New P25 system AB3? (Confirmed Port of LA)

[AM909]

There's a new system I'm hearing weakly near Ontario, CA, in recent days:

WACN: BEE00​

SID: AB3​

RFSS: 1​

Site: 1​

NAC: AB1​

PSK​

No neighbors​

Channels:​

1-1136 769.10625 CC​

1-1330 770.31875 scc​

1-1488 771.30625 scc​

1-1548 771.68125 scc​

The 769.10625 CC is co-ordinated in an R5 700 MHz coordinator doc (date unknown) as "General use" to San Diego County - West, Riverside County - East, and Port of Los Angeles. The scc channels are additionally coordinated to San Diego city, LA World Airports (LAX), Los Angeles Ports, and Los Angeles city. Some of the channels are on existing conventional and trunked licenses and RRDB entries for some of those licensees.

I've previously logged morse ID WQYI592 from the conventional Port of LA system on 769.10625 on Palos Verdes, and heard that ID again while listening to this CC. However, I think that was from that (weak) conventional transmitter coming up and capturing the very weak trunking CC, as I've not seen a CC data stream interrupted to broadcast an analog ID before. At some point, I also heard a verrrry slow (< 5wpm?) morse ID that I think was the same callsign (I wasn't paying attention). There was no activity (i.e. voice, data, reg, aff) in the hour or so of intermittent logging around 2100L the last couple of days, so this may just be a burn-in test for one of the existing entities with licenses on some of those channels. Would others in SoCal have a listen to the CC to get an idea of where it is?

 

[MtnBiker2005]

Looking at past notes:

SY-______ - LOS ANGELES CITY-PORT - NEW SYSTEM -
769.10625 & 770.31875 & 771.30625/.68175 & 772.14375/.61875/.81875 & 773.20625 MHz FB2/FB 8K10F1D/F1E/F1W & 8K70D1W & 9K80D7W emission 4o watts 9.5 dBd gain dir. (panel) ant. @ 15 degrees-True 30.0 m high @ 581.0 m AMSL (Black Jack Mtn.) CTCSS none ERP 50 watts HAAT 527.5 m.
Also 799.10625 & 800.31875 & 801.30625/.68125 & 802.14375/.61875 /.81875 & 803.20625 MHz MO (1000), same as above, except 30 watts unity gain ant. ERP 30 watts area of operation 40.0 km radius.
Also FX1 (5) under "20-foot" rule, same as above.

(SY-______) - LOS ANGELES CITY-PORT - NEW SYSTEM -
769.10625 & 770.31875 & 771.30625/.68125 & 772.14375/.61875 /.81875 & 773.20625 MHz FB2/FB 8K10F1D/F1E/F1W & 8K70D1W & 9K80D7W emission 100 watts 3.0 dBd gain omni ant. 30.0 m high @ 3.0 m AMSL (Berth 93) CTCSS none ERP 50 watts HAAT 7.3 m.
Also 799.10625 & 800.31875 & 801.30625/.68125 & 802.14375/.61875/.81875 & 803.20625 MHz MO (1000), same as above, except 30 watts unity gain ant. ERP 30 watts area of operation 40.0 km radius.
Also FX1 (5) under "20-foot" rule, same as above.

(SY-_____) - LOS ANGELES CITY-PORT - NEW SYSTEM - SLOW GROWTH -
769.10625 & 770.31875 & 771.30625/.68125 & 772.14375/.61875/.81875 & 773.20625 MHz FB2/FB 8K10F1D/F1E/F1W & 8K70D1W & 9K80D7W emission 100 watts 8.0 dBd gain omni ant. 36.6 m high @ 53.0 m AMSL (KBUE-FM) CTCSS none ERP 100 watts HAAT 59.5 m. Also 799.10625 & 800.31875 & 801.30625/.68125 & 802.14375/.61875/.81875 & 803.20625 MHz MO (1000), same as above, except 30 watts unity gain ant. ERP 30 watts area of operation 40.0 km radius.
Also FX1 (5) under "20-foot" rule, same as above.

 

[monitor142]

Hmm...BEE00. I wonder if the existing Harris POLA system will eventually go away? I guess time will tell.

 

[Randyk4661]

I've been monitoring all four frequencies given and have not heard anything on any of them. I don't think they are port of Los Angeles or Los Angeles city as I can normally hear those areas. I will continue to listen in case they just aren't talking.

 

[AM909]

I've been monitoring all four frequencies given and have not heard anything on any of them. I don't think they are port of Los Angeles or Los Angeles city as I can normally hear those areas. I will continue to listen in case they just aren't talking.

Thanks. To be clear, 769.10625 is a P25 control channel, so it streams data continuously. So either it's down now, or it's way east of you. I'll have a listen again in a little while, though in the past it's been too weak to decode during the day and just barely decodable some nights here.

