Iowa state patrol

[firemedic78]

I am looking for some help. If for some reason it's already been posted in this thread and I have somehow missed it I apologize, but IA state patrol area B which covers my area switched over to the ISICS PHASE II 700 System a few weeks ago a little earlier than intended because they were having problems with their conventional repeater and up until the last few days or so area A, which covers the Des Moines Dispatch tower has been silent on conventional, so I'm wondering if they went ahead And updated area A and possibly C and D as well to the 700 syste





. If anybody out there can give me some advice or help, I look through all the frequencies under the Iowa system and I'm not seeing any specific Radio frequencies for Iowa state patrol 700 simulcast, and looking through each county I cannot find anything for Polk County to Program and I control channels, obviously I've got all of the talk group I d's for each listed area site, and as stated above, my area is area B which is the Storm Lake dispatch tower, most specifically or I live the Spring Brook tower, and I'm hearing and just fine on my radio, by the way is a Uniden BCD996P2, Which obviously everybody knows that's compatible with the phase 2 project, but I meeting held with wondering if any other sides are still running conventional sense I'm not hearing any conventional traffic for site A.

The help I am needing, again as I looked through all the frequencies and appropriate county's listed, I'm not seeing anything that has any Polk County frequencies for 700, yes there are some other counties that site A covers that are listed with some frequencies under the 700 system, but I would assume the site A dispatch tower would have Polk County frequencies for 700 so I guess my question here is twofold.

Can I still use the old method That you could use back when it was just simply regular 800 MHz and just program the appropriate talk group without the frequency and program the ID settings to ID scan instead of ID search since I'm not searching for talkgroups, I have already got them, so I don't need the scanner to search them, I just want to scan them, and that used to work right before all the Digital stuff, you could simply just type or program via computer like I do with this website, as well as my ARC XT Programming software, would type in the talk group only with no frequency and it would pick it up just fine but I'm not savvy on the new ISICS 700 MHz system.

Do I need the control channels for each area, which I'm sure you know is listed as area A, area B, C, and D, and up until recently I was able to hear things just fine on the Des moines conventional tower frequency, but again as I stated above I'm no longer getting traffic or least bad timing if they're still using it and I'm just not catching it, but I been monitoring it for the last 3 days straight and have heard nothing for that area on the conventional freq,, so if anybody out there can help me out and let me know, first off, if area A did in fact update to ISICS, which set of control channels go with area A, C, and D, again since I already have area B working, I would be greatly appreciative

Again, looking through the whole list of frequencies and their associated county's, I cannot find anything for Iowa state patrol 700 MHz simulcast, like you can see with Westcom and other agencies like Dallas County which I also how up and running and have had for a while, but I don't see any frequencies lusted for Iowa state patrol under Polk County which I would assume that would be necessary for the area A dispatch system to function since that's where the main dispatch center is located, Or at least that dispatch center covers multiple county's including the main county of Polk, Show that's what leads me to believe that there, and my opinion, should be a set of Polk County 700 MHz frequencies before area A simulcast.

I do see other counties within that area that have 700 MHz frequencies listed but I think those are for other agencies within that specific county, Like Jasper County which covers the Laural tower, But on a conventional side it was just one frequency that covered all those counties that Des moines state would dispatch for.

So I guess what I'm asking is 1st off can I still use the old way of simply just putting in the talkgroup ID without frequency and just keep it programmed to ID scan itself, or do I need the 3 or 4 different optional control channels listed per area( Frequencies listed in red which are usually 3 or 4 out of the of frequency bank) and if so if anybody knows those control channels for area A, C and D, I would greatly appreciate it.if you can list the appropriate CC's for the specified areas of ISP.

Again I may be wrong and it may just be that I'm not hearing radio traffic on the conventional side simply because there isn't any at the time I monitoring if they're still on the conventional side but for as long as I've been monitoring by now I think I would have heard something, especially with this being the memorial holiday weekend, I would think area A would be going nuts all day every day, but I get nothing on my conventional frequency for the Des moines tower dispatch.

That is what is leading me to believe that they decided to go ahead and switch at least A over to 700 MHz, and again I am having a very difficult time finding any frequencies in the 700 MHz for Iowa state patrol A.

