Tri-County Electric Cooperative

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KI5IRE

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I have been trying to figure out how to setup NXDN systems for a while without any success. This is a system that is not in the database yet. It is for the Tri-County Electric Cooperative. Digital Frequency Search shows this to be an NXDN system. How do I know what frequencies to use for each site? Do I just set it up as the frequencies listed for each fixed location according to the FCC database? Do I need any of the other frequencies from the mobile or 6.1 meter control station locations?

Here's the FCC ULS listing: ULS License - Industrial/Business Pool, Trunked License - WQOT541 - Tri County Electric Cooperative Inc - Locations Summary
 

hiegtx

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I have been trying to figure out how to setup NXDN systems for a while without any success. This is a system that is not in the database yet. It is for the Tri-County Electric Cooperative. Digital Frequency Search shows this to be an NXDN system. How do I know what frequencies to use for each site? Do I just set it up as the frequencies listed for each fixed location according to the FCC database? Do I need any of the other frequencies from the mobile or 6.1 meter control station locations?

Here's the FCC ULS listing: ULS License - Industrial/Business Pool, Trunked License - WQOT541 - Tri County Electric Cooperative Inc - Locations Summary
Set up sites with the three frequencies listed for each specific site.
Use NXDN Trunk for your system type.
For each frequency, in each site, leave the LCNs set as 0 (zero), and the RAN/Area set as "Search".

In the Analyze menu on the scanner, I'd run System Status first. That will give you the RAN/Area being used.
It will also tell you how many of the frequencies are currently in use. During the evening, unless we've having a storm with high winds, I suspect activity will be low, so it may not show that all frequencies are being used at each site, and LCN finder might not be effective. System Status will also give you the system ID, to submit to the database once you get all the data. Be sure to create a Department, with a dummy TGID, so that you can scan it in ID Search and have something to try & determine active talkgroups & their usage.

I'd run LCN Finder (under the Analyze menu) during a business day, or when storms are occurring. You'd have more activity for LCN Finder to work with. Once LCN Finder finishes, use <Func> + <System> to save your results and return to scanning. Repeat for each of the three sites.

Once you've found, and saved, the data for each site, either read that back into Sentinel, to document your results on the LCN's, or go into the system as if you are going to edit it. "Edit" each site for the system by going to the frequency & hitting Enter at the frequency screen. That will get you to the next screen that shows what LCN was found. It you had not already done so (after running System Status), make sure the correct LCN is entered as well.

The above is what I did with the Lancaster system, to map it out for the database.
 

nd5y

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I tried to figure that system out several years ago.
They appear to have 3 channels (or talkgroups) consisting of 3 sites with 3 repeaters at each site and a 4th site with 1 repeater in Vera that isn't connected to the other sites.
This is as far as I got and I'm not 100% sure which repeaters are linked at each site because I could never hear all of them at the same time:
153.2900 RAN 5 Central (Azle)
152.3825 RAN 1 Central (Granbury)
151.6775 RAN 1 Central (Keller)
152.2700 RAN 2 Northeast (Azle)
152.8625 RAN ? Northeast (Granbury)
152.3975 RAN ? Northeast (Keller)
154.4825 RAN 3 Southwest (Azle)
153.0950 RAN 3 Southwest (Granbury)
153.3050 RAN ? Southwest (Keller)
153.6950 RAN 4 West (Vera)

You only need to program the repeater outputs (FB2) . The inputs are MO and FX1. You don't need those for scanning and you won't be able to hear the mobiles and control stations unless they are nearby.
 

nd5y

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Also I forgot, unless they changed things recently these are conventional repeaters (not a trunked system). If you try to program it as trunked when it isn't you will probably not receive anything.
 

hiegtx

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Those are licensed as Trunked, but that might not be correct. I've seen quite a few DMR licenses that are showing as conventional, yet are being used as trunked.

Chase, if you have no luck with system status and LCN finder, try programming as OFT, One Frequency Trunked. They could be used in that manner, which would still allow using talkgroups.
 
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