Cross-state "skips"

[wbswetnam]

I live in northern Arkansas, where several state agencies (State Police, Dept of Corrections, Emergency Management, etc.) use AWIN, the Arkansas Wireless Information Network, a statewide P25 system. Some cities and counties have started to use it as well (most notably Pine Bluff and Jonesboro). Usually I just hear Troop B and Troop I of the State Police, but once in a while I can hear users from hundreds of miles away, as is the case with Pine Bluff / Jefferson County in the southern part of the state. Also sometimes I hear State Patrol offices I don't normally hear a long way from my location (such as a few days ago when I heard Troop K dispatch from Hot Springs).

I know this can't be tropo skip; so does anyone know what causes this to happen? Just a fluke in the system?

 

[bezking]

I would imagine that this is simply a case of one of the repeaters repeating the wrong TG, but I am not 100% sure.

 

[Gilligan]

Could be a cruiser from that far away department is in your area and affiliating with your tower on his talkgroup. Happens sometimes here in the big city on our SmartNet.

 

[a29zuk]

skips

Most likely not a skip. Some agencies throughout the state share the same control channel but are miles apart. If you are ID searching you will hear agencies in different parts of the state using the same primary control channel.

 

[mikeATtleccdotnet]

I just looked at your system, there are just over 70 sites joined to this P25 system. There for, yes, unit's can be from one part of the state and join a site on the other end of the state and be up just like he's home. Some of the benefits of the trunking/cell technology.
-Mike
P.S. - It's very rare to see an 700/800 mhz freq skip all that much, not like the good old day's of VHF-LB. Look's like you will also need a Uniden scanner... If you don't have one.

 

[a29zuk]

no skips

mikeAT makes a good point. Think of the P25 system more like a cell phone system. You can talk all across a state on your cell phone. Recently I went on vacation in northern Michigan. I passed by the city of Gaylord on my way and was hearing my local dispatch ID
which is more than 150 miles from my hometown. The Gaylord system must use the same primary control channel as my hometown.
On a Uniden radio you can "ID scan" which allows you to listen only to the ID's you program in a system....or you can "ID search" which will receive all ID's that are assigned to the frequencies that you have programmed into a system.