federal prison

[N4DXX]

For those in the east ky erea you can find the freq"s for the big sandy federal prison in the 400-410 mhz range it is apco 25 trunked just not sure on what kind of system other than it is motorola ...if anyone can determine how to program this to trunk properly please e-mail me at htjude@hotmail.com as i am new to all this technology i am using a pro 2096 i know the control frequency for the prison my question is is there any way to determine other than pure luck what to program into the software such as the base freq..etc or what can i do to figure this out as there is nothing at all in the fcc' database about this system.not even a license...Thank's

 

[jawhite2]

Hello timjude,

Being a federal facility you will not find that kind of info at the FCC site. They do not have the info you are looking for, for any trunked system. I would suggest you take a look at some of the federal prison trunked systems in the RR DB to get some ideas.
As far as the base freq, you might want to try the lowest of the freqs you monitored. Would you be good enough to post the freqs you believe are used by Big Sandy?

 

[unitcharlie]

There isn't an easy way to snag a federal system... I found my freqs by programming my PRO 96 to search between 400.000 and 425.000... the scanner will decode conversations in FM mode (but when you program it you need to program it per your scanner's instructions in MOT mode).... the Federal Medical Center in Lexington has four channels and they change daily, increasing in frequency.... so start your search and write down the different control channels for a few days.... then program them in the order you write them down. Use either the lowest freq or 406.000 as your base freqs with a 380 offset for starters.... then post your results so we can all enjoy your find! If you have any more questions then let me know....

 

[N4DXX]

Federal prison big sandy

What i believe to be the control ch..409.2125
this is one freq that is 410.475 have overheard them say switch to ch 4
the rest is as follows 407.0125 and 406.4125
will update as i get more info...408.250

 

[trashman43]

timjude,
Can you run trunker on this system to get a sysid, connect tone and all the frequencies?

 

[N4DXX]

Ok i have found the control ch. but programmed it in can't get it to trunk as of yet tried the 380 offset and 25 and 12.5 khz step size with no luck

 

[trashman43]

trunker is a program that monitors the control ch and gives you information about the system such as the sysid, connect tone and frequencies. it requires a scanner with a discriminator tap and a data slicer you can find more info on it in the wiki at
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Trunker

 

[N4DXX]

Just checking if i can get the model number of one of the radios they use would this help determine the type of system there using?

 

[N4DXX]

Federal Prison

Ok,i Have Listed All The Freq's For The New Prison Now I Need Your Help In Figuring Out How To Program It To Trunk As I Do Not Have A Data Slicer Yet So East Ky Scanner Freaks Let's Figure This One Out As I Am A Newbee At This..thanks In Advance

 

[unitcharlie]

tim...
did you make your list of control channels in the order they changed.... for example the Federal Medical Center in Lexington has four freqs, they change from one to the next at midnight.... You should use WIN 96 to program your radio, it makes it so much easier to keep track of the changes you have made and then share the results of your success...

program the freqs in this order (assuming all five go with the system in question-you should get a read out on a Motorola System with the sys id):
406.4125
407.0125
408.250
409.2125
410.475
set the band to MOT and each freq to MOT, make sure the bank is OPEN (look at the top of the WIN96 page and find the Closed box--uncheck it)
In the Custom MOT Box (upper right hand corner) set your base freq to 406.4125, your offset to 380 and your step size to 12.5...

just for kicks, program your search for 400.000 to 425.000 and let it search and then write down the freqs that have the Motorola System sound....

Good luck!

 

[N4DXX]

Well I Have A Pro 96 And Have Found That The Control Ch Never Seems To Change..UNITCHARLIE LOOK AT THE FREQS I POSTED IS THAT A 12.5 OFFSET?OR 25

 

[N4DXX]

Thank's unitcharlie i'll keep you posted

 

[unitcharlie]

I'd call the step size 12.5 since they are all in that range, 3 of the 5 are .x125 (406.4125 407.0125 408.250 409.2125 410.475).... start there and then play with it some 'til you get the numbers right.... unfortunately the only way to figure out most Federal Systems is by trial-and-error.... do you have WIN96 and a programming cable--that saves so much headaching when trying to program things like this..... keep in touch....
(wow, a milestone: 1,000 posts in rr.com!)

 

[N4DXX]

unitcharlie i programmed as per your instructions with no luck when i put in the freq 409.2125 i get the following M36:8E08 but still wont trunk..What about the offset?what exactly does that change?

 

[unitcharlie]

unitcharlie i programmed as per your instructions with no luck when i put in the freq 409.2125 i get the following M36:8E08 but still wont trunk..What about the offset?what exactly does that change?

Now we are cookin' with gas! The system id is 8E08 and it is 3600 baud..... today's control channel is 409.2125..... try 406.0000 as your base freq, see if that gets it going..... we're are much closer!

 

[N4DXX]

Tried that unitcharlie also tried 406.4125 and 406.000 as a base freq no luck what about the offset? or is it possible that it's a splinter?sorry for all the question's but i am just new at this trunking stuff but it's fun and a challenge..Thank's for your time

 

[unitcharlie]

Unfortunately there are no rules when trying to figure out a Federal System.... use the search function and make sure you have the zeromatic turned on and check the control freqs.... but there is a good bit of info you have discovered... try 407.01250 as a base freq....

 

[N4DXX]

Ok unitcharlie this may be of some help i have monitored this control ch.409.2125 for over 2 months just messing around but it has never changed it has alway's been right where it is 24/7 ...and also i can hear them talking about switching channels for example i have overheard them say go to ch.10 and i hear them on 410.475 is it possible that this apco system is not trunked and if not what's the control ch. for?

 

[KE4ZNR]

Ok unitcharlie this may be of some help i have monitored this control ch.409.2125 for over 2 months just messing around but it has never changed it has alway's been right where it is 24/7 ...and also i can hear them talking about switching channels for example i have overheard them say go to ch.10 and i hear them on 410.475 is it possible that this apco system is not trunked and if not what's the control ch. for?

If there is a control channel then it is a trunked system...just need to find the channel layout/spacing for the system to be able to monitor it....like UnitCharlie said mapping out a UHF trunked system is not a one day project...you have to map out the layout of the system..If I still lived in Prestonsburg I would be glad to help you out but I moved back to NC at the beginning of June
Good Luck!
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[N4DXX]

I now have everything working great unitcharlie and all the others that helped me.. Thank's for everything...control ch.409.2125
base freq 406.000 offset 380 step size 12.5
406.4125
407.0125
408.250
410.475