VIPER Legacy 3600 Baud Analog/Digital Discussion

[reconrider8]

i know they use viper in some situations heard them last year when there was a capsized boat on the river and they were using 2-3 different tac channels and such

[trumpetman]

Originally Posted by kg4uad

I suspect they utilize cell phones alot and switch to "direct" for tactical operations. I'm sure that 800mhz propogation simplex even with a 25 watt mobile radio would not be great in heavily forested areas. Chris do you know the status of Wildlife's VHF system? I wonder if its gonna become a handmedown to either NCDFR or NCDPR. In any event in WNC i hear mt. mitchell and mt. pisgah repeaters ID but absolutely no traffic also the WILDLIFE Officer trucks only have the one 800mhz antenna.

kg4uad

Repeaters were narrowbanded a few months ago. I still hear the Concord repeater ID. Pretty sure they will become hand-me-downs for another state agency. I seem to recall a rumor that NCSHP will take control of those and convert them into a statewide VHF interop network, but that's been a while back.

[KE4ZNR]

Let's (again) clear up some confusion.
1) I don't "help manage the system". I don't work for the State Highway Patrol and I don't work on the VIPER system. I work for a local municipal radio shop near Wake County. The city I work for has our own radio system. We have VIPER programmed into our radios for Mutual Aid calls (much like everyone else in Central NC).
2) The VIPER system is indeed maxed out on radio IDs. Last I heard is that there is a 3000+ backlog in terms of 4.1 Legacy VIPER RIDs. The Highway Patrol is trying to "swap" P25 9600 RIDs that will work in the future for legacy 4.1 RIDs that will work now. They are doing this with Counties and areas that do not rely solely on VIPER for communications and rarely use the current 4.1 RIDs that are currently programmed into radios. The thought being that these 4.1 Legacy RIDs that are "collecting dust" and not being used can be swapped for P25 9600 RIDs that will work in the future. Then the legacy RIDs can be reassigned to those on the waiting list such as Brunswick County.
Marshall KE4ZNR

Originally Posted by gr8rcall

Too bad.

Marshall KE4ZNR,

Can you confirm the info in the above article?
I know you help manage the system!
Are we really about maxed out on the number of RID's available?

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by SD70MAC

Their LTR system was a failure and now Viper,you have to hate it for Brunswick. I hope my county stays off the Viper band wagon and 800.

All things considered VIPER is not "a failure". There may be issues with the way it has been managed over the years but it is far from a failure. It works and it works reliably. The statewide event talkgroups have been successfully used for hundreds of events from small town races to massive events such as Presidential visits and the annual NC State Fair.
Marshall KE4ZNR

[RMPDCOP]

Originally Posted by kg4uad

I hear a fair amount of nc wildlife traffic and the pattern seems to be when units get close they switch to "direct". After monitoring for some time I'm convinced they are communicating in simplex mode. Are they using input/output frequencies for viper sites or all togather different frequencies?

thanks
kg4uad

Sorry to get off topic but these were the old Direct Channels. I still hear them used from time to time. Some Wildlife Officers still have VHF Radios in the vehicle. Maybe try giving these a shot.

Direct 1 151.160 77.0 PL
Direct 2 154.905 94.8 PL
Direct 3 168.300 69.3 PL
Direct 4 151.220 103.5 PL
Direct 5 151.340 91.5 PL
Direct 6 151.310 97.4 PL
Direct 7 159.270 77.0 PL
Direct 8 151.145 94.8 PL
Direct 9 151.295 85.4 PL

[Drafin]

Originally Posted by KE4ZNR

All things considered VIPER is not "a failure". There may be issues with the way it has been managed over the years but it is far from a failure. It works and it works reliably. The statewide event talkgroups have been successfully used for hundreds of events from small town races to massive events such as Presidential visits and the annual NC State Fair.
Marshall KE4ZNR

I have to agree with Marshall 100%.

Take it from someone that had to rely on VIPER from the time it was still new to WNC, it is FAR from a failure. If you even discount the departments that have had improved communications on a day to day basis, the event interop (which was the initial purpose anyway, along with day to day communications for SHP and state entities) has made the system a rousing success.

