Tuscaloosa County SO Update...

[Randmaster]

Ahhh... the good ol' Tuscaloosa County SO...

I've seen A LOT of threads wondering about what frequencies the SO were using. Well, I've done a little research with my PRO-197, and this is what I discovered so far...

Channel 1 consists of three repeater frequencies: 155.1225, 155.6325, and 156.1125. A dispatch frequency is used... 159.09. If anyone lives near a repeater tower, then you may be using one of the repeater frequencies above. I can hear 159.09 loud and clear. All frequencies for channel 1 have the NAC of 210.

For channel 2, I have two repeater frequencies: 155.0625 and 158.8575. The dispatch frequency that I found recently is 155.61 (Interesting enough that the two frequencies from their old systems are their dispatch channels). All frequencies for channel 2 have the NAC of 110.

I am wondering about their unit-to-unit channel... possibly known as their channel 3. I'm still rummaging through all the frequencies from the FCC database.

I'm hoping some of this has answered some questions about the SO to anyone who is curious about them. If anyone else has discovered anything else, please post.

 

[CORN]

So are you saying the database in RR is not accurate? Just curious since i'll be going there in April for the airshow. Thanks.

 

[CSL126]

Randmaster, are you still hearing the encryption (or what sounds like it)? I just find it weird that within only a few minutes I hear some traffic in the clear and then some that sounds encrypted. Have you found any way around this yet?

 

[SCPD]

Randmaster, are you still hearing the encryption (or what sounds like it)? I just find it weird that within only a few minutes I hear some traffic in the clear and then some that sounds encrypted. Have you found any way around this yet?

I see nowhere that encryption is mentioned???. Digital does not = Encryption

 

[Randmaster]

Oh, yeah... I hear that as well. Actually, it's not technically encryption. I actually found an article explaining about something called "simulcast digital distortion". We know that the SO is using a simulcast site. This may explain why we hear those broken signals...

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Simulcast_digital_distortion

Hope that helped!!


CORN, the RR database has the right frequencies, they just need more info (input, P25 NAC, channel, etc.) The ones I have above ALL came from the SO. Be sure to program the frequencies above in your scanner, that way you can get the best out of them. I also can't wait for that airshow, it's gonna be a good 'un!

 

[CORN]

Thank ya Randmaster. We'll plug them in.

 

[medic9351301]

my bc 996 shows the enc display from time to time according to uniden that means encrp.

 

[medic9351301]

as far as what i hear in west jefferson county i hear the following two repeater frequencies: 155.0625 and 158.8575. The dispatch frequency that I found recently is 155.610 cant hear this one
for so 1 all i hear are the following 155.1225, 155.6325, and 156.1125. no 159.090 what gives

 

[Randmaster]

Interesting...

Hunh... no 159.09, huh? It maybe location. I'm in Cottondale, and I pick it up perfectly. 159.09 is the primary frequency I listen to. 155.61 I can hear, but it the reception is weak. I listen to 158.8575 to hear SO 2 loud and clear.

Maybe the SO has a bit of encryption... I would have to shrug my shoulders on that. If they have encryption, wouldn't they make their entire radio system encrypted? I thought it was some kind of "simulcast distortion", which was an article I found in the Wiki explaining about distorted signals on simulcast sites; I can hear the dispatch and units one minute, garbled signals another minute, then back to clear transmissions. I wouldn't think they would be encrypting their NCIC, which I've heard a lot of that in the clear (unless they were trying to encrypt something serious). I do remember that a deputy said they were still playing around with their radios. Who knows if they're still tweaking out the bugs...

If only we had someone from the SO on this site to tell us...

 

[Randmaster]

More news...

I have discovered another repeater frequency for SO 2... 156.2175. This one picks up better then the last one I've been using. It looks like we have all repeaters for SO 1 and SO 2 found.

I also ran into something during my monitoring of the SO a couple of days back (hopefully someone else heard it, too). There was a deputy doing a radio check, which they used different "stations"... there were 6 in all. They were having trouble with station 3, which the configurations were messed up... whatever that means.

I also had the chance to talk to a deputy yesterday. He said that they had A LOT of channels (preferably more than 10). He was oblivious to the encryption when I asked him if the SO was encrypted. He told me about their system, and he stated that there are no dead spots, and it's clear everywhere. When they transmit, the signals bounce on the repeaters (explaining the distortion), and the radios switch to nearby repeaters on their own when the deputies get close to one (that explains they don't have to do it manually).