Hart County Ga going digital

Status
Not open for further replies.

N4DJC

Active Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2019
Messages
809
Location
Upstate
Just read an article in the Hartwell Sun that the funding appears to have been approved to go to a digital system. Mobile Communications is getting the statement of work order, $641,643 total. About 480 radios.
 

RRR

OFFLINE
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,970
Location
USA
480 radios? Is every citizen in Hart county getting a radio??
 

nunyax

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2008
Messages
371
Location
Walton County, GA
The cost sharing proposal they presented said it was the same type of system Elbert County switched to in 2017. That is apparently a VHF DMR sytem based on the Elbert County thread. The 480 radios are for the county, city of Hartwell and the board of education.
 

Attachments

  • 5-14-19 packet 9-11.pdf
    892.4 KB · Views: 36

N4DJC

Active Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2019
Messages
809
Location
Upstate
I figured as much. Is Elbert encrypted? I don’t have DMR capability yet.
 

N4DJC

Active Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2019
Messages
809
Location
Upstate
The system is up and testing, this tidbit from my Hartwell Sun..

While the upgrade provides better communication for its users, the general public may not hear as much law enforcement chatter as they used to hear. Security access codes are necessary to hear each agency’s individual frequencies, but those codes will not be released to the general public, Partain said. With the new system, each agency (sheriff’s office, education system, etc.) will have its own frequency to talk on within their department, Partain said. But agencies won’t have access to other department’s frequencies.“Even with just other county people, anybody that is not in the sheriff’s department has to have a letter of approval from the sheriff to get his frequency put in their radios,” Partain said. “...It serves everybody. The school system, county and the city, all of it. They’re all working on the same base system, but they all have their individual stuff within that system.” However, the public can still hear both of the fire departments’ frequencies. There is also still a channel that can be used to disseminate information, such as missing persons, to the public, but not normal business correspondence, Partain said.“There are going to be times we want the public to hear what is going on. We have the capabilities to make that happen,” Partain said. “... If we have something going on that the people need to know about, that will happen.”
 
Last edited:

RRR

OFFLINE
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,970
Location
USA
And here I was, under the impression the Govt. worked for US.

Sounds like "Partain" has gotten too big for his britches.
 

N4DJC

Active Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2019
Messages
809
Location
Upstate
And here I was, under the impression the Govt. worked for US.

Sounds like "Partain" has gotten too big for his britches.

It was weird to read about the codes not being shared between agencies, I'm not familiar enough with interagency comms to know if that's a common occurrence or not. The next county meeting should be interesting.

One of the county commissioners was arrested a few weeks ago for multiple RICO statute violations. They arrested nine along with several members of his family, it was like something out of the godfather. Running EBT card scams, drugs, all sorts of stuff. He had the food contract at the county jail. He did not look happy in his orange jumpsuit.

I knew him pretty well, he was voted the best commissioner in the county recently. He had his hand in most everything in the country. I'm waiting for some more arrests.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RRR

Giddyuptd

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 6, 2018
Messages
1,301
Location
Here and there
480 radios, cache for oem/agency who owns for emergency deployment incidents, spares for field, techs, in service units. Sounds about right.
 

Giddyuptd

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 6, 2018
Messages
1,301
Location
Here and there
It was weird to read about the codes not being shared between agencies, I'm not familiar enough with interagency comms to know if that's a common occurrence or not. The next county meeting should be interesting.

One of the county commissioners was arrested a few weeks ago for multiple RICO statute violations. They arrested nine along with several members of his family, it was like something out of the godfather. Running EBT card scams, drugs, all sorts of stuff. He had the food contract at the county jail. He did not look happy in his orange jumpsuit.

I knew him pretty well, he was voted the best commissioner in the county recently. He had his hand in most everything in the country. I'm waiting for some more arrests.
Probably why the sheriff won't share his key with anyone and I couldn't blame him. With endless 7tacs, vtacs, local versions thereof interoperability shouldn't be a issue or secondary keys for such kept to that off main frequency for other entities.

Could name a city somewhere that had a local municipal attorney have local pd keys in her radio using it to her advantage outside of her desk job off clock then when the keys changed Missy stomped around cause the party was over and got caught in her scheme.
 

RRR

OFFLINE
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,970
Location
USA
Does anyone have the actual frequencies (or CC, TG's) for Elbert county yet?
 

DanRollman

Member
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
1,105
Location
Atlanta, GA
I can confirm it is MotoTRBO. Can anyone find the frequencies for this system? I do know it is fully operational. All talkgroups are simulcasted onto the old analog frequencies.

Found in the FCC database what I strongly suspect is their MotoTRBO frequencies. WRCC754, WRCD221, WRCD222, and WRCD223 are their callsigns. These are licensed under Part 22 (former VHF radiotelephone/paging frequencies), not Part 90, so they don't show up in RadioReference's FCC database which has elected to exclude Part 22 (CP Radio Service Code) licenses. This sort of licensing is similar to White County and Habersham County MotoTRBO licenses.

