TDCJ in Amarillo....

[rattlerbb01]

I need a little help. I know there are some people on this forum that reside in Amarillo, and I am trying to build a list for TDCJ in North and West Texas. None of the frequencies for the two Amarillo units, Clements (3714 beds) or Neal (1690 beds), are listed on RR. The licensed repeater pairs are:
RX: 155.7975 TX: 158.8125 WNQQ713
RX: 453.4500 TX: 458.4500 WNQQ713
RX: 154.2275 TX: 155.6175 WPGG330
RX: 154.9950 TX: 154.0325 WNRH685
And a base transmitter on 155.0250, license WNRH685

Any help figuring out which of these are used would be appreciated. Simply use and PL or DPL tones if available would be plenty of help. Thanks

 

[twobytwo]

Rattler, The last time I was up there about 9 years ago 154.995 was used for chain buses,field squads etc. Clements & Neal used both of these at that time. best I can remember Neal was licensed under Clements for 154.995.. . 453.45 was the Building ch for Clements,It was on a repeater... UHF Ch 7 is secondarry 453.05,not on a repeater... Neal is on UHF 5 453.875.....RX: 155.7975 TX: 158.8125 WNQQ713 I think is for Clements High Security on repeater... Ive also noticed that a lot of different licenses is for intercity.

 

[loumaag]

I set these up and let them run all day long using IDTracker. Although I cannot tell for sure which unit is using what, (I am guessing both are using them) the following was revealed:
154.9950 pair is repeated, PL 100.0 and sounds mostly like outside units.
155.7975 pair is repeated, PL 100.0 and is block control (open/closing cells & Sally ports)
Nothing was heard at all on 155.2275 except bleed over from the Canyon FD (155.2200)
155.0250 had a 1.5 second unreadable transmission with a PL of 127.3
453.4500; if it is being used by the TDCJ, it would amaze me as it is chock full of both data and voice paging with various PL's.

I am going to submit (and maybe update ) the first two to the DB.

 

[rattlerbb01]

You mean 154.2275 I guess. I suspect that had something to do with Canyon FD being ID'd in the DB today
Also, that pretty much confirms that 155.7975 is High Security. Traffic like "Officer Brown to control, open Alpha 121---Opening Alpha 121----10-4" is just about always superseg traffic. Also listen for "Team A, suit up and report to charlie wing"

 

[loumaag]

You mean 154.2275 I guess. I suspect that had something to do with Canyon FD being ID'd in the DB today
Also, that pretty much confirms that 155.7975 is High Security. Traffic like "Officer Brown to control, open Alpha 121---Opening Alpha 121----10-4" is just about always superseg traffic. Also listen for "Team A, suit up and report to charlie wing"

As to the frequency, yep...where is that embarrassed icon we used to have?

What you describe is close, but it seems more directed to something called "MC" (master control ?), which seems to control all of the opening and closing of gates, cells, ports, etc.

 

[rattlerbb01]

Yeah, each high security has an MC 1 and an MC 2, which is the designator for the control room on the first floor and the second floor. There is also a central control, probably also called a number like 28 or 29, which are control picket radio numbers systemwide. There are even individual control pickets built in at the first floor with a window looking into each wing, which holds 64-68 cells. Those individual control pickets are rarely if ever staffed, but I have seen them staffed during major turnouts or shakedowns. Most of the time, only MC1 and Central will be staffed after 6PM due to much less offender movement.
Back to the frequencies, what prefix are the two units using for their radio numbers? For instance, Estelle officers are 42XX, Pack officers are 35XX, and so on. That helps to identify who is who. I am guessing they use 154.995 for field and transports, and 155.7975 for High security only. I wonder if the building is using UHF or a direct channel, such as 154.115 or one of the KZ6245 frequencies.

 

[loumaag]

...Back to the frequencies, what prefix are the two units using for their radio numbers? For instance, Estelle officers are 42XX, Pack officers are 35XX, and so on. That helps to identify who is who. I am guessing they use 154.995 for field and transports, and 155.7975 for High security only. I wonder if the building is using UHF or a direct channel, such as 154.115 or one of the KZ6245 frequencies.

I will listen later today, we are still having lots of weather related stuff happening and all may radios are committed to listening to that stuff. I think it is supposed to calm down later today though get colder. In addition vast parts of the NE part of Amarillo were without power (may still be for all I know) and this should have affected the Units there.

 

[loumaag]

An update for rattlerbb01.

I have had the radio hooked up to IDTracker all afternoon and early evening and thus far have not recorded 1 transmission on the TDCJ channels here. They are across town (catty-corner) from me and I can barely hear them normally, I am wondering if they lost antennas in the storms last night/this morning. I will let it run through the rest of this evening, but I suspect they have problems over there.

 

[twobytwo]

Loumaag, You have to be fairly close to hear them,especially the UHF channels. If you decide to listen to them dont park near the unit as there are rovers that will run you off.Somewhere I have the channel designations for both units...Ill have to find them.

 

[twobytwo]

I found my list. Call sign for Clements is 6200 series.Main channel is UHF 3-453.45,Bldg channel is UHF 6-458.875....Call Sign for Neal is 8300 series.Main channel is UHF 2-453.525.Bldg channel is UHF 5-453.875...Other channels are UHF 1-453.4,UHF 4-453.05,UHF 7-458.525,UHF 8-453.3.As I posted earlier it has been about 9 years since Ive been up that way so I dont know how accurate this info is. The meat packing plant has also been added so I dont know if there is a seperate channel used.Montford is 9600 series,Daniels main ch is UHF1,bldg channel is UHF5,callsign is 6100.Dalhart is on channel 33-153.785,callsign is 8400.Sanchez is 9201-9249 series.Roach 6300 series channel is 154.995.

 

[loumaag]

Well, in fact, I am too far away for low power to get to me, nor do I have any reason to really go over in that area of town, so unless I come up with a reason I will not bother. But the VHF channels that I reported earlier, that I could hear from my home are no longer readable. They seemed to disappear the evening of the storm that ripped through here and I suspect that they may have lost any outside mounted antennas they had. The NE part of town suffered the most damage.

As to the unit numbers, I do remember that units on the 154.995 frequency did seem to be 62xx as a majority. But since I failed to keep the recordings, I can't go back and listen again. The 155.7975 frequency had no unit numbers like that being used; just "MC" as the entity being talked to all the time and various other alpha and numeric as the ones calling it, requesting that gates, cells, doors, etc. be opened or closed.