Sorry for the long thread, I should have made this just simple and short but I like to get specific. So I guess to make this short and simple if somebody out there has the 3 or 4 control channels for each state patrol area, other then area B, which again I already have up and running, I would greatly appreciate it if you could list them and of course list them with the appropriate area letter so I could get the rest of the state patrol programmed into my scanner other then area B. And then again, do I even need to worry about the frequencies or can I just program the talkgroups and then just keep the setting set for ID scan.

I do not however need any help with Polk County sheriff or fire itself, they are actually under a different system(SARA), because they contract through Racomm.

Again I apologize for the long thread but I Just wanted to we as specific as possible that way there would be no back-and-forth replies,, I think reading all of this, you'll get the idea of what I'm asking for. I just can't find anything under all the frequencies that can give me the correct frequencies to program to monitor area A and of course areas C and D as well. Thank you in advance.

Chris S.

 

[bkramm]

The Iowa State Patrol does not have any separate frequencies, it its just a shared system.
Pick your closest tower or towers.
You should hear all the TG's you have programmed or use search on the system.
ISICS - RR

 

[firemedic78]

I'm sorry, I take it back, as of this morning Des moines state radio was transmitting just fine on conventional. I must have just had my radio either too far away to catch the traffic or just not heard it or one of the wrong places at the wrong times not near the radio when they were talking while Monitoring it the past few days but I'm hearing it fine now on conventional VHF for that area. I found out as of right now, at least according to one dispatcher and a state trooper, area B which covers the Storm Lake dispatch center and counties involved with Storm Lake dispatching is the only area actively dispatching on the ISICS System with the exception of the occasional interop For tactical issues, But supposedly area B right now is the only state patrol area using the system but the others should be going very soon. In fact, just found out my county is supposed to be going very soon as well. So I think I'm doing OK for now. Thanks for the replies.

 

[IowaGuy1603]

Cedar Rapids State radio is almost 100 percent on the digital system now

Post 11 Cedar Rapids is running as DPS Law 2d i

Post 12 Stockton is running as DPS Law 3d

Both consoles communicate as Cedar Rapids

 

[firemedic78]

I guess the one question I still would like to have answered is do I need to have the frequency control channels programmed or can I still use the old way of programming talk group ID only and keeping scanner set to just scan the TG ID's Programmed and to the radio and not do a TG ID search since I have the talk group ID's already programmed into the scanner.

As far as the frequencies and counties go, I think I figured out all I really need to do is program 1 or 2 counties within either the area A, B, C or D dispatching center out of the several counties or towers, as they were called on old vhf and program the appropriate area TG and I am thinking it will hit any tower no matter what because it's bouncing off of the dispatch area. So as you stated above with Stockton and Cedar Rapids, if I just program their control channels (if needed be), I should still be able to hear any traffic within the D area because it's running off of that area D dispatch center. Example, here in my area, I Live on bordering counties. I physically live in Guthrie County but 1/4 mile South is Adair Cointy, and I have both counties 700 MHz control channels programmed and but I'm hearing all of area B, which is dispatched from Storm Lake. Basically everything from my area to the Nebraska line and South to Missouri line, And North past Denison( Again as stated above, basically, All of the towers that were on the old VHF conventional system that were dispatched from the Storm Lake communications center, or Atlantic dispatch center before they closed it a couple years ago and just switched to the Storm Lake State center. The old system, each tower had a specific PL tone but now it's all digital, so I can hear the whole area B, not just the Springbrook tower that our area was on. The Atlantic tower was a different PL tone on old conventional) so I think I just need to program one or maybe two 700 Mghz CC's within each area and then have the appropriate talk groups programmed.

I just want to know if I can save myself a step like you could do back in the day and not program any frequencies but just program the talk groups and then of course have your scanner settings programmed to ID scan only and it would still pick it up without any frequencies because again it's scanning the actual talk groups, not searching and therefore it didn't need a frequency so that's I guess But if I do need to program the 700 MHz control channel or channels,I think I can program just 1 or 2 channels per area and then be able to hear the complete area with all the talk groups programmed in for that area, based on that particular area's frequencies control channel's. that way when I'm near that part of the state, I can monitor that whole area then I'm in. I doubt if I were to program Area D Control channel frequencies and/or just the talk groups, I probably would not hear them from my location unless the new ISICS System is made to be monitored anywhere statewide, which would kind of be cool but I doubt that I could set here in guthrie county and pick up state patrol area D. I would think I would need to be closer to area D. Now area A, I should be able to monitor when they go into For effect because the Des Moines dispatch center isn't as far. In fact, area A starts one county to the west of where I live.

