Centre County to test new radio system in October

[Twister_2]

I'm back in town for school and I'm trying to monitor the central region simulcast so I can hear PSU PD. I live no more than 2 miles NE of the site on campus and I cannot decode ANYTHING. This is really terrible. I never had simulcast distortion so bad. I can't get any decode anywhere throughout my apartment.

 

[SlipNutz15]

directional antenna may be your thing.

I only put in the center region towers. PSU's P25 node is up I believe (recycling their old freqs) but that shouldn't matter. Verify your freqs.

 

[Twister_2]

I do indeed have a directional antenna here. It offers no help. I can receive the outer region simulcast just fine but not everything is carried over to it. For example, I don't hear any Penn State traffic on it. I wish that would change because it would fix all my problems.

In the mean time, my 996xt's are showing the control channel as 859.7125MHz with SID: 057Ah-0101. I have no luck fiddling with the P25 adjust mode and levels. I do have my PRO-106 up here so I may go out for a walk and see if it improves outside at all.

Down in Dauphin County I have trouble with simulcast distortion but it isn't this bad!

Any other suggestions?

 

[SlipNutz15]

That's weird. You shouldn't have any big issues on campus since it's pushing the closest signal.

Control Channels in order for center region: 859.7125, 859.4625, 858.9625, 858.7125

Fire Disp: 453.9750
EMS Disp: 460.6125

Also, try turning your squelch down and/or using your built in attenuator for the TRS side. When I drive into the center to work, I drive past the centre hall tower and it overloads the scanner so I turn the attenuation on and it works.

 

[Twister_2]

Thanks for the help, as always.

I tried all those things. I have the system programmed directly from the database with a programming cable. The only difference I can see between what I have and what you wrote is that I have a few other frequencies before those CC's and I have the CC's in the opposite order, but I don't think that will change things.

As I was typing this, my second 996xt which is programmed for the outer region gave me a quick hit on PSU PD 1. I'm not sure how the system decides if it'll broadcast the talkgroup to the center region simulcast or both the center and outer. I wish it would always broadcast it on the outer, but I guess I can't change anything.

Thanks!

 

[SlipNutz15]

The reason it doesn't broadcast on all the towers is because the outer region has fewer frequencies than that center regional and if there isn't anyone selected on a TG on the outer region the outer region towers stay quiet. Once there is someone on the outer region that turns their radio to a TG that is in use in the center region, the towers come to life.

Center Region Towers. WPFG219 (Centre Hall, Port Matilda, Rattlesnake, Philipsburg, Rockview, Boalsburg). WQPE256 (Pine Grove Mills, PSU).

Outer Region Towers. WQPE228 (Kylertown, Sandy Ridge, Tyrone). WQPE225 (Mingoville, Woodward, Howard, Snow Shoe 1, Snow Shoe 2, Pine Glenn).

 

[Twister_2]

Is it significant that the display flashes "Finding Control Channel" periodically? Or do you think the distortion is too bad for it to recognize it as a CC?

 

[SlipNutz15]

Try adjusting your sensitvty thresholds for your CC decode. Maybe make high 75% low 45%. That's what mine are at and I can pick the system up counties away.

 

[Twister_2]

Do you use the 996xt? I know with my 106 I can change the thresholds. I thought the only adjustment to threshold on the 996xt is the 50-200 adjust level. Am I missing something else?

 

[SlipNutz15]

I'm sorry, no. I use GRE PSR-500

 

[Twister_2]

State College PD cruisers are getting "radio upgrades" today. There is a radio tech at the station and what he is doing is a mystery to me. Could it be encryption?

 

[Septa3371CSX1]

State College PD cruisers are getting "radio upgrades" today. There is a radio tech at the station and what he is doing is a mystery to me. Could it be encryption?

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. "Radio upgrades" sounds more like the cruisers are getting their mobiles reprogrammed.

 

[SlipNutz15]

It was just updating some software settings.

 

[HM1529]

I was up at Bald Eagle State Park for a few days this week for a meeting. I left Unitrunker running for a few days in the hotel room while I was out. I was only monitoring the "Outer" system. But, I turned up a few talkgroups that need to be ID'd.

Talkgroups with ID's listed had either affiliations or conversations or both. Talkgroups with no ID's listed had multiple hits recorded, but Unitrunker did not log radio ID's. I don't know why that happens sometimes.


TG 40
???

TG 44
???

TG 102
50467
50463
50470
50498

TG 114
???

TG 115
???

TG 132
???

TG 149
44134

TG 204
50523
50509
50532

TG 205
???

 

[HM1529]

In Centre Co for work again this week. Got some more talkgroups to confirm and additional hits on some from last week.

TG 40
Falls in line to be AMB 20. RID's showing up are 320xx and 321xx so that's likely. I was not listening when Unitrunker logged the hits. How would this channel differ from the PSU EMS talkgroups already listed?

TG 44
Possibly AMB 26? Agaiin, like the above tg, this falls in line with the other EMS company channels. I was not around for audio, just logged hits.

TG 96
State College PD unit affiliated here (43242). Borough public works?

TG102
More htis from 504xx RID's.

TG 146
Multiple 442xx RID's on the air today.

TG 149
Single affiliation from a 442xx unit.

TG 163
Busy afternoon for two 650xx units. First names only. TG only comes up on the PSU site, so I am guessing this is a PSU physical plant (OPP) channel based on the chatter.

TG 187
affiliation from 43242 and 44206.

TG 190
affiliation from 44197

 

[SlipNutz15]

PSU EMS have operations channels not their company channel. I'm still working on verifying the talk groups.

TG187 is called DSEP. It's auxillary officers that go around and call out incidents for SCPD.

A bunch of those PSU site only TGs or IDs are hard to verify on my end because PSU has so many numbers and a lot of those we don't monitor.

I'll keep trying to find out more info and get it updated

 

[SlipNutz15]

if you check around 0120 hours, ID 65061 and 65062 were on BJC OPS 6. not sure what TG that is though. if you can cross reference it

 

[HM1529]

if you check around 0120 hours, ID 65061 and 65062 were on BJC OPS 6. not sure what TG that is though. if you can cross reference it

I'm back in the lowlands now. After listening more, the comms I heard on TG 163 were most likely BJC related. When I was listening late Tuesday night after getting back to my room, the number of guys on the air increased from two to five or six and they were all working together trying to get something moved around and adjusted. They mentioned floors and lights.

Maybe getting ready for this? Bryce Jordan Center | Lady Lion Community Carnival

 

[Septa3371CSX1]

While in the area yesterday monitored activity on talkgroup 107 and 204. I'm guessing 204 was PSU related traffic. Not sure about 107.

EDIT: Also picked up activity on TG 166. Again unsure what it was.

This was my first time in the area since the new system came online. I must say I was very impressed - sounded 10X better than the old system. I started picking it up just above Lewistown and was even able to pick it up in Altoona and Huntingdon. Very good coverage and strong signal throughout.

 

[Twister_2]

I programmed in the ford site and I heard a lot of 42xx traffic and I can confirm that is all PSU auxillary PD (student police). This brings up a few questions. Why do they have their own site that isn't part of the simulcast? Why doesn't 41xx (PSU PD) come over this site? And why is the CC for the P25 site on ford listed under the analog system as well? How can two different systems have the same CC? I'm excited we found something new out and I look forward to investigating it.