Assistance please... Waxahachie ??

[avflyguy]

On another new quest here - - think I've run into a stump (again).

On the RR database, TEXAS then ELLIS COUNTY then Texas Wide Area Radio Network (TxWARN) Project 25, then down towards the bottom 2 thirds of the page, is Ellis County- Waxahachie Talkgroups. WA-LAH! Exactly what I'm looking for. Only one problem???

Now, What are the control frequencies what "Site" (at the top of the page) for this series of talkgroups? There does not appear to be anything even close to Waxahachie.

And on a similar note -- Still w/in the P25 TxWARN under East Texas Medical Center (ETMC) Talkgroups is one entry of interest:

3656 e48 D ETMC West ETMC EMS Dispatch West

What would be the Control / System Frequencies to choose?

I suppose I could just import from Win500 and load ALL the System Frequencies, but that doesn't seem loogical.

Any ideas?

 

[hiegtx]

On another new quest here - - think I've run into a stump (again).

On the RR database, TEXAS then ELLIS COUNTY then Texas Wide Area Radio Network (TxWARN) Project 25, then down towards the bottom 2 thirds of the page, is Ellis County- Waxahachie Talkgroups. WA-LAH! Exactly what I'm looking for. Only one problem???

Now, What are the control frequencies what "Site" (at the top of the page) for this series of talkgroups? There does not appear to be anything even close to Waxahachie.

And on a similar note -- Still w/in the P25 TxWARN under East Texas Medical Center (ETMC) Talkgroups is one entry of interest:

3656 e48 D ETMC West ETMC EMS Dispatch West

What would be the Control / System Frequencies to choose?

I suppose I could just import from Win500 and load ALL the System Frequencies, but that doesn't seem loogical.

Any ideas?

Hi Bill

For right now, ignore the 'Waxahachie' talkgroups on TxWARN P25. Waxahachie is still using the analog talkgroups on the old ETMC analog system. Program the Waxahachie site (site 008) on that system. Note that they still simulcast FD & PD primary on their old Vhf-high frequencies as well.

As I don't actively monitor the EMS talkgroups, I really have not paid much attention whether they are using the ones on the analog system (via the Waxahachie site), or the ones on TxWARN. However, for TxWARN, program the Kaufman site, site 2-032. That site has good coverage in Ellis County.

Note: When programming the ETMC/Waxahachie site, don't forget it's been rebanded,so use the custom band plan for rebanded 800Mhz systems. (That's one of the options built into Win500.)

 

[avflyguy]

hi bill

for right now, ignore the 'waxahachie' talkgroups on txwarn p25. Waxahachie is still using the analog talkgroups on the old etmc analog system. Program the waxahachie site (site 008) on that system. Note that they still simulcast fd & pd primary on their old vhf-high frequencies as well.

i don't see a site 008 anywhere???

as i don't actively monitor the ems talkgroups, i really have not paid much attention whether they are using the ones on the analog system (via the waxahachie site), or the ones on txwarn. However, for txwarn, program the kaufman site, site 2-032. That site has good coverage in ellis county.


i picked kaufman and elmo - still silence

note: When programming the etmc/waxahachie site, don't forget it's been rebanded,so use the custom band plan for rebanded 800mhz systems. (that's one of the options built into win500.)

.
.
do i just click the 'custom' drop down and change to custom or click the trunking tables just above which pops up a box with drop downs then choose "800 mhz rebanded" ?

see bold comments

 

[hiegtx]

see bold comments

i don't see a site 008 anywhere???

oops- typo city!

Waxahachie is Site 009, not 008, on the ETMC analog system. Control channels 853.0375 & 853.4875.

do i just click the 'custom' drop down and change to custom or click the trunking tables just above which pops up a box with drop downs then choose "800 mhz rebanded" ?

In Win500, you'll first click the "trunking tables" button, then select "800mhz rebanded" under the 'standard band plan' choices. That will load the required values in the table. Click OK once you've done that.

To make the scanner actually use those values, you'll need to set the trunking tables value to custom. (See the screen shot.)

i picked kaufman and elmo - still silence

Elmo (on the old analog system) has always been pretty much out of range for me, even using one of the rooftop antennas. However, I'm reasonable sure (without taking a drive to confirm it) that this site may no longer be active. Most all of the other analog ETMC sites, outside of Waxahachie, have shutdown, or converted to P25 TxWARN sites.

