New MPT-1327 System in Franklin County (Comtech)

[jkm]

Hello to all,

I was scanning around last night and found a digital transmission that I had not heard before. I checked out KB9UKD's Digital Modes Samples page (http://www.kb9ukd.com/digital) and identified it as a MPT-1327 control channel. I did a search on the FCC ULS website (http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/licenseFreqSum.jsp?licKey=1145155) and discovered that it was Comtech. I drove by Comtech's tower on Oakland Park Ave. and confirmed this using Signal Stalker II on my Pro-97 with the attenuator on. Here are the frequencies listed for the system in the FCC database:

220.0875
220.2375
220.3875
220.5375
220.6875

Currently as I'm typing this, the control channel is on 220.6875, before 3:00 this afternoon it was on 220.5375 and I believe it was on 220.3875 last night when I first ran across it.

I'm not sure if any part of this system can be monitored on our scanners. I know the MPT-1327 protocol isn't supported on anything I own, and the actual voice transmissions (one of which I found on 220.5375) seemed to be using some kind of voice inversion, something similar to what Comtech uses for Shamrock Taxi on 452.775. Either way, it was unintelligible on my scanner.

Happy Scanning and Enjoy!

Justin/W1IX

 

[mmartinfan]

Little to far away for me on the far west side of Columbus.

 

[jkm]

Ahh, Ok, interesting. It must have a strange radiation pattern then. When I was out at the Rails-to-Trails Hayden Run trailhead yesterday, it was 4/5 bars with the BCD996 and a 2M/440 dual-band magmount antenna. I can hear it on a rubber duck here at my place in NW Columbus, but it is a little noisy. My receivers are getting trashed from WBNS TV I think, it's a bit hard to hear on the 220 band in town.

Happy Scanning and Enjoy

Justin/W1IX