Duke Energy

[FireCop]

I've been using my Pro-97 to pick up system id's in the area on control channels. One thing I've noticed (and hopefully some of you have too) is Duke Energy seems to have different system id's for each site. When it comes to putting these in the database, I noticed Brian (moderator from SC) put some of the sites as their own unique system. Shouldn't we try to keep it all together? Let's have some input and any other info.

858.6625 sys id of 0F2B most likely Granite Quarry site

 

[CFP387]

858.6625 sys id of 0F2B most likely Granite Quarry site

I'm 99% sure that it's the GQ site as the control channel comes in very strong here. However, I've heard traffic concerning outages and repair work in the Mooresville area as well.

I know a supervisor for Duke who is over the Mooresville and Kannapolis districts and he uses TG 20480 for all traffic in the Kannapolis district. Still not sure about the other TGs though.

The guy also says that their radios can interconnect with other systems across the state and some supervisor's portable radios can interconnect with other systems up and down the east coast for major outages due to a hurricane or ice storm.

Does anyone know if Duke Energy's subcontractors such as Pike, Williams Electric, etc. use the same radio system as Duke?

 

[Grog]

I've not seen 800 antennas on either Pike or Williams. I'll keep my eyes peeled though

 

[Dustin]

Pike is on Low Band but some trucks have Duke power 800 mobiles also, in them in case they need to contact them, at least in the Charlotte area. The Williams's trucks I have seen have UHF antenna's on them with a radio but some trucks have no radio. It should be noted that both companies get a lot of there trucks from Duke Power when they sell off the old ones they leave the old antenna's on them, now mostly 3db 800Mhz on the roofs. A few years back Duke would sell off there old trucks with the old low band radios still in them with with the LB on the front fender and and the 800 on the roof but without that radio.

Dustin

 

[brian]

Based on the way the database for trunked radio systems is structured, they have to be listed as separate systems, using the unique System ID. Hence why I listed them separately.

Brian

 

[FireCop]

More Questions

Based on Brian's response come my next questions. Would it be possible to change the DB format to allow systems with more than one Sys ID into one entry? An example would be making another heading for the site info blocks to reflect the unique Sys ID. Are there advantages to using separate Sys ID's for each site? Would it be better to use one Sys ID for a whole system such as VIPER, Bell South, or Progress Energy?

Thanks for all your help so far and forgive my lack of computer and radio knowledge.

 

[brian]

As the rr database is structured now, a system should only contain one System ID. Consider if you were searching for a system in the database by System ID - you'd want the site you're looking for to show up. I suppose you could submit a request to modify the database structure, but I think it's that way for a reason.

Also consider that talkgroups may be "re-used" from one system to the next. 4096 on one system is probably going to be labelled differently on one system from another. I don't think we need a bunch of talkgroups listed multiple times, each one with a different label. Imagine trying to use that list when using the data import utility on newer scanner model's programming software.

The use of separate system IDs is a choice Duke Energy has made when constructing its radio systems. The networked system is called Smartzone, and you gave some examples of Smartzone in your last post. A Smartzone system is more expensive (you have to have a Zone Controller to link the sites together as well as the actual link between systems, either phone lines, microwave or IP) and it can be harder to manage.

Brian
Brian

 

[LarrySC]

Pike uses UHF 461.775 PL 77.0 in the Upstate of SC. Low band is used trk to trk once in a while. Channels in this area for Duke 1K-1L-1M-1N. Also testing Fleet Map s3-s10-s4-s12-s12. Best way I have found is just run in open mode as a type II. Cant miss anything that way. I was without power in Dec for 8 days and 5 hours. Within the last 24 hours I had two crews here one day and three the next. Had one leg hot [120v] for three days and kept 2 portables charged. The only good thing that came out of this is I got the secret phone # to the dispatcher and her name off the scanner.You can bet I kept that phone busy!! Larry

 

[FireCop]

Thanks Brian for your helpful replies. I'm just now starting to feel the "fog" of confusion about Smartzone lift off. Hopefully no one will throw in Smartnet to confuse me even more.

Larry, I remember you sharing about your power outage and Duke, LOL. Did they ever figure out where you got their number?

 

[FireCop]

Another question came to mind!

Does anyone know if Duke is still transitioning to a full type II from type I/hybrid? If so, any word on a time line?