I5 Trunking Project / ARINC SMF Sacramento

[b52hbuff]

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&sid=3813

The db page shows that the SysID is 0039h, and it shows two control channels:
937.16250* 937.18750*

...however, I found a control channel on 938.6375 with an identical SysID. I did a frequency search here:
http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&freq=938.6375&action=sf&stcd=CA

...and it appears to correlate with the ARINC SMF system:
http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&action=fcc&cs=WPWG329

and just to compare, here is the license that is shown in the db under the TRS page:
http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&action=fcc&cs=WPUZ854

...so maybe SMF added some freqs later and they're not cosolidated under one license? Since I didn't monitor any TGIDs, I don't feel comfortable sending this information to the db admins. Could someone in the Sacramento area give a listen and see if this is indeed part of the same system?

Thanks!

 

[mkewman]

I'll take a look!

 

[WayneH]

When I found the system last month it was using one of the two listed in the DB. Just FYI.

ETA: Barely picked it up on 938.6375 from the Altamont Windmill Farm.

 

[RolnCode3]

How close do you have to be in order to pick these systems up? I've got a tapped 785 and a laptop, so I don't mind running Unitrunker on them...

 

[mkewman]

i can pick it up here in rocklin/roseville with a rubber duck and strategic placement. give 'er a run see if you come up with anything

 

[b52hbuff]

How close do you have to be in order to pick these systems up? I've got a tapped 785 and a laptop, so I don't mind running Unitrunker on them...

I was surprised at some of the propagation myself. All of these systems were received during a trip on the I5. I transition to the 152 to get to/from the Bay area, so that gives you an idea about how far away I was from Sacramento...

 

[mkewman]

i have officially not heard a peep on any of these frequencies, even when driving up close. could this TRS have been shut down just like the 800mhz one?

 

[b52hbuff]

i have officially not heard a peep on any of these frequencies, even when driving up close. could this TRS have been shut down just like the 800mhz one?

How bizarre. So I started the thread within days of hearing the information. I'm wondering one of two things. Either the system has _just_ gone dead in the time that we're talking about it... Or maybe someone has recycled their equipment?

 

[Sac916]

How bizarre. So I started the thread within days of hearing the information. I'm wondering one of two things. Either the system has _just_ gone dead in the time that we're talking about it... Or maybe someone has recycled their equipment?

I pass by SMF every day during the week. About a year ago, when Sac TRS systems were going through their changes/upgrades, I was hearing an open carrier with "beeping tones" on the 800 system of the two that are listed there. I have never heard any active talk groups from either system.

800 system
http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&sid=3800

900 system
http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&sid=3813

Back then, travelling along the freeway along I-5, I could pick up a decent signal from about 15 miles away, any deviation from that it was pretty crappy. However, I could get a perfect signal from the Lincoln Hills area which is at a higher elevation, a lot farther than 15 miles and nearly line of site across the valley.

A year ago I had heard talk of Airport users moving away from the Sac TRS to a new system at the airport. Up until the SMF parking shuttle Talk Groups were removed, they had the highest number of PTT out of ALL the Sac TRS users. It wasn't necessarily lengthy transmissions, but it was certainly a significant number of PTTs.

How does this all fit together? Guess we'll just have to keep listening and reading.

I would imagine, that with all the upgrades, improvements and expansion of SMF there has to be something online about their (future) radio systems.



.

 

[mkewman]

picking up a new sys id on 938.6625- 313Ah is the sysid.

there's a mount diablo SMR on that frequency with the sysid 313A...

 

[mkewman]

drove by the airport again this evening, absolutely nothing on any of those licenses was being transmitted. i programmed all the scannable 800/900 mhz frequencies licensed to ARINC, and got nothing.

could they be going to an iDen system like SFO, and other airports? it seems like it-

http://www.arinc.com/products/voice_data_comm/rebanding/digitalupgrade.html

http://mrtmag.com/news/sept2002/radio_airport_dispatching_transitions/

it sounds like ARINC has teamed up with Motorola to setup one big humongous linked iDen system.

i looked at the license a little more and noticed something:

the contact info is for Sprint / Nextel.

now what confuzzes me is that if they were going to an iDen network, why are the frequencies they licensed in the CDMA part of the band?

all these changes seem to be recent, as this license (WPUZ854) was *just* changed.

Whats weird is that i can't find those old frequencies used for the motorola system aren't in the ULS listing anymore, but are still shown under that license in the db.

 

[WayneH]

now what confuzzes me is that if they were going to an iDen network, why are the frequencies they licensed in the CDMA part of the band?

all these changes seem to be recent, as this license (WPUZ854) was *just* changed.

CDMA part of the band? Where do you see this? That license is in the LMR 900 band.

I'm not sure what's up with the S/N connection. There are a number of conventional 800 channels licensed to S/N in the Bay Area. When I've seen the equipment it's just a single channel LTR system (that no one seems to use). S/N field ops doesn't handle them; it's contracted out. FCI 900 must be a similar extension as the local S/N techs don't handle this system unless it's a special situation where AIRINC is piggybacking on the network.

Whats weird is that i can't find those old frequencies used for the motorola system aren't in the ULS listing anymore, but are still shown under that license in the db.

RR lists cancelled licenses whereas the ULS removes them; unless you search the callsign with the right search engine.