Digital VHF System

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VASCAR2

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A couple of PD's in southern Illinois have started using a digital repeater system on VHF high band. The radios are ICOM and the radio vendor says there is no scanner on the market which can monitor the system. Supposedly the system is set up on 6.25 spacing instead of 12.5 spacing. I don't think the radios are using encription however when the base repeater transmits in the digital mode you can hear the data transmission. I have a Bearcat 996XT and I have been unable to program to receive this digital system. I have tried narrow FM and when I set the scanner to digital only I get an option to search or enter HEX. I get no results in the search mode and I can find no information indicating how to program or where to get HEX data. I've seen Hex reference in the Starcom 21 material next to the talk group number. I was curious if HEX is similar to a baud rate or a mode of digitizing. I've programmed scanners for years and programmed my BC 996XT to monitor Motorola type II, EDACS, LTR, and P25 trunked and conventional systems but this system has me stumped. This system repeater will repeat an analog transmission in analog and a digital transmission in digital so the system will still work with legacy radios. Any info would be appreciated.
 

n5ims

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Jul 25, 2004
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Its probably NexEdge

IDAS is what Icom calls their NXDN radios while NexEdge is what Kenwood calls their NXDN radios. Since the OP specified that ICOM radios, not Kenwood were used, it's probably not NexEdge (although the two could probably talk to eachother).

NEXEDGE - The RadioReference Wiki

To the OP, while no scanner currently can decode NXDN systems, there's some Linux software that may do so, MBELIB and DSD - from the WIKI http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Digital_Speech_Decoder_(software_package).
 

VASCAR2

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So Illinois
I went to the link for the ICOM and your correct. This system has all the features and are the same portables the agency is testing. I wonder if they are using the encryption available since its Law Enforcement and can simply be programmed into each radio. The system has some advantages and one agency is using the GPS enabled location system and the emergency button features. The system is also capable of adding receiver sites via IP internet instead of dedicated land lines or microwave/radio link. The agencies think since the system is still capable of working with the analog radios they will still have inner operable radios with neighboring agencies. This may be true to a degree however unless another agency has a specific radio on the system they still will miss urgent radio traffic. I can remember where almost every agency in southern Illinois was on 39.5 and could cross talk to ISP via 42.5. This worked very well unless the skip started rolling. I would assume since IDAS is a different form of digitizing no scanner on the market can currently decode IDAS and if the system is encrypted your not going to spend enough money to listen.
 

SCPD

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2 guys i do radio work with, put that system in. There are 3 counties. It is all 6.25 digital and has encryption on it. They are going to be expanding for further agencies this summer, to move more traffic off of analog. It is digital encryption, but not rolling.
 
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