Mass state police

Is MASS SP now on the Phase 2 700 MHZ? Also what is the difference between the MASS P25 System and the CommonWealth System

they are currently on the 800TRS..They do have troops using the p25(comm of mass) system.

10-4 Thanks,

No. MSP is using P25 Phase 1 in western MA, although there is still a lot of analog trunked activity out there as well. There is no MSP activity on the 700Mhz Boston area overlay system. There was some initially, but that has ceased. The 700 overlay is essentially the same as Zone 1 on the 800 analog system. The only MSP activity you might here will be Troop F, but I haven't heard any yet.

Most of the talk groups on the 700 system are P25 Phase 1. There is some police activity heard using Phase 2, but it doesn't appear to be MSP.

Jason P25 is western Mass expect for the limited P25 on the 700

ScanMaine said:

10-4 Thanks,

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Thanks, I think where I'm going my BCD996XT will be fine.. I just wasnt sure if they had all switched! Thank you all

Should be plenty of traffic on the 700 overlay this weekend. Maybe even some phase 2.
Search and see.

I would love to listen to 700mhz and Phase II but I only have the BCD996XT in my truck

What is the difference between MASS P25 and Commonwealth.. All Im looking for is Mass SP in my RR data base.. I m not looking for specific tows as I just want SP on 95 and 91 and other major highways

Mass State Police

ScanMaine said:

Is MASS SP now on the Phase 2 700 MHZ? Also what is the difference between the MASS P25 System and the CommonWealth System

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I live in The Berkshires of Mass. MSP Troops B1, B2, B3, B4, B5 and B6 all use the P25 Digital phase II system as well as simulcast on the older Trunking system and transmits in FM mode I also hear Mass Environmental Police on both systems. Hampshire County Police use a Talkgroup on the P25 Phase II System. In addition, Troop E which is the entire Mass Pike from NY all the way to the Ted Williams Tunnel communicates on the P25 Phase II System.

But what is the difference between MASS P25 and Commonwealth.

MASS P25 is the Metro Area Simulcast System aka 700mHz overlay. It has was built by Boston and the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region.

Joe

So all I need is the P25 system then correct. I dont care about every town I go thru or buy while traveling

jonsmth said:

I live in The Berkshires of Mass. MSP Troops B1, B2, B3, B4, B5 and B6 all use the P25 Digital phase II system as well as simulcast on the older Trunking system and transmits in FM mode I also hear Mass Environmental Police on both systems. Hampshire County Police use a Talkgroup on the P25 Phase II System. In addition, Troop E which is the entire Mass Pike from NY all the way to the Ted Williams Tunnel communicates on the P25 Phase II System.

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It is NOT Phase 2, it is all Phase 1

Can someone email me the CT and or Mass Files again, I have a new pc and need to create my travel freqs... Send me a PM and I will send you my e-mail address again


THANKS

Im looking for the 95 corridor area pretty much
I have ArcPRO and Free Scan

At the risk of some over simplification, you can take it that there are two state-owned/run trunked systems in Massachusetts.

One is the original 800 mHz SmartZone (3600-baud analog) system, which the State Police inherited from the Metropolitan District Commission at the time of "consolidation" and then expanded. Virtually all MSP activity is on this system. It has multiple zones, some wide area and some infill, covering various geographic parts of the state. Each zone uses distinct control channels, and the major zones relate to: A/H Troops (eastern MA), D Bristol (southeaster MA), D Cape (Cape and Islands), and C Troop. There are also many talkgroups assigned to non-MSP entities and functions. Most, but not all, voice channels are analog.

The second is an Astro25 (9600-baud digital). All voice channels and data are digital. Again, there are multiple zones, which can operate on either 700 mHz or 800 mHz control channels. Eventually, you can expect all public safety and public service trunked communications will be on this system.

At the moment, there are zones being constructed (and some in use) for MSP B Troop. The Boston digital system is a zone on this system; the Cambridge digital system is a zone on this system, as is the Logan digital system. All of these operate on 800 mHz control and voice channels. There is a zone in the greater Boston area operating on 700 mHz that, at the moment, carries a selection of non-MSP traffic, mainly patches from other sources.

Mass State Police Trunking Systems

kennyblues said:

It is NOT Phase 2, it is all Phase 1

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I stand corrected. I thought the Motorola Type II Smartzone system was a P25 Phase I and the newer network was P25 Phase II, but looking at the database, It's clear I was mistaken. Thank you for setting me straight kennyblues.

jonsmth said:

I stand corrected. I thought the Motorola Type II Smartzone system was a P25 Phase I and the newer network was P25 Phase II, but looking at the database, It's clear I was mistaken. Thank you for setting me straight kennyblues.

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There are several Phase 2 talk groups on the 700 Mhz "Overlay" system. Most are encrypted, but some are clear.

Motorola has proposed a separate City of Boston only 700Mhz system as well. Proposed is the key word.

jonsmth said:

I stand corrected. I thought the Motorola Type II Smartzone system was a P25 Phase I and the newer network was P25 Phase II, but looking at the database, It's clear I was mistaken. Thank you for setting me straight kennyblues.

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To add some mud to this...

Motorola's SmartZone system (Type II) was available as an analog system, hybrid (analog and digital talkgroups on the same system) and all digital. None were an APCO25 Phase 1 system, but used the APCO P25 voice codec. 3600 control channel. These were popular, but Motorola only.

When APCO standardized the trunking format for any manufacture's radio to work on any other system for digital communications, that became the APCO P25 Phase 1 standard, using the same voice codec and with a 9600 control channel. In many respects, its basically the Motorola Smartzone with changes.

Phase II is essentially Phase 1 but using TDMA expand the capacity of a single voice channel to carry two conversations - just like how the phone company and cell providers have been doing for many decades. Some systems are optioned to allow a phase 1 radio to long onto the system, and when it does, phase 2 radios will revert back to phase 1 so they can talk to each other. This allows earlier radios to be used on newer systems. Motorola has this option called Dual Dynamic Mode (DDM). Once the phase 1 radios logs off, the talkgroup will revert back to phase 2 TDMA.

With the standards and evolving technology its become easier for various systems to be interconnected by "hard patches, soft patches" and other means which requires little to no field user intervention. Its all behind the scenes which can be confusing and generate misinformation in the land of scanner listening.

This is why you may hear an agency on one system in which is really has no radios on it.