VIPER Legacy 3600 Baud Analog/Digital Discussion - Page 29

KE4ZNR · #**561** (**permalink**) 01-28-2013, 7:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trumpetman

Considering I've heard them using the Asheville channel while doing investigations in Greensboro, and the Raleigh channel while doing surveillance in Charlotte, it looks like they're statewide. Pretty sure they just twist the channel knob until everyone can hear each other.

Yep. This is accurate. Because these agencies and their operations
can cover a large area they are given larger coverage areas. I always
recommend keeping their TGs in the scanlist because you never know
what you might hear.
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

FD5722 · #**562** (**permalink**) 01-29-2013, 1:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KE4ZNR

Yep. This is accurate. Because these agencies and their operations
can cover a large area they are given larger coverage areas. I always
recommend keeping their TGs in the scanlist because you never know
what you might hear.
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

I noticed last night while I was in Concord I got several hits on the DEA Charlotte TG but no audio came through even though I had ample signal. I'm guessing they may have been using encryption (just going on what I've heard others say) because SHP and everything else was decoding and audio was loud and clear. And I keep all the federal TG's in my scan list(s) just for the simple fact of never knowing what you may hear.

Again I know I've been around for a while and this may seem "newbish' of me but I'm just now really diving into the digital stuff because I've not had a lot of digital listening "experience" until now. I appreciate you guys working with me

robkermit · #**563** (**permalink**) 01-29-2013, 2:04 PM

Today while monitoring VIPER on Woody's Knob I picked up Talkgroup ID 19792. It was in analog. What bits and pieces I was able to pick up of the conversation, they were talking about opening a trouble ticket or something of the sort.

Anyone know what TGID 19792 is? It is not in the database.

Thanks!

trumpetman · #**564** (**permalink**) 01-29-2013, 2:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FD5722

I noticed last night while I was in Concord I got several hits on the DEA Charlotte TG but no audio came through even though I had ample signal. I'm guessing they may have been using encryption (just going on what I've heard others say) because SHP and everything else was decoding and audio was loud and clear. And I keep all the federal TG's in my scan list(s) just for the simple fact of never knowing what you may hear.

Again I know I've been around for a while and this may seem "newbish' of me but I'm just now really diving into the digital stuff because I've not had a lot of digital listening "experience" until now. I appreciate you guys working with me

Yep, noticed the status bit of +8 showing up on Trunk88 more and more recently, which means DES encryption. If you're using your XT, remember that it will mute encrypted traffic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by robkermit

Today while monitoring VIPER on Woody's Knob I picked up Talkgroup ID 19792. It was in analog. What bits and pieces I was able to pick up of the conversation, they were talking about opening a trouble ticket or something of the sort.

Anyone know what TGID 19792 is? It is not in the database.

Thanks!

That's the UNC-TV Engineering talkgroup, I'll add it in. Been a while since I've seen that one active.

robkermit · #**565** (**permalink**) 01-29-2013, 3:35 PM

Thanks for the info!

robkermit · #**566** (**permalink**) 01-30-2013, 5:29 PM

I am trying to get all the missing bits and pieces together for my scanner here in Western NC. From the database I noticed there are no talkgroups for Avery or Madison County.

Are these counties not getting talkgroups assigned to them? I was under the impression that each county had at least 6 talkgroups assigned for them.

trumpetman · #**567** (**permalink**) 02-02-2013, 9:17 AM

They are assigned, but we're keeping them out of the database until they are put into use to avoid any confusion for new people checking the database to see what's in use. I'm pretty sure the default setup for each county is 6 talkgroups, 10 or 20 cache radios stored at EOC/Dispatch/fire dept/etc. and any hospital in that county has to have a VIPER radio on their respected VIPER Med Net talkgroup.

I haven't even seen any affiliations for the Madison County talkgroups, so I doubt the radios are even turned on. Can't speak too much for Avery though.

reconrider8 · #**568** (**permalink**) 02-02-2013, 12:39 PM

yup its kinda like halifax and northampton counties. at one time i would hear some stuff on the halifax tac but now about the only time i hear anything is during a disaster

robkermit · #**569** (**permalink**) 02-02-2013, 1:53 PM

Thanks so much! Makes perfect sense.

