Bell mobility
- Thread starter Smittyboy
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2002
- Messages
- 8,342
What area in Canada are you interested in?
Pick your province and enter Bell Mobility in the search box --> Search Canada's TAFL
Like mciupa says, we sort of need to know more about what you want to hear. If you mean the mobile phone service, the frequencies fall within a standard grouping, and there aren't CTCSS tones used - and the signals are digital these days, in a format scanners can't decode.
If you mean any of the trunking systems across the country that are owned by Bell, the frequencies are mostly listed in the database here on RadioReference (look for the word "Database" in the blue bar at the top of the webpage). Again, trunked systems don't use CTCSS tones.
If you are talking about other systems such as non-trunked sites that Bell leases communications to other users from, they will show up in the search jwt873 suggested. However, CTCSS tones are again not included in this data. CTCSS tones don't form part of the license - you can change tones at any time it tickles your fancy, so long as you don't end up interfering with another user on the same radio frequency. In order to figure them out, either you have to figure them out by having your scanner detect them, or they might be listed in the RRDB as mentioned above.
If you mean any of the trunking systems across the country that are owned by Bell, the frequencies are mostly listed in the database here on RadioReference (look for the word "Database" in the blue bar at the top of the webpage). Again, trunked systems don't use CTCSS tones.
If you are talking about other systems such as non-trunked sites that Bell leases communications to other users from, they will show up in the search jwt873 suggested. However, CTCSS tones are again not included in this data. CTCSS tones don't form part of the license - you can change tones at any time it tickles your fancy, so long as you don't end up interfering with another user on the same radio frequency. In order to figure them out, either you have to figure them out by having your scanner detect them, or they might be listed in the RRDB as mentioned above.
Aha, I believe what you are looking for is a system called Bell Aliant TMRS, also known as the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador system.
It's LTR PassPort, which scanners can't track - you will hear all voice traffic, as you've figured out. I didn't know until this system was being put in the database that it used different CTCSS tones for different users (or maybe different channels).
You may be able to figure out the CTCSS tone by monitoring the frequency until a call-out occurs (do they do regular pager tests?) and capture it then.
It's LTR PassPort, which scanners can't track - you will hear all voice traffic, as you've figured out. I didn't know until this system was being put in the database that it used different CTCSS tones for different users (or maybe different channels).
You may be able to figure out the CTCSS tone by monitoring the frequency until a call-out occurs (do they do regular pager tests?) and capture it then.
Mapped Results > TAFL Search with Google Maps Output
This is the frequency I do not believe it's a trunked system however I could be wrong
This is the frequency I do not believe it's a trunked system however I could be wrong
Last edited:
149.77, I think, is on a paging system that is non-voice or at least uses a paging format that isn't decodable by scanners. It's not trunked, you're correct.
I don't think 149.77 uses CTCSS tones. Someone more experienced with this kind of voice paging (which is quite an old system) will have to chime in on this one.
Best of luck figuring it out. BTW, I have spent many a day in Clarenville when I'm in that part of the world - I have relatives living in/near there and my mother was born and raised in Swift Current.
I don't think 149.77 uses CTCSS tones. Someone more experienced with this kind of voice paging (which is quite an old system) will have to chime in on this one.
Best of luck figuring it out. BTW, I have spent many a day in Clarenville when I'm in that part of the world - I have relatives living in/near there and my mother was born and raised in Swift Current.
Thread moved so the locals can comment.
While I don't know much about the Canada-wide Bell Paging System, many businesses and FD's here on PEI use it for paging. It's just conventional VHF, and has only the 1 frequency. It does use some kind of CTCSS or privacy setting, but I can't be sure.... I have heard of a way you can listen to a particular department, I just forget how. I'll ask around.
Last edited:
Had this passed along to me... Not sure if it's any help.
149.7700MHz typically uses Pocsag format. You'll need to use a suitable decoder program (two-tone detect isn't one) to follow the pages. POC32 was one such program.
Paging isn't going anywhere soon. It's got quite a few more years to go.
Paging isn't going anywhere soon. It's got quite a few more years to go.
POCSAG isn't voice, for what it's worth. PDW is another piece of software that can decode these signals. I've known it to be coupled with a scanner with a discriminator tap, or an SDR stick, and an Internet-equipped computer, to email people when pages on a specific address or addresses come across.
The POCSAG (and Golay, for trivia's sake) system that used to be in use here has been shut down, so I'm not too 'up' on the systems and their decoding any more.
The POCSAG (and Golay, for trivia's sake) system that used to be in use here has been shut down, so I'm not too 'up' on the systems and their decoding any more.
If they're using voice on Minitor pagers of any kind, I can almost completely guarantee they're not on 149.77. Like MikeO says, it's typically a data paging service on that freq.
Is it Clarenville FD we're talking about? And are these Minitor II (2), or newer (3/4/5)? The II doesn't handle CTCSS at all, but the newer ones do if I recall correctly.
I think I've got Clarenville on my old data from the last time I was on the island, let me check.
Have you tried 154.4 MHz for Fire and 162.885 for Fewer's Ambulance?
There's a Bell Mobility license for voice at 163.14 MHz as well.
The hospital paging is on 149.02 (IIRC, EMS in-station might be alerted on there as well) and there's a local simplex channel at the hospital on 150.845.
Here's one more thing to consider - do they get paged on these Minitors and then talk to dispatch during the call on the same frequency? If so, I'm 99% sure you're looking for 154.4.
I don't have CTCSS data for any of these, but any modern scanner should have a tone search function that will let you see the CTCSS info.
Is it Clarenville FD we're talking about? And are these Minitor II (2), or newer (3/4/5)? The II doesn't handle CTCSS at all, but the newer ones do if I recall correctly.
I think I've got Clarenville on my old data from the last time I was on the island, let me check.
Have you tried 154.4 MHz for Fire and 162.885 for Fewer's Ambulance?
There's a Bell Mobility license for voice at 163.14 MHz as well.
The hospital paging is on 149.02 (IIRC, EMS in-station might be alerted on there as well) and there's a local simplex channel at the hospital on 150.845.
Here's one more thing to consider - do they get paged on these Minitors and then talk to dispatch during the call on the same frequency? If so, I'm 99% sure you're looking for 154.4.
I don't have CTCSS data for any of these, but any modern scanner should have a tone search function that will let you see the CTCSS info.
This is for Random west FD, I got all Clarenville and area, random west do not have a dispatch, when you phone there number that will set off the pagers and then you leave the location of fire/emergency.. And I herd them on there last Thursday and then confirmed with a friend who's a firefighter there that it was them..
Oh wow. I remember that kind of system; my department here used to use it before we got a 911 dispatch center.
Let me see what I can find for Random West.
In one of my old data files, I show Random West FD to be on 150.5, but I don't see that licensed anywhere on the island today. No harm in trying it, though...
The only Bell Mobility stuff I have showing in the area is the TMRS (which definitely isn't compatible with Minitor pagers or that alerting/dispatch system) and the 149.77 freq which we've discussed above.
If your scanner has Close Call, you might want to try enabling it and going down near the station just before it's time for a pager test.
Let me see what I can find for Random West.
In one of my old data files, I show Random West FD to be on 150.5, but I don't see that licensed anywhere on the island today. No harm in trying it, though...
The only Bell Mobility stuff I have showing in the area is the TMRS (which definitely isn't compatible with Minitor pagers or that alerting/dispatch system) and the 149.77 freq which we've discussed above.
If your scanner has Close Call, you might want to try enabling it and going down near the station just before it's time for a pager test.
- Status
