I am looking for some additional tips to help me finish my project. I have been working on logging all of the digital frequencies that I can monitor in my area and determining which system each is a part of. I am focusing on 450-455 and 460-465 areas. I am using the Butel ARC536PRO software to program and ProScan to log activity.
This is what I have done so far. I will let my Uniden SDS100 scan a group of frequencies programmed as DIGITAL ONLY in ascending order. So, 450-455 Mhz and 460-465 Mhz. ProScan logs whether things heard are CAP+/CON+/DMR/DT3/XPT or other digital modes. It also displays the Time Slots, TGIDs UIDs and other things, too.
I have made a list of my area systems. There are only a few XPT systems near me that I can monitor. By sorting them by Color Code and checking the FCC data, it was pretty simple to determine that it was only two different licensees. Each has three different sites.
There are only a few DT3 systems near me. Similarly, only two different licensees. It is pretty much if it is DT3 using Color Code 0, it is system D and if it is DT3 using Color Code 2, it is system F.
There are only two CON+ systems in my area. One is actually a large 800 Mhz system. So, if it is CON+ on 800 Mhz, it is Delta Airlines. If it is CON+ on 460.xxxx it is the other CON+ system.
There are fair number of plain DMR repeaters near me. For the most part, if I have logged a Color Code and one or more TGIDs for a given frequency, I can monitor, look at the FCC data and pretty much narrow down who is using it.
I am having my biggest challenge with the CAP+ systems near me. They are a challenge to monitor conventionally. So far, what I seem to have the best luck with is setting the delay to Resume Scan/Search after either 2 or 5 seconds. That way when the SDS100 encounters the CAP+ 'beacon"/rest channel, it will scan past it after a few seconds.
Later, I can check the History Log, sort the CAP+ frequencies by Color Code and try to pair like frequencies together. Some, of course, are actually Capacity Plus One Frequency Trunked Systems. This has worked pretty well, especially if it is a frequency using one of the lesser used Color Codes in my area. For example, if a frequency is active using CAP+ with Color Code 1 near me, it is either a nearby school district or a for profit system.
Here are a few of my specific challenges, however. I have a number of frequencies that are CAP+, they use a more popular Color Code and there are a number of licensees that they could be. The best I can come up with so far is to let the SDS100 run performing unattended monitoring and logging. Then I can match the TGIDs that show up on more than one frequencies to try and determine what system they are a part of.
Anyway, what other clues might be helpful to try and determine what system certain frequencies are a part of? For example, is the LCN helpful? Do most systems have the LCN in ascending order, going 1, 2, 3 & 4? Or, could you have a CAP+ system using six repeater pairs, with six different Color Codes and LCNs 3, 7 13, 14, 17 & 20?
Anyway, I am just looking for helpful input on how to determine where some of the more mysterious frequencies go. Another thought might be to program a few of these simply as One Frequency Trunked systems and IF more than one has the SAME TGIDs on them, maybe see if they are actually a part of the same multi-frequency system, rather than being a One Frequency Trunked system.
This is what I have done so far. I will let my Uniden SDS100 scan a group of frequencies programmed as DIGITAL ONLY in ascending order. So, 450-455 Mhz and 460-465 Mhz. ProScan logs whether things heard are CAP+/CON+/DMR/DT3/XPT or other digital modes. It also displays the Time Slots, TGIDs UIDs and other things, too.
I have made a list of my area systems. There are only a few XPT systems near me that I can monitor. By sorting them by Color Code and checking the FCC data, it was pretty simple to determine that it was only two different licensees. Each has three different sites.
There are only a few DT3 systems near me. Similarly, only two different licensees. It is pretty much if it is DT3 using Color Code 0, it is system D and if it is DT3 using Color Code 2, it is system F.
There are only two CON+ systems in my area. One is actually a large 800 Mhz system. So, if it is CON+ on 800 Mhz, it is Delta Airlines. If it is CON+ on 460.xxxx it is the other CON+ system.
There are fair number of plain DMR repeaters near me. For the most part, if I have logged a Color Code and one or more TGIDs for a given frequency, I can monitor, look at the FCC data and pretty much narrow down who is using it.
I am having my biggest challenge with the CAP+ systems near me. They are a challenge to monitor conventionally. So far, what I seem to have the best luck with is setting the delay to Resume Scan/Search after either 2 or 5 seconds. That way when the SDS100 encounters the CAP+ 'beacon"/rest channel, it will scan past it after a few seconds.
Later, I can check the History Log, sort the CAP+ frequencies by Color Code and try to pair like frequencies together. Some, of course, are actually Capacity Plus One Frequency Trunked Systems. This has worked pretty well, especially if it is a frequency using one of the lesser used Color Codes in my area. For example, if a frequency is active using CAP+ with Color Code 1 near me, it is either a nearby school district or a for profit system.
Here are a few of my specific challenges, however. I have a number of frequencies that are CAP+, they use a more popular Color Code and there are a number of licensees that they could be. The best I can come up with so far is to let the SDS100 run performing unattended monitoring and logging. Then I can match the TGIDs that show up on more than one frequencies to try and determine what system they are a part of.
Anyway, what other clues might be helpful to try and determine what system certain frequencies are a part of? For example, is the LCN helpful? Do most systems have the LCN in ascending order, going 1, 2, 3 & 4? Or, could you have a CAP+ system using six repeater pairs, with six different Color Codes and LCNs 3, 7 13, 14, 17 & 20?
Anyway, I am just looking for helpful input on how to determine where some of the more mysterious frequencies go. Another thought might be to program a few of these simply as One Frequency Trunked systems and IF more than one has the SAME TGIDs on them, maybe see if they are actually a part of the same multi-frequency system, rather than being a One Frequency Trunked system.
