Maricopa County - How to Determine Repeaters for Each City

[kingshootr]

Hello all,

Please have mercy on my vocabulary - I may well be mixing up terms...

I'm in Glendale 85304 and am trying to set up individual "alias'" for different cities and functions (Peoria PD, Glendale Fire, etc) using (2) RTL-SDR dongles. I'm using SDRTrunk. I have successfully set up "All Fire", "PHX PD", etc because they have dedicated systems under the tab. The other municipalities don't (as far as I can tell).

My question is: When in "System View", how do I determine which system to pull from for each talkgroup I want to set up?



Is there something I'm missing in the RR database?



Any guidance is much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[KB7MIB]

If by System, you mean Simulcast, High Site, or IR, which one to choose depends on which agency you want to listen to, and where you're located.

For Phoenix PD, that would be Simulcast A, but only as long as you're close enough to the City of Phoenix to pick up Simulcast A. If you're too far out of Phoenix to pick up A, you may still be able to pick up at least a couple of precincts, if you're within range of one of the other simulcasts. For example, 800 & 900 (and I've also heard 200 in the past) can still be heard in most of the West Valley if you can receive Simulcast G.

For Phoenix FD, again if you're in the City of Phoenix, you use Simulcast B. But, PFDRDC can also be heard on Simulcasts C, D, F(?), G, H, and J, as well as a couple of High Sites and maybe an IR or two, if you're outside the Phoenix city limits. (The available talkgroups on a High Site/IR may be limited. Towers Mt only has K1 and K6 that I know of, for example. White Tanks only has K2, possibly K3.)

To speed up your scanning, you don't want all of the Simulcasts/High Sites/IR's active, only the main one, and maybe one other as a backup, that you can receive at your location.

You can see where the sites are located by clicking on the Simulcast, etc., of interest. Here's the locations for Simulcast G:

Regional Wireless Cooperative (RWC) Site: Simulcast G: West Valley

Regional Wireless Cooperative (RWC) Site: Simulcast G: West Valley Details

www.radioreference.com

I don't know if it works the same way through the software you're using.

John
Peoria

 

[es93546]

If by System, you mean Simulcast, High Site, or IR, which one to choose depends on which agency you want to listen to, and where you're located.

For Phoenix PD, that would be Simulcast A, but only as long as you're close enough to the City of Phoenix to pick up Simulcast A. If you're too far out of Phoenix to pick up A, you may still be able to pick up at least a couple of precincts, if you're within range of one of the other simulcasts. For example, 800 & 900 (and I've also heard 200 in the past) can still be heard in most of the West Valley if you can receive Simulcast G.

For Phoenix FD, again if you're in the City of Phoenix, you use Simulcast B. But, PFDRDC can also be heard on Simulcasts C, D, F(?), G, H, and J, as well as a couple of High Sites and maybe an IR or two, if you're outside the Phoenix city limits. (The available talkgroups on a High Site/IR may be limited. Towers Mt only has K1 and K6 that I know of, for example. White Tanks only has K2, possibly K3.)

To speed up your scanning, you don't want all of the Simulcasts/High Sites/IR's active, only the main one, and maybe one other as a backup, that you can receive at your location.

You can see where the sites are located by clicking on the Simulcast, etc., of interest. Here's the locations for Simulcast G:

Regional Wireless Cooperative (RWC) Site: Simulcast G: West Valley

Regional Wireless Cooperative (RWC) Site: Simulcast G: West Valley Details

www.radioreference.com

I don't know if it works the same way through the software you're using.

John
Peoria

He started out by saying "I'm in Glendale 85304." I'm not familiar with how the RWC works as I have only monitored it from a low elevation site (non-simulcast) in northeast Scottsdale when I'm at the family's house there. When I walk out the front door Thompson Peak dominates the skyline, but there is a street level site east of there, on the road to Fountain Hills. I only pick up Scottsdale traffic, but I haven't tried Phoenix PD. I forget what deck I've picked up.

It seems to me that there are plenty of sites someone from Glendale can pick up, most of the terrain of central Phoenix is south and east of him.

