Contractor Snow Plows on I95/I295

[W4UVV]

I am hearing a new MOTOTRBO trunked user on 461.5125 mhz/461.7875 mhz. I believe the contractor possibly is Shoosmith Brothers, Chester, but am not sure. One truck mentioned returning to Chester. Has anyone actually seen one or more snowplows on I95 north/south of Chester and/or the Rt. 10 area and/or on I295 near Richmond today and visually ided the snow plow contractor? Whomever it is has a number of trucks out plowing the interstates and connecting roads.

John

W4UVV

 

[dtscho]

Don't know the answer to your question, but those two frequencies are actually part of a Commtronics Capacity Plus trunked system. Using DSD/DSD+ in combination with DMRDecode will show you the talkgroups.

Commtronics (Capacity Plus) Trunking System, Richmond, Virginia - Scanner Frequencies

Dave

 

[W4UVV]

Richmond MOTOTRBO System/Snow Plows

Don't know the answer to your question, but those two frequencies are actually part of a Commtronics Capacity Plus trunked system. Using DSD/DSD+ in combination with DMRDecode will show you the talkgroups.

Commtronics (Capacity Plus) Trunking System, Richmond, Virginia - Scanner Frequencies

Dave

Dave,

I recently installed DMR Decode Build 73 on my Win 7 desktop. However when I attempted to install the latest Java version I got an error message and I did not try an older version of DMR Decode. My interests turned to logging more MOTOTRBO/NXDN users. I tried again today to install the latest Java version and it and DMR Decode both work fine. I think the old Java version had to be "flushed" so a new version would not detect an older version.

I am not intimately familiar with DMR Decode and trying to watch scrolling decoding displays of a live comm is like watching a stock market ticker scrolling on steroids. I activated the log option and will check it later. I need to read up on DMR Decode so that among other things of interest my definition of a "talkgroup" is the same as DMR Decode. One thing I also noticed was an occasional display of "LCN6", "LCN4", "LCN2", etc. Can I infer from those displays additionally there are two other Capacity Plus MOTOTRBO systems under different Commtronics call signs linked as one 6 channel(frequency) trs?
This license only is for only these two frequencies.

My past experiences trying to compile a correct configuration of actual frequencies used by Commtronics in a LTR showed multiple frequencies from different licenses used and some frequencies not used as determined from off air monitoring. Those licenses apparently were not modified to reflect the latest LTR configuration being used. A FCC license database license does not reflect reality. So I am aware of what frustrations I might have to deal with.

I knew this trs was one of a number of Commtronics radio systems installed in the central VA/southside areas. The other only users on this license previously had been a medical transport/taxi service in Richmond. Using L/R audio outputs I had good occasional simultaneous audio from both users (medical transport/snow plows) on both channels when tuned to one of the two trs frequencies.

I use only DSDPlus. DSD 1.4.1 even with the proper "-fi" file extension installed at the MS DOS level did not recognize NXDN 4800 signals. However, DSDPlus did. As you know the default is auto detect decoding without file extensions. Works great. Tnx.

John
W4UVV

 

[KG4INW]

R.J. Smith Cos. and C.D. Hall Construction. Mostly plows but also a number of support vehicles. I helped install the radios so this isn't speculation!

 

[dtscho]

Dave,

I recently installed DMR Decode Build 73 on my Win 7 desktop. However when I attempted to install the latest Java version I got an error message and I did not try an older version of DMR Decode. My interests turned to logging more MOTOTRBO/NXDN users. I tried again today to install the latest Java version and it and DMR Decode both work fine. I think the old Java version had to be "flushed" so a new version would not detect an older version.

I am not intimately familiar with DMR Decode and trying to watch scrolling decoding displays of a live comm is like watching a stock market ticker scrolling on steroids. I activated the log option and will check it later. I need to read up on DMR Decode so that among other things of interest my definition of a "talkgroup" is the same as DMR Decode. One thing I also noticed was an occasional display of "LCN6", "LCN4", "LCN2", etc. Can I infer from those displays additionally there are two other Capacity Plus MOTOTRBO systems under different Commtronics call signs linked as one 6 channel(frequency) trs?
This license only is for only these two frequencies.

My past experiences trying to compile a correct configuration of actual frequencies used by Commtronics in a LTR showed multiple frequencies from different licenses used and some frequencies not used as determined from off air monitoring. Those licenses apparently were not modified to reflect the latest LTR configuration being used. A FCC license database license does not reflect reality. So I am aware of what frustrations I might have to deal with.

I knew this trs was one of a number of Commtronics radio systems installed in the central VA/southside areas. The other only users on this license previously had been a medical transport/taxi service in Richmond. Using L/R audio outputs I had good occasional simultaneous audio from both users (medical transport/snow plows) on both channels when tuned to one of the two trs frequencies.

I use only DSDPlus. DSD 1.4.1 even with the proper "-fi" file extension installed at the MS DOS level did not recognize NXDN 4800 signals. However, DSDPlus did. As you know the default is auto detect decoding without file extensions. Works great. Tnx.

John
W4UVV

If you are seeing "LCN 6," then the Capacity Plus system must have at least three frequencies. Each frequency covers two LCNs (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 in a system with the maximum six frequencies).

That is also why if you see a Capacity Plus system in the database, the frequencies should be in positions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 (assuming system with six frequencies again). 1 represents LCN 1-2, 3 represents LCN 3-4, etc. The structure of the database hasn't been updated to more accurately reflect Capacity Plus LCNs.

Dave

 

[W4UVV]

It was a well organized operation

R.J. Smith Cos. and C.D. Hall Construction. Mostly plows but also a number of support vehicles. I helped install the radios so this isn't speculation!

Thanks very much for the confirmed ids. I don't know how many trucks were involved yesterday but they covered the Richmond metro area on I295, I95 Chester/Rt.10 and west over to Rt.288 to the Powhite Parkway. It was a well organized effort with only one truck problem and the drivers seemed to be experienced snow plow operators.

If you have the time I have a few DMR and user id related help questions which are too involved to discuss on a forum. I will PM you my contact info.

John

 

[W4UVV]

Adding to the confusion.....

If you are seeing "LCN 6," then the Capacity Plus system must have at least three frequencies. Each frequency covers two LCNs (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 in a system with the maximum six frequencies).

That is also why if you see a Capacity Plus system in the database, the frequencies should be in positions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 (assuming system with six frequencies again). 1 represents LCN 1-2, 3 represents LCN 3-4, etc. The structure of the database hasn't been updated to more accurately reflect Capacity Plus LCNs.

Dave

Dave,

Tnx. for the info. As a related issue, I mentioned previously the FCC database licenses sometimes do not reflect reality. This is an example. Again, I hear only the medical transport users and yesterday snow plow users on 461.5125 mhz and 461.7875 mhz. 461.5125 mhz. is one of 5 trs frequencies licensed under WPMR799 for MOTOTRBO. 461.7875 mhz. is one of 3 trs licensed frequencies under WPPW673 for MOTOTRBO. Under both licenses a few frequencies appear not to be used. It's like a composite trs has been created using selected frequencies from both licenses. It was the same problem when previously when this configuration was one analog LTR trs. I do hear one other MOTOTRBO user licensed under WPMR799 on 453.0125 mhz. Maybe it is the 3rd Capacity Plus trs frequency. I think 463.9625 mhz. licensed under WPPW673 is the trs CC. It is very difficult trying to parse this configuration. DMR Decode should help.

John