*RTL-SDR Dongle for Metrolinx

[Pitachio]

For people that use RTL-SDR dongles for listen to Ontario frequencies can the dongles pickup NXDN NEXEDGE and DMR TROBO since different feeds are changing . Will I need 2 dongles to listen to Project 25 Phase ll TDMA talk groups looking to listen to Metrolix Go Transit. And others Since my BCD396xt wont pickup P25 Phase ll. Looking for some else to use.

 

[see7]

P25 works best with 2 dongles, 1 for control and 1 for voice. Set them up in Unitrunker and pipe the audio to DSDplus Fastlane to decode phase 2. It is complicated to setup, so I would start with youtube tutorials and read up on how these work. Or get a scanner

 

[VA3SOM]

I have found the Metrolinx P2 system VERY hard to scan, on my base with my roof antenna it is unscannable (used to be fine on the Phase 1 system). Even on the train itself it is very choppy and hard to get a good signal, only place i got the best signal was next to their control centre at Oakville GO.

So not sure how a SDR would do, would be nice to hear if SDR on that system does any better at all.

 

[DRL-XM43]

I have found the Metrolinx P2 system VERY hard to scan, on my base with my roof antenna it is unscannable (used to be fine on the Phase 1 system). Even on the train itself it is very choppy and hard to get a good signal, only place i got the best signal was next to their control centre at Oakville GO.

So not sure how a SDR would do, would be nice to hear if SDR on that system does any better at all.

Using 2 dogles and DSD+ fastlane Metrolinx trunk tracks P25 phase II excellent for me.

You may want to check your bandwidth.

 

[slicerwizard]

P25 works best with 2 dongles, 1 for control and 1 for voice. Set them up in Unitrunker and pipe the audio to DSDplus Fastlane to decode phase 2. It is complicated to setup, so I would start with youtube tutorials and read up on how these work.

Won't work. Doubt there are any tutorials or videos for DSD+ Phase II decoding yet.


Instructions from the docs:

P25 Phase II trunktracking and voice decoding

Requirements

- a full CC plus VC trunktracking DSD+ setup,
i.e. CC and VC signal sources and CC DSD+ and VC DSD+ instances running

- CC side can be any P25 control channel signal source feeding CC DSD+
(tapped scanner, RTL dongle, Airspy, etc., FMP24, FMPA, SDR#, etc.)

- VC side MUST be an RTL dongle controlled by FMP24 or an Airspy controlled by FMPA

- VC side MUST use TCP linking between FMPA/FMP24 and VC DSD+

 

[phyberoptics]

It works well with 2 rtlsdr dongles. It will work even better when the expansion towers are turned up. There is a 300ft metrolinx tower less than 250m from my house which has been in place for months but hasn’t been powered up yet.

Get the dongles and a Fastlane sub to DSD+. The ease of finding signals with fmp24 is well worth it.

The dongles can pick up any RF, and DSD+FL does a great job decoding P25, P25P2, NXDN, DMR, etc. when you set it up properly.

If it would track Moto Type II smartnet/smartzone and automatically pull networks and talkgroups from my RR subscription it would be absolutely perfect. [emoji6]