Dare County 800 system....

[KX4KDH]

Just for general information, I live in Dare County and have purchased a GRE PSR-800, which is my first trunk tracking scanner.
Had it's data base updated and running Viper in about one hour after opening the box, so its pretty easy to use.
Dare County took about another hour, because there were no talk groups in the data base. I had to figure out how to put in a wildcard for the talk groups using the supplied computer software, owners manual was not much use, but software works really nice.
I have added some talk groups to the data base, but the alias for beach law was put into the data base incorrectly, I will update some more talk groups soon.
The PSR-800 seems to work really well, sound is not quite as good as old analog, but for the most part it is not bad.
The PSR-800 has some nice features such as talk group ID, Radio ID and a really nice recording system.
The light on the front can be assigned to a talk group ID or Radio ID and can be made to flash or non-flash different colors for each ID as well as beeps and other sounds can also be assigned.
The radio can be programmed with your own frequencys like the local ham repeaters 145.110, 146.940,145.290,146.835 etc.
What sold me this scanner was that it is reported to be able to receive TDMA, Dare County is currently P25 Phase 1 FDMA but P25 Phase 2 will be TDMA.
Things I don't like about the scanner are that the physical packaging is lacking somewhat, the window over the display is reported to be easy to scratch, but radio peformance is a 10 out of 10.
Hope this information is helpful.

Nice writeup, and good to see you posting here!

 

[ocguard]

I'm curious as to the update of the status of the system. I'm under the impression that all communications are on the 800mhz system now, and that there are some VHF simulcasts for dispatch and paging. Is paging still using the old frequencies (fire north, fire south, EMS, and ocean rescue)? Or is everything now on the 155.7375?

How is coverage? Has anyone else had any simulcast multipath issues using their digital scanners?

Also, if folks have found some talk group IDs, can we start getting them into the DB, or at least onto a wiki? I know personally, I do my best to get my scanner ready and up-to-date before heading down, since, once I'm there, I hope to be able to just listen in and not have to do too much discovering.

Thanks for the updates!

 

[KX4KDH]

I am monitoring all of the old UHF/VHF analog stuff. Fire is being paged on 155.7375, which was formerly DCSO TAC2.

As far as Nags Head Ocean Rescue, and KDHOR, they are still using the same stuff they were before.

 

[ocguard]

I am monitoring all of the old UHF/VHF analog stuff. Fire is being paged on 155.7375, which was formerly DCSO TAC2.

As far as Nags Head Ocean Rescue, and KDHOR, they are still using the same stuff they were before.

Thanks, is this new paging frequency county-wide simulcast as the license indicates it might be? Is it being used for fire and EMS?

 

[ocguard]

Also, other than paging, are fire/EMS operations stuff on 800 now?

 

[jsncrso]

My firefighter friend has gone to Florida for a week so I decided to babysit his new Motorola Minitor V fire pager. He told me he thinks that the new fire paging frequency is 4xx.xxxx UHF, but neither one of us can confirm (he will check the new radio sheet at the station when he gets back).

Here's what I know so far. It's for sure analog. All fire (both north and south, paid and volunteer) and EMS calls are paged out on this frequency. You can hear most of Dare Central's radio talk to the units, but you can NOT hear any portable or mobile traffic (that means no talk from the fire trucks or fire scene). Also, you cannot hear anything with EMS except the page outs. Also, all of the tones for both fire and EMS have changed. I'll try to record the test tomorrow and have the tones up here if anyone is interested. I'll also turn my scanner to 155.7375 and see if all the traffic that comes though there comes through the pager as well. Signal on this new frequency also seems to be a lot weaker.

Everything else is on 800MHz now. As far as I know, the old fire and EMS frequencies (155.925 & .280) were scheduled to be turned off this past Friday. And here is a little bonus for you guys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSmZi0fnwZw

 

[ocguard]

The new fire paging frequency is what you mentioned: 155.7373, I'm sure. That's why you hear what you hear.

 

[jsncrso]

I have my 15 year old non-narrowband Radio Shack scanner set to 155.735 and its picking up everything crystal clear and much better than the Minitor 5 across the room. This is wonderful! Can anyone else replicate this?

 

[ocguard]

I have my 15 year old non-narrowband Radio Shack scanner set to 155.735 and its picking up everything crystal clear and much better than the Minitor 5 across the room. This is wonderful! Can anyone else replicate this?

