TX DPS

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mass-man

trying to retire...
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I recently drove from Victoria to Dallas with the DPS statewide common frequencies in the HP1...is it just me but there was almost nada to hear...I've been thru his before, that it ain't what it used to be, but dang, it was dead.

I bring this up because I was about to pull the trigger on a P25 KW or MOTO rig with the DPS stuff and two meter ham repeaters....but maybe whats the point.

Thoughts and observations appreciated.
 

bpckty1

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Much of the DPS activity om the Greater Houston area is on TxWarn P25 phase 1 and 2. Most of the VHF activity is the base only, no repeater (except for Ft Bend County DPS. Pierce Base). Plus, there is much MDT activity.
 

tunnelmot

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Conroe, TX
I make the drive between Hou and DFW every day.

From my observation, DPS VHF P25 is the states' primary system...but for the units in coverage areas of large metro trunked networks, that has become the de facto standard. Most troops seem to now run APX multi band radios. One control head, but multiple bands/protocols on one seamless control head.

VHF is multicast with whatever the local system is. In my area, when dispatch transmits, it is multicast over the VHF DPS and local 7/800 system. But whatever system units respond on, it can only be heard over the same system. You can tell when field radios are transmitting over VHF because you can hear both sides over the VHF side (think air units).

As far as the more rural traffic, they also like to hang out on the local radio systems (even if it's plain old conventional FM). Since the implementation of the LTE mobile IP , voice traffic can be reduced in certain areas.

To monitor DPS, you have to monitor whatever the local regional/county system you are passing through (regardless if it's a simple VHF conventional repeater or one of the huge digital trunked networks Texas is famous for).Rest assured there is still PLENTY of voice traffic, it's just either patched to the local trunked or direct unit contact through local SO radio systems.

Example: When driving through Madison up through Leon counties I will hear very little on the "proper" assigned VHF channels. But listening to those same respective counties' channels I will hear DPS units check in, pick up calls and directly communicate with county dispatchers.

They 97just have more options available due to new multiband radio equipment and MDC usage.

I still hear plenty of traffic stops, 28's and 29's, and accident responses as we've always heard. Only thing that's changed is it's not as simple as years past where one could just scan the whole State channel plan and catch everything.

Another clue is if I see area assigned vehicles with a 7/800 mhz antenna I pretty much assume they are actually TXing on whatever the local flavor is, albeit through patched or multicast channels.
 

KG5TQZ

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Granbury, TX
Where I am, just SW of the Metroplex, I only hear a call on the DPS channels about once every 3 months. It's always a trooper who lives nearby signing off shift. Other than that, all DPS communication is through the cointy Sheriff's dispatch. I've even heard the sheriff call a Trooper to relay a message from his Captain.
 

motorola_otaku

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DPS uses county SO dispatch in Madison, Leon, Freestone, Navarro, and Ellis counties. They use TxWARN on their own talkgroups in Walker, Montgomery, and Harris counties. I cant speak to anything in the DFW metroplex, except that when I was up there for HamCom a couple of weekends ago I didn't hear anything except for outlying counties and offices.

South on 59 they use TxWARn on their own talkgroups in Fort Bend and Wharton counties. I can't confirm 100% but I'm reasonably certain they use county SO for dispatch in Jackson and Victoria counties (Victoria of course is fully encrypted, even on VHF.)
 

TLR2019

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What about DPS San Antonio? I know units assigned to the Kerrville area use Kerr County SO. And use the statewide plan. Cause I hear dispatch all the time, but I heardly ever get to hear the units for the troopers? I believe it's base C /mobile C.
 

Syncopations

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DPS Corpus Christi units use the state VHF P25 stuff for this area. Some of the units assigned to Jim Wells County use Jim Wells SO dispatch(VHF P25) and DPS Corpus Christi dispatch. Very rarely do they use MetroCom (800mhz EDACS system).
 

hiegtx

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DPS uses county SO dispatch in Madison, Leon, Freestone, Navarro, and Ellis counties. They use TxWARN on their own talkgroups in Walker, Montgomery, and Harris counties. I cant speak to anything in the DFW metroplex, except that when I was up there for HamCom a couple of weekends ago I didn't hear anything except for outlying counties and offices.

South on 59 they use TxWARn on their own talkgroups in Fort Bend and Wharton counties. I can't confirm 100% but I'm reasonably certain they use county SO for dispatch in Jackson and Victoria counties (Victoria of course is fully encrypted, even on VHF.)
DPS units in the Tyler/Smith County area use talkgroups on the old ETMC layer of TxWARN. Occasionally, one of them gets far enough west to affiliate with the Kaufman County site, and I can hear them here in Dallas.

You'll also, occasionally, hear units talking to DPS-Dallas, that are assigned to the various tollways. West of Fort Worth, along I-20, you will hear DPS units talking to the Mineral Wells dispatch office, either on that frequency, or via the repeater at Aledo, near the Tarrant/Parker County border. They also pop up on the Parker County P25 system if working an accident along I-20. Also, at times, hear the units further west on I-20, or along US-180, talking to Palo Pinto S.O. on their frequency.
 

SCPD

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I know lately DPS El Paso has been using the EPSO VHF trunked system a lot but still uses the VHF state end. However all El Paso county SO law talkgroups are encrypted.
 
O

Operator_error

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DPS units in the Tyler/Smith County area use talkgroups on the old ETMC layer of TxWARN. Occasionally, one of them gets far enough west to affiliate with the Kaufman County site, and I can hear them here in Dallas.

You'll also, occasionally, hear units talking to DPS-Dallas, that are assigned to the various tollways. West of Fort Worth, along I-20, you will hear DPS units talking to the Mineral Wells dispatch office, either on that frequency, or via the repeater at Aledo, near the Tarrant/Parker County border. They also pop up on the Parker County P25 system if working an accident along I-20. Also, at times, hear the units further west on I-20, or along US-180, talking to Palo Pinto S.O. on their frequency.

I hear quite fine DPS Dallas on everything except the old Sulphur Springs repeater. Texarkana booms in fine on what used to be Sherman and I just heard traffic on DPS Tyler primary. Mineral Wells and Wichita Falls skip in at night well. Troopers are alive and well on Fannin, Lamar and Hopkins county sheriff's office as well. Since Delta went P25 they tend to pop on there for wreck calls but I don't ever hear them using Hunt or Grayson, then again both Sherman and Greenville have established DPS repeaters.
 

Russell

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DPS in Collin County can regularly be heard on the CCSO Dispatch channel on their analog trunked system. Once the P25 PAWMCo site comes up they'll be moving onto PAWM. DPS tollway is on 151.13. DPS in DenCo is on Denton SO P25 system, as well.

Thanks,
Russell
 
O

Operator_error

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Generally I will hear DPS on both Collin and Texarkana (or Dallas). They also do this in Fannin and Lamar. Why they double call is baffling. Has anyone heard Dallas now clearing as "Dallas Clear" no longer giving a call sign at the end of a transmission?
 

Project25_MASTR

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DPS uses GATRRS in a good portion of Central Texas these days. I assume as the Permian Basin merger finalizes you'll begin hearing more traffic on DPS talk groups. I would imagine they would start utilizing Texarkana's simulcast (since it's now part of GATRRS) in the near future if not already doing so.
 
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