Caronport Sask Radio Tower?

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Saskwonder56

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Moose Jaw Saskatchewan
I was in Caronport yesterday afternoon and noticed a (I assume) radio tower next to the Fire Hall. In the PPSTN, there are a few "Unknown Sites" and I'm curious as to if anyone out there in the area could assist in finding or knows if the tower next to the hall is the site for Caronport? If so, does anyone have the site or RFSS it belongs to in the system frequencies?

Currently, I'm running a Unication G5 I just purchased, the closest site I can connect to is Mossbank, but I'm not receiving very much traffic on that site. More so, I live in a rural area so I understand there is a limit to what I'm going to be able to get living out in the country vs the city.
 
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Caronport does not have a PPSTN site. The nearest site is #84 Boharm and it's neighbors are #57 #181 #182 #183 #184. Assiniboia is site #126 and it's neighbors are #07 #121 #123 #125 #127 #183 #200 #201 #203. Mossbank is located between those towers but it may not have a PPSTN site there. We do have members of this forum in Moose Jaw that could be of more help to you with this. More of our members need to go fully mobile with their equipment to decode site data like I have been doing for more than a decade. Get out of the house and travel the province I say. It's good that you are traveling and enjoining this summer.
 
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The last time that I traveled the #2 highway from Assiniboia to Moose Jaw there was no PPSTN radio coverage along much of that highway. I had to detour off and climb to the hill tops to get coverage. On the hilltops up to six PPSTN sites could be decoded at 99% rates so it was difficult to get a good understanding of their exact locations without taking alot of time to travel more of that area. I have a VHF 5/8 wavelength antenna on my SUV and it can overload my decode radio at times. Sorry for not being more helpful at this time.
 

Jay911

Silent Key (April 15th, 2023)
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Bragg Creek, Alberta
A quick Spectrum Direct search reveals the following about the two towers beside the firehall:

TxRxFRIDCallsignStnTypeLatLongLicenseLicensee
157.605​
157.605​
259867​
VAH201Fixed base station
50.45555556​
-105.8205556​
010337699-001RM of Caron #162
156.855​
156.855​
259869​
VAH201Fixed base station
50.45555556​
-105.8205556​
010337699-001RM of Caron #162
156.915​
156.915​
259871​
VAH201Fixed base station
50.45555556​
-105.8205556​
010337699-001RM of Caron #162
882.5​
837.5​
50.45589167​
-105.8197194​
010286773-001Sasktel Mobility(Cell/PCS)
887.5​
842.5​
50.45589167​
-105.8197194​
010286773-001Sasktel Mobility(Cell/PCS)

The cell tower is the one at Cedar x Valleyview in the back, with the wider base and multiple antenna mountpoints. The municipal tower is the one closer to the firehall with the single antenna.
 

Saskwonder56

Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2019
Messages
42
Location
Moose Jaw Saskatchewan
The hobby is all about learning as you go. Site 84 Boharm (Moose Jaw) I pass going into Moose Jaw, unfortunately I cant seem to pick that site from home, (30 minutes away from the tower) (This may be why im hearing only certain TG,s and not others) for instance I pick up MJ Fire, but not MJ EMS? The Mossbank site is the only one in my area the G5 scans and connects two, tried Gravelbourg, Moose Jaw, Chaplin sites but no luck, Keeps saying im out of range of those sites. Most traffic im not hearing in MJ.
 

Saskwonder56

Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2019
Messages
42
Location
Moose Jaw Saskatchewan
A quick Spectrum Direct search reveals the following about the two towers beside the firehall:

TxRxFRIDCallsignStnTypeLatLongLicenseLicensee
157.605​
157.605​
259867​
VAH201Fixed base station
50.45555556​
-105.8205556​
010337699-001RM of Caron #162
156.855​
156.855​
259869​
VAH201Fixed base station
50.45555556​
-105.8205556​
010337699-001RM of Caron #162
156.915​
156.915​
259871​
VAH201Fixed base station
50.45555556​
-105.8205556​
010337699-001RM of Caron #162
882.5​
837.5​
50.45589167​
-105.8197194​
010286773-001Sasktel Mobility(Cell/PCS)
887.5​
842.5​
50.45589167​
-105.8197194​
010286773-001Sasktel Mobility(Cell/PCS)

The cell tower is the one at Cedar x Valleyview in the back, with the wider base and multiple antenna mountpoints. The municipal tower is the one closer to the firehall with the single antenna.

Thanks Jay911 that helps to know as to what that tower is.
 
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Messages
184
In order to hear traffic on a given talkgroup there must be an SU subscriber unit affiliated / logged onto the PPSTN site that you are monitoring. No M.J. EMS on your local site and so you will not hear them. By decoding the data from your local site you will be able to see what SUs are logged / affiliated and the talkgroups associated to them. M.J. FD base station maybe hitting your site or a member of their department could have a portable in your area ?
 
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Feb 3, 2015
Messages
184
I found your site data in my SUV's tablet PC. PPSTN Site 184 Mossbank tower's neighbors are #84 #103 #127 #181 #182 #197 #201 #202.
 

