Allegheny Power TRS

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Thunderbolt

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First Energy's Allegheny Power group, is in the process of installing a multiple site, Project 25 TRS. This VHF-High band TRS operates between 150.0000 MHz, and 174 MHz. The counties in the Panhandle area from Washington County westward, have pending sites awaiting licensing from the FCC. A few of these sites also include southern Pennsylvania as well.

If anyone can search between the aforementioned frequencies, and let us know if you hear any active control channels, it would be most appreciated. We believe the system ID is 89A. Please submit your findings to our database.

Thank you and Happy New Year!

73s

Ron
 

wmbio

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Cumberland Maryland, Allegany County, 2 control channels found, with 89A System ID. 152.2325 MHZ & 153.0950 MHZ

Setting the system up now to take a listen this week and will confirm traffic to submit the the DB ADM..

Enjoy
Wmbio
 

mtindor

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Cumberland Maryland, Allegany County, 2 control channels found, with 89A System ID. 152.2325 MHZ & 153.0950 MHZ

Setting the system up now to take a listen this week and will confirm traffic to submit the the DB ADM..

Enjoy
Wmbio

What are the site IDs for 152.2325 and 153.095? We probably already know this based upon what I submitted previously, but I was monitoring fairly weak P25 signals from here nad so my data may not be 100% correct.

153.095 is likely August WV (Hampshire Co)

If you'are able to actually hear the CC data on both 152.2325 and 153.095, it'll be great if you are able to run Pro96Com (on a RS/GRE/Uniden scanner with PC/IF capabilities) or Unitrunker with a discriminiator tap to get a list of all neighborrs that each of these sites has associated with them.

Here is a Google Map of the current sites for which either a license has been issued or a license is pending:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid...ll=39.291797,-78.354492&spn=4.642031,9.876709

FELHC also has some paging licenses covering specific market areas and frequency ranges, and under those licenses some site frequencies will be used. The 152.2325 would fall into one of those paging licenses currently and doesn't list a specific geographical location or specific frequency. Probably, at some point down the road, each site will be listed under a trunked license -- but for now some might be built out using freqs from the paging licenses.

- Mike
 
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MtnBiker2005

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wmbio

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Confirming CC, 173.275 MHZ, Allegany county, Dans Mountain site, Midland Md.

No traffic heard this week.

Enjoy
Wmbio
 
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mtindor

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Confirming CC, 173.275 MHZ, Allegany county, Dans Mountain site, Midland Md.

No traffic heard this week.

Enjoy
Wmbio

Are you able to ascertain what the site ID is for that site? If you're using a PSR-500/600 to monitor it, all of that information should show up on the screen if you are in Tune / Search mode.

Mike
 

wmbio

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Mike,
I just got PRO96.COM running on my PSR-600...I'm a NUBEE ....What info do you need me to get for you?

Enjoy
Wmbio
 

MtnBiker2005

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Just any site info...


Site System ID:
Site WACN:
Site Number:
Site Location:
Site FCC License(s):
(This will show up on Pro96com within 1 hour. If the site sends out the info)
Site NAC: (Get the NAC from your scanner screen display)
Site Frequencies: (primary , alternate control channels), along with the voice freqs.
Site Neighbors: (include the site status, Since it's not included in the tower report file).

Look in the Pro96com folder. You will find a tower.txt report with the info in it.

By default, Pro96Com will now store it's system data files in the "My Documents\Pro96Com" folder. This is due to Windows UAC (User Account Control) issues on Windows Vista and Windows 7.
 
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wmbio

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Just any site info...

Here is what I see....

System ID:...89A
WACN:.....01DB6
Site Number:...110(T010A)
Site NAC: NONE LISTED
Site Neighbors:
#Format: TowerID,TowerIDHex,System ID,Channel,Frequency,Tower Name
105,"T0105",89a,"00-2870",158.17500,""
109,"T0109",89a,"00-0340",151.85000,""
111,"T010B",89a,"00-0499",152.24750,""
135,"T0123",89a,"00-0850",153.12500,""
1193,"T01C1",89a,"00-0838",153.09500,""
Site Frequencies: [NEW 173.275CC Primary], NO alternate control channels listed), along with the NO voice freqs.[/I]
Site Location: Midland Md per the map
Site FCC License(s):
(NONE LISTED This will show up on Pro96com within 1 hour. If the site sends out the info)

Look in the Pro96com folder. You will find a tower.txt report with the info in it.

By default, Pro96Com will now store it's system data files in the "My Documents\Pro96Com" folder. This is due to Windows UAC (User Account Control) issues on Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Enjoy
Wmbio
 

mtindor

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Enjoy
Wmbio

Excellent information. Very very useful. Thanks so much. You might want to check to see if you can hear any of those neighbor sites directly surrounding it. Although they appear to be at least 20 miles apart from one another.

