2008-2012 VIPER Discussion (Archive)

[ILMRadioMan]

That depends.

As stated throughout this thread, a site will only transmit a TG if a radio user is affiliated with that tower.

So if I take my radio and affiliate to one of the towers down in the Wilmington area, scanners will pick up the traffic on that tower.

However, if no one has an actual radio affiliated with that tower and talkgroup, then no you wont hear it.


In your case, my advice would be to listen to the one that gets the most traffic, possibly near a city of some sort.

 

[airbear21200]

That depends.


In your case, my advice would be to listen to the one that gets the most traffic, possibly near a city of some sort.

Although what you said was correct, I can't say I would agree with you last part. If I were NCFiremann11, I would actually listen to both. If you don't listen to the tower in your home county, you may very well miss something going on just down the street from you. And, I would think you home tower would be priority for you. Then if you want to listen to what ever else is active on VIPER, I would put in any other towers withing listening range to pick up any other activity and talkgroups that are not affiliating on your home tower. But, that is just me......

I am still looking for info on the Pea Landing Rd tower in Brunswick Co. if anyone knows anything.

 

[ki4rvh]

kinda crazy of how viper works lol you hear pitt county in wake county must have been transporting or something

It sure is!! I am receiving a digital talkgroup 28016 listed as Wake Fire Mut Aid here in Cabarrus County. Can't receive digital but I get the talkgroup. I also have been getting the 3280 which is Troop G Dist 4 in Asheville Dispatch yesterday and today. I get stuff from all over the state. I'm not sure how it all works but it sure is fun to hear it all!

73 and Happy Listening

Chris

 

[airbear21200]

I get stuff from all over the state. I'm not sure how it all works but it sure is fun to hear it all!

73 and Happy Listening

Chris

Chris,
I is really quite simple. It's all about the users radio being on a particular talk group (channel) and affiliating with the tower closest to it. As that radio moves from one tower to another, the talk group/radio affiliation will move with it. Look through the previous posts. It pretty well describes it. Happy monitoring. .... If I could just recieve VIPER towers up here in Ohio, I'd be a very happy camper. I love to listen to NCHP, they sound the best among the whole US. I did get some low band skip up here a few years back...that was really cool.

 

[ki4rvh]

Dave,

Thanks for the explanation. I kinda understood that part about them moving around and it using the tower closest to them. Some stuff like picking up Wake Fire Mut Aid here was just kinda strange. I guess they could be halfway across the state for some reason. Training? Who knows. It was digital so I couldn't hear it. Its very interesting because you never know what you might hear.

 

[ILMRadioMan]

Although what you said was correct, I can't say I would agree with you last part. If I were NCFiremann11, I would actually listen to both. If you don't listen to the tower in your home county, you may very well miss something going on just down the street from you. And, I would think you home tower would be priority for you. Then if you want to listen to what ever else is active on VIPER, I would put in any other towers withing listening range to pick up any other activity and talkgroups that are not affiliating on your home tower. But, that is just me......

I am still looking for info on the Pea Landing Rd tower in Brunswick Co. if anyone knows anything.

Well sure, of course, listen to as many as possible.

I was under the assumption that he was asking if he had to pick one, which one to listen to.

 

[reconrider8]

Dave,

Its very interesting because you never know what you might hear.

Amen dude im like you cause i cant hear digital either

 

[NCFireman11]

Well sure, of course, listen to as many as possible.

I was under the assumption that he was asking if he had to pick one, which one to listen to.

Thank you for the info from both of you. I guess I should have been a little more specific. In Yancey County (where my hometown is), the Clingman's Peak site recently went live a while back but so far there must not be too many radios affiliated with it because I hear very little. The other tower is the Big Knob site in Madison County which doesn't have a lot on it either yet but from time to time SHP Troop G traffic can be heard and every once in a while Granite Falls PD Tac (TG 37984) comes across. I didn't want to miss anything, so I'm scanning both but nothing really comes across Clingman's Peak yet and I was wanting to cut down my scan time between conventional Freqs and VIPER.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Now you know the reason why I take 10 mins each day and just search the local VIPER frequencies/Talkgroups for new activity and anything not heard before...any talkgroup can become active on any day...this is the great thing about having a statewide system like VIPER...
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[randyK]

I didn't want to miss anything, so I'm scanning both but nothing really comes across Clingman's Peak yet and I was wanting to cut down my scan time between conventional Freqs and VIPER.

I usually scan the busiest voice channels of the two closest towers to me, in conventional mode. If a transmission comes up that I want to know what talkgroup they're on, I'll scan in trunked mode. This cuts back on system dwell time considerably.
Randy

 

[NCFireman11]

I usually scan the busiest voice channels of the two closest towers to me, in conventional mode. If a transmission comes up that I want to know what talkgroup they're on, I'll scan in trunked mode. This cuts back on system dwell time considerably.
Randy

Thanks for the idea, I would have never thought of that otherwise.

 

[Robbyboy]

VIPER Medical TG

Whats everyones experience/exposure to these TGs? I noticed someone in duplin playing with their radio on the scanner the other day and they associated with TG94 I believe it was... Does anyone know if there is rhyme or reason at this time or is it still in the test phase?

