VIPER Legacy 3600 Baud Analog/Digital Discussion

[Metrofire31]

RECONRIDER,

Thanks for your reply. Just one correction - the name here is "Mike", not "Bud".

[gr8rcall]

Originally Posted by gr8rcall

I can use some help trying to figure this TG out...
Its shown in the DB as "Alamance County Rescue Admin" TGID 53408!
However, it sounds like some sort of PD Talkgroup. (Possibly Gibsonville)

Can some people help me listen to this and try to figure out what it is? (or confirm it)

Just confirmed the above info.
Submitted it to the DB as well!

[reconrider8]

i was just being nice there just calling you a friend instead of trying to be so professional lol

[murrayustud]

Been hearing a lot of district testing and inspecting/certification of stations of some sorts on 5152, any ideas? don't see it in database

[basstuba]

I picked up the same off the twc tower in fayetteville. wish i knew who they were.

[ncdadof3]

I heard it yesterday off the Cleveland county tower.

[KE4ZNR]

I have put feelers out about 5152. Until I get official word on this talkgroup usage
I have temporarily added it to the database under "VIPER Radio Shop" in the systemwide talkgroup group.
Marshall KE4ZNR

[randyK]

I have 5152 listed as NC L&T HQ.

[Drafin]

Just for the sake of tacking down a coverage area type of thing, I got 5152 on the Hibriten tower (Caldwell County) at the same time as the others reported this.

Draf

[KE4ZNR]

From my monitoring post in West Raleigh: Hearing a missing person search in Alexander County on analog Statewide Events
Alpha 2...have heard requests for Sugar Loaf FD to provide lighting for SHP Zebra
Helo landing zone...and good news it sounds like subject has been located
Marshall KE4ZNR

[fcfd988]

I was hearing the traffic described above on the 5152 TG this past Friday afternoon around 2:30. Loud and clear on Zone 2 Sites 37 & 43 (Sauratown and I-77)

[robkermit]

Based on info just released by the Sheriff, Mitchell County SO has secured enough 800 viper radios for each officer, and will begin issuing them today. Looks like they will be making the change over to viper as the county has given up on radio maintenance fixing the old 2 meter tower repeaters.

[gr8rcall]

Marshall or anyone who knows the answer,

I know we've (Members of the site) spoken about the VIPER affiliation stuff.
You know, a radio has to be affiliated to that TG, and a certain site, in order
For you to be able to hear it on your scanner. Right?

My question is:
Could a person buy a radio (such as a Moto XTS2.5K or XTS5K)
and program it with VIPER (enter the access keys, ect......), and then affiliate it to a certain TG,
and then be able to scan that TG on their scanner.
That would solve the affiliation problem, and you would be able to hear
Any TG in the state (With that radio, and any scanner affiliated to the same site).
Right?

[reconrider8]

it goes deeper then just getting it programmed with viper you gotta have keys to access everything in the network itsself

[gr8rcall]

Originally Posted by reconrider8

it goes deeper then just getting it programmed with viper you gotta have keys to access everything in the network itsself

Thanks,
Edited my post!

[KE4ZNR]

Ok, education time

1) Not every talkgroup nor every user is given statewide roaming access on VIPER.
This is to preserve system resources. There is no logical reason why someone in Beaufort needs to monitor day to day Buncombe County communications. So talkgroups and users are given "profiles" that defines where their radios will work. Otherwise the system would be worthless...you would have some yahoo tying up a channel on a 4-5 channel site monitoring something 200-300 miles away. Usually the going theory is that a VIPER county users radio will affiliate and work in their home county and one county deep each direction. Example: I am a Durham VIPER user. My radio will work on the Durham talkgroups in Durham, Wake, Chatham, Orange, Person, Granville Cos. If I am in Guilford County and dial up a Durham Co talkgroup my radio will simply read "out of range" because I have exceeded my coverage area. That is to make sure I am not tying up system resources unnecessarily. Can the VIPER NOC (Network Ops Center) change my profile and give my radio ID or my Talkgroup temp roaming capabilities if it is needed? Yes.
But there better be a good reason for me to tie up those extra system resources.
2) Buying a transceiver (XTS25K, XTS5K, etc) for use on VIPER requires having it programmed so it will "work" on VIPER. This requires getting into a gray area of
whether or not it is kosher to do this because you have to "fudge" having a valid system key and a valid radio ID for VIPER. I can not speak for the SHP. I can not speak for VIPER system admins. I can only speak for myself and for the system I help manage daily. If you try to access our system by fudging our system key and trying to duplicate an existing Radio ID we will know as we keep a close eye on system activity. And we will "inhibit" your radio. And once that radio has been inhibited it is nothing more than a $2000-4000 paperweight. System Admins do not take kindly to folks "trespassing" on the systems they administer. Are there ways around this? Of course. But it is not worth the risk of being caught. I would believe VIPER admins feel the same when it comes to watching over the multi-million dollar radio system that the citizens of NC trust them to manage.
If you still have further questions feel free to email me directly and I will
answer them off the message boards.
Hope this helps.
Marshall KE4ZNR

Originally Posted by gr8rcall

Marshall or anyone who knows the answer,

I know we've (Members of the site) spoken about the VIPER affiliation stuff.
You know, a radio has to be affiliated to that TG, and a certain site, in order
For you to be able to hear it on your scanner. Right?

My question is:
Could a person buy a radio (such as a Moto XTS2.5K or XTS5K)
and program it with VIPER (enter the access keys, ect......), and then affiliate it to a certain TG,
and then be able to scan that TG on their scanner.
That would solve the affiliation problem, and you would be able to hear
Any TG in the state (With that radio, and any scanner affiliated to the same site).
Right?

[gr8rcall]

Marshall,
Thanks!

Just for the record, I wasn't considering doing that. I just wondered if it
was possible!

Thanks again,
Gr8rcall

[GB1952]

I did hear robeson co tell everyone to bring in radios on tuesday to the tech??

[KE4ZNR]

December 2012 VIPER Newsletter

Not too much new stuff within but still wanted to pass it along
Marshall KE4ZNR

[MFD4305]

Originally Posted by KE4ZNR

December 2012 VIPER Newsletter

Not too much new stuff within but still wanted to pass it along
Marshall KE4ZNR

The "training" URL at the end of the Newsletter is accessible and provides some insights into the VIPER Zone/TG configurations for those of us not already familiar. It appears that one can take the quiz at the end of a module and then print a personal "Certificate of Completion" [assuming a passing score], although I didn't try it.

There's a PDF chart of Zone and Talk Group assignments embedded in the material that wasn't 100% clear to me - specifically the zones beyond Troop H. Would anyone like to post about that?