Draf

[reconrider8]

what ever happened for shp use and interop only? i know its been mentioned before why did so many counties switch over to viper as a PRIMARY radio system? when they still have to get their radios narrowbanded from their old system for use as a backup system?

[Drafin]

Anyone have any idea on TGID 3888?

Monitored just now on the Hibriten tower in Western NC.

Sounds like some kind of surveillance but I have never heard it before or seen that ID pop up.

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by Drafin

Anyone have any idea on TGID 3888?

Monitored just now on the Hibriten tower in Western NC.

Sounds like some kind of surveillance but I have never heard it before or seen that ID pop up.

Should be Federal Common 1 with 3904 being Federal Common 2.
Edit: Both added to database.
Marshall KE4ZNR

[richardbritt]

Here around my area they simply are moving off their area freq and going to another talkgroup. They are still on VIPER and I can monitor them. Try leaving your scanner in open mode, or program all the wildlife groups listed on this site into your scanner. I have also heard them use talkgroups for other districts when they look for poachers. I just programmed all those in and seem to hear everything. I checked the old repeaters and they are all not active, not in several years in my area.

Hope this helps.

Richard in Edenton

Originally Posted by kg4uad

I hear a fair amount of nc wildlife traffic and the pattern seems to be when units get close they switch to "direct". After monitoring for some time I'm convinced they are communicating in simplex mode. Are they using input/output frequencies for viper sites or all togather different frequencies?

thanks
kg4uad

[gr8rcall]

Thanks Marshall!
For clearing that up!
Now if I can only track down where I heard that you help manage the system........

[GB1952]

Tg# 65260 was being used as courthouse voice security system they were testing all floors and depts. Cumberland county

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by GB1952

Tg# 65260 was being used as courthouse voice security system they were testing all floors and depts. Cumberland county

65260 is not a valid VIPER TG.
You probably heard 65264 which is Cumberland County Sheriff Courthouse
Operations. Already in database.
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

[mhodgson]

Originally Posted by trumpetman

I'm sure those working on the VIPER project appreciate your kind words.

Read the newsletter again, you'll see where it says that 27 sites are still unfunded.

VIPER is constantly changing as far as site acquisition, funds acquisitions, etc. It's hard to nail down a lot of information and list it definitively.

Try searching the FCC ULS & ASR and see what the progress is for yourself....

Recon, I too hate that you didnt find something worthwhile in the newsletter....as for Halifax County, over the years VIPER has worked extremely hard to identify and develop tower sites to provide robust, countywide coverage for all of Halifax County. Regrettably, more so than in any other county, we have had an overwhelming run on NIMBY......with situations where towers could be seen from dilapidated farmhouses several miles away that just happened to be on the historic register, to "my goodness that tower will be visible from the theatre...."

Believe me, it has not been for the lack of trying...the sad part is that all of the proposed sites, but one, have been on state owned land, where existing buildings already exist....

Maybe one day.....

M

[reconrider8]

is that what the hold up is? i know they were talking about putting one up at the new davie fire station on 158 and one at the enfield highschool i believe but i havnt heard anymore about it

[mhodgson]

Originally Posted by reconrider8

is that what the hold up is? i know they were talking about putting one up at the new davie fire station on 158 and one at the enfield highschool i believe but i havnt heard anymore about it

Davie Fire and Scotland Neck NCNG I think were the latest two....but NCDOT on 1-95 was a good site as well....

[reconrider8]

they already have a tower listed in the fcc database over on clearfield drive but thats like a cell tower

[ncdadof3]

Any body know what 8736 is? It sounds like the forestry service because they were doing control burns.
Thanks Jeff

[kg4uad]

Just heard tgid 63392 on Bearwallow Mtn. site, an officer was doing a prisoner transport from the buncombe co. jail to cleveland co.

kg4uad

[trumpetman]

63392 = Cleveland Mutual Aid (Digital)

The M/A talkgroups roam across the state, unlike most of the daily use talkgroups, so that's probably the only (simple) talkgroups they could talk to dispatch on.

Will add later tonight.