Need help getting Broome County's new P25 to work with SDS200

DmxDesigner

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Binghamton, N.Y.
Hi all... I've been eager to listen to our county's new P25 system that was supposed to be up and running by 2021. I have kept my BCD536 tuned to the old analog frequencies figuring that once those went dead, I'd know the new system was up and onto the 460 band. However time came and went, and now 2022 and I'm still hearing the Broome Co. Sheriff and fire on the 154-159 freq. but don't see nor hear either of them on the CNYICC when I list out Broome Co. I'm trying to program my SDS200 to pick up the new system, but no luck on my end so far. I'm using a top quality outdoor antenna and am located within the Binghamton city limits. Can anyone help me with a favorite list just to cover the County's new P25 system. Once I see a valid working "favorite list" for this project, I hope to quickly learn what I'm not setting up properly. Many thanks to anyone and all who can help me with my SDS200. Great radio so far...
 

DmxDesigner

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Binghamton, N.Y.
I'm located in Port Dickinson. I'd say both Old State Rd. and Ingraham Hill sites are nearly line of sight. From my base location... I'm nearly straight across the Chenango River from the Broome County Sheriff and Emergency Communication Center.

I'm not sure if our local Port Dickinson PD is integrated yet onto this system. They do have a microwave antenna pointed SE which was installed about 1 yr. ago. They are tied onto the Sheriff's dept and county Fire/EMS frequencies.

I downloaded from RR using ArcPatrol Pro and Sentinel the data entry only for the CNYICC to create a specific favorite list of that system. Then did a write to scanner, but not getting any action. I have all service types ON as well. I've trying for two days now and not getting anywhere really. What I hope for is that someone else who has a SDS200 could just create a favorite list of our P25 system "that works on their SDS200" and send a copy over to me to try on my SDS200.
 

dave3825

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Im not in that area but usually when downloaded from radio reference, they usually work.

Do you see any signal on either site? Do you have any ranges set on your 200? If you load up the full db and not a favorites list, using zip code, does the system work?
 

DmxDesigner

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Hi.. My range was set to 10 miles, but I extended it to 25 miles. Made no difference so far. I'm only scanning the full db and no audio off the CNYICC setting. If I use analyze I show strong signal off West site which is expected. I show nothing off East site which is expected from the map radius of the East site to my location in Port Dickinson (A village of Binghamton). My scanner readings: Sys ID: 2AEh WACN: BEE00h UID: - - - P25 NAC: 2A8h Site: 08 RSSI: -50dBm Freq. 453.4250 MHz
 

dave3825

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I don’t believe anyone other than County Parks has transitioned yet…there is another thread here about the system.

Hi.. Yea my zip is 13901.


I just did an add channels on range with a 50 mile range from zip code of 13901 and it downloaded all the sites but did not download any talk groups for Broome. Whether or not they have transitioned yet or not, the tg's are in the database and for some reason will not download on my end.

@DmxDesigner if you read your scanner into Sentinel and then go in the system, are the following depts showing in your scanner?


Broome County Fire/EMSBroome 43.43-76.1426
Broome County Interop 000
Broome County Local ServicesBroome 43.43-76.1426
Broome County OEMBroome 43.43-76.1426
Broome County ServicesBroome 43.43-76.1426
 

mshumeyk

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My scanner readings: Sys ID: 2AEh WACN: BEE00h UID: - - - P25 NAC: 2A8h Site: 08 RSSI: -50dBm Freq. 453.4250 MHz
It looks like you are receiving the West System control channel just fine. The only talkgroups in the RR database currently active on a regular basis are Cole Park, Greenwood Park and Dorchester Park. Cole is the most active. However, recently there has been activity on a number of talkgroups not in the database. It sounds like local fire departments have been given radios to test coverage. I heard Town of Binghamton FD members driving around their town as well as nearby PA testing coverage. They were using various talkgroups not in the database and therefore not in your scanner. Also, last week talkgroup 1, which is Onondaga Fire Control was patched into the system probably to test reception. Your best bet is to go to "Manage Favorite" then in the Broome system "Review/Edit System" then "Edit System Option" then set "ID Search" to "ON". Most activity recently has not been on identified talkgroups.
 

DmxDesigner

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Disregard the above.

I see the Broome depts were added July 25 and my Sentinel version was July 17.

