MARCS Southern Darke County Site?

[DiGiTaLD]

While creating a couple of files to load into my PRO-96's V-Scanner for a trip across Ohio along I-70, my first task was to locate all the MARCS sites close to the I-70 corridor. I'm pretty familiar with the state (used to live there, and have driven across it dozens of times) so most of them were no problem.

I used this map to assist me, which is a bit dated (December 2004), and it brought up an interesting question. It shows a site in southern Darke County labelled as Eaton. However, I couldn't find an Eaton site (or any site in the southern part of Darke County for that matter) anywhere in the RR database. So, I ran all of the radio service "YF" licenses (Public Safety Ntl Plan, 821-824/866-869 MHz, Trunked) licensed to the State of Ohio through the FCC database. After some digging, I found the callsign WQGR446, showing Location 5 listed in New Madison, Ohio, in Darke County. Plugging the LAT/LON coordinates for the site, 39° 55' 49" N 84° 43' 35" W, as shown in the FCC database into Google Earth (or Google Maps) gives a location approximately where the Eaton site is shown on the December 2004 MARCS site map. Additionally, the site is licensed for four frequencies; 866.2625, 867.075, 867.75, and 868.825. These look to me like they are the frequencies to a site that is part of the MARCS network, yet no site shows in the RR database.

So what's the deal? Is there a site there or not? I haven't driven out that way yet to confirm it (hope to here in the next day or so). Anybody around the area that can confirm a site on those frequencies?

[hoser147]

It possibly a DATA only Tower. There is one approx 10 miles from my location I seen it wasnt on the map, Paul Mayer of Ohio MARCS confirmed it was a MARCS tower however it was Data only. Hope this helps..The one in Wapakoneta is a Data tower on the same map you used also if ya check some of the pro 96 yahoo groups or the Marcs group one has a I-70 Download File Good Scannin................Hoser147

[radioscan]

That might have been a initial planned site that was later dropped. There are no MARCS sites in Preble County. The closest sites are College Corner (357), Dayton (133) and Greenville (135).

I have a .96 file that covers I-70 across the width of Ohio iit can be found n the files area of the Ohio MARCS Yahoo Group. If you are interested.

[DiGiTaLD]

I thought of the data-only sites too, but looking through the Ohio MARCS DataNet listing in the database, none of the frequencies licensed to that site are listed. There are two licenses shown in the MARCS DataNet listing with sites in Darke County, however they are both licensed as 800 MHz conventional (GP) by the FCC, not trunked as the MARCS trunked system is (YF).

Also, according to that map, it was supposedly active and completed in December of '04. Seems kind of strange that they would offline a site after it is already completed and active.

[KevinTheMule]

Given the location, I wouldn't sweat it much...you might miss some hawt pig rasslin' or 3 legged goat races.

If that's the case, I'll fill you in on the results after you return from your trip.

[k9gunner]

I will look up the numbers, however there is a Eaton post 68 channel, however in 1999 they closed the Preble post and combined it with post 57. I live 2 exits up in Brookville, and get a lot of traffic on the Post 68 channel.

[sopranosno1]

thursday night i did hear 868.825 from sidney. it sounded like a control channel.

[DiGiTaLD]

Well, I'm back from my trip. I drove through there twice in the past three days and I can confirm that there is a site on the frequencies I listed in my first post in this thread - one that appears to be unlisted in the RR database.

I drove through Preble County on I-70 on Friday afternoon and again at about 2:45 this morning. Both times, I had Motorola 3600 control channel on 868.825 MHz with system ID showing 712D - the system ID for zone 1 of the MARCS system. Decode rate on the PRO-96 was best (between 91% and 99%) between mile markers 10 and 18 or thereabouts, but I could copy the site fine to the Indiana state line and well into Montgomery County - and that was on my PRO-96, in the car, with the RS 800 MHz rubber duck - no external antenna.

So there is definitely a site there, where the MARCS map shows one labelled as Eaton. The LAT/LON coordinates in the FCC license for the site, WQGR446 put it closer to New Madison, OH, but it is definitely there. I have no idea what the site number is, though.

Also, I did hear activity on the POST 68 talkgroup. The way I understand it, OSHP has at least two talkgroups per county, with the numbers derived from that's county's number (in alphabetical order). I don't think it matters if they actually physically have a post there so much as on what talkgroups they run their radio traffic. BTW, I heard the POST 68 talkgroup on the above mentioned unlisted site, as well as traffic on POST 57.

[sopranosno1]

i caught the piqua post on this marcs site friday. between piqua and tipp city i can hear the control channel, but it is weak.

[DiGiTaLD]

Hmm. I guess this site wasn't worthy of adding to the database, even though it is active, licensed, and on-the-air...

[n8yid]

Digitald,

Thanks for the heads up......Ran Treport & Trunker on the site and here is what I've gotten so far:

System ID : 712D
Site # : 39
Control Channel: 868.8250
Connect Tone: 128.57
Alternate CC: 867.750
Adjacent Sites: #37 (Wabash, Mercer Co), #34 (Springfield), #35 (Greenville), #33 (Dayton) & #57 (must be College Corner)

...and heres the big one.......

Alias: EATON

TRUNKER also adds the following info:
867.0750

...and the WQGR446 callsign adds 866.2625 to all the above

[DiGiTaLD]

David, very nice of you to take the time confirm this information for us! Like I said, when I was initially looking at that MARCS map from '04, I saw a site labelled as Eaton, and thought it strange that nobody had it in the database. Well, there it is!