New Ottawa EDACS users

Status
Not open for further replies.

ocscan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
361
Location
Ottawa, On
OC Transpo (City Buses) monitored tonight on the main site;

0225 Ch.1 General Channel (Calling)
0226 Ch.2 Booking and Dispatch

Guess the rest of the UHF stuff will eventually be ported over to EDACS.

Commissionaires heard doing radio checks and booking on shift on TG 1059.

Might have to Tap one of my scanners and run Etrunk...

As I type TG 0202 is worth monitoring, OPS???
 

DaveH

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
3,287
Location
Ottawa, Ont.
OC Transpo (City Buses) monitored tonight on the main site;

0225 Ch.1 General Channel (Calling)
0226 Ch.2 Booking and Dispatch

As I type TG 0202 is worth monitoring, OPS???

I've seen activity/hits on TGs 225-235. 202 is Security patched to
UHF 411.6375.

Dave
 

ocscan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
361
Location
Ottawa, On
Oops, correct you are. In reprogramming my scanner I incorrectly entered OC Security's TG. I will try to associate all known UHF Freq's to the new TG's. Looks like Security and Supervisors might have a Ch.2 on EDACS based on TG's seen on the EDACS system versus old UHF system.

The OC transpo patches also seam to change which TG's or TG+conventional channels are patched to a patch ID based on monitoring. I don't know enough about EDACS to know how patch ID's are determined.

TG 0234 seams to be used by transit supervisors as a talk around. Time for me to get a EDACS decoder running to watch the LID's.
 

DaveH

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
3,287
Location
Ottawa, Ont.
TG 0234 seams to be used by transit supervisors as a talk around. Time for me to get a EDACS decoder running to watch the LID's.

I have not figured out this all works, but appears they are using some sort of
non-voice messaging plus voice I-calls with the busses.

Dave
 

DaveH

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
3,287
Location
Ottawa, Ont.
Time for me to get a EDACS decoder running to watch the LID's.

You could, meantime, the LIDs for dispatchers (e.g. 128 dec) and busses (e.g.
14432 dec) show up in the I-calls on the display of my BC780, so it should work
on other/newer EDACS scanners.

Dave
 

ocscan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
361
Location
Ottawa, On
You could, meantime, the LIDs for dispatchers (e.g. 128 dec) and busses (e.g.
14432 dec) show up in the I-calls on the display of my BC780, so it should work
on other/newer EDACS scanners.

Dave

Sounds like OCTranspo is taking up alot of the system capacity. We should be on the lookout for new frequencies. My current scanner arsenal for EDACS is a Pro2096.
 

DaveH

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
3,287
Location
Ottawa, Ont.
So far, no new LCNs. Depending on how they are doing this, they
might not need any, if they have enough capacity to deal with security/
supervisor/maintenance. EDACS is capable of 9.6k data calls, but I don't
know if this is what's happening. Maybe short unit messages (sort of
SMS) is possible directly over the CC (saves VCs); need to review
EDACS operating details or get informed comment on this.

The new roll-out isn't complete as of last week. Car was in the shop
one day and I took the bus, and at least one had the old radio.

On I-calls, busses are asked to switch to another channel and press
a specific "message" button.

Some really old EDACS scanners that don't do I-calls (like the
PRO-92) are out of luck. What about the BC245XLT? In any
case where messaging is used, the bus enthusiasts will be
disappointed; a different kind of digital than was first suspected
(ProVoice). Still no evidence of the latter on voice comms.

Dave
 

DaveH

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
3,287
Location
Ottawa, Ont.
Fortunately I don't get close enough to any OPS car to see it
from the inside :) but I believe they use Orions. OPS portables
are LPE-200s. Fire uses Jaguar P700's I think, and mobiles not
sure, could be Orions also.

Dave
 
Last edited:

ocscan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
361
Location
Ottawa, On
Fortunately I don't get close enough to any OPS car to see it
from the inside :) but I believe they use Orions. OPS portables
are LPE-200s. Fire uses Jaguar P700's I think, and mobiles not
sure, could be Orions also.

Dave

I concur with Dave, OFD mobiles ARE Orion's with Dave Clarke Headsets. Transit Law (old OC Security) and Transit Supervisors using LPE-200's for portables. OPS use Orion's for mobiles, and LPE-200's for portables.
 

