Kent Co Md 700 system

[pjc]

Kent Co MD is due to move to a 700 system in Dec 2012. I own a uniden home patrol. Will the home patrol pick up 700 and what do I need to do to make it happen? I am very new in the scanning hobby. Thanks

[ka3jjz]

I think you have 2 choices- wait for the database to be updated and apply the fixes (which I think are done weekly), or if you have the Extreme Upgrade, you can use Sentinel to create a new favorites list for the system. I don't own a HP1, but from reading the traffic, I think those 2 are correct...we have an Uniden forum where questions like that can be more definitively answered.

Anyway, you'd also likely need a better antenna but that remains to be seen, of course

Mike

[pjc]

Thanks

[troymail]

To my knowledge, you won't be able to receive it using Home Patrol as they will be on the Maryland FiRST Phase 2 TDMA system.

Th only radio that can receive Phase 2 TDMA is the GRE PSR-800

It agree with Mike however - it may (will) be a challenge receiving this system from Wilmington --

[troymail]

BTW - what other info might you have on the move to the 700 system? Figured I'd ask....

[doctordave]

PJC,

Agree on needing the PSR-800, in order to copy the Kent 700 system (full cutover in early AM Tue 12/4). The signal strength is quite limited once you leave Kent - - moving North (mobile), the Kent 700 signal degrades quite a bit in the area of Cecilton. Even with a PSR-800 and a yagi in Wilmington, you'll likely have a struggle pulling it in. You will be able to copy the various 700 mutual aid tower-repeated (national standardized) freqs via your Home Patrol (presuming you are in signal range) - these are in standard P25 format....and may be used some by Kent. Kent's VHF Fire 1 freq will remain active after the cutover.

[doctordave]

I did some mobile testing in Kent with a PSR-800 & a stubby (racetrack-style) antenna. The system sounds great throughout the central part of the county - from the north end to the south end. In a few, very focal spots, reception dropped a bit - but this was very transient. There was a great deal of MdTA PD activity from the Bay Bridge section coming through the Kent system. I'd never really bothered tuning into that agency before and didn't realize just how chatty they are. I didn't happen to catch any actual testing by local county personnel - - but this was reported to have sounded equally well in recent days. As referenced above, the signal was very choppy as far north as Cecilton - -and the only time it was evident further north of Cecilton was while crossing the C&D canal - - but even while being quite elevated at the top of the bridge, the signal was very poor. Sure looks like the system is designed to offer great coverage within the county and not much coverage terribly far beyond the county limits. I'm curious to do some testing with a high-gain 800 antenna (both mobile & portable)....and see if results are different. Knowing how troublesome digital multi-path can be, I chose not to even bother with higher gain antennas for this testing run.

Curiously, I didn't hear a peep while zipping through Cecil County. Right now, I just have the known CCs for Cecil's 700 towers programmed in.....so maybe the system hopped to some alternate freq for CC .....or maybe something else was at play. Next time I pass through, I'll have all known Cecil freqs plugged in.

[troymail]

Originally Posted by doctordave

I did some mobile testing in Kent with a PSR-800 & a stubby (racetrack-style) antenna. The system sounds great throughout the central part of the county - from the north end to the south end. In a few, very focal spots, reception dropped a bit - but this was very transient. There was a great deal of MdTA PD activity from the Bay Bridge section coming through the Kent system. I'd never really bothered tuning into that agency before and didn't realize just how chatty they are. I didn't happen to catch any actual testing by local county personnel - - but this was reported to have sounded equally well in recent days. As referenced above, the signal was very choppy as far north as Cecilton - -and the only time it was evident further north of Cecilton was while crossing the C&D canal - - but even while being quite elevated at the top of the bridge, the signal was very poor. Sure looks like the system is designed to offer great coverage within the county and not much coverage terribly far beyond the county limits. I'm curious to do some testing with a high-gain 800 antenna (both mobile & portable)....and see if results are different. Knowing how troublesome digital multi-path can be, I chose not to even bother with higher gain antennas for this testing run.

Curiously, I didn't hear a peep while zipping through Cecil County. Right now, I just have the known CCs for Cecil's 700 towers programmed in.....so maybe the system hopped to some alternate freq for CC .....or maybe something else was at play. Next time I pass through, I'll have all known Cecil freqs plugged in.

I saw similar reception on the Kent system last weekend driving around the Bay and passing through the middle of Kent County.

Your observations concerning "great coverage within...not much far beyond the county limits" seems to be the new model for all new systems.

Even though Kent is on the state system, user traffic on the Kent County TGs is probably limited to the 4 towers inside Kent County so could probably be viewed as a "system (Kent) inside a bigger system (Maryland)". As such, it is just like the other "newer" systems in the area -- Prince George, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, etc. which are also very hard to listen to when outside their intended area (county borders). For us scanner users, it's even difficult sometimes to hear them even inside the borders due to the multipath and occasional strong interference (cell towers, etc.).

At some point, State users (police etc.) on the Kent towers may be heard outside the Kent site just like Bay Bridge can be heard on the Kent site now -- but because they are state users vs. County users (but as always, I'm just guessing)

[doctordave]

It is curious that MdTA PD Bay Bridge units are coming up on the Kent system so often. It'll be interesting to see, once the system matures a bit, if that continues to be the case. Since it happens so often, around-the-clock, I'm guessing they are just hitting the Rock Hall tower - - - and it is not an issue of someone within Kent having a radio on the Bay Bridge talkgroup to force TG afffiliation with Kent.....but we'll see. If the Kent Island (QACo) tower is really up and running (I couldn't lock onto the CC from Kent), one would think that it would be the easiest lock for the Bay Bridge units....a bit closer than Rock Hall.