I updated the DB using the info you provided.

Mike
 

wmbio

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Mike,

Attached are the two other towers I can hear, 153.0950 and 152.2325 using PRO96COM tonight. You might find some useful information here?

Enjoy
Wmbio
 

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  • Tower01193.txt
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  • Tower01195.txt
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mtindor

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Mike,

Attached are the two other towers I can hear, 153.0950 and 152.2325 using PRO96COM tonight. You might find some useful information here?

Enjoy
Wmbio

More excellence! Ok, a few more questions:

1. Are you getting a fairly decent signal on all three sites you can hear?
2. Are you using an external antenna?
3. Is there any fading, or are the signal strengths on all three sites fairly consistent?

I ask because I am making guesses as to what the unidentified sites are based upon their site neighbors and the fact that you can hear them (like 1-195). We won't give them name/location data until we can confirm by FCC records or by somebody being on location verifying. But it would help to know if all three sites you are hearing are "local" to you (1-50 miles).

At any rate, I appreciate your sleuthing. I barely hear 1195 (1-195) fading in and out of the white noise here. The only time I'll ever hear any of those sites is during periods of enhanced propagation. I'm guessing 1-195 is either McHendry, MD or Lost City, WV. And forget the fact that the database says Allegheny Co PA - that's incorrect for certain.

mike
 
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wmbio

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Cumberland, Md
More excellence! Ok, a few more questions:

HI MIKE

1. Are you getting a fairly decent signal on all three sites you can hear?..YES, 4BARS, 99% DECODE RATE ON ALL 3 CC's
2. Are you using an external antenna?..YES..BOB GROVE SCANNER BEAM
3. Is there any fading, or are the signal strengths on all three sites fairly consistent?..NO FADING

I ask because I am making guesses as to what the unidentified sites are based upon their site neighbors and the fact that you can hear them (like 1-195). We won't give them name/location data until we can confirm by FCC records or by somebody being on location verifying. But it would help to know if all three sites you are hearing are "local" to you (1-50 miles)...MY GUESS IS YES...But I cannot pinpoint the locations...I believe the map is accurate to a point.

At any rate, I appreciate your sleuthing. I barely hear 1195 (1-195) fading in and out of the white noise here. The only time I'll ever hear any of those sites is during periods of enhanced propagation. I'm guessing 1-195 is either McHendry, MD or Lost City, WV. And forget the fact that the database says Allegheny Co PA - that's incorrect for certain.

mike


ENJOY
Wmbio
 

freqhopping

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Searching through the FCC database I've found some YG licenses for Allegheny Energy Service Corporation that seem like they could be part of the system.

WQKP846
153.125 b
153.155 b
153.425 b
153.575 b
153.650 b
153.665 b
158.160 m
158.175 m
158.250 m
159.615 m
159.900 m

With locations site locations of:
.1 MI SW OF Dans Rock 3.5 MI E Midland, MD Allegany County 39-34-52.0 N, 078-53-55.0 W

3.1 MI S US33 & US 19 Adrian, WV Upshur County 38-56-56.0 N, 080-21-13.0 W

1.7 MI N OF SR 23 & US 50 Salem WV Doddridge County 39-19-10.3 N, 080-34-13.3 W


WQMM607
151.790 b
151.850 b
152.330 b
152.960 b
153.335 b
153.500 b
157.590 m
158.175 m
158.295 m
159.645 m
159.825 m
160.185 m

6 Miles NE Philippi, wv Barbour County 39-15-04.3 N, 079-57-30.3 W

Bassel Hill, US Route 19, 3 miles south Sutton, WV Braxton County 38-37-09.4 N, 080-41-55.3 W

1.5 miles NW OF US50 AND I79 Cedarville, WV Gilmer County 38-50-44.3 N, 080-47-33.4 W




WQMN262
151.910 b
153.335 b
153.410 b
153.5450 b
153.7025 b
158.1450 m
158.250 m
159.6525 m
160.0875 m
160.1850 m

Hopkins Knob 5 KM N Alvon, WV Greenbrier County 37-56-46.4 N, 080-14-56.3 W

2.8 MI. E OF Willow Island. Willow Island, WV Pleasants County 39-21-22.2 N, 081-15-24.4 W


WQKV254
152.375 b
153.290 b
153.380 b
153.650 b
153.695 b
153.710 b
157.635 m
158.250 m
158.340 m
158.370 m
159.7575 m
159.810 m

3.2 KM NNE Craigsville, WV Nicholas County 38-21-34.4 N, 080-38-50.3 W

1 MI E Durbin, WV Pocahontas County 38-34-30.4 N, 079-50-27.2 W

Pisgah Knob Clay, WV Clay County 38-26-46.4 N, 081-03-59.4 W
 

mtindor

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Thank you, Freq.

