CA Caltrans Trunked Systems Database Downloads

[es93546]

I'm trying to import the Caltrans trunked systems for Districts 4, 7, 8 and 12 into my BCD325P2. When I go through the menu using the ProScan software the only state trunked system that shows up is the new CRIS system. This when I bring up California State trunked systems. The State of California has a ton of trunked systems that are not accessible either, think of DOC, U of CA, and the CA State Universities. Has anyone else experienced this glitch? How do we get it fixed?

 

[es93546]

Disregard, I found the District 7, 8 &12 system buried down in the LA County trunked system listings. I wish the database would be consistent and list things in order of their level, i.e. federal, state, county and local. Why should I have to dig around in the LA and Alameda Counties listings to find Caltrans systems?

 

[Markb]

The Caltrans system only covers 4 counties. Where it's located in the DB is more a function of coverage and not who owns the system. The CRIS system will cover 99% of the state.

 

[ko6jw_2]

The information on CALTRANS trunked systems seems to be in the California database under Department of Transportation. As was pointed out above most districts are not yet trunked. In some areas state agencies do use local trunked systems in addition to their own frequencies. San Diego is an example.

 

[es93546]

The information on CALTRANS trunked systems seems to be in the California database under Department of Transportation. As was pointed out above most districts are not yet trunked. In some areas state agencies do use local trunked systems in addition to their own frequencies. San Diego is an example.

Many agencies have talkgroups on local systems, with the San Diego-Imperial system being a great example. The Bureau of Land Management has several talkgroups on the system. However, they do this so their law enforcement personnel can talk with other local law enforcement agencies, not to conduct their primary communications on this 2 county system. Caltrans chose to put their primary comms on this system. This is stated on the database page for this state agency. Therefore, I know where to find it when I go through the import process in ProScan. The systems for D4, D7, D8 and D12 are state owned trunked systems and listed under the heading "California State Agencies," "Department of Transportation (CALTRANS)" and then under the respective districts. If that is the way the information is organized, then navigating to those trunked systems for downloads should reflect the same, otherwise confusion is created.

 

[norcalscan]

The CRIS system will cover 99% of the state.

Land or people?
99% of the land is quite the engineering feat and money spend. 99% of the people leaves 400,000 people uncovered, which would be the entire population of Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity, Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Mono, Inyo, and Alpine counties combined, adding up to 402,501 people, none of which have CRIS coverage that we know of so far. However Site 11 might shoot into Trinity a bit (VHF certainly does), and Cobb mtn might have mobile coverage in the southern tip of Mendo, knocking out about 2501 people off the estimated lack of coverage.

That was a fun jog with the calculator.

Also, Caltrans is real chatty, might as well dedicate 1 of the 5 available voice channels at each site just to them.

 

[es93546]

Land or people?
99% of the land is quite the engineering feat and money spend. 99% of the people leaves 400,000 people uncovered, which would be the entire population of Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity, Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Mono, Inyo, and Alpine counties combined, adding up to 402,501 people, none of which have CRIS coverage that we know of so far. However Site 11 might shoot into Trinity a bit (VHF certainly does), and Cobb mtn might have mobile coverage in the southern tip of Mendo, knocking out about 2501 people off the estimated lack of coverage.

That was a fun jog with the calculator.

Also, Caltrans is real chatty, might as well dedicate 1 of the 5 available voice channels at each site just to them.

It's nice to know that I'm in the 1% of something! You've probably also heard that 95% of the population of California lives in urban areas. That leaves the rest of the state to 5% of its people. Fine by me! One thing left out of estimates like these are the large areas of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties that are sparsely populated, given that San Bernardino County is the largest county in the U.S. in land area and the eastern half of Riverside County having very few residents, with the exception of Blythe.

If Markb actually meant 99% of the land, there isn't any radio system that can make that claim and never will. Heck, GPS doesn't have that much coverage. I learned that carrying a GPS device on backpacking trips and on the job. Sometimes there wouldn't be any satellites showing up on the screen and sometimes just one. Very often there would be 2 fairly close to each other. So much for triangulation! In spite of the usefulness of GPS, I maintained my map and compass skills, which I owe much to getting a B.S.-Forestry degree to. Another thing about GPS and any computer based mapping system, they stink in rural areas. They continue to route people in ways that leave me scratching my head.

Most state, county and municipal highway and road department personnel are chatty on the radio. This is why it is important to listen to them, along with highway patrols. You get some very useful details about road conditions that way. In snow country this can be critical, in my experience.

 

[mmckenna]

Land or people?
99% of the land is quite the engineering feat and money spend.

Yeah, 99% of the population. No way they'd ever get 99% of the land on 700MHz.