Alaska LMR Trunking system questions

[WG3K]

I recently went through the ALMR licenses getting positions for each site (thanks to theaton for processing all that data). Along the way I came across the following bits of information that didn't quite fit. I'm a little far away to monitor any of the sites to see if any of these are actually on the air. I wonder if folks could take a listen and provide any feedback.

Palmer, Anchorage site
WQBD636
61.62392 -149.11722
154.7375
154.8875
155.4875
155.6875
155.8500
156.0875
156.2375

Blueberry Hill - Eagle River
154.5375 instead of 155.5375

Hurricane, Matanuska-Susitna
WQBB426
62.85389 -149.56194
154.8000
154.9500
155.3500
(New site?)

Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star
WQBM743
64.98611 -147.59817
154.7500
154.9250
156.0750
156.2250
(New site or Donnely Dome with different FCC license?)
(2 MILES NORTH OF FOX)

Moose Pass, Kenai Peninsula
WQBM743
60.34303 -149.31603
154.9375
155.4750
156.1750
(1 MILE EAST OF SEWARD HWY, MP 18.7)

Slana, Valdez Cordova
WQBM743
62.72111 -144.04056
154.6750
154.8250
154.9875
156.1625
(CVTC RADIO SITE)

Kink, Matanuska-Susitna
WQBM743
61.42222 -149.87444
154.9625
155.0625
155.2625
155.4000
155.5750
155.7375
155.8250
155.8750
155.9250
156.0125
(MILE 2.0 POINT MAC KENZIE RD)

Ski Hill - Soldotna site
WQBB428
155.2375 (frequency not on RR)

Pipeline Hills - Sterling
WQBB428
155.3500 (frequency not on RR)

Elmendorf
WPYG872
156.0875 (not listed in FCC db)

Fort Greely
WPYG872
155.7625 (frequency not on RR)


Anchorage Fire Station 12
WPYG871
155.8125 (frequency not on RR)

Pole Hill
WBYG871
155.7625 (frequency not on RR)

Site Summit
WPYG870
155.4125 (frequency not on RR)
155.5000 (frequency not on RR)
155.9750 (frequency not on RR)

Wolcott Mountain
154.7875 (frequency not in FCC db)

Tok
156.2375 (frequency not on RR)

Chugiak
773.79375 (frequency not in FCC db)

 

[aps_ak]

Palmer, Anchorage site
WQBD636
61.62392 -149.11722
154.7375
154.8875
155.4875
155.6875
155.8500
156.0875
156.2375

This is listed site 1-009 of ALMR in Palmer (Not Anchorage, two different boroughs - they must have gotten the boroughs wrong on the application), Active CC is 154.8875

Blueberry Hill - Eagle River
154.5375 instead of 155.5375

The correct CC is 155.5375. This is current as of now. I think the License is incorrect or something. 154.91250/155.5375 is a standard cc/ac channel pair on ALMR.

Hurricane, Matanuska-Susitna
WQBB426
62.85389 -149.56194
154.8000
154.9500
155.3500
(New site?)

This site was planned for Alaska Railroad use, as its literally the only thing in that area, but never built (and probably will not be built).

Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star
WQBM743
64.98611 -147.59817
154.7500
154.9250
156.0750
156.2250
(New site or Donnely Dome with different FCC license?)
(2 MILES NORTH OF FOX)

It's too far to be Donnely Dome. Could be another site that was planned and not built, but it is not a thing right now. Portable coverage is pretty bad in that particular area.

Moose Pass, Kenai Peninsula
WQBM743
60.34303 -149.31603
154.9375
155.4750
156.1750
(1 MILE EAST OF SEWARD HWY, MP 18.7)

This is a listed site 1-041. 154.93750 is the cc.

Slana, Valdez Cordova
WQBM743
62.72111 -144.04056
154.6750
154.8250
154.9875
156.1625
(CVTC RADIO SITE)

I'm unaware of any active sites in that area, (Tok Cutoff highway at this time has no ALMR coverage). This could be a proposed site. I'll plug the channels in and see what happens next time I'm in the area.