Now the challenge: Part 22 licenses are licensed by "frequency range" in a "market," rather than an "exact frequency" at a "specific location" the way Part 90 licenses are done.

So what you need to do is search the licensed ranges (152.105-152.135; 152.615-152.645; 152.765-152.795; and 152.795-152.825) and then find the exact frequencies that their repeaters are programmed for, and listen to figure out which agency is using them and what for (IF they are not encrypted). This is precisely the process I used in order to figure out the entire White County and Habersham County MotoTRBO systems "the old fashioned way".

If it was me, I'd set up a search from 152.105 to 152.825 and let 'er run. If you have a Uniden scanner that has "Discovery Mode," you can run a conventional Discovery from 152.105 to 152.825 and let it run for a while and see what you find in the recordings.

It will be interesting to see whether Hart County is using these frequencies as conventional non-trunked MotoTRBO repeaters (as White County does) or a Con+ trunking system (as Habersham County does).

Have fun! Let us know what you find!
 

DanRollman

Member
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
1,105
Location
Atlanta, GA
Does anyone have the actual frequencies (or CC, TG's) for Elbert county yet?

You could find Elbert's frequencies the same way I described above for Hart County. Appears they are on Part 22 licenses too - WQYH596, WQYH597, WQYH598, WQYH599, WQYH600, and WQYH601.

That's 152.015-152.045; 152.495-152.525; 152.525-152.555; 152.615-152.645; 152.645-152.675 and 152.105-152.135.

If you're in the area and search 152.015-152.825, you ought to find all of Hart and Elbert county activity all mixed in together in there. Would take listening for a while to figure out who is who, what tower locations, whether it is a trunked system, etc. And again, of course, none of this is particularly relevant to the extent encryption is employed by either or both of these counties.
 

DanRollman

Member
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
1,105
Location
Atlanta, GA
So, I take that as a no?

Take it however you want to take it. I just told you where you'll find their frequencies and even gave you the callsigns for their FCC licenses. Personally I'd take that as closer to a 'yes' if we're being binary about it. But if that information isn't precise and detailed enough for you, or if you're just a dour person, then you should probably take it as a 'no'. Did that help guide how you should take it?
 

KD4YGG

Active Member
Database Admin
Joined
Jan 30, 2001
Messages
2,043
Don’t forget using decoder tools such as DSD Plus, the SEARCH feature on your scanner, etc. to help figure this one out - despite the Encryption factor.

Like so many other systems in the database, some dedicated monitoring, note taking, and investment of some time to investigate will open up a new aspect of the hobby.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RRR

RRR

OFFLINE
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,970
Location
USA
So does anyone have the "actual frequencies" (CC's, TG's) for Elbert county yet?
 

apx7000xe

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Messages
199
Location
GA/SC State Line and South GA
Found in the FCC database what I strongly suspect is their MotoTRBO frequencies. WRCC754, WRCD221, WRCD222, and WRCD223 are their callsigns. These are licensed under Part 22 (former VHF radiotelephone/paging frequencies), not Part 90, so they don't show up in RadioReference's FCC database which has elected to exclude Part 22 (CP Radio Service Code) licenses. This sort of licensing is similar to White County and Habersham County MotoTRBO licenses.

Now the challenge: Part 22 licenses are licensed by "frequency range" in a "market," rather than an "exact frequency" at a "specific location" the way Part 90 licenses are done.

So what you need to do is search the licensed ranges (152.105-152.135; 152.615-152.645; 152.765-152.795; and 152.795-152.825) and then find the exact frequencies that their repeaters are programmed for, and listen to figure out which agency is using them and what for (IF they are not encrypted). This is precisely the process I used in order to figure out the entire White County and Habersham County MotoTRBO systems "the old fashioned way".

If it was me, I'd set up a search from 152.105 to 152.825 and let 'er run. If you have a Uniden scanner that has "Discovery Mode," you can run a conventional Discovery from 152.105 to 152.825 and let it run for a while and see what you find in the recordings.

It will be interesting to see whether Hart County is using these frequencies as conventional non-trunked MotoTRBO repeaters (as White County does) or a Con+ trunking system (as Habersham County does).

Have fun! Let us know what you find!
I do know for a fact from speaking to a system user that it is a trunking system that is fully encrypted. I was told that the frequencies were purchased from the U.S. Coast Guard. I don't know how exactly that would work since frequencies are licensed through the FCC. Here is a local news article that also says frequencies were purchased. HC administrator Partain updates commissioners on digital radio system – 92.1 WLHR In monitoring the TRS rebroadcast on the old analog frequencies, the MotoTRBO encrypted TPT can be heard in the background sometimes which confirms encryption. The tone I am referring to is listed at the bottom of this webpage W2SJW - Radio Sounds I am still unsure which trunking protocol they use. What's a good way to find that?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top