DSD+ Monitoring of Cap+ System - Lost Of Rest Channel

[rkillins]

I am monitoring a local Cap+ system with DSD+.
Its not a very busy system, but it has 5 frequncies associated with it. I have been able to only get the LCN of one frequency, and that particular frequency carries the rest channel for the majority of time.
On occassion, the rest channel must move or something. The DSD+ eventlog will display "rest channel lost; tuning xxx.xxxx" where xxx.xxxx is one of the frequncies I have for that system in my frequencies file for that system.
The problem I am finding is that the rest channel isn't on that new frequency.
Why does it choose that same frequency everytime the rst channel moves off of LCN1. Why not one of the other 3? And when that tuned channel isn't carrying the resting pulse, why does it stop there and not keep looking amongst the other frequencies?
For me to be able to recover, I have to manually re-enter a frequency ... and 99% of the time it's the original LCN1 frequency.

I hope I am making sense.

 

[ATCTech]

Are you 100% certain you've seen all 5 frequencies active with voice traffic that you are sure are part of the system? It sounds like you're either missing frequencies or have some of them wrong. Cap+ takes some time to manually sort out, usually by listening on 1 radio that you manually tune frequency by frequency while you watch what DSD+ shows as the active channel number. Then and only then can you set up the correct frequencies file in the proper order.

Also, have you got a system number assigned against each frequency and are using ONLY odd numbers for the frequency list? Please post your frequencies file for us to have a peek.

 

[rkillins]

Hi ATCTech. I am only assuming I have all the frequencies. It's a former LTR system that has since become a Cap+ system. The other system seems defunct. I have only witnessed activity on the one frequency (LCN1).

With Cap+ systems, do the frequencies have to be entered in LCN order?

 

[ATCTech]

Hi ATCTech. I am only assuming I have all the frequencies. It's a former LTR system that has since become a Cap+ system. The other system seems defunct. I have only witnessed activity on the one frequency (LCN1).

With Cap+ systems, do the frequencies have to be entered in LCN order?

Yes, absolutely they do and numbered accordingly. I was pretty sure I knew what system you were trying to configure based on a previous thread but I can't receive it from here. Please post that section of your frequencies file. If you have only heard activity on 1 frequency then it's going to be impossible to create the complete portion of the file for the system, and DSD+ will not do it automatically.

 

[ATCTech]

BTW, on a properly configured system you should be seeing this type of message on DSD+ when a frequency is active with a voice call on either slot:

 

[rkillins]

On Jan. 5, Matt reported Kitchener's former LTR system may have switched to a Cap+ system. I strongly believe this to be fact. I am trying to monitor it as a Cap+ system using the frequencies previously part of that LTR system.

I do routinely see...
"171.3150 is first Cap+ repeater (Ch1 and Ch2)"
I've determined that this frequency is LCN1.

Here is my frequency file as it pretains to this system:

; Kitchener City
CAP+, 6083, 1, 99, 169.3350, 0, 0 
CAP+, 6083, 1, 99, 151.9250, 0, 0 
CAP+, 6083, 1, 99, 171.3150, 0, 0 ;1 
CAP+, 6083, 1, 99, 169.2300, 0, 0 
CAP+, 6083, 1, 99, 169.6200, 0, 0

 

[slicerwizard]

So you don't have any correct LCNs entered?

 

[rkillins]

Not yet. I should likely move the known LCN1 to the top now that I know that the LCN is necessary. Other than that, that's the best I've managed to log thus far. Its not a busy system so it's rare voice deviates off LCN1 and the two slots typically are adequate.

When both slots get occupied, the rest channel is lost and DSD+ wants to go to 169.3350

 

[ATCTech]

The "99" in the 171.3150 line becomes a "1" representing the first frequency. You can move that entire line to the first position in your list too. When the rest channel does move, try monitoring the other frequencies manually and watch for the "pulsing" of the control data. All but the 151 MHz frequency will easily fit into the spectrum of an RTL stick so you should be able to see it pretty quickly, especially if you use SDR# to manipulate the spectrum display.

 

[rkillins]

Thank you guys. I'll give it a go!