The only thing I can think of is that the county is still transmitting on 155.7375 in wideband, but the minitor is programmed to narrowband. This would cause poor signal quality from the pager. Also, looking thru the licenses, there are 9 licensed transmit locations for this frequency
DARE, COUNTY OF WQKX758 155.73750 2009-10-20 A 1 1000 FB PW NAGS HEAD
DARE, COUNTY OF WQKX758 155.73750 2009-10-20 A 1 1000 FB PW KITTY HAWK
DARE, COUNTY OF WQKX759 155.73750 2009-10-20 A 1 1000 FB PW HATTERAS
DARE, COUNTY OF WQKX759 155.73750 2009-10-20 A 1 1000 FB PW MANTEO
DARE, COUNTY OF WQKX759 155.73750 2009-10-20 A 1 1000 FB PW KITTY HAWK
DARE, COUNTY OF WQKX758 155.73750 2009-10-20 A 1 1000 FB PW STUMPY POINT
DARE, COUNTY OF WQKX758 155.73750 2009-10-20 A 1 1000 FB PW BUXTON
DARE, COUNTY OF WQKX758 155.73750 2009-10-20 A 1 1000 FB PW RODANTHE
DARE, COUNTY OF WQKX758 155.73750 2009-10-20 A 1 1000 FB PW MANNS HARBOUR
so there should be very little problem receiving the signal, assuming they are using all 9 transmit locations.

 

[stowaway]

I can't say I've heard anything on 155.73750 since Friday, but I was away from the scanner a lot yesterday. The simulcast multipath distortion, yeah I have that. It's basically made dare county unlistenable so Currituck, airport, and everyone on VIPER are what I'm listening to. Still looking for a solution to the multipath problems.

Talkgroups I have so far are listed below. Unfortunately I don't have a good idea what most of them are due to the distortion. Sorry for the order being random, just writing them down as I see them.

14626 (fire talk?)
14625 (fire dispatch)
14502 (OPS 1 is what they were calling it during the tornado stuff)
14708
14555
14563
14705 (appears to be LEO chat)
14567 (LEO dispatch)
14556
14551
14601 (EMS)
14624
14558
14748
14636
14509 (pretty sure this is just a chat)

Sheriff Dept. A district (Beach north of Oregon Inlet) is still using 155.6700 for unit to unit non-critical communications, mainly in the Colington area.

 

[ocguard]

I can't say I've heard anything on 155.73750 since Friday, but I was away from the scanner a lot yesterday. The simulcast multipath distortion, yeah I have that. It's basically made dare county unlistenable so Currituck, airport, and everyone on VIPER are what I'm listening to. Still looking for a solution to the multipath problems.

Talkgroups I have so far are listed below. Unfortunately I don't have a good idea what most of them are due to the distortion. Sorry for the order being random, just writing them down as I see them.

14626 (fire talk?)
14625 (fire dispatch)
14502 (OPS 1 is what they were calling it during the tornado stuff)
14708
14555
14563
14705 (appears to be LEO chat)
14567 (LEO dispatch)
14556
14551
14601 (EMS)
14624
14558
14748
14636
14509 (pretty sure this is just a chat)

Sheriff Dept. A district (Beach north of Oregon Inlet) is still using 155.6700 for unit to unit non-critical communications, mainly in the Colington area.

Where are you monitoring Dare County from when you get this multipath distortion?

 

[stowaway]

back in Colington, though I've experienced it in Nags Head as well when I was driving and at work. I get the same result on the factory antenna and an extrenal one.

 

[Webodisk]

on the paging frequency I am getting a pl of 118.8 and I can hear it in Virginia Beach from my home setup dispatching calls all over the county 155.7375
Mike

 

[jsncrso]

Dare Central sent out an informational page this morning advising "as of 8:05AM all conventional fire and ocean rescue radio systems are no longer in service." Interestingly, it seems they now have a tone which sets off every pager in the county. The Minitor 5 did a few short cell-phone like beeps (not a full alert) before opening up. For the past few days, the only thing I would hear over the old 155.925 was just the tones and that's it. Station 18 spent most of their training last night checking all their radios with central as it seemed like they were having a few issues. Dare Central is still simulcasting all their fire/EMS talk through 155.7375, but as I said earlier, you can only hear what the dispatcher says, and not any of the units.

