GATRRS Tower Decode Today - (old USGS Shingle IR site)

[W5ATX]

There's been so many changes I feel like i'm starting all over again. Today I went out to the GATRRS USGS Shingle IR site. the old IR site frequencies were:

852.6625

852.925c

853.400c

853.800c

I noticed the old callsign and control channel had expired, and that a new callsign and frequency list was issued a few weeks ago. So today I grabbed a few scanners (sds100 and pro96) and my laptop and drove to the USGS Shingle IR site. I removed the antenna on my SDS (to make sure i didn't pick up any other sites) and searched and Wa-La! 851.1375c was full scale. I also searched and found a bunch of active voice frequencies. Waaay more than the 4 frequencies listed above. So I fired up Pro96Com and took a few screen shots. Are these worthy of submitting as updates? I sat in front of the site for a good 15 minutes and it looks like all of the voice channels were talking (23 of them). What's interesting is i was seeing apd edwd sector talkgroup and I doubt there was an edwd unit on the usgs shingle tower, perhaps a subscriber was on the site but very odd. I want to try the Davis IR site to see if it has the same behavior. So now, are all of the sites using the 851.1375 control channel and are all sites transmitting the same TGIDs? I'm trying to learn this simulcast system, maybe i should apply for a job at the radio shop, I'd love to work with radios again. I have a bunch of screenshots, let me know if you want more, or if the admins want me to email them the photos so they can submit updates (if needed).

 

[KI5IRE]

Did you save the log files? You can post those in tos thread as well, that’d be pretty helpful as well.

The talkgroups seen here are all in the database already, so I would be curious to see if you logged any that aren’t already there at some point during your session.

i think the frequency information would be enough to submit.

 

[W5ATX]

Thanks, no I did not save the log files, I don't think any of the talk groups are new per se but all these frequencies along with the control channel are new for this site, this was an old intelli repeater site that is now a full-on simulcast site. I can upload the other screenshots later.

 

[W5ATX]

here's the site info tab. what's interesting is i'm 20 miles from that site and monitoring another site, they both say site 7, but this one says phase 2. I guess if the CC is 851.1375 then they will all say Site 7?

 

[K5MPH]

Thanks for the info...........

 

[rattlerbb01]

It looks like they simply turned that remote site into a part of the Simulcast to extend coverage.

 

[W5ATX]

Yessir, i've been to a few sites now and this seems to be trend. Davis IR is the same (made a new thread) and i haven't been to creedmoor yet but they are still transmitting on a separate CC (852.2125), with only 2 voice channels which is odd. the NAC is 130h, RFSS 001, Site 009 if you need that info, i see some of it is missing in the database. If/When they make this a full simulcast site, do you want me to submit an update with a link to these posts that contain the updates and do you want a screenshot or the pro96com data file? thanks.

 

[W5ATX]

Also, i see the strikethrough update on the gatrrs page, i wouldn't remove it completely, unless there's another way to identify it? when i click on sim1 or sim7 it doesn't show a location pin on the tower map. I know there has been a lot of changes over the past several months, but there may be some major cleanup in store. If one buys a scanner and downloads the database, currently half of the sim1 voice channels are mixed in with site 007. also some of the old sim1 control channels are now voice channels, etc. what i'm finding is even the sds100 will scan the database and lock up on a data channel on the old sim1 site. i guess if you wait 5 minutes it will be reused as a voice channel. last but not least, let me know if there are any local austin area gatrrs meetings, zoom meetings, skype, or other discussion. i'm getting back into scanners again , slowly trying to get fully familiar with this system and i'll share what I can. Thanks.