156.240 ?

[James]

Hearing a bit of activity 156.240, sounds like LE, record check, etc
I'm in Columbia. The database lists Charlestn. FD, Chesterfield FD input, Richland road maint.
York input encrpted (drug enforcement)
Charleston too far out, and wasn't fire, so same for Chesterfield. Rich road maintenance is out (unless they started running tags)
Its late evening, i get good reception from up north But as said York encrypted.(capable)hmm.
Any ideas, someone familiar with it?
I'll me monitoring, maybe figure it out.
Evenings I receive York, Union, RockHill, Lancaster, Kershaw etc. pretty well.
Thanks, Jim

 

[jeffmulter]

Jim --- It's likely Virginia State Police you're hearing. They are being passed by the Columbia Road Department repeater, which has an input of 159.000 / carrier squelch.

Five of the VSP comm centers use 159.000 for dispatching, although I'm not sure if "Chesapeake" uses it on a regular basis. Being that the Columbia repeater input is carrier squelch, the repeater often repeats other agencies, such as VSP, anytime there is a mild band enhancement.

Besides VSP, the Columbia repeater has also passed communications from Raleigh (NC) Fire, Henderson County (NC) Fire, and an unidentified EMS agency.

VSP dispatchers are very good about identifying with their location and callsign. The VSP locations you would hear would be Richmond, Wytheville, Fairfax, Chesapeake and Salem (I have never logged Salem on this channel, though). The callsigns are 3-letter / 3-digit format ... for instance, Richmond would be KIC-365.

On a good day, I'm sometimes lucky-enough to be able to hear a couple of these agencies via the Columbia repeater AND directly on 159.000 MHz. VSP Wytheville has atleast one repeater site that is audible at home during a good part of the day.

It's my understanding that, eventually, the VSP channels will disappear ... and be replaced by the STARS digital encryption network now being implemented statewide in Virginia.

If you're a SC DNR fan, try monitoring their channel 5 repeater on Little Mountain ... 151.160 / 167.9 . This repeater will also rebroadcast VSP Fairfax, which can be non-stop MVAs during the morning rush hours in the metro D.C. area.

 

[Caesar]

lol, this is true, i work in the columbia com center and when i dispatch fire, we have to have those channels up (water/pubic works/electric/sanatation/etc, and they are the 159mhz and we get skip carrier through the repeater all night long, its neat when they have a chase or something, but i will be glad when they upgrade, it gets old quick....

 

[qball]

159.000 is also the new Tega Cay Police Department repeater input.

 

[James]

Jim --- It's likely Virginia State Police you're hearing. They are being passed by the Columbia Road Department repeater, which has an input of 159.000 / carrier squelch.

Five of the VSP comm centers use 159.000 for dispatching, although I'm not sure if "Chesapeake" uses it on a regular basis. Being that the Columbia repeater input is carrier squelch, the repeater often repeats other agencies, such as VSP, anytime there is a mild band enhancement.

Besides VSP, the Columbia repeater has also passed communications from Raleigh (NC) Fire, Henderson County (NC) Fire, and an unidentified EMS agency.

VSP dispatchers are very good about identifying with their location and callsign. The VSP locations you would hear would be Richmond, Wytheville, Fairfax, Chesapeake and Salem (I have never logged Salem on this channel, though). The callsigns are 3-letter / 3-digit format ... for instance, Richmond would be KIC-365.

On a good day, I'm sometimes lucky-enough to be able to hear a couple of these agencies via the Columbia repeater AND directly on 159.000 MHz. VSP Wytheville has atleast one repeater site that is audible at home during a good part of the day.

It's my understanding that, eventually, the VSP channels will disappear ... and be replaced by the STARS digital encryption network now being implemented statewide in Virginia.

If you're a SC DNR fan, try monitoring their channel 5 repeater on Little Mountain ... 151.160 / 167.9 . This repeater will also rebroadcast VSP Fairfax, which can be non-stop MVAs during the morning rush hours in the metro D.C. area.

Thanks again, this is what keeps me interested in the hobby.
I'm here listening to Lex and Rich Simulcast, Updating my old Charlotte/Meck. files. Getting started on NC VIPER, have one radio dedicated to milair, also Ft Jackson, and surrounding conv. freqs still in use. NOW I can start monitoring the DNR and Columbia road RPTRS, and hear Virginia Police etc... I have alot more to learn!
I have an old pro 30? 16ch upstairs. Remember when Cola PD had 3-4 freqs. Richland 5?
Or just a couple years ago (it seems) TRUNKING!! then Dual, Then Digital (that smarted my wallet) Got a early 96. But everything gets old after awhile.
I'll be listening, try to copy some calls off the repeaters, something new (to me)
Sorry about the rambling, its getting late.
Jim

 

[LarrySC]

Here in the upstate we monitor SCDC repeater 452.275 which has an input of 155.640 and repeates prison comms to Columbia. We often hear 155.640 skip from along I-20 south of Atlanta. Several small towns and a county or two. Some times comms from NC and a few years ago from Fernandina Bch, Fla in the late PM until they changed freqs. Just another day in radio land.