Just out of curious, you guys know if they are having problems with the tower on Woody's Knob? Reception has been fading in and out all day long, and looks like our local LEO are back to using their old broken VHF system.

trumpetman · #**570** (**permalink**) 02-02-2013, 1:57 PM

Haven't heard anything. The recent storm might be the cause to the troubles. Let me do some checking.

robkermit · #**571** (**permalink**) 02-02-2013, 2:32 PM

Appreciate it!

robkermit · #**572** (**permalink**) 02-04-2013, 1:47 PM

FYI ... Something going on with Locust Lnob tower as officers and dispatcher reporting their radios are beeping and say "Site Trunking"... Whatever that means!

trumpetman · #**573** (**permalink**) 02-04-2013, 1:50 PM

Microwave link is down, means the site is not passing traffic from the rest of the network.... wonder what the root cause is...

KE4ZNR · #**574** (**permalink**) 02-04-2013, 1:58 PM

Yep. Though not VIPER THIS website gives more info on Site Trunking
and how it affects communications on a system.

Quote:

Each radio in a shared system, such as Indiana’s 800 MHz SAFE-T system, affiliates with one site (tower) at a time in one Zone Controller and to one talkgroup. Sites are linked by T-1 lines, phone lines or microwave, which creates a network of repeated connectivity. Under normal circumstances, the system operates as a Wide Area network, which allows users to communicate not only with others affiliated with the same site, but also with those affiliated with other sites across the network. Users can communication across cities, counties and even across the state.
What is Site Trunking?

When connectivity to the T-1 line, phone line or microwave is severed, the system goes into Site Trunking. The site will continue to “trunk” on channels at that site and users affiliated with that site can communicate with other users affiliated with the same site. They cannot, however, communicate with users affiliated with a different site and vice versa since their connectivity has been temporarily severed.

Marshall KE4ZNR

robkermit · #**575** (**permalink**) 02-04-2013, 4:10 PM

Not sure what the cause is, but I monitor the Woodys Knob tower and I was able to hear the communication. I wonder if it, too, was in Site Trunking mode.

trumpetman · #**576** (**permalink**) 02-04-2013, 4:21 PM

Should be back online as of 15:15. The way site trunking works is that the 2 towers in the county in use won't be linked. Anyone talking on MCSO-1 will hear each other on that specific site, but if someone talks on the Woodys Knob site, it won't carry over to the Locust Knob site.

robkermit · #**577** (**permalink**) 02-04-2013, 4:30 PM

Thanks. I now understand how trunking will work when the tower becomes delinked, but I don't understand how I was able to hear it on Woody's Knob. The officers and dispatch are on the north end of the county, which used Locust Knob.

robkermit · #**578** (**permalink**) 02-04-2013, 4:31 PM

Thanks. I now understand how trunking will work when the tower becomes delinked, but I don't understand how I was able to hear it on Woody's Knob. The officers and dispatch are on the north end of the county, which use Locust Knob.

trumpetman · #**579** (**permalink**) 02-04-2013, 7:26 PM

From a friendly anonymous source:

"If the Locust Knob site was in active "Site Trunking" there is no way you could hear the traffic on ANY other tower sites that originated from the Locust Knob site. That isn't to say that their radio hadn't transitioned over to Woody's Knob, Dobson's Knob, Linville, Clingman's, etc. and didn't know they had. "IF" the radio is programmed properly and NOT site locked when the site goes into site trunking it should scan the adjacent site list to see if any of those are in wide area. If any of the sites in the ASL are in wide area the radio will affiliate with that site and use it for traffic. To the end user all they see happen is their radio stops beeping and the display doesn't show site trunking anymore. They are back in wide area and can communicate with others in the SmartZone system.

There is excellent coverage in Bakersville proper off the Woody's Knob tower site and if Locust goes into site trunking the radios on Locust will more than likely go to the Woody's Knob site.

There are many many reasons why a site could go into site trunking but as the gentlemen above me have stated the most common cause is a microwave or T1 failure. There simply isn't enough time in the day to get into those."

oft · #**580** (**permalink**) 02-05-2013, 6:55 PM

I know this is an indirect link to VIPER but according to a Star News Article

DOT to pay for 2 assistance trucks to be used on Leland causeway | StarNewsOnline.com

The IMAP trucks are coming to SE North Carolina and I have seen the specific IMAP tgid's on the VIPER page. So I guess I can be looking for radio comms specific to this to appear mid to late summer