DPS on AZWINS

[radiochuck]

I guess I'm still a little confused about how DPS radio traffic works on AZWINS. Let me say that I listen to that system from every weekday 11am to 7pm and never have an issue receiving DPS or ADOT groups.

Jump to tonight... I was monitoring a critical incident in Buckeye on Metro West (I was in Peoria), when that talkgroup suddenly went quiet. I was holding on Shaw Butte, so I released the hold, allowing me to potentially listen off of White Tanks, which was still a no-go.

My next troubleshooting step was to release the channel hold. Immediately I heard traffic from Metro Central. I also turned on my other radio and could hear Metro West on analog.

Just wondering if anyone has specific knowledge, rather than speculation, of how this system operates and if there's a patch that gets dropped at night, or something. I have listened before at some pretty odd hours and don't recall this being an issue. Btw, I have two SDS100s which were both on and experiencing the same result. No, they weren't right next to one another. Thanks.

 

[Ravenfalls]

For 1, this system is new & it's random as to distict troopers using 700Mhz rather than UHF.

Besides that, the trunk system works with what called affiliate.

Your in Buckeye, you use Oatman or White Tanks. Drive to South Phoenix = South Mt. Central or north = Shaw Butte.

Once you drive to area the prev audio ceases on prev tower & now on the current tower.

RWC uses Simulcast & A/B works all over town. Non simulcast = you as user have to find what site they are using.

No easy way to do it. Once the system has more use then all metro groups should be on most the valley sites all the time. Figure that out in a year or three depending on switch over.

 

[radiochuck]

For 1, this system is new & it's random as to distict troopers using 700Mhz rather than UHF.

Besides that, the trunk system works with what called affiliate.

I'm fully aware of how trunking, simulcast and affiliation work. I've been using a scanner as a part of my job for over 25 years. Just curious about why Metro West randomly went dark on AZWINS. And I wouldn't consider that system new. Relatively new to DPS, perhaps... but their UHF system has been simulcast on there for several years, they just seem to oddly disappear from time to time.

I was listening to White Tanks... there is ZERO chance that not a single West unit was affiliated with that site at the time.

Also, I'm in Peoria. Probably halfway between Shaw and White Tanks. At work, I'm very close to Shaw Butte and listen to that site exclusively and have never had an issue picking up Metro West from there.

 

[Ravenfalls]

You nailed it. All of the local sites stopped carrying that district. Trooper went off duty or switched to another district as he may have been traveling to another district?? While everyone else is on UHF.

Not your radio, nothing wrong with the system. All functioning as normal. Maybe someone can post the time-line for full switch over?

 

[radiochuck]

You nailed it. All of the local sites stopped carrying that district. Trooper went off duty or switched to another district as he may have been traveling to another district?? While everyone else is on UHF.

Not your radio, nothing wrong with the system. All functioning as normal. Maybe someone can post the time-line for full switch over?

Except for the fact that they were in the middle of what have could have turned out to be a double fatal wreck. No one was switching districts or leaving the scene and I could still hear them at that scene on analog. In fact, more resources were being brought in. Also, they were in Buckeye, in the shadow of the White Tanks. It's unfathomable that not a single unit was affiliated with White Tanks or Shaw Butte. I suppose every unit in the district - at that scene or otherwise - could have switched to UHF, but that seems unlikely to me, based upon my experience monitoring DPS.

 

[Ravenfalls]

Troopers have a choice to use AZWINS, they are not mandated to.

Your wanting something to work that is not fully utilized by DPS patrol. Detectives in Central / Southern AZ mostly use AZWINS. Northern Arizona it's hit & miss.

IF troopers are assigned the latest Motorola radios as NYPD is now, then cellular would be used more than the radio 700Mhz sites.

California Highway Patrol is testing this now with their new dual band VHF/700Mhz Trunked System.

District 1,2 & 12 + few others may have more AZWINS usage due to poor UHF coverage.
Scenes are done on UHF. Their radios could also be using cellular. That would not cause the radio to require trunked 700Mhz system affiliation to any certain site.

Night shift, A District 12 unit coming into Metro West down to the 101 or going home for lunch will stay on AZWINS D12.

