Needing help finding my local electric company

[JamesBrox]

Hey guys. My local electric company is Escambia River Electrical Cooperative. RR has it listed as conventional but being info posted on RR replies on membership input, I believe it's out of date because I've had it programed in the scanner and hear nothing. The parent company of EREC is Touchstone Energy. I'm thinking they're using must be some type of DMR UHF.....because I can receive another electrical company owned by the same parent company using DMR UHF. Of course, that's just speculation. I live in Santa Rosa county, but you find EREC in RR in Escambia county....next county over. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[batdude]

@bravo14 - can you help?

 

[hiegtx]

Hey guys. My local electric company is Escambia River Electrical Cooperative. RR has it listed as conventional but being info posted on RR replies on membership input, I believe it's out of date because I've had it programed in the scanner and hear nothing. The parent company of EREC is Touchstone Energy. I'm thinking they're using must be some type of DMR UHF.....because I can receive another electrical company owned by the same parent company using DMR UHF. Of course, that's just speculation. I live in Santa Rosa county, but you find EREC in RR in Escambia county....next county over. Any help would be appreciated.

Your probably correct, that they may have moved to DMR.

Look at this license in the database:

FCC Callsign WQSR647 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOP)

FCC Callsign WQSR647 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOP)

www.radioreference.com

That's licensed as trunked, five sites across your county as well as Escambia. Three frequencies per site; as the frequencies are different, it apparently is not simulcast. It's licensed for analog voice, as well as DMR. My guess is that DMR is being used.

Which scanner do you have?
If it's one of the Whistler database scanners (or an older GRE database scanner, upgraded by Whistler), then create a DMR trunked system in EZ-Scan, with each set of frequencies (three per location) set up as a site, leaving the color code set at 'any'. Add a wildcard to the talkgroups, and see what pops up. If they are using it as DMR, you should see activity show up from any of the sites in range for you. If you set the wildcard to record, you'll be collecting audio clips of the transmissions, which you can then review in the Audio tab of EZ-Scan. Sort them by talkgroup then play a collection of files for a TGID. As you collect more activity, you may begin to pattern to determine specific usage. Like one TGID is only used on one specific site, and any addresses referenced are in a certain area. Or another TGID is used for power outage repair. Whatever information you can collect & verify, whether talkgroups in use or color codes used at each site, submit it to the database.

If you are using one of the Uniden scanners with DMR upgrade, your steps will be somewhat different.

 

[bravo14]

I’m at work on lunch break. I live in bay county and there’s a few different power companies. In my area I don’t hear anything on vhf/uhf conv side. Once awhile I’ll hear someone talking on the power south con+ system. I believe the uhf con+ be going to the fpl side 8/900 MHz. If you don’t hear anything on your end maybe they are on the power south con+ when bands are open up I get a few sites popping in. I’ll look into what your looking for and I’ll try to add them see what happens when I go destin/ft Walton. Here is the con-+ system PowerSouth Energy Cooperative Trunking System, Andalusia, Multi-State - Scanner Frequencies

 

[bravo14]

Appears it is analog and the watts are 2 to 5 won't hear much since it is on Remote Telemetry Operations FCC Callsign WQMN446 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE)

EREC for Santa Rosa County this is a trunk system.

FCC Callsign WQSR647 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOP)

FCC Callsign WQSR647 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOP)

www.radioreference.com

 

[JamesBrox]

Your probably correct, that they may have moved to DMR.

Look at this license in the database:

FCC Callsign WQSR647 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOP)

FCC Callsign WQSR647 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOP)

www.radioreference.com

That's licensed as trunked, five sites across your county as well as Escambia. Three frequencies per site; as the frequencies are different, it apparently is not simulcast. It's licensed for analog voice, as well as DMR. My guess is that DMR is being used.

Which scanner do you have?
If it's one of the Whistler database scanners (or an older GRE database scanner, upgraded by Whistler), then create a DMR trunked system in EZ-Scan, with each set of frequencies (three per location) set up as a site, leaving the color code set at 'any'. Add a wildcard to the talkgroups, and see what pops up. If they are using it as DMR, you should see activity show up from any of the sites in range for you. If you set the wildcard to record, you'll be collecting audio clips of the transmissions, which you can then review in the Audio tab of EZ-Scan. Sort them by talkgroup then play a collection of files for a TGID. As you collect more activity, you may begin to pattern to determine specific usage. Like one TGID is only used on one specific site, and any addresses referenced are in a certain area. Or another TGID is used for power outage repair. Whatever information you can collect & verify, whether talkgroups in use or color codes used at each site, submit it to the database.

If you are using one of the Uniden scanners with DMR upgrade, your steps will be somewhat different.

I’m using an SDS200 with the DMR upgrade. Thanks

 

[JamesBrox]

Appears it is analog and the watts are 2 to 5 won't hear much since it is on Remote Telemetry Operations FCC Callsign WQMN446 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE)

EREC for Santa Rosa County this is a trunk system.

FCC Callsign WQSR647 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOP)

FCC Callsign WQSR647 (ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOP)

www.radioreference.com

What does Remote Telemetry Operations mean? Thanks

 

[hiegtx]

What does Remote Telemetry Operations mean? Thanks

That likely monitors the system's healt, to give a heads up if power if out in a given section.

 

[hiegtx]

I’m using an SDS200 with the DMR upgrade. Thanks

See the file I sent you with directions, as well as a copy of your system.

 

[nd5y]

What does Remote Telemetry Operations mean? Thanks

Digital non-voice data communications for SCADA that you can't decode with a scanner.

 

[JamesBrox]

See the file I sent you with directions, as well as a copy of your system.

Thanks Steve!

 

[bravo14]

@JamesBrox are you going to try to setup the system and run it tonight since we suppose to get wind and rain?

 

[JamesBrox]

@JamesBrox are you going to try to setup the system and run it tonight since we suppose to get wind and rain?

Well, I'm trying. Steve gave me some great advice and directions. I'm out here in my shack doing LCN finder on the 200 and scanning the frequencies programed for EREC, with ID and CC search both on, on the 100. Found just one CC on one site, with two sites programmed. CC8 on 463.2000 (Apache Dr tower) flashes up. It's storming pretty good here right now.....I know there's crews on there working but I hear no communications. I'm a little dummed.

 

[bravo14]

Well, I'm trying. Steve gave me some great advice and directions. I'm out here in my shack doing LCN finder on the 200 and scanning the frequencies programed for EREC, with ID and CC search both on, on the 100. Found just one CC on one site, with two sites programmed. CC8 on 463.2000 (Apache Dr tower) flashes up. It's storming pretty good here right now.....I know there's crews on there working but I hear no communications. I'm a little dummed.

I know the feeling about the no audio or talking on the system. Gulf Power is like that on the Con+ System. I found a new site for the 800 FPL last night.

 

[hiegtx]

Well, I'm trying. Steve gave me some great advice and directions. I'm out here in my shack doing LCN finder on the 200 and scanning the frequencies programed for EREC, with ID and CC search both on, on the 100. Found just one CC on one site, with two sites programmed. CC8 on 463.2000 (Apache Dr tower) flashes up. It's storming pretty good here right now.....I know there's crews on there working but I hear no communications. I'm a little dummed.

I sent you a revised file, with the EREC frequencies entered in a One Frequency Trunked system. That way, you can monitor regardless of which site or frequency, while, as time permits, trying to nail down the LCNs on the original system.