VIPER Statewide Radio System Discussion

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BCasto

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NCSHP Durham 771.68125 MHz P25 ??

Goofing around today I landed on 771.68125 MHz, which seems to be part of a P25 system maybe located in Durham with 771.13125, 771.40625, 772.38125. I haven't found the control channel.

Voice traffic is flight watch air ambulance, NCSHP, and others. I live near RDU airport and it comes in with an RSSI of 275.

Do you know what this is and what system it is part of? It doesn't appear in any of the Wake, Durham lists. When I search Identified Frequencies I don't get anything. However, If I search using NC FCC licenses I find it under all sign WQPL351.

Thanks for your help. If you have the right tools to ID the system, etc. please let me know.
 

K4ASJ

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Sounds like it is the NC Viper System. That is what the NC SHP primarily uses for thier daily communications. The call sign you listed is licensed to the nc highway patrol which handles the nc viper system. https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=7118. On the license info it appears that it is the Brian Center Tower in Durham County.
 
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BCasto

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More on 771.6812 Mhz

Sounds like it is the NC Viper System. That is what the NC SHP primarily uses for thier daily communications. The call sign you listed is licensed to the nc highway patrol which handles the nc viper system. https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=7118. On the license info it appears that it is the Brian Center Tower in Durham County.

Thank you. I checked those frequencies for the Brian Center and there is not a match. Am I missing something here?

1 (1) 047 (2F) Brian Center Durham
770.4375
770.9375
770.9375
772.3875
774.0375a
774.28125a
774.2875c

The frequencies I am referring to are listed on this page https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?fccCallsign=WQPL351 . I have tried to listen to the Brian Center and this other site at the same time but haven't had enough traffic on them to compare them. And the Brian Center is a very weak signal where I live. This other site comes booming in. I see that the Brian Center has a NAC of 1F0.

Here is the FCC page with that call sign. It says it is located at the Brian Center but with different frequencies that what is listed in the RR.com Viper DB.

http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=3387263

I am not the smartest radio guy, so more help please :)
 

BCasto

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With more time I was able to track the Brian Center control channel (774.2812) and it did switch to activity on frequencies not listed in the RR.com DB, such as 771.1312 and 772.3812.
 

KE4ZNR

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I have updated the Brian Center site in the database.
I plan on running Pro96Com on it in the next couple days to make sure the listing is accurate.
Marshall KE4ZNR
 

BCasto

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More on 771.6812 Mhz

I have updated the Brian Center site in the database.
I plan on running Pro96Com on it in the next couple days to make sure the listing is accurate.
Marshall KE4ZNR

Marshall, thank you as always for your help. Question for you.. If the FCC license on that tower is indeed the VIPER Brian Center, why would the control channel not be included in the frequency list? Is it possible the control channel is broadcast from another antenna? I suppose that may explain why the control channel comes in very weak at my place but the other frequencies come in much stronger. Again, I am not radio science savvy so this may be radio blasphemy. :)
 

KE4ZNR

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Marshall, thank you as always for your help. Question for you.. If the FCC license on that tower is indeed the VIPER Brian Center, why would the control channel not be included in the frequency list? Is it possible the control channel is broadcast from another antenna? I suppose that may explain why the control channel comes in very weak at my place but the other frequencies come in much stronger. Again, I am not radio science savvy so this may be radio blasphemy. :)

Hey Brian,
The VIPER crews are constantly going around to various sites and tweaking parameters such as Control Channels & Frequencies. If a site is experiencing interference the VIPER crews may change/adjust the frequencies as needed. As a result the database here might lag behind the real world changes until noticed and changed.
Marshall KE4ZNR
 

BCasto

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More on 771.6812 Mhz

Hey Brian,
The VIPER crews are constantly going around to various sites and tweaking parameters such as Control Channels & Frequencies. If a site is experiencing interference the VIPER crews may change/adjust the frequencies as needed. As a result the database here might lag behind the real world changes until noticed and changed.
Marshall KE4ZNR

Marshall, thanks again. I see you already updated the RR.com DB.

So, as not to be a total parasite, I installed Pro96com and used in on Brian Center and Camden Avenue. I hope I did everything OK. My frequency list for Brian Center has 2 more than yours: 774.03125 (designated as an alternate control channel) and 770.93125 (with a designation of IV). I will have to figure out what customization option I probably overlooked.

