MBTA Trunked System?

[fog]

What's the current status of the MBTA Trunked system?

I've got a pretty good signal on their control channel at 851.9375, which is broadcasting a Site ID of 33, but I haven't heard anything else. The last thread with any information that I was able to find was this one from March of 2008: Please try the MBTA system with GRE-500/600 - Scan New England Forums

Has anyone heard anything? It should be a fairly normal EDACS system, just with digital voice in some places, no?

 

[garys]

Early on it was operating with analog voice, but the final plan it to use Pro Voice. It was also a multi year, multi phase project, but all of that might be up in the air with the budget problems the state is having. The Transit PD is still operating on UHF.

 

[fog]

I'd still show talkgroups, though, right? They'd just be digital audio? My BC346XT seems to follow the control channel on their rebanded system, but has never given any indication that it's seeing any talkgroups.

Even if the audio is 100% ProVoice and I won't ever hear it, I'm now just curious if they're even using the system. I thought I've seen reports from people hearing activity.

 

[garys]

The last I heard, and it's been a while, is that they were operating conventionally on analog, not trunking. The data channel was, if I'm remembering correctly, actually AVL data for the buses.

 

[fog]

851.9375 has what sounds exactly like an EDACS control channel, and my scanner displays "SID: 33" when tuned in. It's certainly possible, though, that the controller is up but doing nothing, and the component repeaters are being used as individual, conventional repeaters.

I still hear their police and the subways on UHF.

 

[garys]

851.9375 has what sounds exactly like an EDACS control channel, and my scanner displays "SID: 33" when tuned in. It's certainly possible, though, that the controller is up but doing nothing, and the component repeaters are being used as individual, conventional repeaters.

I still hear their police and the subways on UHF.

It's entirely possible that the controller is up but doing nothing. There was someone who was active over at Scannewengland who was following this, but I haven't seen any posts from him on any subject in a while. You might try asking over there, too.