Regina Fire & EMS on SDR

[SatHunter]

Good morning
I recently looked at Uniden scanners for P25 phase 2 and they are all over $500 with the top model around $1500. All I really want to receive is Regina EMS & Fire. Other services appear to be encrypted as specified in the database. Has anyone tried SDR to successfully track the phase 2 trunking system in Regina/Saskatchewan and I'm wondering if it is very difficult to set up? What software would be required.

 

[infecticide]

I actually feed this system into Broadcastify already. I use SDRTrunk and a bank (8) of RTLSDR dongles. It easy to setup.

 

[SatHunter]

I actually feed this system into Broadcastify already. I use SDRTrunk and a bank (8) of RTLSDR dongles. It easy to setup.

I found SDRTrunk earlier today and got it going after entering the control channels listed here. That sounds like a cool setup with 8 of those dongles. They are amazing little devices. Do you know of a way to exclude the transit and city work crews from the system in SDTRUNK? I heard several EMS & fire calls today but the bulk of the traffic was overwhelming from the city buses & work crews. Would be very interested in listening next time you put up the feed on Broadcastify. Thanks for your reply!

 

[TJX400]

I found SDRTrunk earlier today and got it going after entering the control channels listed here. That sounds like a cool setup with 8 of those dongles. They are amazing little devices. Do you know of a way to exclude the transit and city work crews from the system in SDTRUNK? I heard several EMS & fire calls today but the bulk of the traffic was overwhelming from the city buses & work crews. Would be very interested in listening next time you put up the feed on Broadcastify. Thanks for your reply!

SDRTrunk is an amazing piece of software. I host a number of feeds in the U.S., 3 of which are fed using SDRTrunk. It's relatively simple to "filter out" talkgroups. One thing to note, is that the program will "process" every channel that is active on the system when there's voice traffic - including encrypted channels (*it's important to note here, that it will not decrypt transmissions, only show that there is an active encrypted transmission). The way to "filter out" things you don't want to hear, is to simply disable "listen" for the talkgroup in the alias list found in the playlist editor (pictured below).


SDR is an outstanding option to monitor trunked radio, especially if the system utilizes linear simulcast modulation. As I mentioned before, this specific software (and the majority of the others that do the same thing) will "process" each channel that receives a grant on the system. So if you only have 1 tuner, and 4 channels are active simultaneously, and 3 of the 4 are encrypted, the single tuner will "process" the encrypted channels, and there's a chance you will miss the unencrypted traffic, because the 1 tuner is already "listening" to the other active talkgroups...

My point being that, depending on the size of the system, it would be wise to invest in multiple (my setup uses 6, but I recommend at minimum 3) tuners, that way you can comfortably monitor the system knowing your computer is capable of hearing all of the active channels. Each tuner is capable of focusing on multiple channels within a certain bandwidth (something like 2-2.5MHz, can't remember exactly), so that's why 3 or more should suffice, depending on the size of the system.

Like I said, SDR is super cool and a really fun bunch of tools to learn. Enjoy it!

 

[SatHunter]

SDRTrunk is an amazing piece of software. I host a number of feeds in the U.S., 3 of which are fed using SDRTrunk. It's relatively simple to "filter out" talkgroups. One thing to note, is that the program will "process" every channel that is active on the system when there's voice traffic - including encrypted channels (*it's important to note here, that it will not decrypt transmissions, only show that there is an active encrypted transmission). The way to "filter out" things you don't want to hear, is to simply disable "listen" for the talkgroup in the alias list found in the playlist editor (pictured below).
View attachment 127723

SDR is an outstanding option to monitor trunked radio, especially if the system utilizes linear simulcast modulation. As I mentioned before, this specific software (and the majority of the others that do the same thing) will "process" each channel that receives a grant on the system. So if you only have 1 tuner, and 4 channels are active simultaneously, and 3 of the 4 are encrypted, the single tuner will "process" the encrypted channels, and there's a chance you will miss the unencrypted traffic, because the 1 tuner is already "listening" to the other active talkgroups...

