Rockbridge P25 phase 2

[Ghstwolf62]

Anybody know why the North Mountain site has been down since 5/02?

9 days now and that is the only site I can pick up so that means I can't hear anything at all anymore.

Before that FYI BVPD came in fine and pretty busy on 8021

I really hope LexMedic is wrong about encryption though.

 

[lexmedic157]

I have not heard that there was an issue with North Mountain. No users have indicated a coverage issue. I do know the control channel rolled to a different frequency the other day.

 

[KVABUENA2]

BVPD's frequencies are kinda scratchy but loud. I'm not sure the issue there may be antenna but most other stuff is ok.
Every so often they are kinda broken up.

What is control channel?

 

[forestfire90]

I had to change my control channel for south.

 

[Ghstwolf62]

Odd.
I have all frequencies put in the scanners so even if they changed control channels it doesn't affect me.

I don't pick up any control channel for the South Simulcast which includes the North Mountain site on 3 different scanners.

I also can't pick up anything on SDR# on any frequency nor on DSDPlus on any frequency. I had it on 5/01 and when I woke up the next day it was gone. It hasn't been back.

Using different antennas too so its not an antenna issue. Still picking up all the other stuff I did before as well.

I've even tried searching through bands to see if an unlisted frequency got added or something and was being used as a control channel. No dice there either.

Really strange.

 

[BigLebowski]

When I drove through on 5/6 I stopped in Lexington to run Pro96com on both sites and I noticed there was no control channel that I could find for the south sites either.

 

[lexmedic157]

Currently, 5/12/18, the control channel for the South Cell is 453.525

 

[BigLebowski]

Currently, 5/12/18, the control channel for the South Cell is 453.525

Tried that one too the other day and wasn’t getting it from the Rt11/I64 Area.

 

[Ghstwolf62]

Currently, 5/12/18, the control channel for the South Cell is 453.525

I've got nothing on that freq.

I'm literally only a few miles from North Mountain.

This is a pic of the freq in DSDPlus. You'll notice its completely dead, nothing.

Nothing on scanners on this freq either when direct entered.

 

[lexmedic157]

As I'm standing a the north mountain site, the control channel is currently on 453.950

 

[lexmedic157]

I just came from Clifton Forge and the North Mountain site. It is quite spotty in Cliftondale, and I got a lot of control channel scan in Clifton itself. At this point, it may be attributed to the foliage (speculation). The antennas on the tower are directional into Rockbridge. When you programmed it originally, at least in my case, it was in the late winter, with no leaves, and it worked fairly well. Can't tell you anymore than that.

 

[Ghstwolf62]

I suppose that could be an issue but I don't think so in this case.

It went from full bars reception on 5/01 to 0 and no reception the next day on 5/02. Foliage would be a gradual decline I would think as it built up.

Add in that the analog 325 fire repeater went off the air as well during the same time period for several days and it makes me think something else is in play here. It came back poor quality for a bit, then went off air again then back full finally.

The 325 has come back and works great now but NM digital hasn't. They've done something, or its crashed and they haven't realized it (unlikely) but something is definitely off with the site compared to before.

That site had coverage into Covington before. I had it on the scanner clearly with solid lock to the 17 mile marker and off and on within the city of Covington. That you couldn't pick it up with an actual radio here in Cliftondale a couple of miles from the tower is indicative of a major problem. Not to mention I heard someone testing an HT before the system went live from the Sheriff's office in downtown Covington. I bet it wouldn't work now.

I live right off exit 27 so that should tell you something. Very close to NM.

Could your radio have been picking up one of the other South simulcast sites sporadically and not NM site at all which would explain the poor performance? I can't pick up any of the others. I can pick up the North system barely on DSDPlus but not on a scanner.

You might mention this to the radio tech guys if you get a chance. I'd say something is definitely wrong somewhere. Your radio should have worked even better than a scanner and it didn't a couple of miles from the site. Pointed towards Rockbridge or not. You were on top of the site.

 

[lexmedic157]

Looking into it Tuesday

 

[Ghstwolf62]

Thanks, I appreciate you checking into it.

As an added note I was heading out to Craigsville today and ran the 436 with a Diamond 77 VHF/UHF antenna on it and from the 27 to the 43 exit and all the way up I never got a signal on the south system at all.

I did change it over a couple of times and had picked up the North system but nothing on the south.

Last time I was up there a few months ago I had full signal the whole route and up there too.

 

[lexmedic157]

Check for activity on North Mountain.

 

[Ghstwolf62]

Nope.
No control channel on any of the frequencies.

 

[Ghstwolf62]

Its back today.

The signal strength is not as powerful as before but more than enough for it to be working here again.

Thanks for getting it fixed.

 

[lexmedic157]

Do you have control channel on north mountain?

 

[Ghstwolf62]

Do you have control channel on north mountain?

Yes and the weird thing is I have one working on 453.525 and something on 453.150 which when entered directly sounds like a control channel except you get absolutely no decode on it at all either in a scanner or SDR# or DSDPlus. Good signal though just nothing but a CC Noise.

525 has been the one up and working since you got it fixed.

Oh and power went up since my last post. Not quite what it was before but close now.

Thanks again.

 

[lexmedic157]

Yes and the weird thing is I have one working on 453.525 and something on 453.150 which when entered directly sounds like a control channel except you get absolutely no decode on it at all either in a scanner or SDR# or DSDPlus. Good signal though just nothing but a CC Noise.

525 has been the one up and working since you got it fixed.

Oh and power went up since my last post. Not quite what it was before but close now.

Thanks again.

All good, just making sure it’s up and running