400 MHz Trunk Tracking- Advice

[KrisFFEMT]

Good Morning All,

Look for some advice / recommendation on both a portable and home scanner. Our county is switching (Fingers crossed) soon to:

Franklin Co, PA
400 MHz Trunk Tracking (Digital- I do believe)
Motorola based system

Also, will an 800 MHz TT scanner work with the 400's in a TT mode?

Thank You all in Advance for your help.
I hope I have included enough information.

~Kris

 

[gmclam]

Well since you need a digital scanner, my selection would be the PSR-500. Trunk tracking has more to do with the type of system than other factors. Scanners currently only support Motorola, EDACS or LTR.

Also, will an 800 MHz TT scanner work with the 400s in a TT mode?

The scanner must be capable of trunk tracking 400 MHz UHF. This has nothing to do with 800 MHz. But the PSR-500 will handle either/both.

 

[KrisFFEMT]

gmclam, thank you so much for the help. One more question, if I may. I was told yesterday that some channels / talk groups will be encrypted. How likely is this to effect listening? I know you can only speculate, but figured I'd ask based on "normal pratices".

Thanks Again...

 

[gmclam]

gmclam, thank you so much for the help.

You are welcome. I could be a little more specific if I knew what scanner you were considering.

One more question, if I may. I was told yesterday that some channels / talk groups will be encrypted. How likely is this to effect listening?

The "problem" is that it is now illegal to monitor certain types of communications which includes encrypted signals. So no scanner will decode them. Looking here, I don't see the system you are speaking of. I realize it is likely not active yet, but I'd have a better answer with more specific information.

 

[KrisFFEMT]

GMClam,

That link is current, as you suspected. The new Freqs are *hoping* to go into effect around May-ish. Actually, at this point, the FCC has yet to provide our county with all the blessing and specific freqs. It's only been over 2 years (we keep being told that it usually takes 12-14 months). Im trying to find out exactly what Motorola type system it is. I do know, they will use the low band still for dispatching (at least for awhile, we were told). I'm a volunteer FF / EMT, so I like to listen as I go enroute to a scene so I know what is going on, if we were cancelled, blah, blah, blah. In my little part of the world, as a vol. member only officers get portable radios. It's supposed to be the very upper 400's as I remember it could be as high as 512 (I think I have that number correct).

Again, thanks for your time and help.

 

[SkipSanders]

There is indeed a 'slow growth' system listed in the FCC files, not yet assigned a callsign, but... it is not, apparently, a trunking system. It is listed as 'PW - Public Safety, Conventional'.

FCC File Number Links:
http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applMain.jsp?applID=5171662&__newWindow=false
http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applMain.jsp?applID=5171675&__newWindow=false

Licensee, Franklin County.

Frequencies involved, both input and output: (494-496 output, 497-500 input)

494.33750000 494.38750000 494.50000000 494.57500000 494.66250000 494.78750000 494.93750000 495.01250000 495.06250000 495.20000000 495.25000000 495.27500000 495.45000000 495.46250000 495.52500000 495.60000000 495.62500000 495.65000000 495.86250000 495.87500000 496.05000000 496.12500000 496.22500000 496.32500000 496.45000000 496.55000000 496.60000000 496.75000000

497.33750000 497.38750000 497.50000000 497.57500000 497.78750000 497.93750000 498.01250000 498.20000000 498.25000000 498.45000000 498.46250000 498.52500000 498.60000000 498.62500000 498.86250000 498.87500000 499.12500000 499.22500000 499.32500000 499.55000000 499.60000000 499.75000000

 

[KrisFFEMT]

Interesting........

Skip, that is very interesting. If this helps, orginally, they were not going to do a trunking system. However, after more looking into the system, it was advised to go to Trunking so it's not out grown within a short number of years. Could that be freqs allocated prior to the change to trunking? At this very moment, I cannot recall the date it was decided to change. However, it very well may have been since Oct 09. Does that help?

Great post, BTW, I didn't know that was there (The FCC Search).

 

[SkipSanders]

Trunking is more efficient, but they'd have to start over, to change all the applications, and that would already have been done, if they were doing it, for any near-term system.

I doubt any chance of getting it relicensed by May. Trunking radios can do conventional as well, perhaps they intend to start out with the system in conventional mode, and switch over later, just buying trunking radios and using them in conventional mode.

Purely guesswork, though.

Addressing another question, encryption is not monitorable. If they choose to encrypt everything (rarely done for non-police systems/talkgroups), no listening. Most commonly, they choose to encrypt tactical groups, but not primary dispatch groups.

 

[gmclam]

Great post, BTW, I didn't know that was there (The FCC Search).

Click on the database link at the top of the page, you can search many different ways. I guess the next thing we need to know is whether or not this system is analog, digital, or ?

 

[KrisFFEMT]

This is what I was told from a person "in the know" ........ It will be some analog, but mostly digital and trunked. Analog will be kept for the dispatch channel so the minitors (pagers) will still work for dispatching / alerting to calls. VERY Interesting on the trunking part. Seems to be a little variance from what we are being told and what the FCC is showing on their website ~ for "some" reason.

 

[SkipSanders]

GMClam, while there does appear to be a way to access the FCC records from the radioreference database, it's only available to paid accounts.

The direct FCC license records searches do not, of course, require that.

Main link into the FCC records searches:

FCC General Menu Reports