Understanding RR Trunking Database -Erie County, NY

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding the trunking info for my county. I'm looking at Erie County, NY: https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=1839

Can someone tell me if I'm correctly interpreting the info. below?

It looks like American Medical Response EMS is trunked under Saia Communications (Passport). When I click on Saia Communications (Passport), I see AMR EMS talkgroups, but then below it shows Modern Disposal Dump Trucks.

1. Does this mean that the Dump Truck company uses the same trunking system as the EMS company?

2. When looking at Buffalo State College:

I'm seeing their police dispatch as NXDN (analog or digital--unsure)
Maintenance as analog
Security as a small trunked system? (https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=6436)

Am I correct about Buffalo State?

3. Buffalo Police and Fire are not trunked--is this correct?

1 - Yes. These are private trunked systems who rent radios and system use to many different private companies.

2 -- The NXDN is probably the system they use. Click on the callsign, it says "APPLICANT IS A UNIVERSITY. RADIOS WILL BE USED FOR SECURITY"

The older system looks like it was entered into the database and never finished. Probably no longer in use.

3 - Buffalo Police appear to be P25 digital non-trunked, and the old analog conventional channels which are also listed, may or may not still be used. Fire/EMS appears to be analog conventional.

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We are super simple here in Erie County when it comes to communications.

Buffalo is P25 non trunking

There is very little trunking and no simulcast.

Yes dump trucks and more could be on the same system so selectively import only what you want or lock out what you don't.

To the above comments:

Saia Communications (the WNY Motorola Dealer almost everyone uses) operate multiple TRS's in the region. These business contract to Saia for radios and use of their system, rather than building one out and maintaining it themselves.

NXDN is what SUNY Buffalo State uses for University Police. Ive been monitoring the old TRS posted here for about a week, I keep getting control channel for the TRS, however, my scanner hasn't herd a peep on it, so im assuming its dead/unused and no one unplugged it yet lol.... and yes, NXDN is digital. To the best of my knowledge, they don't have "security" per say, they have their own Police Department. They have University Police Officers, who are MPTC trained Police Officers.

Buffalo PD transmits in P25 CONVENTIONAL (not "non trunking"), and has an analog simulcast and is also simulcast on the SaiaNet MotoTRBO system. Buffalo Fire and Buffalo ADI (EMS Dispatch) is indeed analog. As well as the majority of all other public safety communications.

There is a ton of trunking in Erie County! (I've been tracking a handful of new systems, however, haven't totally identified the TG users yet so they are not submitted to the DB, one is a Seneca Nation of Indians Capacity Plus, another is a Seneca Nation of Indians NXDN, and Hamburg Casino has a NXDN Trunked system, but again, I can't determine all the information for the system to be properly submitted) However, nothing too notable, public safety per say, is on a TRS. (exception is SUNY UB Police, NFTA Fire, LVAC, Mercy Flight all on SaiaNet, NFTA Police is on the NFTA EDACS TRS, and I'm sure I'm missing something that probably is on but off the top of my head its not coming to me)

Also, what do you mean no simulcast? Buffalo PD simulcast into other formats (reference above). ECSO simulcast off of many towers (ie Souther Erie County is 424, and the rest is 460), and also simulcast in P25. They have units running analog and P25 when they are in a verge of coverage area.

andyk62990 said:

To the above comments:

Saia Communications (the WNY Motorola Dealer almost everyone uses) operate multiple TRS's in the region. These business contract to Saia for radios and use of their system, rather than building one out and maintaining it themselves.

NXDN is what SUNY Buffalo State uses for University Police. Ive been monitoring the old TRS posted here for about a week, I keep getting control channel for the TRS, however, my scanner hasn't herd a peep on it, so im assuming its dead/unused and no one unplugged it yet lol.... and yes, NXDN is digital. To the best of my knowledge, they don't have "security" per say, they have their own Police Department. They have University Police Officers, who are MPTC trained Police Officers.

Buffalo PD transmits in P25 CONVENTIONAL (not "non trunking"), and has an analog simulcast and is also simulcast on the SaiaNet MotoTRBO system. Buffalo Fire and Buffalo ADI (EMS Dispatch) is indeed analog. As well as the majority of all other public safety communications.

There is a ton of trunking in Erie County! (I've been tracking a handful of new systems, however, haven't totally identified the TG users yet so they are not submitted to the DB, one is a Seneca Nation of Indians Capacity Plus, another is a Seneca Nation of Indians NXDN, and Hamburg Casino has a NXDN Trunked system, but again, I can't determine all the information for the system to be properly submitted) However, nothing too notable, public safety per say, is on a TRS. (exception is SUNY UB Police, NFTA Fire, LVAC, Mercy Flight all on SaiaNet, NFTA Police is on the NFTA EDACS TRS, and I'm sure I'm missing something that probably is on but off the top of my head its not coming to me)

Also, what do you mean no simulcast? Buffalo PD simulcast into other formats (reference above). ECSO simulcast off of many towers (ie Souther Erie County is 424, and the rest is 460), and also simulcast in P25. They have units running analog and P25 when they are in a verge of coverage area.

Click to expand...

Thank for this info. A couple of followups/clarifications:

1. TRS--I'm assuming this means Trunked Radio System?

2. Buffalo State Police--so you're not getting anything? I live about 1 mile from Buff. St, so I'm interested in that. It appears Maintenance is analog.

3. SUNY at Buffalo--why is this available on both analog and on the SaiaNet trunked system?

4. AMR EMS--(Buffalo) --it's listed as analog and also as a trunked system? Is it the same thing?

Yes, TRS is Trunked Radio System.

