"Rolling" Affiliations?

[PeterGV]

I'm confused about some affiliations I'm seeing in a local SmartNet system. Very likely, this is due to my limited understanding of how/when radios affiliate. The system in question is Nashua, NH (7C25, Type II, 800Mhz).

I've been watching this system relatively carefully for the first time with trunker over the past few days. I *sometimes* see patterns where a single radio will affiliate one TG and then re-affiliate with another TG within just a few minutes, and then re-affiliate with yet another TG a few minutes later.

I don't get this. The way I understand it, and I'm hoping somebody more knowledgeable than me will fill in the gaps in my knowledge here, a radio affiliates when (a) it's turned on, (b) it comes into range of the system. Once affiliated, there's no need to re-affiliate, unless the radio's turned OFF or an out of range condition occurs. And in those cases, won't we see the radio UnAffiliate? Is that not correct?

Here's an example of what I'm seeing:

22:47:22 [49232]Police TAC3 50310 Af-> 49232 Police TAC3
22:47:08 [49264]Police TAC4 50310 Af-> 49264 Police TAC4
22:43:57 [49296]Police TAC5 50310 Af-> 49296 Police TAC5

Can anyone tell me: What would explain this sequence?

If it helps the puzzle any, I believe the time is approaching a shift change, and the TGs shown are all relatively rarely used.

Thanks for whatever education/help you experts can provide,

Peter

 

[DickH]

I've been watching this system relatively carefully for the first time with trunker over the past few days. I *sometimes* see patterns where a single radio will affiliate one TG and then re-affiliate with another TG within just a few minutes, and then re-affiliate with yet another TG a few minutes later.

I don't know about your examples, but I don't think you understand the term "affiliate". Radios do not affiliate with Talk Groups, they are affiliated to sites called Intellirepeaters, or "fill-in" sites (towers).

Here in Portland (OR) we have 4 simulcast sites around the main part of the city. They all have the same 24 freqs. I'm not sure, but probably every radio on the system is affiliated to those sites. There are 9 "fill-in" sites with different freqs. Some are perhaps 20 miles from downtown in other municipalities. As an example, the Portland Downtown Streetcars are not affiliated with those remote sites, but all the Fire Dept. radios are, since they could end up there sometime.

Sorry this doesn't really answer your question, but I hope it explains affiliation.

Dick

 

[N4DES]

Radios programmed for SmartZone, regardless of what system they are communicating with (SmartNet or SmartZone), will affiliate with every channel change. This is done to advise the controller of the units activity and where it is in the system.

This is normal CC activity.

 

[Josh]

That's correct, and what you are seeing is the radio operator "change channels".

-Josh

 

[PeterGV]

VERY helpful, guys, thanks.

P

 

[grem467]

I don't know about your examples, but I don't think you understand the term "affiliate". Radios do not affiliate with Talk Groups, they are affiliated to sites called Intellirepeaters, or "fill-in" sites (towers).

Here in Portland (OR) we have 4 simulcast sites around the main part of the city. They all have the same 24 freqs. I'm not sure, but probably every radio on the system is affiliated to those sites. There are 9 "fill-in" sites with different freqs. Some are perhaps 20 miles from downtown in other municipalities. As an example, the Portland Downtown Streetcars are not affiliated with those remote sites, but all the Fire Dept. radios are, since they could end up there sometime.

Sorry this doesn't really answer your question, but I hope it explains affiliation.

Dick

While technically true that affiliation refers to the site and not the talkgroup, that information is also sent as part of the affiliation request, thus it tends to be used as a "blanket term" more or less.