Iowa Statewide Interoperability Communication System (ISICS)

newsman04

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May 4, 2018
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26
Where do you get this site neighbor information? Is it an area on your scanner or do you use an SDR or Unitrunker or something?
Pro96 com. I plug my Whistler 1040 into computer by USB, tune to the control channel and the Pro96 software decodes it.

Unfortunately the 1040 is Phase I but you can still hear and the decode the control channels for a Phase II system.
 

maus92

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Jun 23, 2004
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The OP
Pro96 com. I plug my Whistler 1040 into computer by USB, tune to the control channel and the Pro96 software decodes it.

Unfortunately the 1040 is Phase I but you can still hear and the decode the control channels for a Phase II system.
The control channels even on Phase 2 systems are basically "Phase 1" 12.5khz channels.
 

rdelao_16

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Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
31
Location
Holstein, IA
Not sure if this is true, it might just be my equipment and I can't confirm this either, but I have a feeling that ISP has officially switched to ISICS. At least in the Northwest Portion of the state. I have not heard anything on my closest analog repeater (Merrill) all day. Again, I may be incorrect and I may have some equipment issues. This is just what I've noticed.
 

kc0unh

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Apr 30, 2010
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Location
Osceola, Ia
Not sure if this is true, it might just be my equipment and I can't confirm this either, but I have a feeling that ISP has officially switched to ISICS. At least in the Northwest Portion of the state. I have not heard anything on my closest analog repeater (Merrill) all day. Again, I may be incorrect and I may have some equipment issues. This is just what I've noticed.
From what I understand, they have been testing/using ISICS in the area using Storm Lake as the base. I have been hearing them on DPS Law 2B off the Winterset, Iowa ISICS tower when a radio affiliates with it.

I also heard on 700 that they have been patching VHF DPS off and on. I think they patched Underwood into 700 once because a trooper was having an issue in that area with 700.

Hope that helps provide you answers.

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk
 

newsman04

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Joined
May 4, 2018
Messages
26
Not sure if this is true, it might just be my equipment and I can't confirm this either, but I have a feeling that ISP has officially switched to ISICS. At least in the Northwest Portion of the state. I have not heard anything on my closest analog repeater (Merrill) all day. Again, I may be incorrect and I may have some equipment issues. This is just what I've noticed.
I had a couple keyups today but I didn't catch what the traffic was, nor the talkgroup they were on. My scanner caught it on a wildcard though, so not something that's already established.
 

wn0r

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Joined
Nov 12, 2006
Messages
25
Location
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Here in Fort Dodge I've heard some radio testing but not any IHP units as of yet.
I have DSDPlus running and the other night I noticed that the IHP was on the new system but all the traffic was encrypted.
I monitor our local FBI Repeater and local PD's and there was no other traffic early that morning.
I am thinking that this may just be a car-car talk group?
I have enclosed part of the event file showing the encryption
 

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radioboy75

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Jul 31, 2004
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221
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Rock Rapids, Iowa
Not sure if this is true, it might just be my equipment and I can't confirm this either, but I have a feeling that ISP has officially switched to ISICS. At least in the Northwest Portion of the state. I have not heard anything on my closest analog repeater (Merrill) all day. Again, I may be incorrect and I may have some equipment issues. This is just what I've noticed.

Remember, Storm Lake dispatch controls Storm Lake, Merrill, Terril and Matlock. Matlock is sure to be analog long after the ISP goes live on ISICS due to the fact that the Rock Rapids tower has yet to be BUILT, let alone turned on. Lt. Lampe says they will be patching the systems together for a while. (not sure if that's statewide or just in the Matlock area) So while they may be testing in the Merrill or Storm Lake areas, switching the whole thing over to ISICS is probably months away. Also, on the latest ISICS Board update, (
) they said that while they're going to be cutting over to the new console hardware at the DPS (ISP) sites, the new hardware will be running the old (VHF Analog) system for a while yet. On the video, Lampe says he'll let them know when ISP would be switching over.
 

