US Naval Academy on Belvoir 380 system?

[troymail]

I see that a site 909 (386.31250) is listed as USNA on the Fort Belvoir 380 system.... Has anyone identified any active talkgroups on this "system"? I heard something on 22512 yesterday (12/27) around 1700 while in the Odenton area but the signal was fairly weak - couldn't make it out and I was driving at the time but it sounded like someone calling "Engine 8".

 

[freqhopping]

Seems as though you are the first to hear anything on the USNA site. Sounds like it may be a patch to the local FD.

 

[troymail]

Perhaps -- problem is I'm listening to the USNA VHF fire dept. freq and I don't think those comms appears to be patched ... also, those units are "company 46" (E461, QNT-46, etc.) so the Engine 8 thing doesn't make sense -- since it's part of a bigger system (including sites in VA) and given how weak it seemed to be, I'm wondering if I was actually hearing something coming from one of the other sites and not the USNA

I've been wondering why the Naval Academy seems to have been left out of the 380 transition but if this is really a USNA site, they may be on the way to coming online (unless it's been there for a while and I just missed it)

 

[freqhopping]

It would be a patch in the same way Fairfax Co PD Mt Vernon area is patched to the Ft. Belvoir site and the way Frederick Co MD FD and Sheriff are on the Ft. Detrick site. The military base counterparts don't actually use those channels, at least I've never heard them use the channels.

I'm not familiar with Anne Arundel Co and how their apparatus are named? Are there any companies with an Engine-8?

 

[troymail]

I'm not familiar with Anne Arundel Co and how their apparatus are named? Are there any companies with an Engine-8?

Nah - not yet... It wasn't AA County comms.

 

[maus92]

Since I live in Annapolis, I've programmed in "Site 909" into my radio. I'll let you know if I hear any strong signals, and if the content is related to the academy. FYI, the VHF academy freqs are still hot.

CA
Annapolis

 

[n3bxv]

"Engine 8" is most likely from Fort AP Hill in Caroline County, VA, the southern most site in the JNCR System and one of the Phase I installs.

The Navy and Air Force bases are part of Phase II.

 

[maus92]

So far, I have not noted any activity on the Naval Academy CC. However, I only get 2 bars SS at my location off of Bestgate Drive - using a 396T with a 4" antenna cut for 800MHz. Signal strength is much better - 5 bars - on West Street near Golds Gym, but I still haven't heard any activity. I'll keep it in the radio though, and report back when I hear something.

CA
Annapolis

 

[troymail]

22512 is pretty active tonight... units discussing something about the frequencies in their mobiles and handhelds not being the same.... believe they eventually settled on "use the new handhelds tonight".

Unit called dispatch and another unit responded to him as "123"..

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Given the signal strength, I'm suspecting this is something coming from Virigina somewhere.

EDIT: Ah, I may have gotten that wrong - I think dispatch was acknowledging "123".... just heard mention of Dahlgren ... perhaps this is a patch of Naval Surface Warfare Center


ACCEPTANCE TESTING! ...EDIT: NOT

 

[freqhopping]

The 909 site is definitely not in VA, though it will carry well to the west into VA at times. It's in Annapolis. I've traveled all over MD, VA, DC and PA gathering info about the JNCR and DOD systems over the last year and a half that I've had my 396T in order to narrow down site locations. During the winter I've noticed the signals do not travel anywhere near as well as in the summer. Sites I receive at 5 bars in the summer, I get only 1-2 bars in the winter.

The way the systems are configured it's entirely possible to hear comms that are not related to the site you're hearing them on. I've heard the Ft Meade PD TG via the Ft Belvoir site. I've heard the Pentagon Force Protection TG on 7 sites.

What other sites can you receive?

 

[troymail]

OK - it's probably Annapolis -- they've been mentioned Rickover, Memorial Hall, and other names that sounds like they're at the USNA. It's fading in and out at times... sounds like units moving around and testing comms.

As far as other sites -- I generally only listen to the Ft Meade system...

 

[troymail]

OK - cancel that testing stuff ... they just dispatched a unit to meet someone about property destruction... so, possibly police comms? Site unit was dispatched to still suggests USNA...

...and I just learned that Dahlgren is a building on the academy...

 

[maus92]

Yup,

Those buildings sound like the academy. Funny, I parked on that system earlier this evening. The signal strength appears to be better than a few days ago, but while my 396 resolved the 22512 TG, it did not decode any audio. Perhaps my radio is not set up properly. I have it set up as a P25 system, on ID Search, but no TGs are actually entered. The radio is displaying a SID of 0001h-0909.

CA
Annapolis

 

[troymail]

Yup,

Those buildings sound like the academy. Funny, I parked on that system earlier this evening. The signal strength appears to be better than a few days ago, but while my 396 resolved the 22512 TG, it did not decode any audio. Perhaps my radio is not set up properly. I have it set up as a P25 system, on ID Search, but no TGs are actually entered.

CA
Annapolis

I had my 396 side by side with my PSR500... the 500 was clearly doing a better job with reception and digital decoding ... it was real busy between 6-8pm but comms have dropped off considerably since then.

 

[maus92]

Yo,

I take thst back - heard a transmission like "66 to dispatch..." But it doesn't seem to be simulcasting the academy's VHF police and fire channels.

CA
Annapolis

 

[troymail]

There was mention earlier about ONLY using the "new handhelds" tonight.... seems like a cross between police/security activity and comms testing...

 

[freqhopping]

These federal systems are always really slow at night and on weekends (when they're pretty much dead) with the exception of police TGs. There are a few TGs I've found that do hourly radio checks, one being 150 which I finally heard partially in the clear tonight. I couldn't make out how the guy identified the radio check, hopefully I can get it in a recording.

 

[maus92]

I've been listening again this morning, and it seems that the academy police are not using their VHF channels - using only TG 22512 on the 380 system.

 

[maus92]

Nope, the VHF channels are in use. Maybe officers use their mobile radios while in their cars, and the 380 portables while on foot?

 

[troymail]

Nope, the VHF channels are in use. Maybe officers use their mobile radios while in their cars, and the 380 portables while on foot?

Makes (some) sense -- last night one of the conversations mentioned that when they transmitted on a radio (possibly the mobile) that same converation did not come across on the new radios (probably the 380 "handhelds"). The user noted that the radios must be "on different frequencies" which led to him stating that everyone should "use only the new handhelds tonight"