Cheers

 

[RMPDCOP]

Whats everyones experience/exposure to these TGs? I noticed someone in duplin playing with their radio on the scanner the other day and they associated with TG94 I believe it was... Does anyone know if there is rhyme or reason at this time or is it still in the test phase?

Cheers

Rob, when I was at Duke a couple of weeks ago, I had the oppurtunity to do some scanning with the Med TG's. I only picked up a couple of short transmissions on them. Do not know which county but heard some traffic relating to checking on and off and giving work time.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Reference the VMN (Viper Medical Network) TGs: I should be able to begin updating some of them over the next couple of days...from everything I have read VMN radios have 12 zones (or banks) with most zones having 16 TGs each...I will update the database later today with the little bit of info I have so far...
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[SKYNET156]

Viper Conventional?

Hi All,

I am new to Radioreference.com,

I am from Charlotte and i am interested in monitoring the VIPER System,

I am not sure if this works, but i use to have an STX800 radio, and i use to monitor the control channels conventionally, i am not sure if you can do this with P25 CC's? (monitor them Conventionally)

Any advice would help....

 

[jeffmulter]

>> I am not sure if this works, but i use to have an STX800 radio, and i use to monitor the control channels conventionally, i am not sure if you can do this with P25 CC's? (monitor them Conventionally)

Welcome to RadioReference, SkyNet 156.

I'm not sure what you mean by "monitor the control channels conventionally," as the only thing on the control channels is data / noise. Typically, someone might monitor the voice channels conventionally if they did not have a trunktracking scanner.

Currently, Viper is an analog Motorola system ... by definition, the control channels are 3600 baud data. Analog systems can have P25 talkgroups in use on the system, but the system is still defined as analog or mixed mode.

On a true P25 (phase 1) Motorola trunked system, the control channels operate at 9600 baud, and all talkgroups will be P25 digital. As long as the talkgroups were not encrypted, you would need a digital scanner to monitor them.

 

[ILMRadioMan]

Eh I dont know if I agree with that completely.

Its called mixed mode for a reason.

Digital or Analog has nothing to do with the baud rate.

It isnt part of the P25 standard but in a technical sense it is possible to speak "analog" over 9600 baud trunking. There is just no need for it anymore, especially because it isnt part of the standards.

So that being said Viper isnt an "analog" system. Its a 3600 baud system that can have digital or analog voice channels.

 

[whitehelmet1202]

I see some of the VMN TGs have been identified. Now I have a question...

I see that Wake Med already has a few talkgroups assigned to them for ground dispatch, Law Enforcement, etc...so why would they need more TGs as listed under VMN?

I know they have an extensive medical system there at Wake Med, as I have seen just about every aspect of it from my time as an EMT-I in the central region of NC.

I'm not trying to start something here, just wondering why they would need more TGs under VMN when they already have their own TGs in their own group. One would think those TGs could be listed as VMN use if the need arises.

I'm sure I'm not as smart as some of the people that admin these radios sytems, but some things that are done just don't make sense.

Reference the VMN (Viper Medical Network) TGs: I should be able to begin updating some of them over the next couple of days...from everything I have read VMN radios have 12 zones (or banks) with most zones having 16 TGs each...I will update the database later today with the little bit of info I have so far...
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[ILMRadioMan]

If I am correct, all the statewide stuff began in Raleigh (for obvious reasons). So I think it stems from something along the lines of they were first so they got to decide what they received.

 

[KE4ZNR]

nozman-
What you have to remember is that different radios have different TGs programmed in...you are right: Wake Med has their own set of "in-house" talkgroups for Law Enforcement, Transport services, etc...no one outside of Wake Med has access to those talkgroups...however Wake Med still has to communicate with outside hospitals on the VIPER Medical Network...so now you have 2 radios:
1) radio 1 is programmed for the above listed Wake Med "in house" talkgroups only...
and
2) radio 2 is programmed with the VMN only...
Think about it like this:
Other hospitals and health facilities would never really have a need to contact Wake Med Security or transport services...so why would they need access to those "in house" TGs? So every user of the VMN is issued the exact same radio with the exact same 184 TGs laid out in exactly the same zone/channel structure to make it simple for everyone...That is why Wake Med has 2 types of VIPER radios: one for "in house" or intra-corporation comm only and a seperate VIPER radio for VMN use only...
Hopefully this makes it a little more clear...
I am getting ready to update more of the VMN TGs...
Marshall KE4ZNR

I see some of the VMN TGs have been identified. Now I have a question...

I see that Wake Med already has a few talkgroups assigned to them for ground dispatch, Law Enforcement, etc...so why would they need more TGs as listed under VMN?

I know they have an extensive medical system there at Wake Med, as I have seen just about every aspect of it from my time as an EMT-I in the central region of NC.

I'm not trying to start something here, just wondering why they would need more TGs under VMN when they already have their own TGs in their own group. One would think those TGs could be listed as VMN use if the need arises.

I'm sure I'm not as smart as some of the people that admin these radios sytems, but some things that are done just don't make sense.