 

[KB7MIB]

I know he's in Glendale. I was responding more generically for anyone else who may have the same questions.

John
Peoria

 

[kingshootr]

Thank you John for the detailed information. I'm using the Simulcast A for police in all the cities/towns that interest me (Peoria, Glendale, Phoenix so far). Same with Simulcast B for fire everywhere.

The towers that are showing "in my area" are:
S. Mountain Hi
N. Mountain Hi
Far N. Mountain
White Tanks
Simulcast G

I only listen to either PHX PD or Fire separately since they get quite busy at times. If I may, a few other questions pertinent to our area.

1] Departments like Glendale and Peoria PD, are they regularly slow (appreciable quiet times between calls/communication?) Phoenix is so active, granted it's a huge department, it seems the others are quiet a lot of the time. I ask because I am not sure if I have another setting that is missing some calls. I have the primary and alternate control frequencies plugged in - just wondering what your experience might be.

2] On all these towers I can "see", what is there to pull off of them. What do you hear off of them if you scan them?

3] It appears all of Sky Harbor ground logistics is encrypted?

4] Any suggestions on other interesting listening targets in the west valley area?

5] Do you happen to have websites or other resources you would recommend for new listeners to learn from?

Thanks again for taking the time to help me out.

 

[KB7MIB]

So first things first, Glendale PD and Peoria PD are not on Simulcast A. They are on Simulcast G. Peoria PD A1 and Glendale PD A4 South (only) can also be heard on Simulcast B. Glendale PD A1 North is not carried by Simulcast B on any regular basis. Peoria and Glendale can be quiet for long periods, but if you're not hearing them, that's why. Use Simulcast G for them.

Phoenix FD will also be heard on Simulcast G.

North Mountain and South Mountain will have Light Rail, and some Phoenix city services.
South Mountain may have the Ocean deck interoperability TG's.
White Tanks will have Peoria PD A1, Surprise PD A1, Phoenix FD K2 and maybe K3 (but no other K-deck TG's), G1 interoperability, and the Ocean deck interoperability TG's. Simulcast G will carry all of these, and more.
I haven't really checked out For North Mountain (aka Mt. Gillen, I believe). That's why up at 7th Ave and Carefree Highway.

Sky Harbor is encrypted.

Glendale PD, Tohono O'odham PD at the West Valley Desert Diamond Casino, Peoria PD, Surprise PD, Tolleson PD, and Avondale PD are all on Simulcast G. Maricopa County Community Colleges security are on Simulcast G. (Glendale and Estrella colleges are in the West Valley.) Be sure to have all of the G, L, and Ocean deck Interoperability TG's. You never know when they'll be come active.

John
Peoria

 

[KB7MIB]

A correction. It's Glendale PD A1 South, and A4 North. Not the other way around.

John
Peoria

 

[kingshootr]

I'm wondering if I'm in (if there is such a thing) a dead spot for Simulcast G.

I've tried a couple times to set up Simulcast G for Peoria (and Glendale) PD, but the scanner display only shows "Idle", no "Control" channel.

When I do everything the same, but using Simulcast A, it seems to work. I get the program scanning the control channel and the alternates, and when there is traffic I can see and hear it. I have everything else muted, so I see them but not hear them.

This a screen capture of how I am trying to set up Simulcast G. At the end, where I switch to "Peoria PD", that group is on Simulcast A.

 

[KB7MIB]

If you can receive Simulcast A and B, there shouldn't be anything interfering with the reception of Simulcast G near you, like a cell tower. All 3 would be affected equally, I would think. I wonder if it's just a law signal strength "hole", as it were?
As I'm not familiar with how SDR stuff works, that unfortunately I can't help you with. And my phone screen is too small to see the video well. I'm sorry.
Hopefully, someone else can chime in.

John
Peoria

 

[kingshootr]

No worries - you've been a huge help and I appreciate it.

 

[es93546]

I know he's in Glendale. I was responding more generically for anyone else who may have the same questions.

John
Peoria

I'm getting dumber as time passes and didn't pick up on that.

 

[KB7MIB]

It may not have been that obvious, I probably could have added something to make it more clear.

John
Peoria