MPSCS User ID... easy lookup?

I have been scanning since 1974, yet with 800 Trunked Digital ... I m a newbie.

One thing that frustrates me and will be question #1) is that on a system such as MPSCS; when listening to Monroe Co simulcast system, user ID's pop up that are not on the Monroe County Database. It is time consuming to look up the user id numbers agency after agency to see who it is? So... is there a cross reference method or faster way to say ...input user ID 2345 (example) on a PC or the scanner itself, or on anything,and see what agency/group/user on MPSCS that is assigned to QUICKLY?

Question #2) I inputted all the freqs on the MPSCS on the Adrian MI Tower. Why was I receiving Monroe County and Washtenaw on this tower? I had ID scan/search on search. Is this a common thing with "site neighbors". I know I could stop it with ID scan and only monitor ID's I have inputted, but I would like to know why I can hear Monroe County Central Disp on this tower? Not saying its bad, just like to know the why/protocols?

I think its cool actually.

Question #3) If I input a user ID such as Traverse City PD down here in Monroe Co, will I be able to hear their traffic? Please explain answer whether Yes or No.

I have been itching for a 800 Trunked Digital for 6 years now. Finally made the plunge after I moved to Monroe from Lenawee County. I hear that the slow and lagging Lenawee County is finally going to join MPSCS in a few years.

Thanks.

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Trunking Basics - The RadioReference Wiki

#1. Short answer no. The closest you could get would be to see what county the radio is based out of and if its a portable / mobile / or base. Reference Michigan Public Safety Communications System Radio ID Structure - The RadioReference Wiki

#2. The easiest way to explain this is to picture the locations of the towers, with the simulcast towers acting as one site. With few exceptions, when a radio is keyed up, it also keys up a ring of towers around the sites its talking to. So for example Washtenaw county central keys up... its affiliated with the Washtenaw simulcast. However a ring around it also keys up so you will hear that same transmission on Adrian, Northville, Howell, Jackson, and possibly Monroe depending on how each ring is configured.

#3. Short answer no. Go back to the ring example from the last answer. If you are outside that ring you will not hear anything. There is an exception to that rule. If that Traverse City PD unit is for whatever reason down in the Adrian area and has the radio turned on to their channel, that radio will affiliate to the Adrian tower and pull all of the Traverse City PD Dispatch (or whatever channel they are on) radio traffic from the Traverse City tower down to the Adrian tower (via satellite & internet) and transmit it on the Adrian tower so that radio can receive and transmit.
If you live in Lansing and you are scanning state police channels from other parts of the state you will hear them a lot because MSP frequently heads to Lansing for training / meetings and stay on their home district channel. As that car travels it will bring with it that radio traffic on whatever tower its near and bounce around as that vehicle crosses the state, just like how your cell phone switches cell sites as you travel.

JimIvan said:

I have been scanning since 1974, yet with 800 Trunked Digital ... I m a newbie.

One thing that frustrates me and will be question #1) is that on a system such as MPSCS; when listening to Monroe Co simulcast system, user ID's pop up that are not on the Monroe County Database. It is time consuming to look up the user id numbers agency after agency to see who it is? So... is there a cross reference method or faster way to say ...input user ID 2345 (example) on a PC or the scanner itself, or on anything,and see what agency/group/user on MPSCS that is assigned to QUICKLY?

Question #2) I inputted all the freqs on the MPSCS on the Adrian MI Tower. Why was I receiving Monroe County and Washtenaw on this tower? I had ID scan/search on search. Is this a common thing with "site neighbors". I know I could stop it with ID scan and only monitor ID's I have inputted, but I would like to know why I can hear Monroe County Central Disp on this tower? Not saying its bad, just like to know the why/protocols?

I think its cool actually.

Question #3) If I input a user ID such as Traverse City PD down here in Monroe Co, will I be able to hear their traffic? Please explain answer whether Yes or No.

I have been itching for a 800 Trunked Digital for 6 years now. Finally made the plunge after I moved to Monroe from Lenawee County. I hear that the slow and lagging Lenawee County is finally going to join MPSCS in a few years.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Thanks

Thank you for those answers.

W8RMH said:

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Trunking Basics - The RadioReference Wiki

Click to expand...

Do they pay extra for this? I was under the assumtion (or told) they can only appear on towers they pay for. So it seems like there would always be lots of Smalltown users in the Bigcity driving the tower nonstop.

I haven't had my PSR600 for very long but one thing I am amazed by is that listening wildcard to a tower only produces ID numbers and no names. That would be super cool. It wouldn't be hard to have a lookup database. Am I missing something?

JimIvan said:

It is time consuming to look up the user id numbers agency after agency to see who it is? So... is there a cross reference method or faster way to say ...input user ID 2345 (example) on a PC or the scanner itself, or on anything,and see what agency/group/user on MPSCS that is assigned to QUICKLY?

Click to expand...

The fastest method I can think of is just going to the radioreference MPSCS webpage, hitting CTRL-F on your keyboard, and typing in the Id number. It should take you right to the entry.

scanmanmi said:

Do they pay extra for this? I was under the assumtion (or told) they can only appear on towers they pay for. So it seems like there would always be lots of Smalltown users in the Bigcity driving the tower nonstop.

Click to expand...

No. They pay an annual fee per radio (subscriber unit) to use the entire system. The system covers the entire state.

Now, some talkgroups are only allowed on specific tower sites (i.e. Detroit PD and FD talkgroups are only allowed on the Detroit Simulcast system unless an emergency button is pressed on a radio).

Most county dispatch talkgroups are on the towers within that county, and the counties that surround it.

Then there are talkgroups that will work on any and all tower sites in the state (i'e. event talkgroups, mutual aid talkgroups, state agencies, and a few other county talkgroups).

You'll only hear a talkgroup on a site though if it is allowed on that site, and a radio is affiliated to that site on that talkgroup.

Mike

Question #2) I inputted all the freqs on the MPSCS on the Adrian MI Tower. Why was I receiving Monroe County and Washtenaw on this tower? I had ID scan/search on search. Is this a common thing with "site neighbors". I know I could stop it with ID scan and only monitor ID's I have inputted, but I would like to know why I can hear Monroe County Central Disp on this tower? Not saying its bad, just like to know the why/protocols?

I think its cool actually.

As a rule of thumb, throughout Michigan, main dispatch channels(i.e. police, fire, EMS) of neighboring counties are broadcast on the local county site.

scanmanmi said:

I haven't had my PSR600 for very long but one thing I am amazed by is that listening wildcard to a tower only produces ID numbers and no names. That would be super cool. It wouldn't be hard to have a lookup database. Am I missing something?

Click to expand...

The PSR600 does not come with the database preloaded like some. You would need to program it to do that for the ones you listen to most for example Talkgroup 8239 is Detroit FD Disp or whatever name you would want to use.