Help With Freqs. In The Rainy River Area

[FighterPilot]

Hello,
I live in the Rainy River District, and am wondering if I can get some help with listening into OPP. I'm fairly new to scanning though. I go to set my scanner to 142.7700 and it changes it to 142.7750. When I listen to that freq. I never get anything. Can someone help me with getting it to work or figure out if they are on the fleetnet thing.

Thanks in advance
Cal

 

[mciupa]

Hi Cal , welcome to RadioReference

I don't think that 142.770 is used all that much , only when the OPP and another agency need to communicate during an active incident.
For the OPP in your district , I would try the NOR areas freq's.

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&aid=577

which scanner are you using ?

 

[FighterPilot]

Thanks for the speedy reply.
I have a BC245T

Is there any freqs. in particular I should me monitoring?

Cal

 

[mciupa]

Yes , I would suggest 140.970 and 411.3125 for OPP.

Put your radio in SEARCH between 140 to 144 and see if you notice which tower freq's are active.

 

[FighterPilot]

Hmmm I seams 140.970 nor 411.3125 are getting any hits. All I'm picking up is 137.1375, which sounds to be CBC. The only other freq that seams to get any hits is the freq. 123.275 which is the YWG Radio. Any other ideas?

Cal

 

[mciupa]

Man, that's a drag !

All I can suggest is look through the database link here for your county and hopefully something will come alive.

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&ctid=4319

 

[FighterPilot]

Just so I got this right, I go to the page with the freqs. : http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&aid=577 . Then dial it in and then add the CTCSS freq. as well? I'm wondering if I'm looking at the right freqs. My Town (Atikokan) might be on some different system or something? I talked to a friend who is doing a co-op course with the cops and all he knew about what they use is "A freq. that changes and jumps around or something like that." Maybe that could help. I'll keep trying and see what I can get, I just have to remind myself that I may be doing something wrong.

Thanks for the help (so far)
Cal

 

[FighterPilot]

OK I got some new info. I'm getting a constant thrilling on 141.4500 which is NOR 6A. I think I'm finally getting somewhere, but when I input 140.9700 it defaults to 140.975. It does this with all the "good" freqs. I wanna listen to like ambulance etc.

Thanks
Cal

 

[DaveH]

Your 245 doesn't have CTCSS so you can scratch that part. The NOR
idle channel sound may switch to 6B (141.540) if it is use, although you
may have a single-channel site (signalling goes away during voice),
in which case you'll have a devil of a time listenening to it (you will
anyway with no CTCSS). Try scanning the inputs to 6A/6B.

Why your 245 is rounding frequencies up 5kHz is a mystery. Try entering
5kHz lower e.g. 140.965. I've seen scanners where people can change the
step, and get wrong frequencies e.g. 140.9625 but this isn't the case.

Dave

 

[FighterPilot]

Your 245 doesn't have CTCSS so you can scratch that part. The NOR
idle channel sound may switch to 6B (141.540) if it is use, although you
may have a single-channel site (signalling goes away during voice),
in which case you'll have a devil of a time listenening to it (you will
anyway with no CTCSS). Try scanning the inputs to 6A/6B.

Why your 245 is rounding frequencies up 5kHz is a mystery. Try entering
5kHz lower e.g. 140.965. I've seen scanners where people can change the
step, and get wrong frequencies e.g. 140.9625 but this isn't the case.

Dave

My apologies, I have the 246T. So I do have CTCSS. I guess my biggest problem right now is figuring out why it's rounding the freqs. I thought I read somewheres where I can connect my scanner to my comp and edit stuff manually?

Thanks
Cal

 

[DaveH]

Check the step size in the 138-144Mhz range...it may default to 12.5/25kHz,
the U.S. spacing. Set it to 5kHz and all should be well.

So, you will hear OPP by scanning two frequencies 141.450 and 141.540
with CTCSS 107.2 . Let us know if that works.

Dave

 

[FighterPilot]

Hmm... I got the freqs. to work by changing the default step, however I still hear nothing on .540 and all I hear on .450 is the constant "radar like" thrilling. I set CTCSS both on and off, and monitored the freq. but to no avail. Hopefully I'm getting somwhere

Thanks
Cal

 

[mikewazowski]

Wish I could find a sound clip of the old NOR system. I'd describe the sound more as a squawking sound. Not sure what a radar like thrilling sounds like. Can you post a sound clip?

Stick your scanner on 141.450Mhz with a ctcss tone of 107.2hz.

If it's the old NOR system, the cars look for the squawking and standby on that channel.

When a voice call goes out, the squawking stops, the ctcss tone of 107.2hz is enabled and the call proceeds.

If it's a one frequency site, the tone will drop and the squawking will start up again.

If it's got more then one frequency, the tone will drop and the squawking will have shifted to an alternate frequency. That alternate will be the frequency that the next voice call will go out on.

Usually, 141.540 is paired up with 141.4500.

 

[FighterPilot]

Yeah, it's hard to describe I guess. I think your way of describing it would be more accurate. Kind of a squawking "beat." Leaving it on .450 with the CTCSS on 107.2 just gets that constant squawking. I have had it on for over 15 min and it's non-stop "squawk," there have been no voices. Tuning in .540 still gets nothing, whether CTCSS is on 107.2 or not.

Thanks
Cal

 

[Jammin_Jay]

What i would do is lockout the channel that is squaking. So if 141.450 is squaking, then lock it out and leave 141.540 unlocked. Scan the channels. As soon as u here 141.540 squaking, unlock and listen to 141.450 and u will here voice (dispatch). When the call is released then lockout 141.540, because it will be squaking. Seems confusing eh. Its not really, for a simple conclusion, just lockout the channel that is squaking and unlock the one that is not, and do the opposite after u here the call(voice).

 

[mikewazowski]

That's assuming that they have more then one channel on that site.

So far he's only heard 141.4500Mhz which makes me think that this is a one channel site.

If he's got ctcss on marker, there's not much he can do except listen to the input.

 

[mrweather]

Wish I could find a sound clip of the old NOR system. I'd describe the sound more as a squawking sound.

Here's a site with a whole raft of digital sounds:

http://www.kb9ukd.com/digital/

OPP NOR is near the bottom under the "Mystery" category.

 

[FighterPilot]

Here's a site with a whole raft of digital sounds:

http://www.kb9ukd.com/digital/

OPP NOR is near the bottom under the "Mystery" category.

Yeah, Thats the one.

 

[FighterPilot]

OK yet another update.
So far I haven't heard anything on .450 while the CTCSS is set to 107.2. Even with the squelch turned way down, I get nothing. I have however ran into another active Freq. I get something on 142.5125 which sounds like.. Wait for it.... A diesel truck idling, or a machine gun type of sound, which changes from a lower to a little higher pitch ever second or so. Hopefully this is another step forward.

Thanks
Cal

 

[mciupa]

Cal , I have a feeling the true freq. is 142.515 , rather than 142.5125. You may have to tweak that step size one more time.
Your description leads me to believe that you are hearing a digital transmission.

Maybe the Bell Mobility techs are testing things on their digital talkgroups up your way , before the system goes "live" for the users.