Irving, TX gone dark

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rednecknerd

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Anyone near Irving that can see if they can pick up Irving PD?

I used to live there so I have had them in my scanners for a while, but for whatever reason they seem to have gone dark. I've driven through several times in the last few months and I haven't heard a single beep or boop or voice or anything.

Just trying to see if it's just me or if something has changed on their system.

Thanks.
 

rednecknerd

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Yes, I know they are on the Ft. Worth system.

As I stated in my original post, I have had them programmed into my scanners for several years since as I lived there. I even switched from a Pro-106 to the Pro-668 when they switched from the old system to the new P25PII Ft. Worth system.

I listened to them for several years on the Pro-668 until I moved out of Irving.

I now have a TRX-1 programmed with the same frequencies on the page you linked to, but I pick up no chatter or anything.

I was asking if anyone else can hear anything because I can't even though I'm using the same frequncies I used to on my Pro-668.
 

hiegtx

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Yes, I know they are on the Ft. Worth system.

As I stated in my original post, I have had them programmed into my scanners for several years since as I lived there. I even switched from a Pro-106 to the Pro-668 when they switched from the old system to the new P25PII Ft. Worth system.

I listened to them for several years on the Pro-668 until I moved out of Irving.

I now have a TRX-1 programmed with the same frequencies on the page you linked to, but I pick up no chatter or anything.

I was asking if anyone else can hear anything because I can't even though I'm using the same frequncies I used to on my Pro-668.
I'm still hearing them, both from home in Dallas, and also when driving through, or near Irving.
 

KevinC

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Make sure you are only using the Zone 2 site as they aren't allowed on other sites. Also make sure the "bandplan" is set to "Auto Fill".
 

hiegtx

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Maybe I've been rolling through on slow nights or something. I'll check it out.

Thanks for the tips.
Depending on exactly where you are, when you 'do not' hear the Irving system, there is one other factor in play. When they flipped to Phase II, the coverage pattern of their system changed. Previously, I could easily hear the old EDACS system at home, on my handheld scanners. After the change, while I can still hear them on my 536HP, which is connected to a rooftop antenna, handheld coverage inside the house is no longer there (the signal is attenuated by aluminum siding). I do hear them on the handheld when I get out of the house, and there is a better signal path to the system.

The same thing has occurred on Grand Prairie. While I am closer to Grand Prairie, they are 'below my horizon' because of the White Rock Escarpment (if you go west on I-20 from I-35E, you know the big hill you go down). But even that is not the whole issue. When GP transitioned from their old Motorola Type II system to P25 Phase II, they lowered their transmit antennas and refocused them to concentrate the signal on their service area. Not long after the switchover, I was in Grand Prairie, and hearing them with no issue. But after I went a few miles east on Hwy 180 (the old road, US 80) on Main St in GP, which turns into Davis in Dallas, I lost reception right after I got to the top of Chalk Hill.
 

KE5MC

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Maybe I've been rolling through on slow nights or something. I'll check it out.

Thanks for the tips.

Saw this thread and from far south in Lewisville, Irving PD and FD are on the air. I looked for a change over date, but did not find anything. My recollection is about 12 months ago I have to change my Irving programming.
 

rednecknerd

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Yeah, it's been a couple of years now since they did the swap. I think I switched from the Pro-102 to the Pro-668 around spring of 2015, and ZI think they swapped a month or two prior to that.

:::::EDIT:::::
Looks like their site license was granted on 10/2/14, so you figure with a couple of months of setup, mast install, and car installs, they probably switched around this time 2015?
 
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KE5MC

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Looks like Irving finally went 'DARK' as of yesterday's DB update and listening today.

Sad, they always has something interesting going on.

Mike
 

hiegtx

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Looks like Irving finally went 'DARK' as of yesterday's DB update and listening today.

Sad, they always has something interesting going on.

Mike
Agreed.

I had not heard anything specific that would have prompted them to go from virtually no encryption use, which has been the case for a number of years, to suddenly full encryption, all the time, on every PD talk group.

While I understand the possible need to cloak certain channels/talkgroups, such as investigative, surveillance, and tactical (like S.W.A.T.), taking all channels, including main dispatch, dark makes me wonder what are they trying to hide. An agency that conceals all it's activities from the public they purport to serve is far from open and accountable to the citizens of the city. The most common excuse, "officer safety", has little relevance to real time events. Much of the information as to nature and location of calls, as well as applicable cautionary information regarding a specific address or person, is often done via MDT's, via call comments or specific messages, neither of which are visible to an outside listener.
 
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