DPS Analog??

[tunnelmot]

Ok guys,here's what I got.

My local DPS office has been tx'ing in regular old analog lately. What the heck?

This is not a mistake, as I'm not a "newbie", and have been in the scanning hobby since 10 years of age...now 30.

Here's the scenario:
DPS Conroe (155.445) has been P25 digital for quite a while now. I own a PSR 500 which normally sits on my desk, and that is the only radio I own that can do VHF P25.
In my truck, I have a Kenwood VHF ANALOG ONLY mobile, which has local fire/ems/ham/etc.For kicks and grins, I keep most all licensed VHF freqs for the county list and listen to and from work.

Well, on one of the Willis public works freqs I have programed in, one day I heard DPS Conroe (WPTY931) come through full quieting, just like the "old days". I was CERTAIN I was hearing things. But there she was. When I got home, I grabbed the GRE, and sure enough, it was DPS in analog, and coming over my GRE in P25 delay.

What gives? This is no mistake. I am well versed in the RX world. I own Motorola Sabers, P200's, XTS's, a Kenwood VHF mobile, and GRE scanner. I KNOW the difference between P25, analog, etc. The Kenwood TM271a CAN NOT rx P25, but there it is, every day, DPS simulcasting? in analog , just like the pre-P25 days.

What is this, why the simulcast/multicast in analog?

Hold on, lemme go out to the truck and get the freq.

Rich

 

[tunnelmot]

Got it,
155.370--Licensed to Willis for municipal use.

Someone confirm this and tell me I'm not crazy.

Rich

 

[mikebennett]

That's the old Intercity base frequency, now designated as Texas Law 2. Just about everyone in the state is licensed on it but I rarely hear using it anymore. It was pretty active up until the 1990's.

I can't imagine why DPS would be using it in simulcast mode.

Mike

 

[loumaag]

Probably punched in a multi-channel transmit and included TL2 in by mistake. I hear the big DPS offices often times transmitting on multiple channels simultaneously, especially if they are covering for another office.

 

[davidbond21]

Around here, DPS will use the TX LAW's for chatting, and it's always in analog. TX LAW 1 is always CSQ and 2 & 3 have 127.3 PL, I believe according to the state interoperability guide.

 

[tunnelmot]

Probably punched in a multi-channel transmit and included TL2 in by mistake.

That was my first assumption. I have had the fortune of sitting with dispatchers for many agencies and rr's, but have never seen a DPS console, so I didn't know the capabilities of their positions.
For added twist, if they are calling up multi-channel tx, they are doing it on purpose. The analog multi-cast has been absent for a few hours at a time, but always seems to return. So barring an equipment maulfunction, they seem to purposely be doing this. Would be interesting to know why, though.


On a side note, it was neat to hear them in analog again. I heard the familiar background sounds of papers shuffling, printers humming, and casual conversation in the background. After getting used to digital, I forgot the depth and fidelity of a solid analog signal. It was almost studio quality.

I'm guessing that the TL shows licensed to Willis still as a leftover from the VHF days. I'll keep it in my scan list to see if there is any pattern to the times of the multicasting. (shifts, maybe another state agency, etc)

Thanks,
Rich

 

[davidbond21]

tunnel,
I've heard this as well, though, it was San Antonio, KKI413, operating in analog. The dispatcher was looking for a DPS trooper from the region. This was on TX LAW 2 as well.

Coming in on I-10 once, through Seguin, I heard a simulcast of 159.2100, out of San Antonio, simulcasted on TX LAW 2. Don't know how often this happens though.

-texasemt13 (on davidbond's computer).

 

[Croaker90]

Well during Spring Break, I was at the beach, and seen State Troopers doing traffic stops, and I could here their traffic over Port Arasnas PD. So I think all LE Agencies were using the same freq. to keep in contact with everyone.

155.370 is Texas Law Tac 1

Usally whats on that channel is DWI, Reckless Drivers, Narcotic Carries,wanted subjects Weather, ETC.


Thats a pretty good channel to listen in on.

 

[davidbond21]

...155.370 Is Texas Law Tac 1...

154.95 = Tx Law 1
155.37 = Tx Law 2

(So apparently RR won't allow you to type consecutively in caps, not even to abbreviate your state's name.)

 

[redhelmet13]

I have seen a DPS console recently (Moto Centracom Gold Elite). They have the abilty as stated above to mutiselect channels... Here in DFW area, I hae heard on more than one instance DPS Garland accidentally transmit traffic on DOJ DFW interop channel. I suspect it was a multiselect by accident.

Ed

 

[loumaag]

Little OT Comment

154.95 = Tx Law 1
155.37 = Tx Law 2

(So apparently RR won't allow you to type consecutively in caps, not even to abbreviate your state's name.)

Huh?

154.95 = TX Law 1
154.37 = TX Law 2

Sounds more like your computer than RR... :lol:

 

[davidbond21]

...Sounds more like your computer than RR... :lol:

AGREED. Early morning+No Coffee=Me no comprehend technology good(or think before typing either).

Though to be fair, I edited my post a few times, returning it to TX LAW, but it kept saving it as Tx Law, until I gave up, with the now defunct comment I left in parentheses.

 

[SCPD]

One might be surprised at how much "trooper Traffic" is still good ole Analog ..... For instance, Take those po-dunk counties that fall short of the Dispatch Channel and the mobile relay. For example, the County I live in. While much more is done on the CAD systems. Plenty is still transmitted over the SO repeater. Another example is 159.0975 and 155.5050 while in Larger area's they are more frequently popping up as P-25. here in Backwoods po-dunk they still use the 162.2 PL tone to talk about how TXDOT needs to get a move on and clean the highways up.Oh yes, TX LAW-1 & 2 are in the mix but here lately I've heard a few troopers tlking to other agencies on V-Call and the V-Tac channels most of us forgotten about. Yeppers, listen up buck-a-roo's them Cowboys got a little analog lrft in them.

 

[texasemt13]

Checking some old notes I have, I noticed I notated that in a DPS CLE op I was hearing 155.5050MHz in both digital and analog as well as hearing 155.4600 and 155.4450 in analog (CT 162.2) in that same operation. This was about 6 months ago.

 

[motorola_otaku]

DPS Conroe frequently puts out BOLOs and other general broadcasts on 155.37.. in fact, they're one of the last remaining agencies in metro Houston that still does so.

Per the State Communications Interoperability Plan, here is the current statewide channel lineup:

TX Law 1 - 154.950 TX & RX, no tones
TX Law 2 - 154.950 TX (127.3), 155.370 RX (No tone)
TX Law 3 - 155.475 TX & RX, no tones

The idea here is that agencies statewide can still chit-chat on 154.950 like they've done for decades without disturbing dispatchers at comm centers, whose radios *SHOULD* only be programmed to receive 154.950 with the 127.3 tone. But, of course, everyone does their own thing regardless so it doesn't always work that way.