From your home location, in far north Dallas, Kaufman (TxWARN P25 site 2-032) may be a stretch for reception. Set it as P25 Standard. When we had the 'weather day' last week (tornadoes & hail), I had my 396XT with me at work, just in case. I was hearing traffic via the Kaufman site, though scratchy. My office location is just west of Medical City (near Forest & Central), and I was also on the fifth floor, south side. That's probably 8 to 10 miles closer than your home location, if memory serves. Kaufman is hit or miss at ground level at home, southwest of downtown, though I can 'hit' it using one of the external antennas. The actual transmit site for the Kaufman site is apparently slightly southeast of the city center. If my guestimate distance, using M/S Streets & Trips is close, I'm getting approximately 36 miles from the tower site to my office location. No wonder it's not crystal clear.

 

[avflyguy]

I think I'm just out of range. I've got it setup as you have suggested. I am hearing two channels on an analog simplex with title tags - "WAX PD Patch" on 155.79 which I think is som sort of PD or Sheffif traffic that comes is crystal clear.

I'll try from my office (Addison Airport) from the 9th floor tomorrow. Finding anything on ETMC has been problematic. Just wonder how it is that ETMCs apparatus can hear/talk just fine from as close as Wylie to any of the Dallas hospitals but I can't? Waxahatche the same. They can hear/talk everything on the "ETMC WEST Dispatch"

ETMC's Waxahachie guys can talk to Wylie and Wylie can receive and xmit all the way from Rockwall to about anywhere within this "ETMC West Dispatch" talkgroup.

Frustrating!

 

[Russell]

ETMC has a couple of talkgroups on the old Plano system (though I never heard much on them). I can also hear them on the TxWARN Kaufman Co 700 MHZ site at times in Allen. As far as I know, Waxahachie never took the patch down from 155.79 to their ETMC talkgroup.

 

[hiegtx]

ETMC has a couple of talkgroups on the old Plano system (though I never heard much on them). I can also hear them on the TxWARN Kaufman Co 700 MHZ site at times in Allen. As far as I know, Waxahachie never took the patch down from 155.79 to their ETMC talkgroup.

Russel,
Correct. Police & fire primaries are still patched from the ETMC analog 800Mhz to their old Vhf-high frequencies.

So far, no activity heard on the 800Mhz (conventional) frequencies licensed to Waxahachie several years ago. I have those entered in a couple of scanners, with 'alerts' set (flashing display or led, depending on which model), and so far, nada. I usually get down that way at least once every month or so, and if range was a problem (from home), I should get a hit when I'm actually in the city if they were in use.

 

[hiegtx]

I think I'm just out of range. I've got it setup as you have suggested. I am hearing two channels on an analog simplex with title tags - "WAX PD Patch" on 155.79 which I think is som sort of PD or Sheffif traffic that comes is crystal clear.

I'll try from my office (Addison Airport) from the 9th floor tomorrow. Finding anything on ETMC has been problematic. Just wonder how it is that ETMCs apparatus can hear/talk just fine from as close as Wylie to any of the Dallas hospitals but I can't? Waxahatche the same. They can hear/talk everything on the "ETMC WEST Dispatch"

ETMC's Waxahachie guys can talk to Wylie and Wylie can receive and xmit all the way from Rockwall to about anywhere within this "ETMC West Dispatch" talkgroup.

With the added height of your 9th floor office, you may be able to pull out Kaufman, or even ETMC/Waxahachie. From my fifth floor office, I was getting the Kaufman site, but don't recall seeing ETMC (but I had a lot of things going on besides scanning).

Frustrating!

You have to remember that our scanners are at best a compromise. Does not matter if you are talking one of the GRE made units (PSR-500 or Pro-106), or Uniden (BCD396XT). We expect them to receive trunked and conventional systems, across multiple frequency bands, from Vhf, Uhf, to 700 & 800Mhz, including both analog & digital. And do all that with just one antenna, for a radio that we hate to pay $400 to $500 for. Then we (including yours truly) get frustrated at times when the scanner can't quite pull out a distant system, or gets overloaded with interference or intermod.

On the other hand, the ETMC guys, or policemen in a cruiser, firefighters, whoever, are using a radio causing several times more than even the most expensive scanner, configured often for just the one frequency band, and also using an antenna for just the one specific band. No wonder they can 'reach' farther than we can 'hear'.