Niagara Hotels

[VA3ADP]

Hello everyone.

I was recently in Niagara Falls and was curious if Embassy Falls was still on their DMR system or if they have moved to something else. I was also curious about the Sheraton Hotel. I stayed there recently and didn't see any staff around that was using radios. I also did a quick TAFL search and it looks like they have some frequencies lisenced to them but I never heard any activity.

Thank you

 

[Saint]

Embassy Suites Hotel - Control - 420.275000 NFM Color Code 1
Embassy Suites Hotel - Shuttle Service Ch. 1 - 420.275000 NFM Color Code 1
Embassy Suites Hotel - Shuttle Service Ch. 2 - 420.275000 NFM Color Code 1

462.5000 ??? NIAGARA FALLS, ON -SHERATON HOTEL DMR SLOT1-2 CC=2 (TG=20008 SLOT=1&2) (TG=20002) (TG=20010 SLOT=1)
420.8000 FOUR POINTS SHERATON NIAGARA FALLS ONT. DMR
Saint

 

[VA3ADP]

Embassy Suites Hotel - Control - 420.275000 NFM Color Code 1
Embassy Suites Hotel - Shuttle Service Ch. 1 - 420.275000 NFM Color Code 1
Embassy Suites Hotel - Shuttle Service Ch. 2 - 420.275000 NFM Color Code 1

462.5000 ??? NIAGARA FALLS, ON -SHERATON HOTEL DMR SLOT1-2 CC=2 (TG=20008 SLOT=1&2) (TG=20002) (TG=20010 SLOT=1)
420.8000 FOUR POINTS SHERATON NIAGARA FALLS ONT. DMR
Saint

Thanks for the info Saint. I'll have to confirm it next time, if in town. That Four Points Hotel is actually no longer a Sheraton its called Wyndham Grand Fallsview by Four Points

Wasn't Embassy on a Hytera System? Not sure if its still in use?

 

[XBrandonEdwardX]

Thanks for the info Saint. I'll have to confirm it next time, if in town. That Four Points Hotel is actually no longer a Sheraton its called Wyndham Grand Fallsview by Four Points

Wasn't Embassy on a Hytera System? Not sure if its still in use?

So, I was just in the Embassy Suite the other night, and I remember seeing the lady vacuuming the lobby with a two-way radio and an earpiece. I wasn't close enough to tell you what kind it was, but it looked like a Hytera radio. I know that the Embassy offers a shuttle service, and if my memory serves me correctly, a couple of years ago, it was listed on the RR database as encrypted... I could be wrong about that.

Another thing you may notice in/around the hotels is simplex conventional analog and DMR frequencies. There's a security company called "ESM." They were originally brought in last summer to work with the Indigenous evacuees from the wildfires. At that time, they were in the Hilton Hotel, Wyndham Grand, Wyndham Garden, and the Ramada on Ferry St (the old Super 8 near Big Texas).

Upon talking with some of my co-workers, I have been made aware that they recently brought in more Indigenous evacuees to the Ramada on Ferry St due to some kind of water/sanitation issue where they are from. They may also have some in the Wyndham Grand again too. You can see these ESM guys driving around in blacked out Dodge Durango's or in white "ESM" marked pickup trucks. They are all carrying Motorola CP200's and often times wearing a black/orange, black/green, black/yellow high visibility vests.

 

[gary123]

SDRs are great for locating the DMR transmissions using the spectrum display. The CP200 typically are programed in DMR mode.

 

[XBrandonEdwardX]

Maybe one night this week, I will park near one of the hotels and see what I can grab with my SDR. I know they talk very frequently.

 

[VA3ADP]

Maybe Embassy has gone to a Standard Hytera system. I should be back next week so I'll be able to confirm what Saint had on file for Sheraton.

 

[Saint]

Maybe Embassy has gone to a Standard Hytera system. I should be back next week so I'll be able to confirm what Saint had on file for Sheraton.

