Abilene EDACS, Fire Dispatch

[trunkerman63]

Steve and FastEddy already know this, but wanted to post it.

Last night, Abilene EDACS was totally dead. Nothing being said, not even the buses and they always are running on Sunday nights.

Two medical calls were heard only on MetroCare, nothing said on fire dispatch as has always happened.
A wreck with entrapment, again, only heard on MetroCare. Fire dispatch...silent.

I have emailed Fire Admin. to see what's up. I'm afraid they have gone all ProVoice even for dispatching fire and med calls. Bummer if that is true.

This a.m. the civic center and street dept. were talking, so EDACS hasn't been abandoned as first thought. The signal was there on both scanners just no use of it. Thought for a while the city had a new system somewhere else!

 

[rattlerbb01]

Interesting. When I passed through Abilene the other day, I was hearing some sort of digital modulation on VHF 154.385. It kind of sounded like TRBO. It wasn't ProVoice being patched to VHF for certain, but nonetheless, it had no PL/DPL and was some flavor of non-P25 digital modulation.

 

[rattlerbb01]

To add to that, I did not hear Fire or EMS going though there, but I did hear the bus channels and water and sanitation departments. I did not stop, so I only had about 20 good minutes of monitoring.

 

[W8RMH]

ProVoice is a digital mode on the EDACS system. They can still use analog.

It can be monitored with Digital Speech Decoder (software package) - The RadioReference Wiki

EDACS Provoice - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[fasteddy64]

Interesting. When I passed through Abilene the other day, I was hearing some sort of digital modulation on VHF 154.385. It kind of sounded like TRBO. It wasn't ProVoice being patched to VHF for certain, but nonetheless, it had no PL/DPL and was some flavor of non-P25 digital modulation.

I am not sure who is using 154.385, it sounds like P25 digital, but my ancient BC785D cant decode it. We are not doing any type of simulcast with our EDACS system.

All of our dispatching for the AFD is done in analog, but the EMS operations of the AFD are all done in Provoice once dispatched. The ambulance service is is a private company and operates on 154.2425.

 

[nd5y]

Interesting. When I passed through Abilene the other day, I was hearing some sort of digital modulation on VHF 154.385. It kind of sounded like TRBO. It wasn't ProVoice being patched to VHF for certain, but nonetheless, it had no PL/DPL and was some flavor of non-P25 digital modulation.

It is these guys.
WQMY741 (CITY AND RURAL RIDES RURAL TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT) FCC Callsign Details
I think it is MOTOTRBO or NEXEDGE 2-slot TDMA. Possibly trunked but I don't know how to tell exactly what it is.
The ones in Stephenville and Comanche key up with a 5 second data burst every 60 seconds.

It replaced a couple of analog repeaters they used to have.

 

[trunkerman63]

Oh yeah, good ol' C.A.R.R.! I remember them well from the old 155.8350 days, plus another channel they were on, forgot the frequency. Strange something like that would pick a super secure type of digital like a police agency. Must be telling dirty jokes or something. LOL!

AFD and the buses were back talking loud 'n' clear last night. What happened Sunday night I don't know. I still think about hearing the FD dispatch in the background of Metro's dispatch, and there I was not hearing it. Oh well, maybe all is back in place now.

 

[fasteddy64]

Tony,
I still think what you heard over the MetroCare radio was the AFD dispatch operating on Tac-2 which has always been Pro-voice so you would never have heard it anyway.
I am back on duty today and everything seems to be just as always, no changes.

 

[trunkerman63]

Howdy Eddy! I bet that's what it was. I'm getting the medical and fire dispatch calls fine now.
Ten fo' on being back on duty. Hope things go smoothly today.

Modulatin' later.

 

[ericsnowman8]

Only the fire dispatch is analog, after the dispatch they use provoice. If it is a major fire they will use analog but it is mostly provoice.

 

[ericsnowman8]

You can see that it is provoice in unitrunker. The fire talkgroups will be digital and analog.

