Starcom 700 MHz trunked freqs, low-band & Pro-96

[jimlawrence]

I live in New England but I'll be in Illinois (among other places) during late May and early June and I'm getting the radios all set and I have some questions.

1) Has it been definitely shown that a Pro-96 cannot be used to trunktrack Starcom's 700 Mhz freqs? It would seem to me that if software like win96 can be used to track 138 Mhz (Ellsworth AFB, SD), 141-142 Mhz (Ontario Provincial Police), not to mention 380-400 Mhz systems, etc. that it should be able to track 770 Mhz systems as well? Anyone have any success setting up a Pro-96 to trunktrack the 770 Mhz freqs? If so, how'd you do it?

2) I'm planning on being basically north of I-74, which is a lot of territory, I know. How is ISP using their low band freqs. in the northern half of the state? When I set up my radio, should I program both the low band/high band freqs and Starcom 700/800 Mhz freqs? In areas such as C-U, for example, should I program in both the low band and 800 Mhz freqs. or is the ISP traffic simulcast? For that matter, is low band used much in the northern half of the state?

Thanks!

-Jim

[seamusg]

Originally Posted by jimlawrence

I live in New England but I'll be in Illinois (among other places) during late May and early June and I'm getting the radios all set and I have some questions.

1) , 141-142 Mhz (Ontario Provincial Police)

Thanks!

-Jim

I doubt you can get the OPP system from Illinois. I can't get it from 14 miles away. Illinois does not boarder Canada.

[GFerg1919]

At this point Starcom is only being used in St. Clair and McLean counties.

The state police are still on the VHF hi band and low band, except for Chicago area on EDACS system.

[GFerg1919]

Neither of these counties are using 700 at this point.

[cubn]

VHF-low and VHF-high are used extensively in the northern half of the state. Whether they use low or high band varies by district. Some districts will use both low and high VHF.

See these references:
http://www.carmachicago.com/profiles...StateRadio.doc
http://www.radioreference.com/module...ame=RR&aid=819


You mentioned Champaign-Urbana: in the C-U area, monitor 154.695 HF2 (base transmits CSQ, mobiles transmit 110.9 PL). Also listen to 42.560 (141.3 PL on base and mobile). There is a Starcom21 site in Champaign, but it isn't being used by the IL State Police yet.

Don't forget the statewide freqs:

155.475 ISPERN
155.055 IREACH
155.460 HF4
42.500 ISP car-car
155.505 ISP mobile extender (PL tones vary by district)
154.905 DCI
154.950 DCI surveillance

If you have questions about specific areas/districts, I'm sure someone here will be able to provide you with further info.

[rdale]

"Has it been definitely shown that a Pro-96 cannot be used to trunktrack Starcom's 700 Mhz freqs?"

Yes.

Win96 does not allow the Pro96 to trunktrack frequencies it is not sent from the factory to trunktrack.

[illini52]

Originally Posted by cubn

You mentioned Champaign-Urbana: Also listen to 42.560 (141.3 PL on base and mobile).

District 10 in Champaign is 42.54 not 42.56. Close

[cubn]

Forgot about this earlier...

If you are interested in monitoring county sheriff dispatch or county fire dispatch, see the attached table. Click on each county name to go to the corresponding Radioreference.com county page, or simply copy and paste the table into your scanner software. Map versions of this table are available at the CARMAchicago or ScanIllinois Yahoo!Groups file sections. Also available at these Yahoo!Groups are scanner frequency guides for traveling along Interstates 55, 57 and 74 in Illinois.

Enjoy your trip!

[jpm]

Originally Posted by GFerg1919

At this point Starcom is only being used in St. Clair and McLean counties.

The state police are still on the VHF hi band and low band, except for Chicago area on EDACS system.

District 15 is on 800 conventional

[K9JLR]

A source at ISP told me recently that the all of the lowband traffic is scheduled to be disbanded and the equipment auctioned off shortly after the transition to STARCOM is made. At this time ISP is intent on keeping the VHF highband equipment in use indefinetly. IF everything goes as planned lowband traffic should go silent before Jan 1st 2007.