 

[mbnv992]

On a side note - what are the new radios the DPS are getting ? I know I’ve seen mostly the APX7000’s ( 7/800MHX / UHF ) and a lot have been getting APX8000’s now it seems for new portables to replace their 7000’s.

 

[radiochuck]

Just unusual. I monitor that system all day every day and that's a pretty rare thing to have happen. I've seen it before, but not too often.

 

[awasser1]

Im new to the area. lived here 25 years ago. I am in AJ and I get alot of Payson, Prescott area units here on AZ-WINS. I still pickup alot on the uhf freq with my outdoor antenna. Sorry I havent memorized the District no's yet. When they are on AZ-WINS the dispatch person is extra loud. Using SDS 100 and SDS 200

Alec
N1AJW

 

[Ravenfalls]

On a side note - what are the new radios the DPS are getting ? I know I’ve seen mostly the APX7000’s ( 7/800MHX / UHF ) and a lot have been getting APX8000’s now it seems for new portables to replace their 7000’s.

APX NEXT with large touch screen on the inside of the duty belt. Provides full smartphone capabilities with mappings apps & ability run plates etc.

For motor officers this new radio is a game changer!

 

[mbnv992]

Interesting that they are going with the NEXT. Then again, that is eventually phasing out the 8000/6000 series eventually anyway.

 

[ScanRite]

If the mobiles you're hearing on 700 are all ID 38100, you're listening to a UHF patched radio. A lot of units are still on UHF. If there are no units directly using 700, the link will eventually expire and will go dark. Attached is my latest DSD radios file showing the unit IDs of 700 affiliated radios. I've tagged them on the talk groups where I originally found them. If you're not familiar with the DSD file, the 4th column from the left is the unit ID.

 

[kc0cat]

I'm in Quartzsite and several weeks ago my 436 was rendered deaf after a lightning strike so I sent it off to Uniden for repair. While it was gone I purchased an SDS200 and went to Sentinel and set up the SD card similar to what was in the 436, but I couldn't find the YRCS system. There was only AZ WINS, so I downloaded it and set up the radio, and started listening and I seemed to be missing some stuff, but couldn't put my finger on it. Someone said that YRCS was dead and everything had moved to WINS. Well, I got my radio back from Uniden repaired with the SD card in it. I hooked it up and turned it on and I'm hearing traffic on several talk groups on the YRCS system and do all the time. So, I cloned the program into the SDS200 and am hearing more stuff. Does anyone know what is really going on? Not much to listen to here, but State Patrol and ambulance services and one fire dispatch channel, so you can put together some stuff based on their dispatches. Just wondering about all this. Thanks for any help.

 

[p19997]

YRCS was renamed to AZ WINS.

 

[kc0cat]

YRCS was renamed to AZ WINS.

Same control channels and talkgroup #'s, just a different name?

 

[GlobalNorth]

Some background. Note that they haven't had a meeting since mid 2021.

Yuma Regional Communications System | City Of Yuma, AZ

 

[kc0cat]

Some background. Note that they haven't had a meeting since mid 2021.

Yuma Regional Communications System | City Of Yuma, AZ

I know about them, just didn't know about the changeover...do you know if the talkgroup#'s have changed?

 

[p19997]

I know about them, just didn't know about the changeover...do you know if the talkgroup#'s have changed?

As far as I know, everything remained the same, except the name.

 

[Ravenfalls]

It sounds like your hearing what is in your area. Have you tried the other sites around you besides Guad?

Can you hear the Imperial / San Diego System off Black Mt?

The California state system for Highway Patrol is being built out. Eastern Riverside County has not been added yet. California is using dual band Phase II,
VHF in rural areas & 700Mhz everywhere else.

 

[kc0cat]

It sounds like your hearing what is in your area. Have you tried the other sites around you besides Guad?

Can you hear the Imperial / San Diego System off Black Mt?

The California state system for Highway Patrol is being built out. Eastern Riverside County has not been added yet. California is using dual band Phase II,
VHF in rural areas & 700Mhz everywhere else.

I have added some CHP and Riverside freqs to my favorites. I've heard Blythe fire, but that's about it so far.