 

[ocguard]

Dare Central sent out an informational page this morning advising "as of 8:05AM all conventional fire and ocean rescue radio systems are no longer in service." Interestingly, it seems they now have a tone which sets off every pager in the county. The Minitor 5 did a few short cell-phone like beeps (not a full alert) before opening up. For the past few days, the only thing I would hear over the old 155.925 was just the tones and that's it. Station 18 spent most of their training last night checking all their radios with central as it seemed like they were having a few issues. Dare Central is still simulcasting all their fire/EMS talk through 155.7375, but as I said earlier, you can only hear what the dispatcher says, and not any of the units.

This is great information, thanks! A county-wide alert tone is becoming more and more common, and can be EXTREMELY useful to get information out quickly. Hopefully Dare Central also thought of a north fire and south fire all-call, and maybe an EMS all-call tone.

Is there any chance you have access to the pager tones? I'm particularly interested in Hatteras Island companies and EMS units.

 

[KLO5078]

Recent trip to Avon

I spent last week at Avon-arriving Saturday just before the wind hit Duck. I was able to snag several talkgroups that night and during the week on the P25 system.
14626- Tac 11
14632- Tac 14
14634- Tac 15
14636- Tac 16
14640- Tac 18
14642- Tac 19
14652- Tac 46
14708- Event 2
14780- Ocean Rescue ?
14644- Fire Marshall ?
14556- C-Talk
14502- PS 1
14509- PS 8
14765- Ops 1 ?

This is my first post on RR but my scanning interest started with a Bearcat 3.

 

[ocguard]

I spent last week at Avon-arriving Saturday just before the wind hit Duck. I was able to snag several talkgroups that night and during the week on the P25 system.
14626- Tac 11
14632- Tac 14
14634- Tac 15
14636- Tac 16
14640- Tac 18
14642- Tac 19
14652- Tac 46
14708- Event 2
14780- Ocean Rescue ?
14644- Fire Marshall ?
14556- C-Talk
14502- PS 1
14509- PS 8
14765- Ops 1 ?

This is my first post on RR but my scanning interest started with a Bearcat 3.

Excellent first post, you have my thanks! How was reception of the P25 system from Avon? We'll be there in August.

 

[KLO5078]

P 25 in Avon

The first call I copied on the way in was north before KDH - MVA at Mako Mikes. I copied some traffic on the way down Hwy 12 without any problems. In Avon, especially during the surround lighting on Saturday night, the signal was good and in Buxton too. I was using both a Pro 96 and 106- swapping the standard rubber ducky and the 800 ducky with no noticeable difference. Dare Central was keeping track of dead spots and robotics for the radio shop folks. Both fire and rescue were being dispatched on 800 by the end of the week. Hope this helps with the continued build out of the data.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Thanks to KLO5078anda few other submitters I have
been able this evening to update the Dare System to the latest and greatest
TG info. Before I nuke the old VHF Conventional stuff and replace
it with the new narrowband dispatch freq let me clarify some stuff:
1) The old 155.925 (North Disp) and 155.775 (South Disp) frequencies
are no longer used at all correct?
2) The above frequencies have been replaced with the 155.7375Mhz
Narrowband Freq correct? And this frequency carries dispatcher only
traffic. Do we have an accurate confirmed CTCSS/PL Tone for 155.7375Mhz?
3) What about the old UHF FD Remote link Freqs? Can we nuke those?
4) Old EMS 155.280Mhz Dispatch Freq: Nuke it? No Longer Used?
5) Old UHF Sheriff Freqs: Nuke those?
I am pretty sure most of the questions above are gonna end up with
me ditching the old VHF/UHF Stuff but just want to make sure before
I hit the old delete button.
Please email me directly if you wish.
Thanks for everyone's assistance!
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[jsncrso]

Here's the 5:30 fire test I recorded from my scanner on 155.735 (yes that's wideband). I'll try to catch the 5:00 rescue tone test tomorrow. EMS tones have never been tested. I'll try to get a list of the talkgroups provided to are area depts and post them up here. Here's the tone test:

DareFireTones.mp3

KE4ZNR, all of the analog fire/EMS frequencies (155.925, .775, .280) were officially turned off this morning and I've confirmed that