Again correct me if I am wrong but I would just like to know whether or not I do need to program both the frequencies and groups or if you can still do the old way of just programming the talk groups only and having your ID talk group settings programmed to ID scan only, or if this new system requires the actual frequency control channels. Thank you.

 

[firemedic78]

Cedar Rapids State radio is almost 100 percent on the digital system now

Post 11 Cedar Rapids is running as DPS Law 2d i

Post 12 Stockton is running as DPS Law 3d

Both consoles communicate as Cedar Rapids

I guess the one question I still would like to have answered is do I need to have the frequency control channels programmed or can I still use the old way of programming talk group ID only and keeping scanner set to just scan the TG ID's Programmed and to the radio and not do a TG ID search since I have the talk group ID's already programmed into the scanner.

As far as the frequencies and counties go, I think I figured out all I really need to do is program 1 or 2 counties within either the area A, B, C or D dispatching center out of the several counties or towers, as they were called on old vhf and program the appropriate area TG and I am thinking it will hit any tower no matter what because it's bouncing off of the dispatch area. So as you stated above with Stockton and Cedar Rapids, if I just program their control channels (if needed be), I should still be able to hear any traffic within the D area because it's running off of that area D dispatch center. Example, here in my area, I Live on bordering counties. I physically live in Guthrie County but 1/4 mile South is Adair Cointy, and I have both counties 700 MHz control channels programmed and but I'm hearing all of area B, which is dispatched from Storm Lake. Basically everything from my area to the Nebraska line and South to Missouri line, And North past Denison( Again as stated above, basically, All of the towers that were on the old VHF conventional system that were dispatched from the Storm Lake communications center, or Atlantic dispatch center before they closed it a couple years ago and just switched to the Storm Lake State center. The old system, each tower had a specific PL tone but now it's all digital, so I can hear the whole area B, not just the Springbrook tower that our area was on. The Atlantic tower was a different PL tone on old conventional) so I think I just need to program one or maybe two 700 Mghz CC's within each area and then have the appropriate talk groups programmed.

I just want to know if I can save myself a step like you could do back in the day and not program any frequencies but just program the talk groups and then of course have your scanner settings programmed to ID scan only and it would still pick it up without any frequencies because again it's scanning the actual talk groups, not searching and therefore it didn't need a frequency so that's I guess But if I do need to program the 700 MHz control channel or channels,I think I can program just 1 or 2 channels per area and then be able to hear the complete area with all the talk groups programmed in for that area, based on that particular area's frequencies control channel's. that way when I'm near that part of the state, I can monitor that whole area then I'm in. I doubt if I were to program Area D Control channel frequencies and/or just the talk groups, I probably would not hear them from my location unless the new ISICS System is made to be monitored anywhere statewide, which would kind of be cool but I doubt that I could set here in guthrie county and pick up state patrol area D. I would think I would need to be closer to area D. Now area A, I should be able to monitor when they go into For effect because the Des Moines dispatch center isn't as far. In fact, area A starts one county to the west of where I live.

Again correct me if I am wrong but I would just like to know whether or not I do need to program both the frequencies and groups or if you can still do the old way of just programming the talk groups only and having your ID talk group settings programmed to ID scan only, or if this new system requires the actual frequency control channels. Thank you.

 

[nd5y]

If you don't have control channel frequencies programmed then you will not receive anything.
That's how trunking works. The active talkgroup/voice channel data is broadcast on control channels.
You have to program the control channels for the sites near you. How you do that depends on what kind of scanner or radio you have.

 

[MidwestRadioListener]

You mentioned Westcom. That is a dispatch center located on the West side of the Des Moines metro.

The simulcast system you refer to is "ISICS" for the whole Des Moines Metro area. I know the RR database still says Westcom 800 Simulcast but that is a bit misleading since the sites that make up the simulcast cell are paid for by more than Westcom and used by anyone on ISICS in the Metro Des Moines area.

The Des Moines metro simulcast cell is comprised of 800MHz channels as the system was live already and no reason to change to 700 and incur extra expenses. Same with Woodbury as you should see in the database. The ISICS system is generally referred too as a Statewide 7/800MHz system because of this.

 

[dragonball]

Cedar Rapids State radio is almost 100 percent on the digital system now

Post 11 Cedar Rapids is running as DPS Law 2d i

Post 12 Stockton is running as DPS Law 3d

Both consoles communicate as Cedar Rapids