NYSP Troop G Changes

[LathamScan]

It's been a while since I've been able to turn a radio on, but lately I have noticed some changes within NYSP Troop G. It used to be that the base stations on 155.445 transmitted a CTCSS tone associated with their specific zones (127.3 / 146.2 / 167.9 Hz.). However, over the last few days I've noticed most of the Troop G base stations are now transmitting 110.9 Hz. From time to time I would still see a station come up on the air with the previous zone tone, but most of the transmissions had 110.9 Hz. Car to base has not seemed to changed as I noticed the zone 1 & 2 car to base transmissions still had their respective zone tone.

Another thing I have noticed is that I heard a base station on 155.550 transmitting 110.9 Hz., where in the past the base side was usually CSQ. The car was too far away to hear from my location.

Kevin

 

[Warthog1]

Thanks Kevin. I will keep an eye on it up here in Zone-3

 

[jmv3085]

The state police are making a lot of changes at the moment, Troop G Zone 2 troopers are all being issued personal apx7000's and there is mobile repeaters in most cars now. Its the new "pig tail" antenna on the roof. I'm told all troopers will get a radio in the future but it seems to have started in here.

 

[Warthog1]

I have noticed the 800 MHz antenna on the roof as well in Zone 3. Also, on at least one unit along with the 800 antenna, the high band antenna appears to be a 5/8 wave instead of the usual 1/4 wave.

 

[jmv3085]

The 5/8 antenna is because of interference from the in car computers. Also a few of the highway safety cars G100 series seem to have cb's.

 

[LathamScan]

When I was at an accident scene a few weeks ago on the Northway the trooper on scene had a Harris P-7100 VHF portable radio. One of the things I noticed about it was that he was scanning Saratoga County (unsure which channel - 158.730 or 158.775).

I had heard about the vehicle repeaters being tested and installed into the troop cars. I also saw somewhere else troopers carrying Motorola portables (must have been those APX series radios).

The other day I saw a Zone 1 IHP car (1-G-6?) that had two antennas on it and both looked like 5/8 wave 800 MHz. antennas. I had thought the roof mounted antenna was for the VHF mobile radio (it usually has been for all of the troop cars I had worked on in the past); I assumed that because the car was a 'slick top' they wanted a disguise-type of antenna.

Kevin

 

[Warthog1]

My guess for the Saratoga Co. freq would be 158.775. Normal Sheriff ops ARE being conducted on 800 now. I will have to check the antenna configurations on the other Mayfield cars. I will let you know what I find.

 

[Mtnrider]

I'll have to keep a look out here in the upper parts of F Troop......

 

[CqDx]

Troop K on 155.505 still transmitting on CSQ as of now, will keep an eye out for any changes.

 

[w2csx]

So does this mean they are going to switch to P25?

 

[LathamScan]

At this point, NYSP needs to upgrade equipment just to make the transition to narrow-banding. Their fleet of mobile radios were GE Orion mobiles, and most of them were manufactured before the narrow-band came to be. With the purchase of M7100 mobiles from Harris, they could operate in P-25 mode as long as they get a feature data upgrade. (The radios could have that upgrade already from the factory if they were purchased for P25 operation).

Are the APX series portables from Motorola single band, dual band or multi-band (VHF-UHF-700-800)? The P7100's from Harris are single band portable radios, but the Unity portables that have just come out are multi-band. I'm trying to figure out which band the vehicle repeaters are in; if they are in-band on VHF or if they are going to use UHF/700/800 MHz. channels.

Also, I had heard that in other troops, like Troop D, the SP units are equipped with UHF P-25 radios to use on the counties that have (or are building) UHF P-25 systems. Is this the case? Up in Troop B in Clinton County, I had heard SP units on the county's 800 MHz. Smartnet system, but I could not tell if it was a patch back to VHF or if the units were accessing the system directly.

 

[Warthog1]

Another puzzle, Tonight I heard two units on car to car mention "channel 37" .........
Time to start paying attention to the VTAC's I guess.

 

[DaveNF2G]

NYSP units are increasingly being dispatched by local county 9-1-1 centers, so they need compatible radios.

 

[jmv3085]

The apx are dual band. They have encryption capabilities on many of the channels as well

 

[Warthog1]

That is one nice radio. The Saratoga Co.Deputies are using APX 7000 dual band 800/vhf portables.

 

[radioman2001]

All Orions are narrow band qualified, but they might not be narrow band receive as it depends when they were manufactured and bought. We have a mix of Orions with both narrow TX/RX and narrow TX only. I'll bet some of the money for those very expensive (8K ea I heard) probably came from Homeland Security.
I'ts about time NYSP went PL on all their channels, their is a lot of interference out there from all sorts of devices. Now if they can get the railroads to do the same.

 

[LathamScan]

I did some digging around the FCC Database and came up with the following statewide licenses:

WQJL-226 - statewide, 110 watt mobiles:
151.1375, 154.4525, 155.475, 155.4825, 155.7525, 158.7375, 159.4725, 453.2125, 453.4625, 453.7125, 453.8625, 458.2125, 458.4625, 458.7125, 458.8625
(VTAC and UTAC channels with the exception of 155.475 & 155.4825)

WQLJ-475 - nationwide, 2 watt output:
769.05625, 769.06875, 774.99375, 799.05625, 799.06875, 804.99375
(guessing these are nationwide inter-agency channels)

WQBF-208 - statewide, 5 watt output:
154.6725, 154.6875, 154.9125, 154.9275, 155.4525, 155.4675

WNNM-915 - statewide, 7.5 watt output:
a: statewide
851.0125 / 806.0125, 851.5125 / 806.5125, 852.0125 / 807.0125, 852.5125 / 807.5125, 853.0125 / 808.0125, 853.9375 / 808.9375, 853.950 / 808.950, 853.9625 / 808.9625, 853.975 / 808.975, 853.9875 / 808.9875
(8TAC chanels, and the 853.9375-9875 have been used in the past for special events in EDACS trunked mode as well as conventional mode)
b. statewide along the Canadian Border Zone (guessing for use in Troop B):
852.700 / 807.700, 852.7125 / 807.7125, 852.725 / 807.725, 852.7375 / 807.7375, 852.750 / 807.750
on this license, the 806-808 channels are also licensed for MO & MO3 (vehicle repeater). If I had to assume, the portable transmits to the car on the 806-808 channel, and the car transmits back on the 851-853 channel.

If the APX portables are VHF/800 dual band, they could be set up to transmit to the car on 800 for the vehicle repeater, and listen on VHF to the base station directly, but its only a guess.