Calvert County Public Services TRS

[WG3K]

The new Calvert County Public Services trunking system had some testing activity on it today. What I was hearing was encrypted transmissions on TG 1001. Obviously, I'm not sure if this is a TG being used for system testing coordination or if someone is on the system playing around but it wasn't so much traffic to think that anyone is actually using the system.

Other TGs I heard traffic on are 10101, 10109, and a bunch in the 14000 series that haven't been active since I last listened in August.

 

[maus92]

The new Calvert County Public Services trunking system had some testing activity on it today. What I was hearing was encrypted transmissions on TG 1001. Obviously, I'm not sure if this is a TG being used for system testing coordination or if someone is on the system playing around but it wasn't so much traffic to think that anyone is actually using the system.

Other TGs I heard traffic on are 10101, 10109, and a bunch in the 14000 series that haven't been active since I last listened in August.

Might be an indication they have brought some additional sites online. Or maybe not.

 

[maus92]

Rode down to North Beach this afternoon. The control channel seems much stronger in town than it was back in mid October and earlier, which is probably due to the North Beach water tower site coming online. I also noticed quite a bit of broadband noise between 859.250 and 860.250 - maybe some Sprint / Nextel site from the Eastern Shore?. Not strong enough to interfere with the control channel at 859.5625. IDK.

Looks like a lot of testing on FDMA, and the TDMA slots on 3 system channels, all encrypted.

BSI indicates the callsign as WQXY863.

 

[ResQguy]

I also noticed quite a bit of broadband noise between 859.250 and 860.250 - maybe some Sprint / Nextel site from the Eastern Shore?.

Unless someone forgot to unplug the equipment when they vacated those licenses in rebanding, not likely.

 

[maus92]

I was in Calvert County last week, and their new system was still not carrying much traffic - just some BSI. I *may have* found a new freq, but I'll have to verify if it is accurate. Overall though, signal strength and coverage seems much improved over the last time I checked a moth or two ago.

 

[maus92]

Calvert continues to improve their new P25 system performance. I was able to maintain a 100% decode rate from St Marys all the way through Chesapeake Beach and North Beach. Previously, there were *many* dropouts along that drive. One small problem still remains along MD260 in a depression, but considering I was measuring using a cheap dongle, I'd expect a public safety grade radio to perform much better. Still no traffic other than BSI, but this is a weekend...

 

[maus92]

Coverage of the new P25 system continues to improve. RSSI and decode performance in North Beach is much better than previously observed, and likely surpasses the performance of the current system. Reception of the system into AACo extends to about Tracey's Landing.

 

[ThePhotoGuy]

When is this project supposed to be done? Seems like it has been going on awhile.

 

[maus92]

When is this project supposed to be done? Seems like it has been going on awhile.

IDK, they are definitely on a slow rollout - no notes in the commissioner's agendas

 

[ThePhotoGuy]

From Sep 2019:

1. County-wide radio testing is in progress. Departments will be contacted to complete testing in the buildings
2. Last four (4) radio sites are being constructed and aimed to be completed by Spring 2020

https://www.calvertcountymd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09242019-2314

 

[maus92]

Now that I've improved my antenna situation slightly, I'm able to just barely receive the Calvert P25 system with a SDR cch data decoder. Still no real voice activity, but county radios appear to be using 228xxxx RIDs. There have been a few state radios logging in, with RIDs 212xxxx, who I assume are FIRST project office radios.

 

[boatbod]

I can apparently receive the Calvert control channel from here in Oxford. It's kinda crappy but I'm only using an indoor telecopic antenna.

 

[maus92]

I can apparently receive the Calvert control channel from here in Oxford. It's kinda crappy but I'm only using an indoor telecopic antenna.

Calvert is directly across the water from Oxford, so not *too* surprising. I have a lot of interfering structures and terrain between my location and Calvert, so I was pleasantly surprised. I'm waiting to see if I get useable voice once that starts up.

 

[boatbod]

Calvert is directly across the water from Oxford, so not *too* surprising. I have a lot of interfering structures and terrain between my location and Calvert, so I was pleasantly surprised. I'm waiting to see if I get useable voice once that starts up.

Not quite "directly across" but not so terribly far either. That said, I cannot receive anything from Pax River NAS or any of the other western shore counties.

 

[maus92]

I can receive the Talbot, Dorchester, Matapeake and Taylor's Island sites on FIRST from Calvert with a crap glass antenna, so not surprising. Pax's JNCR coverage is limited to two multicast sites.

 

[motorcoachdoug]

What i would like to know is what setup are you using when on the road and what is your setup when home? I live here in the middle of Monkey County and since Howard is starting to go moto P1 from smartzone

 

[maus92]

What i would like to know is what setup are you using when on the road and what is your setup when home? I live here in the middle of Monkey County and since Howard is starting to go moto P1 from smartzone

SDS200 in the vehicle with a 3db 700/800 low profile antenna, 536 at home with either a 5/8 wave ground plane antenna cut to 773Mhz or a cheap mag mount that came with a SDR. Unitrunker 2 runs on a laptop computer, using a Nooelec SDR and cheap on-glass antenna when mobile. Unitrunker 2 at home is a desktop connected to the 5/8 wave antenna. I will probably replace the 536 with another SDS200 when AACo switches to their new P25 system next year (I anticipate major simulcast issues with the new 22 site system.)

 

[jeepsandradios]

Unication while on the road. Works really good.

 

[maus92]

Unication while on the road. Works really good.

Note that currently, Unication pagers will not work on the existing TRS systems in Calvert, Montgomery, AA, or Howard counties, being that they are SmartNet / SmartZone systems. They will work in the future when these counties transition to their Astro P25 systems. Howard's new system is on the air for testing, and a select few TGs are active; Calvert's is on the air but is still under construction with a few random key ups. Montgomery County *should* be in testing sometime this year, and AACo looks like 2021.

 

[maus92]

Another tower site completed for Calvert's new system at Patuxent HS. Shouldn't be long now.