State Parks & Rec on 700 MHz

[bcorbin]

Caught a new one up here in Santa Clarita - someone calling SurComm on 770.18125 with an NAC of 777. Traffic was an inquiry regarding Hungry Valley. Interestingly enough, this was mobile-side only...

Edit - What I'm hearing is one-sided, but it could actually be the base side. Traffic's a little too sparse to be certain just yet...

[LZJSR]

That is the new HV State Park 700 Mhz frequency and NAC code. For now, they are simulcasting on the old and the new frequency, and they will be doing that for a couple of years, supposedly. What part of SCV are you in, and were you using a mobile/base and what kind of antenna? You may have heard the simulcast/rebroadcast of the 867.5625 and just got lucky picking up the Tejon Peak transmitter that far away. It would be interesting to hear what type of radio/antenna you were using to pick up the radio traffic...

[bcorbin]

Originally Posted by LZJSR

That is the new HV State Park 700 Mhz frequency and NAC code. For now, they are simulcasting on the old and the new frequency, and they will be doing that for a couple of years, supposedly. What part of SCV are you in, and were you using a mobile/base and what kind of antenna? You may have heard the simulcast/rebroadcast of the 867.5625 and just got lucky picking up the Tejon Peak transmitter that far away. It would be interesting to hear what type of radio/antenna you were using to pick up the radio traffic...

I'm out reasonably close to Canyon Country. I don't have any problem hearing the analog repeater on 867, but come to think of it, Tejon's a pretty decent haul for digital. Could be the `one-sided' conversations were more a function of which digital transmissions decoded. Didn't think to put a receiver on the analog machine to look for simulcast, as I was actually hunting something else at the time 8*)

Nothing fancy for receive - a GRE receiver with an 800-optimized RS whip.

You speak as though there's a list of 700 MHz frequencies floating around for P&R......... ???

[K6CDO]

Originally Posted by bcorbin

-...-

You speak as though there's a list of 700 MHz frequencies floating around for P&R......... ???

Actually, there is - in the hands of those at the California CIO's office who manage the 2.4 MHz of State License spectrum. It all operates under one FCC license (WPTZ774), and is outside of the spectrum managed by the two FCC-chartered Regional Planning Committees, so we'll have to build the list as individual agency assignments surface.

[LZJSR]

As of now, all of the OHV (off highway vehicle) parks have new 700 frequencies, but are not switched over yet. I know a ranger up in Hollister and he said that the state is leaving both the 800 and 700 in place, so that when they switch to 700 this year, the 800 will still be able to be heard... at least for a few years. There is a list, I will try to get it and post the info when I get it...

[bcorbin]

Originally Posted by K6CDO

Actually, there is - in the hands of those at the California CIO's office who manage the 2.4 MHz of State License spectrum. It all operates under one FCC license (WPTZ774), and is outside of the spectrum managed by the two FCC-chartered Regional Planning Committees, so we'll have to build the list as individual agency assignments surface.

Well, we've got Hungry Valley, for starters 8*) I've been rolling over those state assignments off-and-on for while now, waiting to see what will pop up. Hopefully I'll have some new additions soon -

Originally Posted by LZJSR

As of now, all of the OHV (off highway vehicle) parks have new 700 frequencies, but are not switched over yet. I know a ranger up in Hollister and he said that the state is leaving both the 800 and 700 in place, so that when they switch to 700 this year, the 800 will still be able to be heard... at least for a few years. There is a list, I will try to get it and post the info when I get it...

That would be cool. I would not mind being scooped on this 8*) Thanks...

[inigo88]

Actually you guys were beaten by Prarie City OHV up in central valley district, which has been in the database for some time. They're also using 770.18125, NAC unknown. Glad to see these freqs start getting noticed!

(Also, DB updated!)

[LZJSR]

Hollister Hills OHV: 770.18125 NAC444
Carnegie OHV:770.18125 NAC333
Pismo Hill OHV: 770.18125 NAC666
Ocotillo Wells OHV: 770.18125 NAC 888
Heber Dunes OHV: 770.18125 NAC888
Admin/Maint Statewide OHV: 770.68125 NAC111
Tac 2 Statewide OHV: 773.04375 NAC222
Tac 1 Dir: 773.09375 NAC111
Tac 2 OHVs:773.04375 NAC222
Tac 2B (Parks with 2 tac repeaters): 773.04375 NAC222 (input NAC333)

[bcorbin]

Originally Posted by inigo88

Actually you guys were beaten by Prarie City OHV up in central valley district, which has been in the database for some time. They're also using 770.18125, NAC unknown. Glad to see these freqs start getting noticed!

(Also, DB updated!)