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Saskwonder56

Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2019
Messages
42
Location
Moose Jaw Saskatchewan
In order to hear traffic on a given talkgroup there must be an SU subscriber unit affiliated / logged onto the PPSTN site that you are monitoring. No M.J. EMS on your local site and so you will not hear them. By decoding the data from your local site you will be able to see what SUs are logged / affiliated and the talkgroups associated to them. M.J. FD base station maybe hitting your site or a member of their department could have a portable in your area ?

Ok that makes sense now why im not hearing them or 15 Wing TG from home, there not a SU on the Mossbank site. I dont have a way of decoding the data, so im not able to see what departments are associated to the Mossbank Site.. I believe its the base station that is hitting my site from home, i get the TG clear with no reception issues throughout the R.M
I did heasd into Moose Jaw this morning, and once i passed Caronport it switch the the Moose Jaw site 84 and there i was able to hear MJ EMS & 15 Wing TG's along with a few others i don't have programmed into the Unication. So based on that discovery, the TG's i have programmed most of them aren't on the Mossbank site therefore im not receiving them from home. I have to be on the Moose Jaw site I order to hear those other ones.

I found your site data in my SUV's tablet PC. PPSTN Site 184 Mossbank tower's neighbors are #84 #103 #127 #181 #182 #197 #201 #202.

I wonder if I program the towers neighboring sites if I will get any other TG's to come through? Again, I'm new at this so if that something that's not possible, feel free to chime in. The more educated, the better I understand how this all works.
 
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Messages
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I don't know anything about programming that radio of yours. Those frequencies you see for the neighboring sites were the control channels at the time when I got the decode, but maybe not now as any voice channel can be rotated to become a sites new control channel from time to time.
I have all the control and voice channels for PPSTN loaded into my decode radios so that I can go anywhere in the province and get tower site data. You would have to load all voice and control channels for those neighboring sites to hear them.

My local volunteer FD members have radios like yours and did offer me one already programed for $600 bucks but I declined the offer. The RR database has all that tower site frequency information necessary so have a look at your sites' neighbors there. Maybe one of your local volunteer firefighters is monitoring MJFD and that is why you are also able to hear them.

Someone has to be eavesdropping on MJFD in the Mossbank area.
 

Saskwonder56

Member
Joined
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Messages
42
Location
Moose Jaw Saskatchewan
I don't know anything about programming that radio of yours. Those frequencies you see for the neighboring sites were the control channels at the time when I got the decode but maybe not now as any voice channel can be rotated to become a sites new control channel from time to time. I have all the control and voice channels for PPSTN loaded into my decode radios so that I can go anywhere in the province and get tower site data. You would have to load all voice and control channels for those neighboring sites to hear them. My local volunteer FD members have radios like yours and did offer me one already programed for $600 bucks but I declined the offer. The RR database has all that tower site frequency information necessary so have a look at your sites' neighbors there. Maybe one of your local volunteer firefighters is monitoring MJFD and that is why you are also able to hear them ? Someone has to be eavesdropping on MJFD in the Mossbank area.

I went into Moose Jaw this afternoon, once I got about 20-25 minutes from MJ (Just passing Caronport) the site changes to the local Moose Jaw site 84 I have programmed. There I was able to hear MJ EMS and the 15 Wing Military Police. So, my assumption is that when I am based at home, I can only get 1-2 TG on the Mossbank site.

Once it hits the site 84 Moose Jaw site it has EMS and the Military base TG's on it, so therefore I pick up their TG's. Would this be correct?
It's a case of that I'm likely too far out from the MJ tower to pick up anything really from town aside from Fire Dept. Not entirely sure why I can get them very clear at all times being 30-40 minutes outside Moose Jaw, but not with the any other TG's?
 
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Messages
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In order for you to hear a particular talkgroup on PPSTN, there must be at least one SU logged onto "affiliated" onto your site #184. When an SU is turned on or comes into your site's service area it will do a "global" affiliation on it's home group. You may only hear SaskPower and Mossbank FD if those are the only affiliates on your site.

There must be an SU logged / affiliated on your site with MJFD's talkgroup as that is the only way for you to be hearing their communications on site 184. An SU can only be affiliated to one site at a time as the system will not allow an SU onto multiple sites at the same time. When the SU moves away from your site's service area or is turned off it goes unaffiliate so you will no longer hear activity on that SU's talkgroup.

You maybe able to monitor a neighboring PPSTN site with a high gain antenna on a roof top.
 

Saskwonder56

Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2019
Messages
42
Location
Moose Jaw Saskatchewan
In order for you to hear a particular talkgroup on PPSTN, there must be at least one SU logged onto "affiliated" onto your site #184. When an SU is turned on or comes into your site's service area it will do a "global" affiliation on it's home group. You may only hear SaskPower and Mossbank FD if those are the only affiliates on your site.

There must be an SU logged / affiliated on your site with MJFD's talkgroup as that is the only way for you to be hearing their communications on site 184. An SU can only be affiliated to one site at a time as the system will not allow an SU onto multiple sites at the same time. When the SU moves away from your site's service area or is turned off it goes unaffiliate so you will no longer hear activity on that SU's talkgroup.

You maybe able to monitor a neighboring PPSTN site with a high gain antenna on a roof top.

This all making sense now, last night I picked up Swift EMS for a brief couple minutes on the Mossbank site, so they must have been passing by on the Highway or near the Mossbank site to pick them up. I don't see it in the database, can you advise what TG or Fire Zone Mossbank FD are on? I don't see them in the PPSTN Database.
 
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