On the Camden Avenue site, Pro96Com lists a frequency not in the RR.com DB : 852.075 (designated as a V channel).

It was fun running this app and seeing the data it produces. It will take a bit of time to understand everything. For example, for Brian Center it lists Affiliate Sites by site numbers: 107 (858.8375), 112 (853.3875), 141 (852.5375), 142 (769.20625) and 167 (860.4625). I could not translate the site numbers into specific Viper sites. I did look up the frequencies listed for each and figured 107 was the Viper site at Duke, 112 Orange Co Chapel Hill, 141 Wake co Archdale Building, 142 Wake County Western SHP, and 167 Wake County North Durant Road.

Can you tell me how to translate those site numbers to ones listed in the RR.com DB? Also, why are some sites listed but not others. For example, why would the Camden Ave site not be listed as an affiliate to the Brian Center site? What is the WACN number listed for each site? I hope these questions are OK to ask.

Thanks again..
 

KE4ZNR

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Marshall, thanks again. I see you already updated the RR.com DB.

So, as not to be a total parasite, I installed Pro96com and used in on Brian Center and Camden Avenue. I hope I did everything OK. My frequency list for Brian Center has 2 more than yours: 774.03125 (designated as an alternate control channel) and 770.93125 (with a designation of IV). I will have to figure out what customization option I probably overlooked.

Yeah there is probably a freq or two I need to add. I will add them tomorrow.

On the Camden Avenue site, Pro96Com lists a frequency not in the RR.com DB : 852.075 (designated as a V channel).

I will also add that one tomorrow.

It was fun running this app and seeing the data it produces. It will take a bit of time to understand everything. For example, for Brian Center it lists Affiliate Sites by site numbers: 107 (858.8375), 112 (853.3875), 141 (852.5375), 142 (769.20625) and 167 (860.4625). I could not translate the site numbers into specific Viper sites. I did look up the frequencies listed for each and figured 107 was the Viper site at Duke, 112 Orange Co Chapel Hill, 141 Wake co Archdale Building, 142 Wake County Western SHP, and 167 Wake County North Durant Road.

Can you tell me how to translate those site numbers to ones listed in the RR.com DB?

Easy: you are seeing the zone/RFSS Number plus the site number.
Granville is 107 which is Zone/RFSS 1 site 7.


Also, why are some sites listed but not others. For example, why would the Camden Ave site not be listed as an affiliate to the Brian Center site?

No one has ever run Pro96Com or Unitrunker on all VIPER sites. All sites should be listed but the neighbor sites just have not been mapped out. It was thought that the neighbor sites part of the database entry was secondary in importance to just making sure the site number itself was correct. If you wish to assist with that aspect we would greatly appreciate any submissions :)


What is the WACN number listed for each site? I hope these questions are OK to ask.
Thanks again..

The WACN or Wide Area Communications Network ID is just another way to supposedly uniquely identify P25 systems. Which would come in handy if anyone bothered to change it from the default WACN of BEE00. And I am including the system I help maintain in that list. :)
You will find a majority of P25 systems use the default BEE00 though that is slowly changing.

BTW: you think Pro96Com is cool you should stop by my radio shop and see ZoneWatch & GenWatch in action

Marshall KE4ZNR


Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 
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BCasto

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Marshall, thank you very much. I will run some viper sites and submit what I find.

Also, it would be cool to come visit your radio shop. Send me a message with name and address of the shop and I will definitely make the trip.
 

KE4ZNR

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Please conduct all VIPER Radio System discussion in this thread.

Marshall KE4ZNR
 

BCasto

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NCSHP All TGs active in Wake Co

Maybe I am foggy brain this morning but it seems I am picking up NCSHP TGs from all across that state here in my shack near RDU monitoring West Raleigh site. In the last 4 minutes I have heard radio traffic from Troop F, D, E, C and G. Did someone in HQ decide they wanted to hear everything snowy today?
 

