Fairfield Co DMR

[RakkFO]

I am learning about DMR every day so please correct me if I am wrong. This morning when I was scanning as a One Frequency system I was having good success. I could see the UID's, Site, TGID, everything I wanted to see. When I program it as a Conventional system you don't get all that data.

I also want to make sure I understand the terminology. A DMR One Frequency is when the site transmits on one frequency all the time. A trunked system has a control channel and voice channel. So when people say conventional it could easily be equal to DMR One Frequency correct?

(Source of information: http://www.taitradioacademy.com/topic/dmr-physical-and-logical-channels/)

 

[AggieCon]

Correct.

Basically, Uniden doesn't have firmware support for dealing with talk groups when a channel is programmed as conventional. The DMR One Frequency is a "trunked system" as far as the scanner goes (I'm pretty sure). With the Whistler, initially, all DMR was done as a "trunked system."

A good experiment would be to put DMR One Frequency and MOTOTRBO swapped in Sentinel and see if it still works.

"DMR One Frequency"/ "Conventional DMR" is basically Tier 2 DMR. It's not trunked (i.e. Capacity Plus or Connect Plus). Why the scanner world often makes up its own terminology instead of using the existing terminology is beyond me. Through in a few more acronyms, and it becomes a real mess.

That website you found is a great intro into DMR, by the way. Thanks for sharing.

 

[W8RMH]

When you program DMR as conventional or one-frequency do you program the input frequency as well?

Or is like an analog conventional repeater where you only program the lower output frequency and hear both sides of the conversation?

 

[RakkFO]

I only have the repeater transmit. I guess it would not hurt to have the repeater receive. Depending on your location you may hear the mobile or portable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[W8RMH]

I only have the repeater transmit. I guess it would not hurt to have the repeater receive. Depending on your location you may hear the mobile or portable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I thought so but wasn't sure. I was in Lancaster for a while yesterday and heard a few radio checks and it sounded really clear, better than the P25 systems.

I haven't heard anything on the Children's Hospital LTR system and I see they have a DMR license too so I am programming that system as well and will see if I hear anything tonight downtown.

 

[RakkFO]

I heard a bunch of there traffic the other night. I had to drive from Dublin to Pataskala so I took 270 around. I did an export from digital frequency search and just let it roll as I drove around. I heard lane aviation, NCH, and the limited to name a few off the top of my head.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RakkFO]

When ever I travel I can decode Fairfield Co just fine with the One Freq settings. When I am at home I get nothing on one freq but when I program it as a conventional (non DMR) I get hits. I am going to call it good at this point and just chalk it up to bad location for DMR decode.

When I provided an audio feed for KCMH I had a directional antenna and after some research found about a hundred foot elevation gain the it drops off couple hundred feet between me and Columbus before. That "ridge" is also between me and Lancaster. Long story short I could never hear the tower.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[amcferrin90]

The coverage on the Fairfield DMR system isn't that great. My house has already been flagged that they can't use their walkies on the DMR system and have to use the analog system. The zoned coverage of each tower limits things too. I hear the Pickerington tower in Canal Winchester but it's all full of noise. I remember being able to pick up the fire dispatch on my mobile scanner in Mansfield full quieting.

As for MARCS coverage, they would have to add several sites or everybody use IVRs. The lone MARCS tower at the prison isn't going to cut it.

 

[phask]

How does OSP, ODOT , ODNR manage coverage?

 

[W8RMH]

How does OSP, ODOT , ODNR manage coverage?

They only have mobile coverage. Portables don't work unless they are MREs.

 

[phask]

Doesn't MARCS spec something like 89-95% coverage for HH? ODNR uses a LOT of non mre since they may be a mile or more from the vehicle.

Doesn't the SO use MRE? Just curious - seems to work OK in Muskingum which is a larger county in area, more hills and we do have some FD using HH.

2 main towers and others are the edges of the county. Lots of coverage in the extreme edges though by surrounding counties

I've seen all the arguments against it in Fairfield - I just don't buy it. (nor care)

 

[W8RMH]

There are some 11 towers in Franklin County alone and it is very flat. Fairfield County currently has 5 towers just for fire coverage alone.

Maybe it is due to the number of units I don't know but each metro area that has switched to MARCS has had to add towers.

 

[gtaman]

The coverage on the Fairfield DMR system isn't that great. My house has already been flagged that they can't use their walkies on the DMR system and have to use the analog system. The zoned coverage of each tower limits things too. I hear the Pickerington tower in Canal Winchester but it's all full of noise. I remember being able to pick up the fire dispatch on my mobile scanner in Mansfield full quieting.

As for MARCS coverage, they would have to add several sites or everybody use IVRs. The lone MARCS tower at the prison isn't going to cut it.

I'm in Groveport and I get Fairfield county fine. 3 of 5 bars on my XPR6550. It is quite annoying though hearing analog units rebroadcasted on digital. I only have drop outs if I go in a closet or basement of my house.

 

[wa8pyr]

I'm in Groveport and I get Fairfield county fine. 3 of 5 bars on my XPR6550. It is quite annoying though hearing analog units rebroadcasted on digital. I only have drop outs if I go in a closet or basement of my house.

Yes, but you're using a real Motorola radio, not a scanner. The real radio is always going to outperform the scanners. My 800 MHz Motorola and Harris portables beat the socks off both P25 scanners on both ASR and simulcast sites, even without taking the P25 simulcast issue into account.

 

[gtaman]

Yes, but you're using a real Motorola radio, not a scanner. The real radio is always going to outperform the scanners. My 800 MHz Motorola and Harris portables beat the socks off both P25 scanners on both ASR and simulcast sites, even without taking the P25 simulcast issue into account.

True but this is just conventional DMR. When I originally discovered Fairfield county I used DSD+ with an RTL dongle. That dongle did fine for weeks before I started using the XPR. Is the DMR on the scanners really that bad? I dont own one that can decode DMR.

 

[RakkFO]

Deleted. Inaccurate statement after I thought about it.

 

[RakkFO]

I'm in Groveport and I get Fairfield county fine. 3 of 5 bars on my XPR6550. It is quite annoying though hearing analog units rebroadcasted on digital. I only have drop outs if I go in a closet or basement of my house.

I don’t know where in Groveport you are. Your location of "Location: GALAXY 19 91.0° W" did not help. I looked at the old map and Groveport is about 9 miles from the Pickerington site, and that site has elevation over Groveport. The Lancaster site is about 17 miles, again with the elevation advantage and it is on a broadcast tower. So yea I would think that you should have great coverage from there.

 

[medic611]

There are some 11 towers in Franklin County alone and it is very flat. Fairfield County currently has 5 towers just for fire coverage alone.

Maybe it is due to the number of units I don't know but each metro area that has switched to MARCS has had to add towers.

Technically there's only 4 fire tower sites in Fairfield one in Bloom twp on a cell site, one north of Baltimore on a cell site , One in Richland Twp on a cell site , and 3,5 are on the MARCS site at SCI. I believe Millersport has their own private repeater on water tower for their own use. Back in the day Basil was the only one on 460.625 and held that license exclusively and it was patched to 33.86 on one channel and a 2nd channel didn't go through the patch. That license was given to the county to get off low band and over time as other frequencies were obtained the other tower sites changed frequencies, by trading with Franklin County for 450mhz with 800 mhz. Before narrowbanding we could talk in Mansfield on a walkie to Fairfield and as far north as Canton on a mobile.

 

[RakkFO]

What is site 3 on the FCC license then (http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?fccCallsign=WPBP705)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RakkFO]

Never mind I used some more Google fu and found out that SCI is located at site three. My first search showed SCI located in nelsonville.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk