I have yet to hear the El Paso Co Falcon FD use the Colorado TRS talkgroup 4778 when they tell El Paso SO dispatch that they are going to Falcon Channel. Are they using a different talkgroup or do they use their old VHF 153.830 without a repeater channel?
Falcon FD Fireground
- Thread starter radio
- Start date
- Status
I just heard them on it and they use it often. If you don't hear them when they say they are switching to it, that is likely due to the DTRS site you are listening on is not carrying that TG at the time.
I heard them on the Stanley Canyon site this morning between 10:30 and 11 am. I have not heard them on the Templeton Gap site today but I have in past days.
It all depends on if any of the Falcon FD units are affiliated on the site. They could be spread out and affiliated on different sites or could only be all on one site. Obviously, the sites close to Falcon are more likely so the Calhan, Black Forest, Peterson AFB/Airport and T-Gap sites are a good bet (due to vicinity) but also Stanley Canyon because it overlooks that whole area from just west of the Air Force Academy, high up on the mountain.
I heard them on the Stanley Canyon site this morning between 10:30 and 11 am. I have not heard them on the Templeton Gap site today but I have in past days.
It all depends on if any of the Falcon FD units are affiliated on the site. They could be spread out and affiliated on different sites or could only be all on one site. Obviously, the sites close to Falcon are more likely so the Calhan, Black Forest, Peterson AFB/Airport and T-Gap sites are a good bet (due to vicinity) but also Stanley Canyon because it overlooks that whole area from just west of the Air Force Academy, high up on the mountain.
Last edited:
Also, you will probably always hear them on any site when they are on EPSO Red because there is always at least one FD unit in El Paso county affiliated on each site using EPSO Red so that TG will almost always be active on every site.
RadioReference has some general maps that show the site locations but I also have a Google map that I use on my phone's map app where I can quickly and easily see where each site is near me.
Disregard the lines as those are microwave relay links between the tower sites that I put in a little while ago. That just shows how they are linked to each other and the lines/links are not complete or inclusive yet. But pretty much every site is connected to each other in one way or another.
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=208813687226050018822.0004d0afe931810416ca8
RadioReference has some general maps that show the site locations but I also have a Google map that I use on my phone's map app where I can quickly and easily see where each site is near me.
Disregard the lines as those are microwave relay links between the tower sites that I put in a little while ago. That just shows how they are linked to each other and the lines/links are not complete or inclusive yet. But pretty much every site is connected to each other in one way or another.
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=208813687226050018822.0004d0afe931810416ca8
Last edited:
Falcon FG
Dw, thanks for the response.
I have the Austin Bluffs Tower programmed. From my 6700 ft altitude location, I hear just about everything in the city and county. I heard the Falcon dispatch for Falcon 6. 343 responded. After he was on the scene, he radioed saying ops were on Falcon. My scanner was locked onto 4778. I never heard any more. I hear Westcott, TriLakes, Black Forest go on their channels or C2. I hear all the other county dispatches on Red and Fountain FD. I hear Stratmoor Hills operating on their old VHF channel and their TRS. I hear the city Command channels. Why I can't hear 4778 remains a mystery.
Dw, thanks for the response.
I have the Austin Bluffs Tower programmed. From my 6700 ft altitude location, I hear just about everything in the city and county. I heard the Falcon dispatch for Falcon 6. 343 responded. After he was on the scene, he radioed saying ops were on Falcon. My scanner was locked onto 4778. I never heard any more. I hear Westcott, TriLakes, Black Forest go on their channels or C2. I hear all the other county dispatches on Red and Fountain FD. I hear Stratmoor Hills operating on their old VHF channel and their TRS. I hear the city Command channels. Why I can't hear 4778 remains a mystery.
No radios that were on TG-4778 were affiliated on the Austin Bluffs site at that time. They were on other tower sites but not that one.
The two talking on 4778 can be heard briefly in the files my PC saved from that timeframe. It did not catch all of the transmissions due to my scanner catching other TGs during that time too.
Here are the transmissions I caught during that time on that TG:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/734jwz11o84iskg/y5KI5PokZQ
The two talking on 4778 can be heard briefly in the files my PC saved from that timeframe. It did not catch all of the transmissions due to my scanner catching other TGs during that time too.
Here are the transmissions I caught during that time on that TG:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/734jwz11o84iskg/y5KI5PokZQ
Last edited:
I live in Stetson Hills and I have a hill between my house and the Austin Bluffs tower so that prevents me and probably the Falcon FD units from hitting it directly.
They are hitting closer towers and get into the system that way and that is why you can hear them on Red because other non Falcon FD units are on Red and using the Austin Bluffs tower.
They are hitting closer towers and get into the system that way and that is why you can hear them on Red because other non Falcon FD units are on Red and using the Austin Bluffs tower.
My experience with trunking systems came only from my living in VA with simulcast systems with only 1 or 2 towers. There, the 2nd tower had different frequencies, but one would hear all the same transmissions but only using those frequencies.
With all these towers here, isn't that the same concept? Which ever programmed tower that you are near, you would hear everything but only on that particular series of frequencies. I mean if I have Austin Bluffs bank on, I may not hear that tower in the Calhan-Elbert Co line area. I would click 'on the Calhan tower bank and hear the same thing I would hear in the city on Austin Buffs.
Why would I not hear one particular talk group on one tower but not the other? If you are confirming that Falcon FD is assigned to 4778 and do use that, then I will have to check my radio to make sure all the frequencies are programmed for Austin Bluffs. I would understand if 1 or more of those tower frequencies are missing (I've done that before!), would miss transmissions.
Thanks again for your responses, DW.
With all these towers here, isn't that the same concept? Which ever programmed tower that you are near, you would hear everything but only on that particular series of frequencies. I mean if I have Austin Bluffs bank on, I may not hear that tower in the Calhan-Elbert Co line area. I would click 'on the Calhan tower bank and hear the same thing I would hear in the city on Austin Buffs.
Why would I not hear one particular talk group on one tower but not the other? If you are confirming that Falcon FD is assigned to 4778 and do use that, then I will have to check my radio to make sure all the frequencies are programmed for Austin Bluffs. I would understand if 1 or more of those tower frequencies are missing (I've done that before!), would miss transmissions.
Thanks again for your responses, DW.
Here they are not simulcast on DTRS. Not enough freqs for all the TGs in this area.
The concept they use here is like they have in cell sites. The only tower you are active on is the one you hitting with the radio signal and maybe another tower would be active if the person you were talking to was on a cell phone on another tower. With DTRS it is close to that same concept with only the towers that at least one radio is on, on that TG. It conserves resources that way and everyone can get on the system.
I sent you a PM.
The concept they use here is like they have in cell sites. The only tower you are active on is the one you hitting with the radio signal and maybe another tower would be active if the person you were talking to was on a cell phone on another tower. With DTRS it is close to that same concept with only the towers that at least one radio is on, on that TG. It conserves resources that way and everyone can get on the system.
I sent you a PM.
Last edited:
Radio , The DTRS is control channel trunking so you don't want to enter all the frequencies of a site, just the CC and let your scanner do the rest but as Dan has already program in all the CC's you can hear, not just one site.
Hope this helps a little and makes sense.
Jim<
I programmed Control Channel only, Type 1 Stanley Canyon CC 853.7125 into a bank in my Uniden 296. I then put it into SEARCH and it stopped on each active talk groups.
Do I program ALL the El Paso Co DTRS towers control channels in ONE bank or do I have to have each DTRS tower in a separate bank?
Would it be ALL the Red highlighted Control Channels AND ALL the Blue highlighted alternate channels?
How would one know which tower is for which units so I would not miss any traffic as I documented yesterday?
Do I program ALL the El Paso Co DTRS towers control channels in ONE bank or do I have to have each DTRS tower in a separate bank?
Would it be ALL the Red highlighted Control Channels AND ALL the Blue highlighted alternate channels?
How would one know which tower is for which units so I would not miss any traffic as I documented yesterday?
The system you are trying to monitor is an APCO P25 system. Per the owners manual for the BC296D you need to program this as a Type-2 system (not Type 1).
The State DTRS system doesn't change control channels that often. You should only need to program the primary control channel for each site you want to listen to (these are red in the database).
All the primary control channels can be programmed in the same bank.
Falcon utilizes their talk group nearly everyday. It's not common to see our radios affiliate with Austin Bluffs due to the vast number of other sites available to us that are better. We still have our 153.830 but currently don't use it, however we have recently purchased new narrowband VHF radios and are putting up a new VHF repeater in a week. It will be utilized as a backup to 800mhz, used when comms in some of our structures restrict 800mhz use and finally to further interoperability.
I'm glad you guys don't use VHF all the time like Ellicott does. I only hear their calls when AMR goes too.
Good info, BC. Thanks!
Ellicott uses UHF, they too have begun increasing their 800mhz capabilities!
No problem.
OK guys. Thank you for the info.
So I still need to put each tower in a separate bank? And to not miss anything, I need to keep more than one tower turned on with each having the same banks of talk groups?
Geez, for all the years I lived in the same place back in VA using the same system, this is all new teaching!
Thanks again one and all.
So I still need to put each tower in a separate bank? And to not miss anything, I need to keep more than one tower turned on with each having the same banks of talk groups?
Geez, for all the years I lived in the same place back in VA using the same system, this is all new teaching!
Thanks again one and all.
Opps, didn't read Steve's response properly. I put all the primary control channels in the same bank.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
- Status
Similar threads