We already have the WQMN262 sites documented in the Google map. The Midland, MD site is already documented in the DB and on the Google map. However, those few licenses you found contained quite a number of WV sites that I was unaware of. I added those sites to the Google map.

They won't show up in the DB though until somebody discovers them to be in operation. The database will only list live sites. We'll have to document the rest behind the scenes [maybe I'll enter it into the RR Wiki if I have time] so that we have one place to go to get the license information and frequencies for a particular site [that is unconfirmed].

I think the best way for most people who are in a potential coverage area is for the to simply scan all of VHF from 150 to 174 looking for P25 control channels with a System ID of 89A / WACN of 01DB6 . Why? Because in at least two cases already we know of frequencies in use at particular sites which aren't documented in any license. So they are building out using a combination of specific trunked licenses, some commercial paging spectrum [in one or two market areas] and possibly some existing conventional site frequencies.

A thorough scan from 150-174 if one lives in the coverage area will likely be the most productive way to see any sites in one's vicinity are online.

mike
 

freqhopping

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I just now figured out that I can receive the system on 152.2475 in Loudoun Co. Full strength on my Pro-106 with the RS 800Mhz antenna if I stand near my southern window. Connected to my attic antenna with an amp it decodes at 80%. Reception to the north is absolute crap so you can rule out anything in that direction.


Pro96Com shows
SysID: 89A
Frequency: 151.00500/33 :confused: After restarting the program it shows 151.0050/49. The tower file shows 151.00500/1,151.03000/1,0
Site/Tower ID: 133 (RFSS:1 Site: 33)
WACN: 01DB6
Status: ST!

Adjacent sites:
108 on 164.0400
135 on 151.0075



Pro96 must be doing something screwy.
Restarted again and now it's showing
Adjacent sites:
108 on 173.375
135 on 153.125

And no /## next to the control channel frequency for this site.
 
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mtindor

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Pro96Com shows
SysID: 89A
Frequency: 151.00500/33 :confused: After restarting the program it shows 151.0050/49. The tower file shows 151.00500/1,151.03000/1,0
Site/Tower ID: 133 (RFSS:1 Site: 33)
WACN: 01DB6
Status: ST!

Adjacent sites:
108 on 164.0400
135 on 151.0075



Pro96 must be doing something screwy.
Restarted again and now it's showing
Adjacent sites:
108 on 173.375
135 on 153.125

And no /## next to the control channel frequency for this site.

Are you saying that since you restarted again, there are no references to 151.005 anywhere? I must admit, from your post I can't figure out where you were saying you saw 151.005/49, 151.03, etc.

Could you close Pro96Com, restart your Pro96 while sitting on the CC, go into the Pro96Com directory and delete any information regarding system 89a, and then start collecting from scratch again? The resulting tower file would then be more trustworthy. I'm always concerned once data becomes corrupted, that it may never totally be cleaned up without restarting the session from scratch wtihout any system data in it.

mike
 

mtindor

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Incidentally, it looks like that site is in Site Trunking mode curently (ST! I think indicates site trunking), which means that although that system lists certain sites as neighbor sites, it's not currently connected to them. Not surprising since so much of this system is still in its infancy.

But, that leads me to question how accurate the reporting of site neighbors is going to be for now. And if the site neighbor site IDs and frequencies aren't to be trusted, then most of what is entered into the RRDB is pure speculation at this point. After all, only four sites (including the one you are monitoring) have been monitored directly. All of the ohter sites listed/referenced in the DB and in my notes are based purely upon the site neighbor data produced by the sites that were directly monitored.

So anyone reading should keep in mind that anything in the DB related to this system is certainly subject to change.

Mike
 

mtindor

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Looks like either Middletown or Fort Richie MD might be 1-108. Can't say that for sure though since no existing license or application mentions 152.2475. There are multiple 152.xxxx frequencies in use which aren't on any licenses or applications, because they also have a CP (paging) license with 152 Mhz privileges in a particular market area over that way, and they seem to be using frequencies out of that range.

I marked site 1-008 on my Google map (based upon the site you monitored having a neighbor site 1-008 with a freq of 173.375 and there being an existing license or application for Clear Spring, MD on that frequency. I didn't add it to the RRDB though.

Would still like to see a tower file produced from a "pristine" install of Pro96Com that doesn't have any previous references to 89a in it.

Mike
 
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