 

[AM909]

I'm getting weak signal with occasional decodes for about an hour. Still no neighbor list or any voice or data channel grants. Anyone else in LA or San Bdo/Riv counties hear it, so we can tell approx where it is. I'm going to San Diego tomorrow and will record some spectrum while there.

 

[LAflyer]

I doubt it's the Port of LA license as I can hear their existing system. Not a peep on 769.10625 unless its very low power or just happens to be off the air whenever I try it.

 

[MtnBiker2005]

Wonder if Riverside County setup a temporary site on a truck/trailer somewhere for the holiday season.

wait…AB3 might be ‘Port of Los Angeles’

FCC Callsign WQLD629 (County of Riverside)

FCC Callsign WQLD629 (County of Riverside)

www.radioreference.com

 

[AM909]

I heard it very weakly, mobile in Poway, yesterday, so I think that narrows it down to "San Diego County – West", "San Diego (city)", or some of Riverside County.

[add] @MtnBiker2005: Do you hear it? What part of San Diego County are you in?

 

[GTR8000]

AB3 is the Port of Los Angeles. 100% confirmed.

 

[LAflyer]

Interesting. Normally hear POLA and POLB systems just fine. Some whacky propagation as I cant copy it 10-15miles away , yet AM909 can copy it out in the IE.
Suspect not all licensed sites up yet. Something to keep ear out on in the coming weeks.

 

[Randyk4661]

I'm in Orange county and I still can't hear it and yet in comes in weak in Ontario?
Still going to question this.
What evidence do you have it is port of LA? Did you drive to the port and monitor ship side?

(edit) maybe it's the fog in the air but I am receiving it this morning. It's weak but I'm getting a signal.

 

[GTR8000]

What evidence do you have it is port of LA?

Nothing that I'm going to post publicly, sorry. Feel free to drive up to the port yourself if you feel the urge to disprove me.

 

[LAflyer]

And like that, I am able to copy it well enough to decode this morning also. Appears to not carry any traffic yet after about 30min monitoring.

Will build and stage it in the Db.

Now the question -- will this replace the existing P25 trunked system, or will be this an additional one, possibly for only Port Police who currently are convention UHF P25?

 

[AM909]

@LAflyer: Another data point: I was in Costa Mesa (~17 m AGL) over the weekend and recorded/decoded it mobile, weakly (~10 dB S/N). That should rule out any elevated sites that would be used to cover PoLA, like PV and Signal Hill, right? Even roof level at sea level should be heard better I think, unless very low power. It'll take a while, but I'll see what else confirmed to be in that area is in my captures to compare against. [Added:] I was using a Larsen tri-band and RTL SDR, ~34 km from the port, ~41 km from the likely part of PV, and ~28 km from Signal Hill.

 

[AM909]

LADWP 691-1.2 CC on 936.4875, which is supposedly at the same site as the conventional PoLA site on PV (and a likely site for the new AB3 system) was captured at ~16 dB S/N near the same time and place (Costa Mesa) as the capture of the new system, which showed ~14 dB S/N. The LADWP system is licensed for 175 W ERP and the old conventional system (WQYI592) is 50 W ERP. I don't know what the performance difference is between 770 and 930 for the Larsen tri-band mobile antenna, nor the SDR I used, but if no difference, and the new system is 50 W ERP and the DWP system is running at it's licensed max, allowing for a few dB of slop, it's not unreasonable that the new system might be at that site.

 

[LAflyer]

The POLA license is authorized for half a dozen sites including Rolling Hills, San Pedro Hill, and even Blackjack on Catalina with various ERPs up to 100 watts.

Based on the current propagation, I can only deduct that it is unlikely these sites are on the air yet, and what we might be hearing is from one of the other sites such as the port admin building or maybe one of the other low-lying sites around the harbor.

 

[LAflyer]

Was down in the Long Beach area this week and monitored the system for about 20mins. No activity was noted.

 

[AM909]

Another data point: From the Seal Beach jetty parking lot, about 8 miles across the bay from Terminal Island (12 miles from San Pedro Hill), I heard it 15-20 dB S/N. I also happened to catch the last digits of the very slow WQYI592 identifier on 770.31875 that I've heard before, at a similar signal level to the 769.10625 CC .

From that location, I also heard this new system's CC a bit weaker:

WACN: 92777
SID: 003
RFSS: 1
Site: 1
NAC: 004
PSK
No neighbors
Channels:
0-174 771.18125 scc
0-190 771.38125 CC
0-356 773.45685 scc
1-359 855.4875 scc
SYS_SRV_BCST SSA=2C6C03 SSS=2C6C03 RPL=1

(all messages received many times over a 75 second capture).

 

[LAflyer]

Curious if anyone has been able to put an ear to this system and if it is active yet?