In regards to Buffalo State PD - you will hear them on their NXDN conventional channel. But, in my experience, there is nothing in their LTR Standard TRS. I receive the control channel, however, I’m not getting any activity at all on it. I receive the NXDN channel very well in the south towns, so if your close, there’s no reason why you should get it, unless you don’t have equipment capable of receiving NXDN. I’m appears maintenance is conventional analog, however, I have no interest in monitoring them, so I cannot verify what they are doing, but I would imagine that would be the case.


Yes, SUNY UB is available in analog and on the SaiaNet Connect Plus MotoTRBO system. A few months ago they began to transition to it. I monitored it for about a week when I first noticided it. Found out it’s a simulcast from their analog channel, with some users, at the time I found it, transmitting on the TRBO system, some analog, they were doing range/coverage testing, but that was a few months ago. I don’t monitor them, it does nothing for me. Just found it and submitted it once it was verified I was them.

AMR WNY is analog across the board. They operate primarily on the Saia LTR Passport Trunked system. However, their conventional channels are also active at times (ie Special Event channels during the EC Fair, Buffalo Bills Games, etc,) events they have staffing at. Not sure how active 280 is anymore, however, 280 used to be very active when I worked there. Used to be the dispatch channel for crews based in Evans and East Aurora.

Analog does not mean trunking and trunking does not mean analog. It is all about if they are on a “system” per say. Kinda off topic to get into that on this thread, but you should look it up/read into it, it’s a pretty cool thing when you think about its capabilities, espically when Erie County, is the largest/most populated county in the state that doesn’t have one. Orleans County has one and they have more cows than people.... just food for thought.. but I’m all for one! But that’s way above my pay grade to make that decision

Andy K., thanks for the local perspective. Based on what's available around WNY, do you see any advantage to either the x36 series or P2 scanners for this area?

I'm a Uniden guy, but I've been on the fence for awhile. I understand the difference in the features and programming requirements (Sentinel vs. 3rd party programming), I'm really interested in a 996P2, to avoid the SD cards issues, but then the programming requires software + RR premium membership, so then I start think of the x36 scanners.

Any thoughts?

Well, I have neither. I have a Whistler Pro-668 that I mainly use. Realistically, the cover all for WNY would be the Whistler TRX-2.... doing DMR (aka TRBO), NXDN, Phase 2. It all depends on what you wanna listen to. There is no standard format that everyone is on here.

Physically in Erie County, there is no P25 Phase 2, however, Chautauqua County, Orleans and Genesee County run P25 Ph 2. Niagara County is Ph 1 (and has a really really strong signal, where I pick up up really well in the south towns with nothing special for an antenna) Lackawanna PD, Buffalo State, Twin City and a few others are on NXDN, so if you wanted that, you have to get a NXDN capable scanner. I survive without having a NXDN capable scanner, mine just goes as far as Ph2 and DMR, which is good enough for me. If I want any other format, rather than breaking the bank, I just run a SDR....much much cheaper option, but its not as user friendly as a scanner per say.

So, generally speaking. I don't think its worth it yet to buy something thats phase 2 capable if you are not interested in monitor them (also, depending on your location, your gonna need a decent antenna if your in buffalo to get those counties). If you live in the city or wanna monitor buffalo pd, id get something that at least has P25 conventional. Plus, ECSO will eventually transition to P25 conventional, or thats at least what their radio techs keep saying. ESU 4 (Erie County DHSES) is also P25 conventional and sometimes thats something good to monitor during storms or big events. I like having something with DMR capabilities just because there is a ton of activity on the SaiaNet Connect Plus system, and it all depends on what you wanna listen to. I don't have a HP, however, from what I've seen, they seem user friendly.

If it wasn't for me getting a screaming deal on the Whistler, id still be running just the SDR, but thats just because im cheap. it all really depends on whats important for you to monitor and how much money you want to spend. But to plainly answer the question, no, I don't see any advantage to having either one of those scanners yet, unless you don't have anything that is capable of doing any digital formats. Which ever route you go, if you do get something, just make sure it can do some format of some digital, at least thats how I feel, so you would at least be gaining something you can't monitor now, assuming you don't have any of those capabilities.

W8RMH said:

1 - Yes. These are private trunked systems who rent radios and system use to many different private companies.

2 -- The NXDN is probably the system they use. Click on the callsign, it says "APPLICANT IS A UNIVERSITY. RADIOS WILL BE USED FOR SECURITY"

The older system looks like it was entered into the database and never finished. Probably no longer in use.

3 - Buffalo Police appear to be P25 digital non-trunked, and the old analog conventional channels which are also listed, may or may not still be used. Fire/EMS appears to be analog conventional.

In the future, if you ask these types of questions in the New York Radio Discussion Forum, others from your area can provide answers based on their own local knowledge and experience.

You can also click on the little red & white triangle in the upper right hand corner of your post and ask a moderator to move this post to that forum.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info...it made me go look at the RR library data and I found 2 DMR frequencies for Buffalo PD...very interesting. is this a precursor to a switch to DMR for BPD?

Not that I’m aware of... to the best of my knowledge it’s for interoperability for UB, there is a different thread going that talks about it. Buffalo PD and Fire has just recently got some APX.... so that wouldn’t make sense. Plus, Erie County DHSES refuses to use any DMR equipment, so that would cause another issue. They recently migrated to P25 within the last few years.... so I can’t see them changing that.