Yea that's what got me so excited to pull up the P25 II and see how great they all say it should be. I guess the roll out of the radios comes next over a period of time. All the parks are too far normally for me to get reception. Unless they feed a repeater back to the comm center. There's hope yet.. I'm surprised tho to not even get audio even if it's a control channel. Thanks everyone for your suggestions.. We'll just have to wait a bit longer. I had always wondered how much the Covid restrictions had slowed down the entire process. From installing sites, to the building of the new radios. The emergency communication center hasn't said much since late 2020.
 

dave3825

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I'm surprised tho to not even get audio even if it's a control channel.
When I system is programmed as p25, you will not hear the control channel. If you have the system in a favorites list, lock out all non interest stuff leaving just the Broome county stuff you would like to hear when its on line. Let it scan with what ever else you have in the list and when they start testing, you should hear it. Build outs and transitions take time. Some are fast and others are painstakingly slow. For the CNYICC system, or any system for that matter, if you set the mode to id search, you may discover tg's not listed in the database. If you set it to id scan, you will only hear what's programmed into the favorites list.

I will be programming CNYICC into my 200 soon as I am hoping to get up to Port Byron to see some family and hopefully out on Cayuga Lake or Seneca Lake for some boating, fishing and jet ski action.
 

mshumeyk

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All the parks are too far normally for me to get reception.
Actually, your distance from the radio transmitting into the system is irrelevant. If a radio affiliated with the Broome West Simulcast transmits it will be carried by all of the individual sites and therefore can be received by your SDS200 receiving the control channel of system. In Vestal I receive Dorchester, Greenwood and Cole Park transmissions equally well. Last week some firefighters testing the system commented "This great, I can talk to you near Windsor while I am in Apalachin!" If you are new to monitoring trunked systems (as many are in our area as NYSEG is the only other P25 system in Broome) it takes a while to understand some of the complexities of them. You've chosen a great radio and should have plenty of fun with it. By the way, the system is so well designed that if you are in Binghamton City limits you might even be able to receive the control channel without any antenna at all. In Vestal I can take the antenna off my SDS 100 and still receive the control channel.
 

rufust

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A couple of weeks ago I downloaded Broome County East and West and have been picking some of Onondaga Countys dispatches on West 2.
 

dave3825

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Actually, your distance from the radio transmitting into the system is irrelevant. If a radio affiliated with the Broome West Simulcast transmits it will be carried by all of the individual sites and therefore can be received by your SDS200 receiving the control channel of system.

f you are new to monitoring trunked systems (as many are in our area as NYSEG is the only other P25 system in Broome) it takes a while to understand some of the complexities of them.

That's the beauty of trunked systems. You hear any and all traffic carried on the site your listening to. I listen to a site in my area and can listen to stuff that's no where near me.
 

bcrmc

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I'm located in Port Dickinson. I'd say both Old State Rd. and Ingraham Hill sites are nearly line of sight. From my base location... I'm nearly straight across the Chenango River from the Broome County Sheriff and Emergency Communication Center.

I'm not sure if our local Port Dickinson PD is integrated yet onto this system. They do have a microwave antenna pointed SE which was installed about 1 yr. ago. They are tied onto the Sheriff's dept and county Fire/EMS frequencies.
In addition to the Old State Rd and Ingraham sites, you should be in line-of-site with the new Ely Park site located jut south of the Public Safety Facility on Mount Prospect.
Port Dickinson FD recently transitioned to the new P25 system with all of the other Fire and EMS in the last few months. Port Dickinson PD will transition sometime this summer when Broome Sheriff migrates over. Port Dickinson DPW began using the new system last fall.
 

yellowcoupe87

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In addition to the Old State Rd and Ingraham sites, you should be in line-of-site with the new Ely Park site located jut south of the Public Safety Facility on Mount Prospect.
Port Dickinson FD recently transitioned to the new P25 system with all of the other Fire and EMS in the last few months. Port Dickinson PD will transition sometime this summer when Broome Sheriff migrates over. Port Dickinson DPW began using the new system last fall.
law enforcement has not been transitioned to the new p25 system yet.
 

DmxDesigner

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Binghamton, N.Y.
I just revisited the P25 system and I'm very impressed so far. I have a question without getting too deep into the specifics... Are all the agencies now in the 450 mhz band, split between the assigned tower frequencies in that band via talkgroups? Or do the 450 mhz frequencies link to control the previous conventional talk frequencies. Ie: Our old country wide fire frequency 33.9 mhz was the channel we all used back in the 70's when I was a volunteer fire fighter. I realize the previous updated F.D. dispatch is up around 150 mhz, and a drop back to 33.9 is still used but rarely. I'm trying to wrap my head around what changed as per specific radios in trucks, and fire depts.. with this new network. Are all the new radios now up in the 450 mhz band? I'll try to find more tutorals on what exactly is a P25 trucked network. Thanks to anyone who can shed some insight on this for me.
 
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