[troymail]

I'm seeing quite the same thing for MdTA at the tunnels and port/Key bridge. I was looking at the tower locations - there's supposed to be one in Dundalk (Baltimore site) but there's also supposed to be one on Solley Rd in Pasadena (AA site?) so I'm suspecting the signal is better across the water to Solley than over to the Dundalk tower. It makes sense that Key/Port units are hitting Solley but not so much the tunnel units...

Could be the same thing happening with Bay Bridge but still odd with a tower in Mattapeake on the east side and another at Sandy Point on the west....

On the other hand, it could just be a "forced" connection to allow some testing/monitoring in Kent while the system is being brought up.

[troymail]

I am not used to listening to Kent County fire but am in anticipation of the switch to the Maryland FiRST system (next week?). I am hearing units go on the air to "check on availability" today. Is there any chance this means they are testing the new system out for themselves?

Anyone over they with a PSR-800 that can listen and report (or able to advise what this activity really means)?

[troymail]

At approx 1635, Kent police dispatcher just told units to start calling out traffic stops on the digital 700 system...... and the RR feed activity level dropped significantly ....

[boatbod]

Was getting Kent law traffic on the Queen Anne FIRST site yesterday. Unfortunately I can't hear the Kent control channel directly from here.

[troymail]

0400 Kent announcement: "officially operating on the 700 Mhz radio system" -

Noted that the digital dispatch TG is being patched onto the VHF dispatch frequency

[troymail]

Spent the afternoon in Kent County ... day 1... hoping there was some activity (other than MdTA Bay Bridge and Kent Sheriff/Chestertown Police).

I guess I got lucky

Over approx 3 hours parked on the Kent site control channel, Pro96Com reported:

17 talkgroups seen --

Most active

12801 Kent Fire Dispatch
12802 Kent EMS Ops
12803 Kent Fire Tac 3

12810 (emergency button accidentally pushed by a fire unit)

12811 Kent Sheriff/Police

12818 Kent Detention Center

7106 MdTA Bay Bridge

Others seen by Pro96Com....
12804
12805
12806
12807
12808
12809
12812
12813
7501
8119


131 radios seen...

20 were MdTA Bay Bridge (2116xxx, 2117xxx, and 2118xxx)
15 were detention center
26 were police units
the rest appeared to be fire units

248xxxx appear to be Kent field units
249xxxx appear to be Kent dispatch consoles

Early on (1130-1230 or so) only 1 voice frequency was seem (both slots active). Mostly detention center, police, fire dispatch and EMS ops. However, a bit later fire dispatched a brush/woods fire (Chestertown/Pamona) and then things jumped quite a bit more.

The single voice frequency grew quickly to 3 frequencies (6 slots). I was driving at the time but I believe there was a point when all of these were active at the same time:
Kent Fire Dispatch
Kent Fire Tac3
Kent Detention Center
Kent Police
MdTA Bay Bridge
and possibly other Kent fire tac talkgroups

Statonary at my "command post" (McDonald's on Rt 213 in Chestertown), reception was excellent (but there is a tower pretty close by...).

During the woods fire, a Queen Anne's brush truck was called in. Queen Anne's apparently do not yet have the Kent system/talkgroups available on their radios so Kent patched either QA Tac6 or QA dispatch onto the Kent fireground (tac3) talkgroup. Very smooth.... Things went pretty well I must say. The only issue was that somehow QA Fire Dispatch was patched to the Kent Tac3 fireground channel briefly but once the QA unit arrived on scene they took the patch down.

During the fire, I drove south on Rt 289 and the reception got very broken and I suspect it was because the radio was having trouble because it was getting signals from both the Chestertown and Rock Hall towers. So, I headed back to the command post...

Pro96Com showed as many as 62 radios affiliated at various points....

Overall a good day for Kent (and the State) as I heard no complaints or problems for the 3+ hours I was listening.

On the drive home, I stopped into Queenstown, Kent Narrows (Harris Crab House and Annie's) and the north end of Kent Island (Rt 8) to see if I could get a good lock on the Kent site but other than one spot between Harris Crab House and Rt 50, reception was not to be found. And even though I got fairly good lock on the CC near Harris, I never received any voice. I did have some reception on the eastern side of the Bay Bridge (on the bridge) but they frown on making stops on the bridge....

The only Kent activity that seemed to be active on the Queen Anne's site was Kent Sheriff and detention center units.

My wife is happy - I saved her from having to visit Chestertown this weekend

[troymail]

One other observation - the Kent radios do not appears to be emitting much if any "PvtData" like the State radios do (according to Pro96Com)

[Charlie155]

So now that Kent Co has switched to this system, are the vhf channels for pd & firegrounds still active?

[dpm797]

154.1975 for Fire/EMS Dispatch is the only active VHF-Hi Frequency Active I believe.

[dpcain]

I assume that's there for the sake of Minitors.

[troymail]

Originally Posted by dpcain

I assume that's there for the sake of Minitors.

It's actually part of their ProVoice system.

Cecil County Trunking System, Elkton, Maryland - Scanner Frequencies

They page on 155.52750