Cass County's Murdock 800 MHz. tower

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realgeo

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Good day, everyone!

Has anyone heard anything regarding Cass County building a 300' self-supported tower on the southeast portion of Murdock?

Information I've seen seems to indicate that this structure would be part of the 800 MHz. repeater system - WQET706.

According to the FCC's database, it looks like the County was going for a "slow growth" schedule to accomodate getting the tower built.

The other three towers will be the RSA-1 tower southeast of Murray, the old KOTD tower north of Plattsmouth, and the KPTM tower near Gretna.

73's GB
 

NeFire242

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You're kidding me right? I could freakin' throw a rock from Murdock and hit KPTM.
Do they just not see the huge red glowing stick at night?!
 

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SCPD

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The "Gretna repeater" would probably cover the Northwest part of Cass county and maybe even north central. The "Gretna repeater" could also provide a link between Cass county, Sarpy county, Saunders County, and maybe even Douglas county.
You would still need a tower in the southern part of the county due to the limited range of 800MHz and Cass county is pretty hilly.
 

NeFire242

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KG4WHM said:
The "Gretna repeater" would probably cover the Northwest part of Cass county and maybe even north central.

I would certainly hope so. You'd be amazed at how well an 800 beam does 750' in the air. KPTM alone would cover the entire county. I've done some work into this. I can remove the antenna from my truck and still hear the Sarpy system in most areas. The only areas I have a hard time are just as you enter Union from the East on Hwy 34, and some shadow areas along Weeping Water, and Lake Waconda.

KG4WHM said:
The "Gretna repeater" could also provide a link between Cass county, Sarpy county, Saunders County, and maybe even Douglas county.

Cass and Sarpy already have a link. This would just be changing freqs and instead of a conventional mode channel, you'd have a TGID or conventional 800 MHz channel. Not too much should change at the console level or how the two connect.

KG4WHM said:
You would still need a tower in the southern part of the county due to the limited range of 800MHz and Cass county is pretty hilly.

It would make more sense for them to rent space of off the tower outside of Eagle (Three Eagle Communications). This would give them a very high vantage point between this and KPTM, then with the current tower in Plattsmouth to cover that portion.

My only other concern would be again, Lake Waconda and Union. The lake area poses many challenges as it's far enough away from Plattsmouth their high-band doesn't cover the area and it's at the river's edge so you have the sharp drops from Hwy 75 to the East, this is a very large area and it's low lying to try and cover. There is also an earth dam that is taller than my truck on the one side in which you cannot get any RF in or our around that area, and there is a some dense woodlands.

But hey I'm just a kid, I'm sure they've done several RF case studies to determine their needs and to assess the situation and conditions to warrant their RF requirements.
 

SCPD

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NeFire242 said:
Cass and Sarpy already have a link. This would just be changing freqs and instead of a conventional mode channel, you'd have a TGID or conventional 800 MHz channel. Not too much should change at the console level or how the two connect.

What frequency do they you? Or does Sarpy patch them through?

They are putting up a tower according to the original post southeast of Murray.

Maybe it is cheaper to build a tower than rent one. In Lowndes county Georgia the SO rents four towers at $600.00 a MONTH for each tower. 6(4)=2400, 2400(12)=28800 per year. Its not always a good thing to rent. Plus they got some money for homeland security money that the state received.
 

W0JJK

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I believe Sarpy and Cass have a talkgroup that they use a the "interop" resource.

This is the patch talkgroup that they use to connect Sarpy trunking to Cass conventional.

Talkgroup 9168

KC0LOD
 

NeFire242

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KG4WHM said:
What frequency do they use? Or does Sarpy patch them through?

Sarpy would be on their 800MHz system, while Cass would be on any number of their high-band freqs; therefore I believe it would be Sarpy who does all of the RF work to make it happen.

KG4WHM said:
They are putting up a tower according to the original post southeast of Murray.

Murray or Murdock? hmmm.

KG4WHM said:
Maybe it is cheaper to build a tower than rent one.

Maybe. Figure in maintenance costs and the fact a tower is already available and ready to be put in use now. Renting sometimes is an advantage.