My point being that, depending on the size of the system, it would be wise to invest in multiple (my setup uses 6, but I recommend at minimum 3) tuners, that way you can comfortably monitor the system knowing your computer is capable of hearing all of the active channels. Each tuner is capable of focusing on multiple channels within a certain bandwidth (something like 2-2.5MHz, can't remember exactly), so that's why 3 or more should suffice, depending on the size of the system.

Like I said, SDR is super cool and a really fun bunch of tools to learn. Enjoy it!

Thank you for your very comprehensive reply. I have 2 other dongles from Nooelec plus an RTLSDR I'm not sure if the combination will work with SDRTrunk. I was going to ask if there is a way to identify which service you are listening to when they come active. It doesn't seem to display any detailed information relevant to what I'm hearing. I guess I have a lot of learning to do. Yesterday was a very enlightening experience finally getting my PC to play local services that I didn't hear for years.
My laptop has an AMD processor that struggles with intensive activities so I might move SDRTrunk to one of my i7 desktops. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

 

[infecticide]

My stream to Broadcastify of the Regina system is online 24/7. I stream all the TGs.

Node 1607: Regina (Site: Site 3) - Live

BCFY Calls Node: Node 1607: Regina (Site: Site 3) - Live

www.broadcastify.com

Thank you for your very comprehensive reply. I have 2 other dongles from Nooelec plus an RTLSDR I'm not sure if the combination will work with SDRTrunk. I was going to ask if there is a way to identify which service you are listening to when they come active. It doesn't seem to display any detailed information relevant to what I'm hearing. I guess I have a lot of learning to do. Yesterday was a very enlightening experience finally getting my PC to play local services that I didn't hear for years.
My laptop has an AMD processor that struggles with intensive activities so I might move SDRTrunk to one of my i7 desktops. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

I had a very low end Intel i5 laptop (Lenovo X220 I think) doing the decoding and it worked decently. I've moved on to a more complicated but better performing setup. If there is interest I could post the details. The Nooelec dongles are the ones I have so they should work with SDRTrunk.

As for identifying the system you are listening to, search the Radio Reference DB, if its not there, congrats! I recently mapped and added the Co-Op Refinery system since it didn't seem to be in the DB.

You may also want to use several different pieces of software to get a better idea of what you are seeing. SDRTrunk is great but sometimes doesn't provide the easiest to find information about a system. I'll throw DSD+ (fastlane is worth the money) and Unitrunker at a system to get a better idea of how it's structured as well.

The more folks we have listening and watching, the better we can understand what's out there!

 

[SatHunter]

My stream to Broadcastify of the Regina system is online 24/7. I stream all the TGs.

Node 1607: Regina (Site: Site 3) - Live

BCFY Calls Node: Node 1607: Regina (Site: Site 3) - Live

www.broadcastify.com

I had a very low end Intel i5 laptop (Lenovo X220 I think) doing the decoding and it worked decently. I've moved on to a more complicated but better performing setup. If there is interest I could post the details. The Nooelec dongles are the ones I have so they should work with SDRTrunk.

As for identifying the system you are listening to, search the Radio Reference DB, if its not there, congrats! I recently mapped and added the Co-Op Refinery system since it didn't seem to be in the DB.

You may also want to use several different pieces of software to get a better idea of what you are seeing. SDRTrunk is great but sometimes doesn't provide the easiest to find information about a system. I'll throw DSD+ (fastlane is worth the money) and Unitrunker at a system to get a better idea of how it's structured as well.

The more folks we have listening and watching, the better we can understand what's out there!

Your stream is excellent - thanks for sharing it! It's nice to see which service you are listening to at any given time. I added a Nooelec dongle to the setup and it really perked up the number of signals. Some seem to overlap - is there any way to prevent this? I want to add at least one more dongle but my laptop has only 3 USB ports. Could a person add a hub? I'd also like to remove the encrypted stream as it's very active and steals a lot of bandwidth. Thanks for the suggestions on the additional software, I'll definitely give them a shot as well. I hope to get a handle on this soon but so far everything is working out pretty good 👍

 

[SatHunter]