MBennett

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Eden Morehead Hospital VMK4

Hi All,

Eden Morehead Hospital VMN VMK4 ID 52444 is now

UNC Rockingham Hospital same VMN VMK4 ID 52444

I also hear them say just UNC R to 911 communications.
 

hazmatman1

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Viper System

Hi Yall,I travel the entire state of nc.I have a uniden 436 while travelling I do zip code searches to find activity wher I am. I save to 3 sections Eastern nc Middle nc and western nc.There is over 200 sites per section.Can I delete sites not in the area I am in or do I just keep the channels I have found and delete all sites.It takes a long time to scan all sites and I lose a lot of conversations Thanks Yall
 

troymail

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Hi Yall,I travel the entire state of nc.I have a uniden 436 while travelling I do zip code searches to find activity wher I am. I save to 3 sections Eastern nc Middle nc and western nc.There is over 200 sites per section.Can I delete sites not in the area I am in or do I just keep the channels I have found and delete all sites.It takes a long time to scan all sites and I lose a lot of conversations Thanks Yall

You could delete sites.... or...

There are various options/solutions that all involve creation of at least one favorities list... then... one or more of:

  • use a GPS to have the radio select/enable the sites (and departments*) that are proximal to your current location

  • assign a department(site) quick key to each site (or group of sites) that is proximal to a given county; then you can toggle on and off the quick keys as you travel and only scan/monitor those sites

  • periodically enter a zip code along the route as you go from county to county - of course, you'd have to know the zip codes along your route (not a very good option)

  • You could also create a modified version of this using one favorities lists per county...


* GPS not only selects "sites" - it also selects (or doesn't select) "departments" - department locations and "range" can be extremely large (dozens to hundreds of miles) but can also be very small (1/2 mile); therefore using GPS, you may not hear everything you hear when using something that provides more manual/direct control; to hear a system, site, and/or specific department, the location/range of all three (circles) must "overlap" with your radio's current location and range (circle) setting
 
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LeSueurC

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Hi Yall,I travel the entire state of nc.I have a uniden 436 while travelling I do zip code searches to find activity wher I am. I save to 3 sections Eastern nc Middle nc and western nc.There is over 200 sites per section.Can I delete sites not in the area I am in or do I just keep the channels I have found and delete all sites.It takes a long time to scan all sites and I lose a lot of conversations Thanks Yall

I’ve created my own favorites list, I’ve weeded through and every site that’s in a particular county and the TG’s for that county are the same Quick key. So for Nash County and the sites in Nash County, Nashville DOC, Rocky Mount sites have the same quick key as the county and so on for every county. State agencies would be their own quick keys
 

ATLiens

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Shp car antennas..

I'm interested in knowing why the whips are so tall if 800 mhz is being utilized. I get that some low band is still in operation especially for G. I eat lunch with a few B6 troopers sometimes. One car will have the tall whip, one will have a phantom (with no ground plane btw), and the other has his integrated into the stock antenna (Lt.). I asked, but they aren't the techy type. Wondering if one antenna satisfies the Viper and the low band channels. Chime in.
 

jparks29

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I'm interested in knowing why the whips are so tall if 800 mhz is being utilized. I get that some low band is still in operation especially for G. I eat lunch with a few B6 troopers sometimes. One car will have the tall whip, one will have a phantom (with no ground plane btw), and the other has his integrated into the stock antenna (Lt.). I asked, but they aren't the techy type. Wondering if one antenna satisfies the Viper and the low band channels. Chime in.

As you well pointed out, cops aren't techs.

They could be CB antennas, they could be for mutual aid, etc. Best to grab a picture.

I can't tell you how many agency cars I've worked on with modified antennas...

Agency in question had a VHF system, and needed 1/2 wave antennas in some areas of the county (That tiny extra bit of gain helps, over a 1/4 wave, without changing the angle of radiation too much)...Next county over was on an 800 Mhz SZ system....and the officers wanted the 'small antennas'... (1/4 wave) or the 'cool antennas' (Traditional 5/8 over 1/4 'curly q' 800 mhz antenna).... and started seeing antennas cut short. replaced with different antennas, etc. and severely impacted operations. Because they were take home cars, they were given some leeway into outfitting them, with some cars having CB, VHF (agency), UHF, and 800 radios installed (on their own dime).... It took an order from the brass to get them to stop cutting antennas and stupid stuff....

State Patrol had a fender mounted CB antenna, that wasn't adjusted properly, essentially off at an angle, radiating into the ground and sky.... I pointed it out to the trooper and he just shrugged his shoulders and said 'that's how they gave it to me'.. lol...
 
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