LCRA EDACS Qs

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mike_webb59

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More of observations that have me interested on the makeup of this system.

I have several sites programmed into my rusty trusty scanner as we car enthusiasts have a tendency to scoot about the highways and byroads in this systems's range.

I have noticed that when I am in range of a tower, I may pick up TGIDs from another area. For example, when I am in the Kerr County range, I pick up Boerne, and when I'm home I can get Comal County South, but I also can track San Marcos and New Braunfels from the same Comal Towers. Almost a MOT Smartnet type of action.

Is that by design of EDACS systems, or is the LCRA doing some strategery around towers and repeating transmissions?

I leave the Comal EDACs is in open mode and only tracks these TGIDs; i.e. I don't get Kendall County or anything like that. Do get the 2033 and 2035 talkgroup patches as well

I think, just think, that I picked a PD 10-28 on a Fire Talkgroup and I picked up what I thought should be a TAC conversation (plainclothes survelliance) on a DISP TGID. Is it also possible that a system can be tagged one way (from a trunktracker) and used another way by the agency? Or am I taking this hobby way too seriously?

And what can I do with my simple scanner to help research the system?

Thanks, Mike
 

jastx

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Feb 8, 2004
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Houston, Texas
mike_webb59 said:
I have noticed that when I am in range of a tower, I may pick up TGIDs from another area. For example, when I am in the Kerr County range, I pick up Boerne, and when I'm home I can get Comal County South, but I also can track San Marcos and New Braunfels from the same Comal Towers. Almost a MOT Smartnet type of action.

Is that by design of EDACS systems, or is the LCRA doing some strategery around towers and repeating transmissions?
I understand the design of EDACS systems allows a radio to receive traffic as it moves from tower to tower. This allows the user to stay in touch.

The side-effect is that a scanner listener will hear "distant" traffic if a radio from a "distant" tower is nearby.
 

pacrat551

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Texas
mike_webb59 said:
More of observations that have me interested on the makeup of this system.

I have several sites programmed into my rusty trusty scanner as we car enthusiasts have a tendency to scoot about the highways and byroads in this systems's range.

I have noticed that when I am in range of a tower, I may pick up TGIDs from another area. For example, when I am in the Kerr County range, I pick up Boerne, and when I'm home I can get Comal County South, but I also can track San Marcos and New Braunfels from the same Comal Towers. Almost a MOT Smartnet type of action.

Is that by design of EDACS systems, or is the LCRA doing some strategery around towers and repeating transmissions?

I leave the Comal EDACs is in open mode and only tracks these TGIDs; i.e. I don't get Kendall County or anything like that. Do get the 2033 and 2035 talkgroup patches as well

I think, just think, that I picked a PD 10-28 on a Fire Talkgroup and I picked up what I thought should be a TAC conversation (plainclothes survelliance) on a DISP TGID. Is it also possible that a system can be tagged one way (from a trunktracker) and used another way by the agency? Or am I taking this hobby way too seriously?

And what can I do with my simple scanner to help research the system?

Thanks, Mike

Mike, EDACS (at least my understanding) works a lot like a MOT system. As the user "roams" from tower to tower, the radio "affiliates" itself to that tower. Therefore you may hear conversations from distant agencies as long as there is a radio affiliated with that particular talkgroup to the tower you are listening too. Occationally I do hear kendall and beorne units on the Comal tower. I have also heard Hays co talkgroups on the Gonzales Tower.

I have made it my mission to update and correct the LCRA database. I have found many, many mistakes. Do you have the capabilites of runing unitrunker or another EDACS decoder? It is very interesting how many more talkgroups there are out there that we have no idea what they are and who they are used for. I'll bet I have recorded more than double the amout of confirmed active talkgroups in the database that I have no idea who they are!
 

mike_webb59

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Jul 18, 2005
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New Braunfels, TX
I am considering it. Rather buy than build as my soldering skills lead others to tears. I'll relight this thread when I do. Thanks, for the info, it makes sense.

Mike
 
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