SDRTrunk is an amazing piece of software. I host a number of feeds in the U.S., 3 of which are fed using SDRTrunk. It's relatively simple to "filter out" talkgroups. One thing to note, is that the program will "process" every channel that is active on the system when there's voice traffic - including encrypted channels (*it's important to note here, that it will not decrypt transmissions, only show that there is an active encrypted transmission). The way to "filter out" things you don't want to hear, is to simply disable "listen" for the talkgroup in the alias list found in the playlist editor (pictured below).
View attachment 127723

SDR is an outstanding option to monitor trunked radio, especially if the system utilizes linear simulcast modulation. As I mentioned before, this specific software (and the majority of the others that do the same thing) will "process" each channel that receives a grant on the system. So if you only have 1 tuner, and 4 channels are active simultaneously, and 3 of the 4 are encrypted, the single tuner will "process" the encrypted channels, and there's a chance you will miss the unencrypted traffic, because the 1 tuner is already "listening" to the other active talkgroups...

My point being that, depending on the size of the system, it would be wise to invest in multiple (my setup uses 6, but I recommend at minimum 3) tuners, that way you can comfortably monitor the system knowing your computer is capable of hearing all of the active channels. Each tuner is capable of focusing on multiple channels within a certain bandwidth (something like 2-2.5MHz, can't remember exactly), so that's why 3 or more should suffice, depending on the size of the system.

Like I said, SDR is super cool and a really fun bunch of tools to learn. Enjoy it!

I'm not sure why I don't get the talk groups to load. Is there a way to enter them manually? Mine is totally empty. I think I just entered the control channels. Do I have to download this info from Radio Reference to make it work? I don't have a premium account yet. May be I should delete everything and start over.

 

[TJX400]

I'm not sure why I don't get the talk groups to load. Is there a way to enter them manually? Mine is totally empty. I think I just entered the control channels. Do I have to download this info from Radio Reference to make it work? I don't have a premium account yet. May be I should delete everything and start over.

So, the easiest method of doing this is to purchase a premium subscription to RadioReference. This way, you can log into RadioReference in the playlist editor of SDRTrunk, and can automatically import all the control channels and talkgroups into the program. It also imports the alpha tags so you know which channel is active.


If you elect to do it manually, you'd have to look at the TRS in Radio Reference and manually enter each talkgroup ID and alpha tag into SDRTrunk. Both work equally as well, but if you're looking to save yourself some confusion and an hour or two, the premium subscription is the way to go.

 

[wolffe]

My stream to Broadcastify of the Regina system is online 24/7. I stream all the TGs.

Node 1607: Regina (Site: Site 3) - Live

BCFY Calls Node: Node 1607: Regina (Site: Site 3) - Live

www.broadcastify.com

I had a very low end Intel i5 laptop (Lenovo X220 I think) doing the decoding and it worked decently. I've moved on to a more complicated but better performing setup. If there is interest I could post the details. The Nooelec dongles are the ones I have so they should work with SDRTrunk.

As for identifying the system you are listening to, search the Radio Reference DB, if its not there, congrats! I recently mapped and added the Co-Op Refinery system since it didn't seem to be in the DB.

You may also want to use several different pieces of software to get a better idea of what you are seeing. SDRTrunk is great but sometimes doesn't provide the easiest to find information about a system. I'll throw DSD+ (fastlane is worth the money) and Unitrunker at a system to get a better idea of how it's structured as well.

The more folks we have listening and watching, the better we can understand what's out there!

I like SDRtrunk, it does use more processing power though. I set up a computer for SDR's and am happy with it. With multiple SDR's and 4 programs running the computer is only at 30 percent. I have 4 32 inch monitors just for that computer and can monitor everything well. I use one monitor for running Flightfeeder and feed my ADSB to the Flightaware network. I can see planes out to 300 hundred miles so far, waiting to get my 100 foot tower up that should improve things.

 

[SatHunter]

Everything was working fine on SDRTrunk until Wednesday. Since then I would estimate that at least 80% of the calls are not coming through. Does anyone know if any changes occured? I tried 3 different computers & 4 different dongles. Strange how things would have changed so suddenly.

 

[infecticide]

I use SDRTrunk as well. If you haven't already, try the latest beta, there have been lots of bug fixes in the past couple months.

I checked my logging and stats dashboard and I'm seeing a consistent message rate for the past week so you may want to check your antenna and connections.

