Monitoring other counties on the same system

[ceranes]

If I program a tower site, let's say the Ingham County Simulcast site, will I be able to listen to talk groups from other counties? So far I've been able to pick up Eaton, and Clinton Counties, but those are close enough to me. I wasn't sure if each individual tower site has its own set of talk groups that they transmitted.

 

[drdispatch]

Yes. And no. Maybe. It's complicated.....

The simple answer is that it all depends on how the system and the radios that operate on it are programmed.

If an Eaton County radio is close to a tower in the Ingham County simulcast cell, it may affiliate with the cell; unless it is set up to only affiliate if the Ingham cell is the only site that it can affiliate with. (Because it is out of range of all other sites.)

Talkgroups may be set up to only transmit on certain sites, but it is pretty much up to the system administrator to enable or disable that feature.

 

[leatherheadstudios]

On MPSCS, Try turning on the system search for the tower your monitoring. You will quickly find out who is on that tower. Also do the same for the next closest towers. I can monitor from the Ohio Border to Flint, St Clair to Ann Arbor, off three towers (Detroit, Northville, Flat Rock)
Hope this helps.

 

[iMONITOR]

So far I've been able to pick up Eaton, and Clinton Counties, but those are close enough to me.

On MSPSC it's not about distance, as drdispatch said it's all up to the administrators and programming. I live in Macomb Twp, Macomb County but I often hear TG's from Wayne County. I think there are a couple TG's in the U.P. that affiliate to the sites in Macomb County!

Try setting up your scanner to Search rather than Scan on your local system, then run some logging software and see what unexpected TG's show up and surprise you!

 

[ceranes]

I appreciate the input guys. Thanks!

 

[ceranes]

On MSPSC it's not about distance, as drdispatch said it's all up to the administrators and programming. I live in Macomb Twp, Macomb County but I often hear TG's from Wayne County. I think there are a couple TG's in the U.P. that affiliate to the sites in Macomb County!

Try setting up your scanner to Search rather than Scan on your local system, then run some logging software and see what unexpected TG's show up and surprise you!

I did just that and was hearing talk groups from Livingston County, Genessee County, and a few more. Makes me wonder what else I'll hear.

What logging are you talking about? I just started searching, jotting down the talk group IDs, then going back to the database online to see where they were located.

 

[iMONITOR]

What logging are you talking about? I just started searching, jotting down the talk group IDs, then going back to the database online to see where they were located.

What scanner are you using? If you have a Uniden you can use software like Proscan to control your scanner from your PC and log history files of hits.

ProScan

Computer Aided Scanning Software for the Uniden BC125AT BC250D BC296D BC346XT BC346XTC BC780XLT BC785D BC796D BCD160DN BCD260DN BCD325P2 BCD396T BCD396XT BCD436HP BCD536HP BCD996P2 BCD996T BCD996XT BCT15 BCT15X BR330T SDS100 SDS100E SDS200 SDS200E UBC125XLT UBC126 UBCD3600XLT UBCD436PT UBCD536PT...

proscan.org

 

[nsrailfan6130]

I live in Lenawee Co And I have heard stuff coming from as far away as the Michigan/Canada border near Sault Ste Marie. MPSCS can be an interesting system to listen at a given time. key word: Affiliation.

I did just that and was hearing talk groups from Livingston County, Genessee County, and a few more. Makes me wonder what else I'll hear.

What logging are you talking about? I just started searching, jotting down the talk group IDs, then going back to the database online to see where they were located.

 

[drdispatch]

I have all of the STATEW_ talkgroups (STATEW1 - STATEW8), the EMMD_ talkgroups (EMMD1 - EMMD8), and the MSP_ talkgroups (MSP1 - MSP8) in every one of my Michigan Favorites Lists; 'cuz you just never know what you're gonna hear...

 

[krokus]

One of the biggest things about how MPSCS operates, is that a specific TG is not carried on a tower, unless there is at least one radio affiliated with that tower, with that TG selected as the primary of that radio. (PageGroups are a little different.)

This limits the amount of radio traffic on the site, so that it does not get too busy. (Any site that is busy, and has no assets to carry a new conversation will prevent that new TG from transmitting. That is also why many/most TG are geographically limited to around their home county.

 

[KD8FSJ]

If I program a tower site, let's say the Ingham County Simulcast site, will I be able to listen to talk groups from other counties?

I would think that particular site would bring some interesting traffic from around the state. Every so often.