DaveH

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
3,287
Location
Ottawa, Ont.
OK, I have been able to log about 170 new bus radio LIDs so far in the
range 14000~14500. Dispatcher-bus activity is split between group and
I-calls. Trying to monitor I-calls based on bus ID in scan mode would
be prohibitive due to the numbers. Dispatcher radio (console) LIDs so far
found are 123-129 (dec.), probably more. Programming/scanning I-call
IDs for these seems to work fine, just don't see the bus radio LID on the
display (but can be seen on Etrunk).

No new channels have been added to Site 1 so for present at least they
seem to be managing traffic.

Dave
 

dstremes

Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
1
Location
Ottawa
Haven't seen a response if the BC245XLT is able to monitor the I-calls. Anyone know if it's possible?

Thanks

Dave
 

DaveH

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
3,287
Location
Ottawa, Ont.
I-calls aside there is a fair bit of group-call activity on TGs 202, 225, 226,
234, and 235.

I'm still trying to sort out the "go to TG 6" etc. operation. Looks like the
bus radios set up an I-call with a particular dispatcher radio related to its
radio ID (LID). For example "talkgroup 3" may be an I-call between bus
radio and dispatcher radio 125 (decimal); still trying to confirm.

Dave
 

mikewazowski

Forums Manager/Global DB Admin
Staff member
Forums Manager
Joined
Jun 26, 2001
Messages
13,462
Location
Oot and Aboot
Mississauga Transit has an interesting system which might be some help.

They're on the Peel Region trunking system which is your typical Motorola Type II trunking system.

Instead of using Private Calls and Call Alerts, they've got a system which seems to tag onto the trunking system and performs the same feature using afsk on the talkgroups.

I think it's the 3rd talkgroup that the bus radios sit on and wait for data. It seems to be AFSK that's sent over the talkgroup which signals the bus radio to go to the first talkgroup where the dispatcher and bus can talk. Once finished, some more afsk signalling on the first talkgroup sends the bus back to the 3rd talkgroup.

For a group call, you'll hear the afsk and you can watch all the bus radios affiliate with the 1st talkgroup for the call and then affiliate back to the 3rd when the call is over.

From what I've seen, a supervisor can call a bus directly by entering dtmf on the 2nd talkgroup which generates the appropriate signalling on the 3rd talkgroup and sends the bus to the 1st talkgroup.

It's been a while since I've listened to the system but it could be something similar.
 

slicerwizard

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2002
Messages
7,643
Location
Toronto, Ontario
Yep, instead of using private calls, that's what MT does. Works great until the hardware in a parked bus goes stupid and breaks the system, locking everyone out. Then they get to run around and try to find the culprit.
 

ocscan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
361
Location
Ottawa, On
I have got UniTrunker up and running, OC Transpo seams to be using some sort of status messages on certain talkgroups based on the conversations. I haven't been fortunate enough to ride the buses recently, but might do so in the near future. I suspect it might be a third party hardware device. Typical conversation is bus 94-6 switch to Channel 6 and press " " button.

Does EDACS allow for console initiated I-calls between users? e.i. Dispatcher starts I-call between bus and supervisor.
 
Last edited:

DaveH

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
3,287
Location
Ottawa, Ont.
OK, decided to fire up UniTrunker on EDACS, actually had ETrunk
running concurrently (with different radio/tap)...freaky. Both utilities
log activity on TGs 227-233 but do not actively display. Scanner
parked on any of these doesn't show any activity. Real-time last-heard
time on UniTrunker showed not a great deal of action, but seemed to
increase around PM rush-hour.

I suspect above TGs are used for messaging. May be a coincidence, but
there are seven of these TGs, and seven dispatcher LIDs which seem to
be used with I-calls (123-129 dec.).

Busses should be busy tonight, staying home so will keep an eye on
things. Still no sign of local Operation Nez-Rouge.

Dave
 

ocscan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
361
Location
Ottawa, On
TG 0241 ID'd this morning as Ottawa CRBN doing radio checks, sounded like Police users (LIDS were just above OFD Pbls though). The Slain officers funeral is allowing for a some rarely used TG's to be ID'd.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top