Monitoring MHP

OK here is the fundamental basics for monitoring the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol-MHP


Primarily MHP uses an very old VHF Lo Band radio system.
This is a 3 pair system used in simplex mode, with the pairs divided among the 9 districts.

Pair 1: 42.0800 MHz- Dispatch for Districts 3, 6, and 9
42.3000 MHz- Mobiles for Troops E, H, and M
Pair 2: 42.1200 MHz- Dispatch for Districts 1, 5, and 8
42.1800 MHz- Mobiles for Troops C, G, and K
Pair 3: 42.1600 MHz- Dispatch for Districts 2, 4, and 7
42.2400 MHz- Mobiles for Troops D, F, and J

Car to Car: 42.2000 MHz
Tactical, and Air to Ground: 42.8400 MHz
Special Ops: 42.0200 MHz
All these use the same CTCSS Tone of 94.8

MHP Also uses a Statewide Lo Band Repeater Net on 45.3200 MHz.
The CTCSS Tones for each repeater are different for each district.
The repeaters are used as a long range Car to Car net, and as the primary net when the District Dispatch frequency is down.

All MHP Cruisers are equipped with a dual frequency Vehicular Repeater system. The frequencies are: 154.9350 MHz, and 158.9700 MHz, operating on a tone of 100.0 PL. Unlike many repeater equipped units, MHP units never turn the system off except when they power off the radios completely.

For agencies using Lo Band for interop, Statewide Lo Band is 45.2200 MHz, using CSQ.

MHP units are also equipped with VHF Hi Band radios, and use them to interop with local Law Enforcement, and with other State LEA's, most noticabley MDOT Enforcement, MBI, and MBN.

The MBI Interop Channel is 156.0900 MHz.
Statewide Hi Band is 155.4900 MHz, using CSQ.
Hi Band Car to Car *used rarely* is 155.7300 MHz, also using CSQ.

MHP also has a statewide network of UHF Fixed Transmitters on various frequencies and CTCSS Tones.

In Counties using TRS's, MHP has been issued HT's, and Mobiles for those systems.

MHP Mobile EOC is equipped with VHF Hi, and Lo Band radios, UHF Radios, Sattelite Radio Links to MEMA, MDF&W, and can be patched into any TRS in usage.

Hey milf.....about monitoring MHP

I was just wondering....I have been TRYING to monitor MHP up here in NW MS 7 miles south of Memphis in Mississippi......I keep hearing mobiles on 458.000 mhz but I cant hear anything of the base responding on either 453.000 mhz OR 463.000 mhz.....do they not use these freqs or what? I have programmed the low freqs in my scanner and I dont hear anyting on them at all......just wondering

Joebaby

Those are the FIXED TRANSMITTERS freqs that are used to relay the Lo Band to Dispatch, and from Dispatch to the remote sites. A few of the cars have UHF radios and can use these direct, but the magority of comms is done on Lo Band. Unless your close to the mobile units, you most likely will NOT hear them replying to Dispatch. In the case your really close to the mobile units, you can get both sides on the mobile extenders (Vehicular Repeaters). Also if the primary net goes down, you can get both sides on the Statewide Repeater Net. In the next few years, all this will change with the implementation of a Statewide TRS.

So as long as you have the fixed transmitters and the dispatch freqs plugged in you scanner, you should hear both sides(just on different 2 freqs), right? Or am I just not understanding it correctly?

Jred

Re: Hey milf.....about monitoring MHP

Joebaby said:

I was just wondering....I have been TRYING to monitor MHP up here in NW MS 7 miles south of Memphis in Mississippi......I keep hearing mobiles on 458.000 mhz but I cant hear anything of the base responding on either 453.000 mhz OR 463.000 mhz.....do they not use these freqs or what? I have programmed the low freqs in my scanner and I dont hear anyting on them at all......just wondering

Joebaby

Click to expand...

Mobiles are heard on 458.000, base in basteville responds on 42.08, do not set the delay on either channel or you may miss a reply. if you are close to the mobile unit or have a good antenna system you can also hear the mobile unit on 42.30

I have all the freqs listed on RR and I still can't hear the troopers themselves talking, only the dispatch. I have hear them a few times when they were in the next town or so. (I know that my antenna shouldn't be an issue.) What am I doing wrong???

The mobiles are nowhere as near as powerful as the dispatch towers. You must be within 10 or so miles to hear them except on certian weather conditions. The ME's you must usually be within say 5 or less miles. The Repeaters you can hear ANYWHERE in the district.

I live 10 miles east/southeast of Woodall Mt. near Iuka, Ms. I think there is an MHP UHF repeater (or at least a UHF link) on the mountain. I hear the mobiles on 451.550 MHz and the F-Troop base (New Albany) on 42.160 MHz. From time to time I hear mobile to mobile repeater usage on 45.320 MHz (ragchewing).

