Can't get away from AST

[kl1lt]

In bank 1 of my Pro-96, I have the Quarry Hill/Eielson freqs in for the ALMR. My problem is that sometimes the radio will start picking up AST traffic that is not part of the ALMR. The screen shows that I am on 155.790 (AST Main), however the transmission sounds like it might be on the wrong freq. It is scratchy. I do not have the AST programmed in this bank and all the other banks are turned off. Anyone know why this is happening?

[AlaskaRadar]

Joe, Are you able to get a short recording of the transmission? I am a little curious about what you may be hearing...like several freqs mixing (just like driving by AST office). I am willing to give my e-mail if you are able to do so. By the way, do you do much with ham radio? I may have to start a new post being that it is off the AST topic.

Radar

[AlaskaRadar]

Joe, On lunch I heard dispatch tell one of their units that ALMR is 10-8 and to switch to group 9. Maybe what you are hearing is the units on ALMR but the conversion to analog is a little distorted. I will keep listening.

Radar

[AlaskaRadar]

Joe, If you still hear transmissions on 155.790... It is most likely interference. As of today, AST is now useing 11858 as their talkgroup and NO longer useing analog. As of now, they do not seem to be useing any encryption for basic transmissions. Hope this helps. Radar

[kikito]

Originally Posted by AlaskaRadar

Joe, If you still hear transmissions on 155.790... It is most likely interference. As of today, AST is now useing 11858 as their talkgroup and NO longer useing analog. As of now, they do not seem to be useing any encryption for basic transmissions. Hope this helps. Radar

AST did switch to ALMR in the past couple of days. They still use 155.790 occasionally because some units are not switched or confused with the ALMR switchover.

They also started using the old NCIC channel 155.415 as one of the digital voice channels on the Ester Dome site (now is actually used as 155.4125), so you will hear a lot of digital noise on that one if you have it set up to decode PL/DPL tones instead of just plain FM on the Pro-96.

A correction to the talkgroup you posted AlaskaRadar: it's actually 11868.

Here's the most used TG's so far by AST:

11861 - Mostly South (Mat-Su, Anchorage, etc. traffic)
11868 - Seems to be a "patch" of many areas including Fairbanks Main traffic
21862 - Seems to be the new Fairbanks area NCIC channel

[kikito]

Originally Posted by kl1lt

The screen shows that I am on 155.790 (AST Main), however the transmission sounds like it might be on the wrong freq. It is scratchy.

It probably sounds "scratchy" because I think they're Simulcasting in analog and digital while the switchover to ALMR is complete and reliable.

It's the same way with Fairbanks PD Main on the analog 155.010 channel, kind of scratchy and somehow delayed due to the "simulcasting".

[kl1lt]

Originally Posted by AlaskaRadar

Joe, Are you able to get a short recording of the transmission? By the way, do you do much with ham radio?

Radar

I don't think that i have anyway of recording it. It hasn't happened at all today and the radio has been on since I woke up. (Boy, does my wife hate that!)

I was really active in ham radio when I lived in Arizona, however up here it seems all anyone does is call their spouse or use the phone patch. I am just a no-code tech but would love to rag-chew with someone. I even set up a CB in the house so I could talk to my son, but that radio took a dump. I will probably go and join the AARC in the next couple of months.

Which site do you North Pole guys use? I was mad for awile at the Ft. Wainwright site because it would not work right. Then I just looked and had all the freqs set to FM. Oops!

When I enter an ALMR freq in, it will change ( 154.7000 will change to 154.70250). Does this need to changed or is it something I have to live with?

Heard this talkgroup yesterday when they were bringing in the next round of Red Flagger's to Eielson.

29214 - ATOC, Air Terminal Operation Center

[kikito]

Originally Posted by kl1lt

Which site do you North Pole guys use?

On mine I keep Ft. Wainwright, Ester Dome, Eielson AFB, Pole Hill and Peger Rd., all sequentially scanning within the same bank. I also keep other sites that are not within range all the time so that when I'm mobile it'll periodically pick them up.

When I enter an ALMR freq in, it will change ( 154.7000 will change to 154.70250). Does this need to changed or is it something I have to live with?

Yep, it's something we have to live with. That band is setup to use the fixed FCC assigned 7.5kHz stepping but as we know, ALMR is using 12.5kHz stepping (thanks to some waivers) which is usually not used or allowed on that band. The Pro-96 unfortunately doesn't allow you to change the stepping like other radios.

Heard this talkgroup yesterday when they were bringing in the next round of Red Flagger's to Eielson.

29214 - ATOC, Air Terminal Operation Center

Cool, thanks for the updates and finds.

[AlaskaRadar]

As for the freeq we use hr in north poel, we use 146.88 - PL103.5. I will find out if there is a site closer to your location that you may use. There is an Interior netmeeting Tonight you are more welcome to join. It is at 8PM on the repeter system.

As for the ALMR repeters... I have all of the control channels on the 2096. I have been able to follow nost of the transmissions with ease. I will post correct TG for ast for they seem to have 2 of them. In correction to anearlier post, One TG is 11868.
Thanks
Radar (KL0RN)

[kl1lt]

Few more talk groups found

29159 Inspector General - Eielson
29059 Special Events - Eielson
29173 Red Flag? (all foriegn voices)

[kikito]

Originally Posted by kl1lt

29059 Special Events - Eielson

That one seems to be an additional or secondary channel to the MWR - 29058, maybe?