DPS Repeater Digital

[TXEMT]

I am getting some digital sounds on the New Braunfals Repeater 159.210 which repeats some of the traffic from San Antonio DPS, was wondering if anyone know's if San Antonio DPS office is making the switch yet.

 

[DPS8504]

Digital Repeater -DPS

The New Braunfels repeater should now be digital. In fact all of Region 3 should now be using P-25 digital protocol.

 

[TXEMT]

That's what I figured, heard south texas was next to go p25. they were still analog yesterday about 2:00 pm with the SA dispatcher and units coming through

 

[Wayne]

DPS Region 3

Quote: <The New Braunfels repeater should now be digital. In fact all of Region 3 should now be using P-25 digital protocol.>

Seems like I read a post a while back about a rogue DPS digital repeater operating in New Braunfels and/or Austin areas.

Is anyone in Corpus, Victoria or San Antonio hearing DPS in P-25 digital? Being in Houston, I can't quite pull in the Victoria repeater.

Scooter, any idea which region after 3 will move to digital? I would think 6 (Austin) and then 2 (Houston) followed by 1 (Dallas).

Wayne

 

[Russell]

I have 159.2100 entered with the PLs for Ch 10-?? in my Pro96. Of course, it won't decode anything if this channel goes digital, so I entered it into another channel with no PL. I am currently in Austin and I am getting a about a half second brap every couple of minutes. I've been working in Austin for about six months and have heard absolutely no traffic on 159.21 down here. I still hear plenty from Waco up through Dallas on all the different PLs.

Anyway, anybody else hearing that brap on 159.21 in Austin? What is that?

Russell

 

[mam1081]

I've heard a digital repeater on 159.21 while just south of Austin on I-35. It seemed to be from the west, but I can't remember who was dispatching (it was either Austin or SA). I was getting a S2-3 on a 1/4 wave antenna outside the mobile on a 796.

 

[Wayne]

I have 159.2100 entered with the PLs for Ch 10-?? in my Pro96. Of course, it won't decode anything if this channel goes digital, so I entered it into another channel with no PL.
Russell

Russell,
You may want to try "FM" mode on your 96. That will decode P-25, not sure it will in CTCSS (PL) mode. Let us know.

Wayne

 

[n4voxgill]

I did not have 159.210 programed in as the troopers assigned to Comal County use the sheriffs frequencies as primary and I didn't want to hear all the Bexar county DPS traffic.

This morning I programed both a Pro95 and a Pro96 for 159.210. Plenty of traffic from San Antonio all of it is analog and received on both scanners. If there was digital only the Pro96 would decode.

 

[muddy mudskipper]

i believe this frequency is also in use just North of Laredo, TX

but all i ever get is attempted P25 decodes, as if the signal is "too far" or off frequency.

this happens alot with what seems like weak P25 signals and the Uniden 396. no matter how low you set the P25 "squelch".

either 1) the signals really are too weak or off or not P25 or 2) the 396 has some issues with decoding P25 periodically.

who knows?

 

[zerg901]

Maybe they are using 159.2175? Peter Sz

 

[TXEMT]

The troopers in Comal come up on the 159.210 repeater sometimes if channel 1 and 2 are busy on the SO, heard them only a few times just doing DL and LP checks..Also a K-9 trooper was doing traffic near Caldwell county on I-10 talking to SA dispatcher, did not know the repeater whent that far.

 

[nb5r]

In the last 6 months I've made several trips down I-10 to Fort Stockton, and in that area, I've heard nothing but digital ops on the DPS freq's.

-Brian

 

[WX5JCH]

I heard W'falls THP this am loud and clear on 159.210 all the way up here in Oklahoma, all analog.

Jim

 

[mam1081]

Yea, I got Wichita Falls (on Primary B analog) and Sherman (Primary A analog) dispatch far into OK this morning also. Must have been some good skip!

 

[DPS8504]

Jim,
You must have been hearing the Throckmorton repeater that morning. There was a lot of skip that morning. throckmorton is not digital yet, probably by the end of the summer to the middle of the fall before it is switched over. I still need two DIU's on for throckmorton and one for channel 8.

 

[layjohn]

All the DPS I'm hearing in So. Bexar County is analog. Heard one last night invite two of his buddies down to his area on IH 37. Said he was between two bars and the pickin's were good.

 

[WX5JCH]

I'll check that out. As much traveling in Tx as I do I'm going to have to go digital soon! Thanks

 

[Russell]

I have notice on my Pro96 that if I set it to CT in search mode with no PL, it will not decode P25 on that channel. I haven't tried it with a set PL - I just assume it wouldn't. Soooo, will it decode P25 with the PL set? I noticed Sherman PD's P25 listing has a PL of 173.8 - will the Pro96 decode it that way?

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&ctid=2613

 

[Wayne]

I noticed Sherman PD's P25 listing has a PL of 173.8 - will the Pro96 decode it that way?

The tone listed (173.8) is for analog not digital. Unless they are using both analog and digital modes, this is a typo. Digital transmissions utilize Network Access Codes instead of PL/DCS used with analog. NAC codes are 3 digit (non-decimal) alpha-numeric (0-9, A-F)and comprise 4096 possible combinations!

If you know there is digital traffic on a particular frequency, set the mode on the Pro 96 to "FM" and it will demodulate the digital signal. The downside to this is it will also unmute on any analog transmission on the same frequency. Unfortunately, with the current batch of scanners, there is no way to specify "digital only" reception.

Wayne

 

[Russell]

Unfortunately, with the current batch of scanners, there is no way to specify "digital only" reception.

Yes, I've already run into that. It would be nice to just be able to set it to DG only. I don't need to decode the NAC right now.

Russell