about STARS please contact Captain Michael Bolton or the STARS Program Management Team at (804) 674-2443.

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Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS)