DPS Conroe VHF or 1A7?

[tunnelmot]

After being away from the hobby for a bit, I recently procured an Astro Saber VHF. I noticed I am hearing almost nil from DPS Conroe. The last I was actively monitoring (couple years ago), DPS was still primarily VHF and multicasting on 1A7 also. I knew they have talk groups on 1A7, but have they totally moved dispatch/routine traffic to TxWarn? I was looking forward to having the Statewide DPS plan in the radio, plus my regular analog Fire, RR, and ham favorites. But if DPS really doesn't use the VHF side anymore, I might as well go back to a Jedi series radio for VHF analog and put my p25 resources towards the 700/800 side of it.

 

[mass-man]

Not sure about DPS Conroe, but in much of the state VHF activity is WAY down with the addition of MDT in the vehicles. That and in many areas, they install or use a radios on a local system. I have the statewide frequencies in a 996XT that I use while traveling around the state, and honestly there is not a lot of traffic. Oh for the good old days!!!!!!

 

[TLF82]

I still hear a decent (although not as much as the old days) amount of traffic from them around the state.

I will add, the some of the NAC's in the database are not correct. Figured this out because I programmed up my XTL with that info and didn't ever hear anything in some places (and I have access to a DPS radio I pulled the code plug from)...

 

[motorola_otaku]

Try Base C for VHF and its associated talkgroup on 1A7. Both should be dispatcher-multiselected meaning you'll hear the dispatcher on both but the mobile unit only on one or the other. For the most part mobile activity has moved to 1A7 (guessing the proliferation of APX portables had something to do with that,) but the helos and UPR units (UP railroad police) still use VHF. The dispatcher also multiselects frequently with Base B and Repeater 1 in Harris County. I hear DPS calls for 10-50s in Montgomery County (primarily in the Woodlands area) all the time down south.

I'd have to check the database to give you the exact channel, but whatever is listed for Huntsville/Walker County is accurate as of July/August.

 

[tunnelmot]

Thanks to all for the replies. I expected MDTs to take away some of the hum-drum routine traffic but my first weekend with the new toy surprised me as I anxiously awaited hearing DPS in all it's VHF simplex P25 glory from a very tall, very slender AS3 . ZERO traffic for 2-plus days. I am now getting plenty of traffic, albeit mostly dispatch. Down the line I plan to update my firmware and blow a new codeplug in anyway, so I can fine-tune my desires later. Just need to get back into XTS-land for my 1A7 monitoring again. (been there,done that with the simulcast)