radioboy75

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Jul 31, 2004
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221
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Rock Rapids, Iowa
So if anyone starts hearing live DPS (ISP) traffic on ISICS, please let me know. Since I won't have a local ISICS tower for probably at least a couple of months and they are planning on patching the old system to the new (at least up here), I'm not sure I will notice when they go live on ISICS. My closest tower as of right now is Sanborn, and I can't pull that one in very well. Does anyone know the other frequencies in use there? Only the control channel is listed on the database. Thanks!
 

lylevh

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Nov 25, 2016
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I heard traffic from ISP on the Sanborn site today I believe it was Storm Lake, possibly Merril,
 

rdelao_16

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Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
31
Location
Holstein, IA
I watched the ISICS update video that was posted on this group. They stated that ISP is being "Cut Over" but that does not mean the system is being used. They are switching hardware over and running the new hardware on the old system.

From what I could understand, they are going to be using mostly the analog system until the entire system is ready to go up statewide. So they're going to be waiting for rock rapids. This is at least how I took it. Maybe they're simulcasting traffic from analog to digital and vice versa.

Tom Lampe (spokesperson for DPS and ISICS) stated in the video that they would let localities and counties know when they make the final switch. I have heard nothing in the Plymouth county area for digital but it could be that my antenna isn't high enough. I have both analog and digital channels for ISP running and haven't heard anything on the digital side.
 

rdelao_16

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Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
31
Location
Holstein, IA
For those who might be interested. Tonight while driving home to Akron today, I ran Pro96com all the way home from Le Mars to Akron to see what I could find. I was using my Whistler WS1080 and my all band scanner antenna. Here's what I found:
1. The frequencies are correct.
2. The tower is active.
3. There is 0 traffic being pushed through it right now.

Here's what I don't know but guessing:
1. I think it's on the tower at the junction of hwy 3 and K22.
2. I don't think it's at full power yet.
Here's why I think those two things. For starters, while in Le mars, I was getting a decode receive rate of around 25-30%. Once I started east on hwy 3, it slowly went up to 40 and then 50. By the time I got to the intersection of 3 and k22 I was at 75-80 percent the entire time. During some valley spots of course it went down, but it stayed fairly consistent. By the time I was heading west on 3 after the junction, it started to drop into the 60's and then 50's. When I hit Akron I had a whopping 0%. I was picking literally nothing up.

Now, this could be because Akron is basically a wasteland for RF signals (I can't even get analog ISP to come in here, or our own county stuff sometimes), or that the power on the tower is not turned up all the way yet. I didn't mess with it much in the Southeast of the county but as I was in Sioux city running it on their 800 towers, it was picking it their adjacent site information. So it may be the area, it may be the power, I really don't know.

I also did some decoding when I was in Holstein (Ida County) and I found that:
1. You can successfully pick up Woodbury County/Sioux City Talkgroups off their 800mhz towers in Holstein, though a little garbled at times Had I had an 800mhz only antenna, probably would've came in much better, but it did come in.
2. Storm lake's control channel and tower receive rate came in significantly stronger than Cherokee's tower in Holstein. Would recommend using Storm Lake tower if you live in that area or anywhere east of it. Cherokee would probably come in stronger north of there.

If any of this doesn't make sense at all, let me know. I've never really messed with decoding before but I'd thought I'd inform people what I found, even if it means literally nothing.

73
 
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imbruski

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Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
76
Location
Carlisle, IA
rdelao_16, nice to see your work on ISICS in your area. I’ve been waiting to see something like your report for the Des Moines/Central Iowa area.
I live in Carlisle and FWIW can advise the following.
Westcom ISICS DECODES 90-100 here.
Winterset ISICS DECODES 100 here.
Hooper ISICS DECODES 0-30 here.
Knoxville ISICS DECODES 0 here, some signal blips.
Newton ISICS DECODES 0 here, some signal blips.
Woodward/Ames ISICS DECODES 0 here.
Dallas County ISICS DECODES 0 here.
I hear traffic on Westcom and Winterset, nothing on the other sites yet.
 
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rdelao_16

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Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
31
Location
Holstein, IA
Just heard traffic on area 1B (talkgroup 5101) in Woodbury County, it's traffic coming from the BV County area. Will try to keep it running on my way home tonight.
 
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