NWCD/SC21 Site 149

[N9JIG]

I have been watching SC21 Site 149, the TDMA site for Northwest Central Dispatch for a few weeks with Pro96Com and it is now apparently networked with the rest of the system. The last time I checked (a week or so ago) it was not reporting any neighbors. It now shows Sites 101, 102, 108, 113, 115, 120, 126 and 146 as neighbors.

It has also been showing quite a bit of FDMA (single voice path per freq, like the rest of SC21) activity. I show some 25,000 hits on FDMA channels, compared to some 500,000 or so TDMA hits in the same time period (last 3 or 4 weeks...)

I am seeing many SC21 talkgroups that are not NWCD, including IDOT and ISP as well as other state agencies, These account for the FDMA hits according to Pro96Com.

The audio on the TDMA channels is comparable with the FDMA sites in the area, I really didn't notice much difference.

 

[chgomonitor]

Yes indeed and interesting business it is! I spent most of yesterday researching around 800 MHz locally with a focus on SC21. It appears to me this new 149 site has actually replaced the old north cook site - I don't find a trace of north cook being on the air anymore. There is a TON of FDMA traffic on the new 149 site, looks like most of the old north cook affiliated traffic is now to be found here. Locally I get better receive on the site, as well. 149 has a nice big voice frequency pool associated with it and should be better capable of handling the massive trfc demands in the northern Chicago area. Now I just hope the whole kit and caboodle doesn't all go TDMA... Happy Scanning! - Ted

 

[chgomonitor]

Other Stuff Found

I'm actually seeing very few 800 MHz control channels from the shack out here in the northwest suburbs of Chicago compared with the good old days of trunking, even using an outside antenna. I know I can still get a copy on the CPD TRS, depending on which site/freq is carrying the control channel data, but here's what I found on a recent search through 800 for control channels;

851.2250 System ID 073 - site 169, possible Cook County system remains (soon to be SC21?)

851.5375 System ID 0140 - site 149, the new mixed mode TDMA/FDMA Chicago site, amazing

851.6375 sounded like a moto CC data stream but the 996XT didn't grab a system ID off it

853.2625 System ID 0140 - site 501, SC21 node, all Cook County traffic and encrypted, strong

855.2375 System ID 0140 - site 108, SC21 Lake County

856.0125 System ID 3227? - PACE Bus?

863.3875 sounded like a moto CC data stream but the 996XT didn't grab a system ID off it. Lake Co?

867.4375 sounded like a moto CC data stream but the 996XT didn't grab a system ID off it. Lake Co?

There are also a handful of other data streams out there, some of which are quite strong - but these clearly are not moto control channels. I think at least one of them may the remains of the old ALERTS MDT data streams, and who knows what else. Sorry, didn't note those...

Happy Scanning! - Ted

 

[N9JIG]

SC21 Site 149, which replaced the 3 NWCD 3600 baud systems, has been merged with the former Site 115, there are now 17 channels on the merged Site 149. 115 is now listing as "Failed" in Pro96Com.

14 of the channels are used in both the FDMA (single talkpath) mode as well as the TDMA (two talkpaths mode). Two channels are shown as "Alternate" but have not had any voice channel grants in either mode.

851.5375 is the Control Channel with 851.7875 and 851.8375 as Alternates.

Voice Channels:
852.3125, 852.8875, 853.0750,
853.7500, 853.9125, 854.6125,
855.4625, 855.7125, 856.7125,
857.2125, 859.9625, 859.7375,
859.9625, 860.2125

 

[N9JIG]

851.2250 System ID 073 - site 169, possible Cook County system remains (soon to be SC21?)

We think this may be a Moto test site out at Schaumburg.

851.5375 System ID 0140 - site 149, the new mixed mode TDMA/FDMA Chicago site, amazing

See my other reply...

851.6375 sounded like a moto CC data stream but the 996XT didn't grab a system ID off it

That is a freq from the Lake County EDACS system, it may have been the CC that day.

853.2625 System ID 0140 - site 501, SC21 node, all Cook County traffic and encrypted, strong

The Cook County 50x sites, while using SysID 140, do not yet seem to be networked in with SC21. None of them show up as neighbors to the other system.

855.2375 System ID 0140 - site 108, SC21 Lake County

Correct, with the Lake County SO looking at updating it's system one of the options may well be merging the old EDACS freqs with 108.

856.0125 System ID 3227? - PACE Bus?

Yep!

863.3875 sounded like a moto CC data stream but the 996XT didn't grab a system ID off it. Lake Co?

I think that may be part of the Moto test system. We had seen that pop up as a neighbor on one of the test systems some time ago.

867.4375 sounded like a moto CC data stream but the 996XT didn't grab a system ID off it. Lake Co?

That might be a left over ALERTS MFR channel.