Well, darn 8*) 8*) Didn't see it when I checked the DB and thought I had something new and novel... I'll keep spinning over the state freqs and see what else pops up...

Originally Posted by LZJSR

Hollister Hills OHV: 770.18125 NAC444
Carnegie OHV:770.18125 NAC333
Pismo Hill OHV: 770.18125 NAC666
Ocotillo Wells OHV: 770.18125 NAC 888
Heber Dunes OHV: 770.18125 NAC888
Admin/Maint Statewide OHV: 770.68125 NAC111
Tac 2 Statewide OHV: 773.04375 NAC222
Tac 1 Dir: 773.09375 NAC111
Tac 2 OHVs:773.04375 NAC222
Tac 2B (Parks with 2 tac repeaters): 773.04375 NAC222 (input NAC333)

Thank you, LZJSR! Interesting pattern for the NAC's (I think Pismo got the short-straw) 8*)

[Exsmokey]

I don't keep up with texting/internet abbreviations much, so I have to ask what does 8*) mean?

Thanks to bcorbin and LZJSR for your information about this. I don't have any state OHV areas near me to listen to, but will put the frequencies in some of my PSR-500/600 radio files used for traveling. I had no idea that the state was looking long term for going from 800 to 700. Does anyone one know why? My first guess would be to gain interoperability with agencies in urban areas that are migrated there also, although that appears to not be the case in most areas. Anyone else have any information on this?

[bcorbin]

Originally Posted by Exsmokey

I don't keep up with texting/internet abbreviations much, so I have to ask what does 8*) mean?

Thanks to bcorbin and LZJSR for your information about this. I don't have any state OHV areas near me to listen to, but will put the frequencies in some of my PSR-500/600 radio files used for traveling. I had no idea that the state was looking long term for going from 800 to 700. Does anyone one know why? My first guess would be to gain interoperability with agencies in urban areas that are migrated there also, although that appears to not be the case in most areas. Anyone else have any information on this?

It's just another smiley, Smokey 8*) Got in the habit of using that one a good decade or so, ago, before smiley's were all that common-place and standardized (more than likely because my rather wry sense of humor often required a bit of a tip-off to keep me out of trouble with the reader). 'nuff said on that...

The move to 700 makes sense - they've got a bunch of spectrum that doesn't have to be locally coordinated, individually licensed, or subjected to rebanding, and it's supposed to be relatively isolated from it's neighbors in the frequency domain. Where it makes sense to swap out aging 800 gear, it makes as much sense to move it to 700.

There's probably a whole 'nother thread waiting to be wrapped around the myth of 700 interoperability. Ok, where's that smiley thingy... 8*) 8*)

[inigo88]

Not to mention new 800 MHz mobiles and portables usually support both 700 MHz and 800 MHz operation. Seems like a convenient solution given their existing 800 MHz infrastructure.

[bcorbin]

I managed to sneak in a few hours of dual monitoring... It's not a matter of P25 decoding or not - the 700 MHz frequency is only simulcasting the base side of conversations. I'm a little too far out to bother looking at the paired input frequency - will have to leave that for someone else...

[bcorbin]

Originally Posted by LZJSR

Hollister Hills OHV: 770.18125 NAC444
Carnegie OHV:770.18125 NAC333
Pismo Hill OHV: 770.18125 NAC666
Ocotillo Wells OHV: 770.18125 NAC 888
Heber Dunes OHV: 770.18125 NAC888
Admin/Maint Statewide OHV: 770.68125 NAC111
Tac 2 Statewide OHV: 773.04375 NAC222
Tac 1 Dir: 773.09375 NAC111
Tac 2 OHVs:773.04375 NAC222
Tac 2B (Parks with 2 tac repeaters): 773.04375 NAC222 (input NAC333)

Very quick P25 activity on a couple frequencies I haven't heard yet from Hungry Valley -

Tac 2 came up with an NAC of $222.
There was also some activity on Admin this morning, but I wasn't able to confirm the NAC...

[bcorbin]

Also caught a single mobile or portable repeated on Hungry Valley's 770 frequency. I'm guessing they're building up for the summer onslaught... 8*)

[bcorbin]

It sounds like they're fielding more P25 radios at Hungry Valley - there was some more quick testing on Admin this afternoon, with an NAC of 111

[LZJSR]

They are going to be simulcasting the previous 800 mhz on their new 700 Mhz, and vice versa (old 800 radios will still be able to be used). They are using Motorola ATX7000 700/VHF handhelds. The rangers will have their own dispatch channel, and their own repeated tactical channel. The maintenance and operations folks will have their own channel, and there will be one simplex channel.

The radio techs were working this week to link the 700 and 800 systems together so, regardless of which one was being talked on, it would be heard on the other.