 

[Ensnared]

Motorola MOTOTRBO Sound

Interesting. When I passed through Abilene the other day, I was hearing some sort of digital modulation on VHF 154.385. It kind of sounded like TRBO. It wasn't ProVoice being patched to VHF for certain, but nonetheless, it had no PL/DPL and was some flavor of non-P25 digital modulation.

When I traveled to Big Spring from Waco, I encountered an odd-sounding frequency. At present, I don't remember the actual frequency, but I do know it was one of these listed. I thought I posted something about this system. I noticed it while driving through Hamilton, Taylor, & Commanche counties. When I traced the frequency, here is what I found. I believe the frequency 154.385 is listed here:

ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Trunked License - WQMY741 - CITY AND RURAL RIDES RURAL TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT - Frequencies Summary

CARR | Coleman, TX

 

[fasteddy64]

Only the fire dispatch is analog, after the dispatch they use provoice. If it is a major fire they will use analog but it is mostly provoice.

Here is the run down on the Abilene Fire Department Talk-groups:

On the Dispatch or Primary talkgroup the dispatcher is analog but all of the responding units are in Pro-voice.

Tac-2 is all Pro-voice. This is where all EMS runs and other single company runs operate.

Tac's 3-7 are all analog.

Tac's 8 and 9 are. Pro-voice

Haz-mat talk group is analog.

Fire Train 1 and 3 are Pro-voice, Fire Train 2 and 4 are analog.

Ed

 

[trunkerman63]

That's great info! Thanks Eddy! I'm going to print that off and I bet others will too.
I'm still not getting Nolan Co. or Shackelford, getting a weak Jones Co. I'm beginning to think I'm in a dead spot or hole at my location. Sure wish they allowed outside antennas at this apartment complex, but they don't.

 

[Ensnared]

Nolan County

That's great info! Thanks Eddy! I'm going to print that off and I bet others will too.
I'm still not getting Nolan Co. or Shackelford, getting a weak Jones Co. I'm beginning to think I'm in a dead spot or hole at my location. Sure wish they allowed outside antennas at this apartment complex, but they don't.[/QUOTE

Before Christmas, I was traveling through Sweetwater. I heard Nolan county from the analog side. I wondered why my PSR 500 was not picking them up.

As you likely know, Nolan County lists both analog and digital on the same frequency in the RR DB, 155.685.

So, in order to pick them up, I set up that frequency to search for "mode" and "squelch." When I returned to Waco, afterward, I heard them fine. Hope this helps.

 

[trunkerman63]

That's interesting, Ensnared. I get email notices of posts, and fwded this to Hiegtx to see what he thinks about that.

Thanks!

 

[Ensnared]

Searched & Found It

That's interesting, Ensnared. I get email notices of posts, and fwded this to Hiegtx to see what he thinks about that.

Thanks!

Here is the thread that first tipped me off:

http://forums.radioreference.com/radio-shack-scanners/214738-pro-106-no-p25.html

I should have said I set 155.685 on "auto" for mode & "search" for squelch. Like the posting indicated on 6/24/2011 @ 7:21 pm, N81AA recommended this.

Previously, I tried that which was recommended, entering the frequency twice, but this actually worked quite well.

 

[nd5y]

Ed, how is station alerting done in Abilene?

 

[ericsnowman8]

Here is the run down on the Abilene Fire Department Talk-groups:

On the Dispatch or Primary talkgroup the dispatcher is analog but all of the responding units are in Pro-voice.

Tac-2 is all Pro-voice. This is where all EMS runs and other single company runs operate.

Tac's 3-7 are all analog.

Tac's 8 and 9 are. Pro-voice

Haz-mat talk group is analog.

Fire Train 1 and 3 are Pro-voice, Fire Train 2 and 4 are analog.

Ed

The EMS is on their own vhf system

 

[fasteddy64]

Ed, how is station alerting done in Abilene?

Station alerting is done via a Zetron box which is on a UHF frequency.