Listening to the Embassy Suites frequency 420.275 with my Uniden 150 scanner from Fort Erie Ont.

DMR
Picking up the signal full 5 bars, clear audio.
tg's
1 UID 788
28 UID 117
27 UID 128
91 UID 611
Just started to listen and they are busy.

Saint

 

[VA3ADP]

Listening to the Embassy Suites frequency 420.275 with my Uniden 150 scanner from Fort Erie Ont.

Listening to the Embassy Suites frequency 420.275 with my Uniden 150 scanner from Fort Erie Ont.

DMR
Picking up the signal full 5 bars, clear audio.
tg's
1 UID 788
28 UID 117
27 UID 128
91 UID 611
Just started to listen and they are busy.

Saint

Awesome! Was it trunking or conventional?

 

[XBrandonEdwardX]

Awesome! Was it trunking or conventional?

I just checked. I am picking up this repeater full scale from my place in Niagara Falls. Previously, I just assumed the system wouldn't have been that strong.

They are using conventional DMR on CC=1.

 

[lkas]

I am getting this strong -79 rssi. Cheektowaga NY about 5 miles south of buffalo

 

[gary123]

They may be running higher power instead of using a BDA to penetrate the building.

 

[BC_Scan]

The CP200 typically are programed in DMR

You probably are referring to 200D. My 200 only does analog.

 

[XBrandonEdwardX]

You probably are referring to 200D. My 200 only does analog.

I think I remember them using analog... but I can't remember 100%.

 

[VA3ADP]

Sounds about right. The regular 200 is strictly analog only. the 200D can operate in both analog and digital or you be cheap and buy the analog only model off of Amazon.

Staying on topic... I created a number of DMR One Frequency systems in my scanner. Hopefully, I am at the Falls this week to confirm more on the systems that I have created.

 

[VA3ADP]

So after my TERRIBLE Stay at Embassy Suites....

I determined that staff are using the Hytera PD482/562 models. They seem to be running a DMR Conventional system that is HYT based. IMO there are way too many TG's on their system to warrant that they should all be added to the conventional business page. All the TG's they had on the old XPT system are still being used in addition to some new ones. Lots of interesting traffic to listen to!

 

[mciupa]

The talkgroups are always welcomed to be added to the Wiki page.

 

[VA3ADP]

I've gone over most of my recordings and it looks like that Housekeeping dominates the system traffic Security appears to be contracted out there. I believe what Brandon eluded to was correct.

 

[XBrandonEdwardX]

I've gone over most of my recordings and it looks like that Housekeeping dominates the system traffic Security appears to be contracted out there. I believe what Brandon eluded to was correct.

I just want to be clear about something. This ESM group are only in charge of the evacuees, making sure they are registered, behaving, and controlling who is going up to what rooms. Normal hotel security is still in full operation.

When we were at the Hilton Hotel last summer, the Hilton Hotel security was very much active. In this case, they were doing their normal duties as we were in the mid-tower doing our thing. It did cross over from time to time for access control, or incidents that happened up at the pool... but that was about it.

They gave our team 1 Motorola Solutions XPR-6550 on their trunked system so we could talk to their team if we needed to. They would come over twice a day — once in the morning and then again in the evening — to switch the battery for us.

I am going to go out scanning with my laptop and SDR in about 1-2 hours and see if I can pick up the ESM guys and get you exactly what they are using. Once I have something, I am going to start a new thread I think... because I have some inside information, and other details I can publicly share... without hijacking this thread.

 

[VA3ADP]

So I have a small update on some of my findings from staying at the Sheraton

452.8125 TG 452.8125 (how unique) TS1 CC10 not sure what this is as of yet.

464.3125 CTCSS 223.8 heard Maintenance checking smoke detectors on the 20th floor. Sounded like simplex and could be related to Sheraton as a saw maintenance workers walking around that time.

453.7000 DCS 664
453.725 DCS 703 I have no idea what these are but I feel they could be related.