Actual the use of patches makes me ask another question. If say Cass and Sarpy create a patch. Cass Fire (Lousiville Fire) to Sarpy Fire (Springfield TG). Now these two agencies can talk freely back and forth. What are the legalities involved when the Cass County dispatcher says their callsign and it's repeated onto the 800MHz Sarpy system? If they're not licensed on that 800 freq, what happens if anything? Thought I'd throw that one out since we have a CJ student here. =p
 

NeFire242

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kc0lod said:
Talkgroup 9168

This TGID is on the Sarpy system then right? Why not just use the DC Interop system? haha. Oh wait you actually want coverage and the ability to talk. =\
 

SCPD

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According to the original post both. One tower in Murray and one by Murdock.

I dought that anyone will care about Cass county saying there callsign on Sarpy's system if they are patch.

I could tell you a story that would get myself, my friend, his supervisor, and Douglas county 911 in trouble with the FCC. Not here though.
 

NeFire242

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Aww, I was hoping for some sort of sekret encrypted vhf channel that you had. I guess email will work okay for now, that is until you get a little more serious about your communication needs. We could always try FRS with a privacy code so no one can hear us. =p

Another thing that really bothers me about Cass county. Their callsigns. I really feel strongly that the dispatcher should be the one to give the callsign not the field units. That and why the EMA people don't use the EMA REPEATER!!
 

realgeo

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Howdy, guys!

What a lively discussion!

To make it clear - the NEW tower is to be built on the southeast corner of MURDOCK - not Murray.

The "Murray" tower is one of two on Queen Hill Road, south of Beaver Lake. One tower is OPPD's and the other is owned by "RSA-1 LLP" out of Iowa. The Cass County 800 MHz. "Murray" repeater will be on the RSA-1 LLP" tower.

The idea was brought up, regarding putting a repeater on the Eagle, NE tower - former home of KFMQ - Q-102.

It's a reasonable idea, but I wouldn't go near that thing if my life depended on it! I think it's had one or two good-working strobes on it for the last 10+ years. I can't figure out how they get by for so long having a tower so poorly and illegally lit.

I, too, think the signal concentration is a bit heavy toward the north side of the county, where it's not terribly needed.

Alltel recently installed a fairly tall monopole on a hill north of Union, on the west side of HW75. I wonder if that wouldn't work to at least begin to cover Lake WaConDa.

73's.
 

SDOG

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CASS County 800

Cass County is putting a 300' tower near the KOTD tower in NW Plattsmouth as the KOTD tower will not support the infrastructure needed for the system. The 2nd tower site is on Queen Hill Rd SE of Murray, and the 3rd transmitter site is a shared antenna on the KPTM tower.

Site 1 Will have a 800 freq for the Plattsmouth Police. It will also have a 2nd pair of 800 for Tactical use

Site 2 Will have 800 mhz and also 154.385 for paging

Site 3 will have 800mhz to cover the west and south portions of the county. The existing Cas Fire Repeater at Hwy 50 and 1 is supposed to be upgraded. There is talk... of placing a tower in the Murdoch area..in the future. But as it was explained to me.. it is not part of the initial system.
 

twister19

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ahhh the primary tower is going to be the one built in Murdock...That is tower site number 1. Then they plan on rebuilding the tower in Plattsmouth to be higher and there is the fact that it wont support the 800 as is. Then the KPTM should cover most of the county with a few dead spots hence the smaller towers such as the one near Murray (that should cover your dead spot in Lake Waconda and Union. I am not quite sure what they planed on doing with the Greenwood issue but I think the tower site in Murdock is suppose to help out on that dead spot. When I get the final word I will let you know, but things will be going up really really soon. Just dont blink or you will miss it.
 

NeFire242

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I'm thinking KPTM will cover Greenwood just fine.

I still don't see a demand to have a tower in Murdock when KPTM is literally RIGHT THERE.
 

NeFire242

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Well George and Twister19 are saying Murdock. This is why Im saying it's crazy to build a tower in Murdock with KPTM shadowing the city.
 
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