Kink, Matanuska-Susitna
WQBM743
61.42222 -149.87444
154.9625
155.0625
155.2625
155.4000
155.5750
155.7375
155.8250
155.8750
155.9250
156.0125
(MILE 2.0 POINT MAC KENZIE RD)

Aside from the fact that they misspelled "Knik" on the License application, I'm not aware of this as being an active site. I'm close to that area, and frequencies aren't showing up as a neighboring site anywhere as I type this out.

Ski Hill - Soldotna site
WQBB428
155.2375 (frequency not on RR)

Pipeline Hills - Sterling
WQBB428
155.3500 (frequency not on RR)

Elmendorf
WPYG872
156.0875 (not listed in FCC db)

Fort Greely
WPYG872
155.7625 (frequency not on RR)


Anchorage Fire Station 12
WPYG871
155.8125 (frequency not on RR)

Pole Hill
WBYG871
155.7625 (frequency not on RR)

Site Summit
WPYG870
155.4125 (frequency not on RR)
155.5000 (frequency not on RR)
155.9750 (frequency not on RR)

Wolcott Mountain
154.7875 (frequency not in FCC db)

Tok
156.2375 (frequency not on RR)

Chugiak
773.79375 (frequency not in FCC db)

Feel free to submit these channels above to the database. Channels get added periodically to decrease the rate of busies, or they may be missed in submissions because they are just voice channels and don't need to be programmed into scanners anyway. For the sake of completeness, they should probably be listed.

 

[aps_ak]

Also, I take it you were the person who changed some of the site names to add parenthesis with locations on them. Be cautious about going off labels in FCC listings, as they don't always reflect the nearest communities to the site. Most of the location annotations that were submitted were inaccurate. For example, adding "Palmer" to Tahetna Pass Site is misleading, as Palmer is about 50 road miles away from this site, has two other sites in between them. Same was the case with few others.

I understand that this was probably done with good intentions, but it would have created more confusion. I requested that most of those changes be reversed. If you know Alaska and ALMR system very well from first person scanning experience, that's great - but if you are making these changes from four timezones away, things can be difficult to verify. Lastly,Thank you for putting in site positions to the database.

 

[Wilrobnson]

It's too far to be Donnely Dome. Could be another site that was planned and not built, but it is not a thing right now. Portable coverage is pretty bad in that particular area.

FWIW re: Fox, portable, on hip, inside the Turtle Club is non-existent. Standing in the parking lot the radio kept looking back and forth between the ski hill (Birch) and (I think) Ester.

IIRC, Donnely is nowhere near Fox, it's down near Delta Junction. I've traipsed over DD and would've appreciated heading into Silver Gulch afterwards ;D

 

[aps_ak]

FWIW re: Fox, portable, on hip, inside the Turtle Club is non-existent. Standing in the parking lot the radio kept looking back and forth between the ski hill (Birch) and (I think) Ester.



IIRC, Donnely is nowhere near Fox, it's down near Delta Junction. I've traipsed over DD and would've appreciated heading into Silver Gulch afterwards ;D

I agree 100% on the Silver Gulch part. And yeah, it's definitely not Donnelly Dome. ALMR has a number of licenses that seem to have not been realized yet. With the State of our budget, I can't see any new State funding for new sites anytime soon. And yep, never had luck with coverage in fox, especially inside buildings.

 

[WG3K]

... Most of the location annotations that were submitted were inaccurate. For example, adding "Palmer" to Tahetna Pass Site is misleading, as Palmer is about 50 road miles away from this site, has two other sites in between them. Same was the case with few others.

I requested that most of those changes be reversed. If you know Alaska and ALMR system very well from first person scanning experience, that's great - but if you are making these changes from four timezones away, things can be difficult to verify. Lastly,Thank you for putting in site positions to the database.

Yeah, my intention was to get the coordinates into the db and some of my notes may have drifted over as well. That was one of the reasons I originally posted all my notes (or at least the stuff that didn't seem to align well) here, on the forum, so that locals could help sort it out. So, please, make changes where necessary.

 

[WG3K]

Feel free to submit these channels above to the database. Channels get added periodically to decrease the rate of busies, or they may be missed in submissions because they are just voice channels and don't need to be programmed into scanners anyway. For the sake of completeness, they should probably be listed.

I'd feel more comfortable with you doing the submission. Thanks for ground truthing this information!