Finger Lakes FGLK2301 & FGLK2304 GPS in Syracuse

Status
Not open for further replies.

DSheirer

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Messages
572
Location
Fulton, NY
Two Finger Lakes RR locomotives pushing coal cars in the Solvay yard in Syracuse, squawking GPS.
 

Attachments

  • FGLK2301 and FGLK2304 in Solvay.jpg
    FGLK2301 and FGLK2304 in Solvay.jpg
    77.2 KB · Views: 534

N1TUI

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 25, 2004
Messages
23
This is an interesting catch. What software is that? Is that the default view or did you tweak this for posting?

Frank
N1TUI
 

DSheirer

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Messages
572
Location
Fulton, NY
This is an interesting catch. What software is that? Is that the default view or did you tweak this for posting?

Frank
N1TUI

The software is a new java app that I'm developing.

That is the default view, but I had to resize the picture to stay within the RR posting limits.

The application has google maps built-in. Any trunked radio messages, or in this case Fleetsync GPS messages, that have a location are plotted on the map so that you can see the location, see the decoded messages, and hear the voice traffic at the same time.

Many of the Conventional, LTR-Standard, LTR-Net and LTR-Passport systems around central NY are also using Fleetsync 1200 for ANI and GPS.
 

N1TUI

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 25, 2004
Messages
23
Very nice. Is that a scanner that your using for the radio?

Is the Finger Lakes RR using an LTR system or is there a RR positioning system that the software is decoding?

I like this alot. I'll have to swing by Solvay while I'm in NY during the holidays.

Frank
N1TUI
 

DSheirer

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Messages
572
Location
Fulton, NY
Very nice. Is that a scanner that your using for the radio?

Is the Finger Lakes RR using an LTR system or is there a RR positioning system that the software is decoding?

I like this alot. I'll have to swing by Solvay while I'm in NY during the holidays.

Frank
N1TUI

The decoder channels take input from any sound card channel(external scanner input) or from one or more SDR dongles. You run run any combination of tuners/decoders at the same time and each dongle can source one or more channels, within its tuned bandwidth. I'm using both a funcube dongle pro and a funcube dongle pro plus at the same time.

My I7 started chugging a bit (~50%) when I was running 12 decoders (6 x LTR-Net & 6 x Fleetsync). I'm adding RTL (E4000/R820T) dongle support right now, so that I can try to run 4 dongles at the same time, limited by the computer horsepower.

The FGLK locomotives are using LTR-Net radios with Fleetsync 1200 GPS, on the MobileTech Communications system, but I've not heard them using any of the voice channels.

The Livonia, Avon and Lakeville RR is also using the MobileTech LTR-Net network with Fleetsync 1200, but the LTR-Net system is being used to repeat the normal RR channels. They're using Fleetsync 1200 ANI squawks for ID when they're getting track warrants, but I haven't decoded any GPS plots for them yet. I posted most of their Fleetsync IDs on the wiki Mobiletech Communications (Upstate NY) - The RadioReference Wiki

In Solvay, you can park near the China Town furniture store and the FGLK track is right there. You can watch the FGLK locomotive(s) pushing the cars around, and the CSX lines are right around the corner in front of the NY state fair grounds.
 

N1TUI

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 25, 2004
Messages
23
Thanks for this info. I was apparently reading the Mobiletech Comm wiki as you were replying.

The wheels turn slowly here. It took me a few minutes to understand that a railroad was using an LTR-Net system with Fleetsync for position tracking. I am not a hardcore rail fan but this is the first time I've seen comments regarding a railroad using this type of technology like this. I'm not sure if this is an example of a forward thinking FGLK or a good Mobiletech sales person but I think it's interesting to see. Again, I think that is an interesting catch.

Is your application LTR-Net\Fleetsync specific or Fleetsync 1200 focused? I really like the information it displays. Nice job. I am in CT and now I am wondering how many systems in my area have Fleetsync running.

Regards.

Frank
N1TUI
 

DSheirer

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Messages
572
Location
Fulton, NY
Is your application LTR-Net\Fleetsync specific or Fleetsync 1200 focused? I really like the information it displays. Nice job. I am in CT and now I am wondering how many systems in my area have Fleetsync running.

It's focused mostly on trunked radio protocols like LTR, LTR-Net, Passport and MPT1327 and on audio band signals like Fleetsync, MDC1200 and speech inversion. The audio output for each channel is squelch controlled by the trunking signalling.

Do you have access to an SDR radio and application with a waterfall display? I've found the best way to discover the Fleetsync GPS squawks is to watch the waterfall display - the squawks look like plus signs floating down the waterfall . Each vehicle squawks it's GPS position on a 1, 3, 5 or 6 minute cycle. Each radio has a predefined time to transmit, to avoid vehicles squawking on top of each other. So, if you watch the waterfall for up to 6 minutes for each portion of the spectrum, you'll likely see the transmission and can tune to it.

There's close to a dozen different fleetsync GPS channels running in the Syracuse area on VHF and UHF. A while ago one of the channels from Canada (140 MHz-ish) was propagating down here and I was decoding fuel trucks running NW of Toronto.
 

Attachments

  • FLeetsync Squawk.png
    FLeetsync Squawk.png
    40 KB · Views: 294
Last edited:

N1TUI

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 25, 2004
Messages
23
I have an SDR-IQ connected to my AR-5000. I will start looking for this a bit more.

Thanks for this info.

Frank
N1TUI
 
D

DaveNF2G

Guest
When you start putting this out for betas, keep me in mind. I have 4 SDR dongles here. I don't know if there is any Fleetsync or similar activity in my area, but this would give me the incentive to find out.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top