Help monitoring Los Alamos PD

[beerzkool]

Hello,

I am soliciting help to monitor two frequencies. 453.45 and 453.55.

History:
In the good old days of analog, LAPD used these two frequencies. Eventually they merged into LANL's analog EDAC system, which is now a digital trunking system.

LAPD has renewed the licenses for the two old frequencies. I have been monitoring them and have heard some test comments. They were a digital broadcast. Today I heard some more test broadcasts AND some sounded like encrypted mode.

If you live in the area, I would appreciated any info you discover on these two freqs.

Thanks.

 

[beerzkool]

Here is what I have heard:

NAC 788 clear and encrypted
NAC 555 clear

NAC 210 or 218 clear

 

[Giddyuptd]

Interesting. I just acquired a couple of low uhf xts radios from up there that got donated to our agency.

Why I would guess they are getting newer equipment.

Wonder if they are tired of paying subscriber fees.

Do they still use the trs with the labs and is any of the the 2 older channels being patched over?

These were deprogrammed fully including the trunking stuff before they got donated to us.

 

[Giddyuptd]

Here is what I have heard:

NAC 788 clear and encrypted
NAC 555 clear

NAC 210 or 218 clear

These nacs all being used on the 2 frequencies? Are they pair or separate frequencies for conventional?

 

[beerzkool]

453.55 I have seen 788 and 555. I have heard encryption as well as clear.

453.55 I have seen 210 or it was 218, I was too slow to look.

LAPD and LAFD are on the LANL TRS.

My suspicion is that these two freqs may eventually be used for detectives or SWAT situations that require encryption communications. That is why I need more ears on the subject. I cannot monitor at work, so I don't get a lot of air time to listen.

 

[kc5igh]

Hello, Ethan . . . it's Johnnie.

I'm going to program those two frequencies in a couple of my digital scanners, and I'll let you know what I hear.

As I recall, 453.450 was LAPD's channel number one, and 453.550 was channel number two in the good old analog days. I believe the input frequencies for each were five MHz higher (i.e. 458.450 and 458.550), but I can't remember the squelch tones (136.5 rings a distant bell, but I'd have to dig out one of my older scanners to confirm that . . . useless information anyway if they've gone to P25).

Also, if I remember correctly, they had a repeater up on Tesuque Peak, which gave them pretty decent coverage up some of the canyons that couldn't otherwise be easily reached.

I don't understand why they'd go to all the trouble of setting up a separate system for encryption purposes IF (and maybe that's a big "if") they could encrypt some of their talkgroups on the current Lab trunked radio system. There may be some autonomy and financial issues involved. And then there's the question of interoperability . . . for example, I don't know if or how they presently communicate with the Fire Department via radio if they need to, but being on a separate, stand-alone system might (or might not) make things a little more difficult.

Interesting stuff . . .

 

[Giddyuptd]

Old tones are something I like to know.

I've seen old radios used in simplex put to use before that sat around in a tech room for events. If they are licensed still which most agencies will keep old licenses and renew them even though they don't use them eventually someone will use them for something.

I'd love to find the old tones for bcso, apd, and Santa fe pd before their trunking days.

 

[Giddyuptd]

Hello, Ethan . . . it's Johnnie.

I'm going to program those two frequencies in a couple of my digital scanners, and I'll let you know what I hear.

As I recall, 453.450 was LAPD's channel number one, and 453.550 was channel number two in the good old analog days. I believe the input frequencies for each were five MHz higher (i.e. 458.450 and 458.550), but I can't remember the squelch tones (136.5 rings a distant bell, but I'd have to dig out one of my older scanners to confirm that . . . useless information anyway if they've gone to P25).

Also, if I remember correctly, they had a repeater up on Tesuque Peak, which gave them pretty decent coverage up some of the canyons that couldn't otherwise be easily reached.

I don't understand why they'd go to all the trouble of setting up a separate system for encryption purposes IF (and maybe that's a big "if") they could encrypt some of their talkgroups on the current Lab trunked radio system. There may be some autonomy and financial issues involved. And then there's the question of interoperability . . . for example, I don't know if or how they presently communicate with the Fire Department via radio if they need to, but being on a separate, stand-alone system might (or might not) make things a little more difficult.

Interesting stuff . . .

Exactly. My understanding is from what I heard the labs is getting apx series as replacements for older hardware if not now. I didn't ask if they were 4000s, 8000s, 6000s.

Being they (labs) are federally funeed and include federal things I also know the thought has crossed some on locking it away.

I can say the surplus we got none have any ucm's in them or adp. Not even flashed for any hardware or software.

Could be possible they got 8000s and are using them to their full capacity, trunked, uhf and vhf convenational. With the state using the 700 interoperability now up top or here and there it would be logical the labs went with 8000s.

Possible they decided to have conventional channels for other areas outside the trs.

But I'm sure if they are having financial issues which many are in state conventional would be the go to. Pay once and be done with it over paying into leasing the labs radios, subscriber fees, or buying up front the newer equipment and biting the subscriber fees monthly after 5 to 8 grand a radio.

 

[kc5igh]

Exactly. My understanding is from what I heard the labs is getting apx series as replacements for older hardware if not now. I didn't ask if they were 4000s, 8000s, 6000s.

The Lab operates on a Harris trunked radio system, with most (probably all) of the associated hardware (controllers, radios, etc) presumably coming from that company. There are other non-trunked users that use different brands of radios and approved frequencies for other purposes that may be updating to apx series radios, but I'm guessing that, because the mainstream trunked system is Harris, then Harris multi-band radios would be the logical (or only) choice for trunked-system users needing that kind of coverage (including non-federal-frequency interoperability).

 

[kc5igh]

I'd like to know what the State Department of Public Safety is doing about interoperability with their new 700 MHz digital trunked system. Presumably, the new 700 MHz radios are dual-band, dual-mode, and the users can still switch over to "State Fire" or 155.550 or whatever other vhf or uhf analog systems with whom they may need to communicate. I suppose this is a question that should be asked in a different forum thread . . .

 

[kc5igh]

Hello, Ethan . . . it's Johnnie.

I'm going to program those two frequencies in a couple of my digital scanners, and I'll let you know what I hear.

Hello, Ethan.

So far, I haven't heard anything on those two frequencies, but I just realized, after I programmed them into my SDS100 and Icom R30, neither of them stop on encrypted transmissions . . . if indeed, that's what they are. In any event, I also haven't heard anything in the clear, but that could be due to a couple of things: 1) I wasn't near the radio when there was traffic of any sort coming through, and 2) they're low-power, simplex transmissions that aren't making it from Los Alamos to my location 35 miles away.

I'll program them in my TRX-1. It beeps and displays an "E" for encrypted when it encounters that type of traffic.

Happy monitoring!

 

[beerzkool]

Thanks Johnie, I have not heard a thing either since that day. Beats me.