I have an APRS digipeater on Woodall Mt. Check this to get a reference of the location within the state:

http://map.findu.com/ku4ww-12

Tnx. Have fun.

Jeff

MS Highway Patrol Fixed Transmitters

Frequency: Cities transmitters located in
451.5500: Scott, Greenwood, Iuka, Jackson, Redwood
451.9000: Raleigh, Meridian
451.9750: Leaksville, Starkville, Meridian, DeKalb
453.0000: Batesville, Brookhaven, Starkville, Biloxi, Jackson
456.5500: Hesterville, Greenwood, New Albany, Jackson
456.7750: Calhoun City
456.8750: Greenwood Springs
456.9000: Walnut Grove (Leake Co.), Hattiesburg
456.9750: DeKalb, Meridian
456.8000: (According to FCC Database, none listed)
458.0000: Nesbit, Louisville, Doloroso, Star, Vancleave

Note that I looked up on the FCC database the frequencies posted on this site for the fixed transmitters. The above cities are where the towers are. I am not sure what MHP Districts use these. My best guess is the districts use the frequencies transmitted from their corresponding counties. Any more info is welcome regarding this.

Personally I can confirm that at least Troop K uses 453.0000 and 458.0000.

KU4WW said:

I live 10 miles east/southeast of Woodall Mt. near Iuka, Ms. I think there is an MHP UHF repeater (or at least a UHF link) on the mountain. I hear the mobiles on 451.550 MHz and ...

Click to expand...

Jeff,
Looking at the info I have gathered, there is a fixed transmitter in Iuka. Below is a "copy-and-paste" from the FCC database on one of the locations for 451.550 MHz under licensee MISSISSIPPI, STATE OF:
3 MI SW ON WOODALL MNTN
IUKA, MS TISHOMINGO County

So I must agree with you on your guess Good job!

milf said:

The mobiles are nowhere as near as powerful as the dispatch towers. You must be within 10 or so miles to hear them except on certian weather conditions. The ME's you must usually be within say 5 or less miles. The Repeaters you can hear ANYWHERE in the district.

Click to expand...

The only thing I hear on the freqs labeled as repeaters are 2 to 3 troopers talking to each other. This is once every other week or so.
They don't even use 10 codes, they talk very casual when they do.

JRed

Repeaters...

The Statewide Repeaters are primarily for car to car, but they are used as primary dispatch if the main freqs are down, or during maintanace on the main towers.

due to the fact that a given MHP fixed point-to-point transmitter frequency has different tones for different areas in MS (so does the input freqs for MHP dispatch), can we make separate sections for each district under "MS State agencies", listing fixed point-to-transmitters w/ corresponding tone, dispatch input freq with its corresponding tone.

for example 458.0000 is used in different places with different tones

thanks,
bryan

Each district has dedicated UHF Point to Point Transmitters to help expand thier coverage to the mobiles.... Sometimes you may get lucky and hear both sides of the conversations on them, but more likely youll only get the dispatch side... As noted, each district uses different tones for thier system, I will look into seeing if itll be a good idea to make a seperate set up for them. Although the entire old system will be going bye bye once MWCC decides to go ahead and set up the Statewide TRS.. *Hopefully Motorola ASTRO!*

Hello from Waynesboro, I currently own an older unit (Uniden Bearcat 148XLT) and was wanting to upgrade. Any suggestions? Also please advise if you think this system will pick up all frequencies.

Thanks BJ

Pro-97 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agree with milf that the PRO-97 is best non-digital scanner for the buck. Would also recommend Don Starr's WIN97 programming software and the cable.

If any agencies near you use digital then the PRO-96 or PRO 2096 are top choice and again Don has software for these. BTW the same cable works 97 and 96.

MHP Monitoring

I have a Uniden BCT-8 that's in my vehicle. I didn't realize how much traffic I missed until I programmed in all of the MHP frequencies, including the repeaters. I have been from Tupelo to Natchez to V'burg, to Gulf Coast and monitored all the traffic. The scanner also has the hwy patrol alert so when someone keys the mike and I'm bout 3 miles from them I can copy the traffic.

Be safe

Just a note, i have all the above freqs. plugged in my 8500xlt scanner i live in the north east corner of MS, i am able to RX New Albany, Batesville, Starkville, i hear Greenwood from time to time only in early AM. i can hear the cars only for the new albany dist but the substations are comming in loud, but you got to have a good antenna and big TOWER to be able to hear the other stations

I Have all the MHP Freq. in my Pro-97 but cannot hear MHP at all. I used win-97 and inported them from radio reference form what gives. Note I am using the 800MHZ antanna on my unit.