Johnson County Iowa P25 system info

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IowaBrian

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Thought I would start a Johnson County, Iowa official page as they will be starting to get their system up in the near future.

If we can keep this to new active sites, frequiencies and groups that would be great(including any testing that you hear out there). Also any news as to what order they will be installing new radios.

I see from the FCC site that there will be a lot of new antenna sites and frequencies so this should be fun to map out.

Here is link to the bid sheets so you can see what they were looking for in a system. http://bids.centerdigitalgov.com/NAV_TSR_6-12-2008_00000_106876.pdf

Let the fun start!!!!!
 

Radioman96p71

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Correct, designed and constructed BY, but not pat OF "The RACOM Network". Maybe in the future who knows.
 

IowaBrian

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You are right it is a P25 system, Racom provides there Data now I believe, I guess it would be a Harris system with Racom help :) If I can only figure out how to correct the darn title.

Can admin fix the title to: Johnson Co, IOWA NEW P25 System Info

If not delete this thread and I will start over.
 
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emtcasey

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I have an inside source that is telling me they are doing a big switch in the next couple of weeks. All the fire departments are getting new radios in the trucks, new handhelds and new pagers. The system as he put it will be "trunked digital" and almost unscannable unless you have a trunk scanning radio.

My understanding is that they are sending a whole bunch of techs down and hope to get this completed in like a week. Also from what I understand the fire departments will have a central paging system and then have a FPA channel they will operate off of once they go enroute. There will also be a dual system for a short time where they will operate off of both systems.

Their JCC is supposed to be up and running by July 1 but the last I heard they were having some pretty major software issues. They may end up having several dispatching centers before they get it all rolled into one.

Does anyone have any of the frequencies they are going to be using or are they just using the ones they already have?


Which scanners can pick up P25?
 

IowaBrian

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Here are the frequencies listed on the FCC site
852.8250
853.1125
851.0500
851.7875
852.1375
852.5375
Fixed locations are listed with the power numbers:
WQKX774 Output ERP
Loc 1 4529 Melrose Ave 100,000 - 490,000
Loc 2 221 N Clinton St 79,000 - 525,000
Loc 3 Close to HWY 965 Coralville 100,000 - 263,000
Loc 4 4748 420th St SE 50,000 - 288,000

WQKX775 Output ERP
Loc 1 1822 Plotz Rd Swisher 38,000 - 93,000
Loc 2 4808 210th st NE Solon 50,000 - 123,000
Loc 3 2176 Angle Rd Kalona 50,000 - 123,000

Sorry I don't have any talk groups but I would bet they follow the plan in the bid sheet, so we will have to wait for it to get up and running or have a mole give us some ID's info.
 
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timkilbride

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TG 53 now having traffic. Actually heard a call on this TG, "Call XXX @ XXX".

I'm monitoring with a rubber ducky from CR, almost all the traffic is un-readable. Unsure if a low signal on my end or still fine tuning on the TRS end?

Tim K.
 

splash1

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As of yesterday hearing voice traffic for Johnson co on

851.7875 DG (WQKX774/WQKX775)
852.8250 DG
852.1375 DG
----------------------------------------------


856.7125 DG (WQKX415/WQKX773)
854.2375 DG
858.9875 DG

Also Johnson co is simulcasting their information channel on racom/edacs local tower on talk-group 04-145
 

pm1072

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How are you guys putting these/this system in your P25 scanner? Would like to try it on 396, and was wondering if you have to put it in the scanner in edacs mode, conventional, or ???


As of yesterday hearing voice traffic for Johnson co on

851.7875 DG (WQKX774/WQKX775)
852.8250 DG
852.1375 DG
----------------------------------------------


856.7125 DG (WQKX415/WQKX773)
854.2375 DG
858.9875 DG

Also Johnson co is simulcasting their information channel on racom/edacs local tower on talk-group 04-145
 

splash1

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I just have them loaded as single frequencies, not as any kind of trunking mode yet. Just checking for activity as this system evolves. I don't think anyone knows how this system will be laid out yet .
 

timkilbride

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How are you guys putting these/this system in your P25 scanner? Would like to try it on 396, and was wondering if you have to put it in the scanner in edacs mode, conventional, or ???

Motorola P25 W/ CC only and it seems to be working.

Tim K.
 

IowaBrian

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Tim where are you located south CR ? I can't get a sniff in Marion even with my roof antenna. Might need to point a Yagi in the direction and see what I get. I have my discone on the scanners right now and might need to change it back to my super TV antenna that seems to really pull the stuff in, with a little help from 2 amps along the way ;)
 
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timkilbride

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Tim where are you located south CR ? I can't get a sniff in Marion even with my roof antenna. Might need to point a Yagi in the direction and see what I get. I have my discone on the scanners right now and might need to change it back to my super TV antenna that seems to really pull the stuff in, with a little help from 2 amps along the way ;)

I'm located near 33rd Ave SW and I-380.
 

IowaBrian

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I messed around with their system last night, it seems that I can get a sniff so I left it to track it today and I will see what is in the log tonight. It will be nice when all of their sites are up and running, if they are not as I think it could help us receive it all the way to Marion. If they are all up and at full power well then I guess we will be screwed!
 

timkilbride

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I messed around with their system last night, it seems that I can get a sniff so I left it to track it today and I will see what is in the log tonight. It will be nice when all of their sites are up and running, if they are not as I think it could help us receive it all the way to Marion. If they are all up and at full power well then I guess we will be screwed!

Unfortunately the system may be hard to monitor if your not located within the county. With P25 simulcast systems, they are engineered to work where the radios will be used. The ORION system in Omaha is hard to monitor unless your in the county. I lived in Sarpy county just to the South and it was hard to monitor from there.

Read this thread:

http://forums.radioreference.com/ne...on-forum/157369-orion-reception-bellevue.html

Tim K.
 

SCPD

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An 800MHz yagi is cake to build, I'm able to get the Johnson Co stuff with one handheld on the ground. We'll see how it does 40 feet up fed by LMR600 this weekend. I am by Westdale mall. I might have a good shot into Johnson Co though, I can hit the 850 repeater with only about 3W.
 

splash1

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Last pm heard active talk-groups on Johnson co new P-25

tg id 53
tg id 23 with Johnson co talking with Solon Fire
tg id 70 and 99 One of them was readable the other garbled .

Monitored from North Liberty.

Rick
 
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