 

[Searay]

James,

You mentioned Ft. Jackson. Are you listening to the trunked 400Mhz system?

 

[James]

James,

You mentioned Ft. Jackson. Are you listening to the trunked 400Mhz system?

Yes. The old system was 3600, analog. Jackson and Gordon are both now 9600, digital.
Unfortunately some of the comms are now encrypted (MPs)
Everything else is in the clear.

 

[Searay]

I was in Columbia a couple of days ago and tried to monitor the new APCO 25 system. I could not get the settings right, do you monitor the new system at all?

 

[James]

I was in Columbia a couple of days ago and tried to monitor the new APCO 25 system. I could not get the settings right, do you monitor the new system at all?

Yes..like I said the MPs are encryted (one way)????...Strange.
Still hear some interesting stuff though, night exercises. Pitting one group against another. And of course sometimes hear someone getting chewed out by the CO.

The info for several bases, including the two I mentioned have been removed from the DB, by request of the Dept. Defense. Strange that others have not. (been removed)

I know this is getting off topic, but one funny thing I remembered hearing at the Fort.

A soldier (female) at a gate radios her Sgnt. Saying a couple of guys are lost and looking for directions.
The Sgnt (think Carter to Pyle) says WANTS WHAT? DIRECTIONS? YOU AREN"T AT THAT GATE TO GIVE DIRECTIONS!!!!
Soldier: Yes Sir! They say they are Navy and are looking for so and so, SIR!
(Sgnt fuming) NAVY? .......TELL EM IF THEY HAD JOINED THE ARMY THEY WOULDN"T BE LOST!!!

True Story.
Jim

 

[Searay]

James,

Just sent you a PM...

 

[James]

Jim --- It's likely Virginia State Police you're hearing. They are being passed by the Columbia Road Department repeater, which has an input of 159.000 / carrier squelch.

You are right Jeff. I haven't been able to catch a complete callsign (my ears are slow) I have heard 897several times. Also 973 ?
But most of the tags run are Virginia. I also heard a dispatch to an address on Troutville Hwy.
Which is near Roanoke.

Jim

 

[jeffmulter]

I previously mentioned you might hear Raleigh Fire via the Roads repeater.

What will be distinctive about Raleigh Fire is that dispatches are done via artificial voice software ... in this case, the Locution dispatch software. Female voice, with very dry, unemotional and "stiff" pronunciation.

 

[James]

I previously mentioned you might hear Raleigh Fire via the Roads repeater.

What will be distinctive about Raleigh Fire is that dispatches are done via artificial voice software ... in this case, the Locution dispatch software. Female voice, with very dry, unemotional and "stiff" pronunciation.

Jeff,
This is strange! I'm sitting here listening to the Clemson game.
Have the scanner on, and heard the Raleigh Locution dispatch for the first time, I guess about 9pm. Then I read this post about 30mins later.

Conditions are alot better tonight. I also got several good copies KIC368, including one BOLO.

I'm curious about the Raleigh dispatches though. I was looking in the DB and it lists 154.370 for the Fire Locution, Wake/Raleigh 154.190 and Wake EMS 156.225.? ( I understand the VSP 159.0 activating the repeater)

Thanks again BTW while I have been typing this I have heard the Locution twice more.

 

[jeffmulter]

KIC-368 is VSP Wytheville.

The Wake / Raleigh frequencies in the database are correct ... although I'm thinking all three are now simulcasts of dispatch talkgroups on the Wake County 800 MHz trunked system / Viper system.

About the fall of 2001, Raleigh and Wake County fire underwent some changes to their channel structures, with the addition of some new channels / frequencies.

159.000 / 192.8 R was intended to be Raleigh Fire's "tac west" channel. It might be that it only airs dispatches for that area of Raleigh ... I'm not sure. I presume 159.0, along with a couple of other VHF channels licensed to Raleigh fire, are not in the RR database simply because they are simulcasts of 800 talkgroups.



BTW - The three Wake / Raleigh frequencies mentioned above will occasionally be heard here at relatively good levels, so you might also keep an ear tuned for the Locution voice on those frequencies, also. They are part of my general scan list of about 900 (it varies) channels I monitor regularly with a Pro 2006 controlled by a PC running ScanStar.