 

[VA4JOE]

My stream to Broadcastify of the Regina system is online 24/7. I stream all the TGs.

Node 1607: Regina (Site: Site 3) - Live

BCFY Calls Node: Node 1607: Regina (Site: Site 3) - Live

www.broadcastify.com

Cool. You guys have lots to listen to in Saskatchewan. Out here in Manitoba, it is mostly squeals for a second until the encryption hiding thing kicks in...

 

[infecticide]

Cool. You guys have lots to listen to in Saskatchewan. Out here in Manitoba, it is mostly squeals for a second until the encryption hiding thing kicks in...

Depends on the system.

Past 7 Day stats are:

City of Regina:
60% - Unencrypted
25% - Encrypted
15% - Data Calls

Sask Provincial System:
75% - Encrypted
21% - Unencrypted
4% - Data Calls

 

[SatHunter]

I use SDRTrunk as well. If you haven't already, try the latest beta, there have been lots of bug fixes in the past couple months.

I checked my logging and stats dashboard and I'm seeing a consistent message rate for the past week so you may want to check your antenna and connections.

Thanks for the suggestion. So far no improvement. The dongles & antennas appear to be working correctly as SDR# is performing as expected on all bands. With the blizzard out there I’ll play around with the newer version of SDRTrunk & see if anything changes. I compare it with the Broadcastify stream to find out what I’m missing

 

[infecticide]

Also check in the playlist editor:

- Channels
- Select the appropriate entry
- Under the Decoder section, make sure you have Max Traffic Channels turned up high enough, mine is set to 10, you could also enable "Ignore Data Calls" and see if that helps.

- Also check the gain using the waterfall in SDRTrunk (gain is set in the apps not on the tuner, so gain set in SDR# might be changed when SDRTrunk starts and vise versa.

You want the peaks on the calls/control channels to be just below the top line while keeping the noise floor as low as possible. More gain does not mean better signal quality.

 

[SatHunter]

Also check in the playlist editor:

- Channels
- Select the appropriate entry
- Under the Decoder section, make sure you have Max Traffic Channels turned up high enough, mine is set to 10, you could also enable "Ignore Data Calls" and see if that helps.

- Also check the gain using the waterfall in SDRTrunk (gain is set in the apps not on the tuner, so gain set in SDR# might be changed when SDRTrunk starts and vise versa.

You want the peaks on the calls/control channels to be just below the top line while keeping the noise floor as low as possible. More gain does not mean better signal quality.

Thanks again. I’ll go through these steps and see if things improve.
Yesterday, I tried again on one of my i7 desktops and connected two dongles to a hub. After a bit of fiddling around the stream seemed to be back to normal until I shut it down. When I checked the tuner section in SDRTrunk, I had a few errors on the original V3, not sure why?
I’ll try again with this computer after supper with your tips and post back here a bit later

 

[SatHunter]

Also check in the playlist editor:

- Channels
- Select the appropriate entry
- Under the Decoder section, make sure you have Max Traffic Channels turned up high enough, mine is set to 10, you could also enable "Ignore Data Calls" and see if that helps.

- Also check the gain using the waterfall in SDRTrunk (gain is set in the apps not on the tuner, so gain set in SDR# might be changed when SDRTrunk starts and vise versa.

You want the peaks on the calls/control channels to be just below the top line while keeping the noise floor as low as possible. More gain does not mean better signal quality.

I tried everything you suggested and got SDRTrunk working properly on the computer I mentioned previously. 👍

On my newer i7 PC I was again getting device errors. I narrowed that problem down to one dongle. When plugged into USB ports it doesn’t always get recognized. With my hub, it seems to fix this.

I noticed the dongles with an antenna hang down from the weight & likely don’t make the proper contact with the USB port. Have you tried the newer RTL SDR V4 for this trunking system?

 

[SatHunter]

One final note. It looks like the playlist I made for strictly EMS and Fire no longer functions for some reason on any computer.
When I have it wide open it works fine, but I get tired of listening to transit, landfill, parking etc. (especially during the day when they flood the channels) and a lot of the emergency calls are missed.
The playlist worked fine for over a year. Nothing changed on my end, so it’s a mystery to me