Halifax Transit

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mciupa

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Do you have a digital trunk tracking scanner?

They are on here:

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=7924

If so, use the site closest to where you live and monitor these talkgroups:

Code:
41801	a349	D	HRM Transit1	Halifax Transit ops 1 	Transportation 
41802	a34a	D	HRM Transit2	Halifax Transit ops 2 	Transportation 
41804	a34c	D	HRMTrns Proj	Halifax Transit projects 	Transportation 
41806	a34e	D	HRM Trns Mnt	Halifax Transit fleet maintenance 	Transportation 
41807	a34f	D	HRM FerryOps	Halifax Transit ferry operations 	Transportation
 

mciupa

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Here is the Halifax area list from that page, if it helps:

Code:
1 (1)	042 (2A)	Queensland	Halifax, NS	770.53125c	770.78125a	771.03125	771.28125	 	 	 
1 (1)	043 (2B)	Tantallon	Halifax, NS	769.10625c	769.35625a	769.60625	769.85625	770.10625	770.35625	 
1 (1)	044 (2C)	Whites Lake (Prospect)	Halifax, NS	769.25625c	769.50625a	769.75625	770.00625	 	 	 
1 (1)	045 (2D)	Geizer's Hill	Halifax, NS	769.18125c	769.43125a	769.68125	769.93125	770.18125	770.43125	770.68125
 	 	 	 	771.75625	772.00625	772.25625	772.50625	 	 	 
1 (1)	046 (2E)	Maritime Centre	Halifax, NS	772.39375	772.64375	773.18125c	773.43125a	773.68125	773.93125	774.18125
 	 	 	 	774.43125	774.68125	 	 	 	 	 
1 (1)	047 (2F)	Sackville	Halifax, NS	769.15625c	769.29375	769.40625a	769.54375	769.65625	769.79375	769.90625
 	 	 	 	770.15625	770.40625	 	 	 	 	 
1 (1)	048 (30)	Preston	Halifax, NS	769.09375c	769.34375a	769.59375	769.84375	770.09375	770.34375	 
1 (1)	049 (31)	Musquodoboit	Halifax, NS	770.19375c	770.44375a	770.69375	770.94375	771.19375	773.06875	 
1 (1)	050 (32)	Tangier	Halifax, NS	769.30625c	769.55625a	769.80625	770.05625	 	 	 
1 (1)	051 (33)	Marinette	Halifax, NS	772.39375c	772.64375a	772.89375	773.14375	 	 	 
1 (1)	052 (34)	Chaplin	Halifax, NS	770.50625c	770.75625	771.00625	771.25625
 

blacktop

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It depends on what you want to listen to. The 'administrative' type stuff (Transit Inspectors, Ferry Operations, etc) are on the trunk system (TMR2) as MCIUPA has indicated.

However, if you want to listen to the dispatch centre and the actual buses. Comms are simplex. Halifax Transit uses 8-bay dipoles at their two facilities (200 Ilsley, Ragged Lake) to communicate effectively with the buses. they are in the 410-415 range listed at: https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=4698

One of the listed repeater pairs is for Access-a Bus operations.

Mode is FM ....SDR decoding of any type not required.

Seems to me there are more simplex channels than what is listed...some searching would turn them up fairly quickly, especially if you are near downtown.

Note that the base units talk on one frequency and receive from the buses on another. Similar to what Taxi outfits were doing very widespread at one time. Buses do not hear each other... ("half-duplex" is the term for this type of operation)

There are at least two channel pairs that function that way, but as I mentioned I think there is a third channel pair there too.
 
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ty12122

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Location
Canada
According to Marscan's old site there's 4 half-duplex pairs for coms between BTC and the busses (3 main pairs and a fallback pair) as well as the access-a-bus repeater.

Base transmitter Mobile transmitter Usage
411.0375 416.0375 "Fallback Channel"
410.1125 415.1125 Channel A
413.9875 418.9875 Channel B
412.8875 417.8875 Channel C
410.1625 (rptr output) 415.1625 (mobile and control) Access-a-Bus

Take a look at the following page, gives a good idea of how the system is (was?) setup. Not sure if this info is from before of after the switch to the new TransitMaster AVL system though.

HALIFAX TRANSIT
 

blacktop

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They still use the VHF for comms, but I'd bet they are using the MDTs on their new Trapeze system for a lot of routine messages...
 

rayneeny

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Mar 12, 2013
Messages
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Location
Eastern Passage,Nova Scotia,Canada.
Thanks for the info guys.

Now that i am back to scanning albeit with a non trunking analog scanner the BC125AT it seems there is still enough out there to keep me interested.

I live close to Shearwater and picked up a fair bit of traffic today regarding Helicopters.
I can also receive a fair bit of traffic on its way in/out of YHZ and the high level stuff.

I want to explore the Mid-Air Refuelling over Nova Scotia as well.

I occasionally use my SDRPlay Rsp to decode some digital transmissions but its painful when it cannot do the trunking stuff properly.

Hopefully the Digital trunking scanners will come down in price a bit one day and i will purchase one of those.
 
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