NYSP - G-STAR or MDC

[MB]

I am trying to find a computer program that will decode the New York State Police data burst that occurs before every mobile transnission. I can't tell if it is MDC or G-Star.

Does anyone know? I know they use MA-COM radios.

Does anyone know of a computer program that will decode this data burst? I have tried WinMDCD and can not get it to work.

 

[58006]

Nysp

It is a special variant of GE Star, the state police communications use a decoder unit made by Cimeron (sp?) that not only tells the dispatcher the radio number (Car) but also the station that the car is assigned to.

Decoding the data packet will not tell you anything other than the code that is being sent, which is usually just random numbers that are programmed into the console or Cimeron unit and then decoded into useful information IE Unit Name and Number.

 

[fireresq2825]

The special GEStar allows for the format to be decoded with an alpha tag in it so it will show a car number such as 2A26, without having to use aliasing or a lookup table from a standard numeric. There is nothing random or encrypted about it. You can decode it with an old numeric decoder, but the number won't make much sense unless you have a lookup table. They may use alaising now, but I haven't worked on them since the zone overhauls in 1999/2000.

When I used to service them in Troop A (10 yrs in WNY) I used and old numeric decoder, just to make sure the signal was decodable on the bench. Unit numbers still had to be verified on the air at that time.

 

[58006]

The special GEStar allows for the format to be decoded with an alpha tag in it so it will show a car number such as 2A26, without having to use aliasing or a lookup table from a standard numeric. There is nothing random or encrypted about it. You can decode it with an old numeric decoder, but the number won't make much sense unless you have a lookup table.

I think we are saying the same thing. I did not mean to suggest that there was anything encrypted about it. My meaning of random was that the "code" programmed into the radio only makes sense to the decoder.

For example, the MDC1200 ID on our system for my mobile radios is 3275, which means nothing to anyone or anything, it is just a "random" number in a block of numbers that is assigned to DPS and decodes on the Console with my shield Number and Last Name. We have "blocks" of numbers that are assigned to Fire, EMS, Police, and County Departments, but there is no method to how the numbers are assigned.

Some counties/agencies do have an actual system of assigning the codes, so even if it is not programmed into the decoder you can still make sense of the number. I was not trying to suggest that there was something "secret" to the SP system, just tried to share what knowledge I had on how the system I supervise works and how the SP system was explained to me.

 

[PJH]

Not all troops have the decoder. For NYSP, they are running a special version of the Orion and Jaguar radios that will show the alpha characaters. Other than that, its all numbers like usual. I saw a message recently that leads me to believe that there is a way with newer software can enable this feature in most of the orions and jaguars, but not 100% sure.

For the Motorola consoles by default show the raw MDC ID. Its comprised of 4 HEX digits (0-F). The consoles will show a "I" in front of the ID.

Any alised names on the Centracom II consoles have to be programmed into the CEB (not fun, PITA).

With the Centracom Gold Elite and MCC5000 consoles the alias can be easliy programmed into a database (and a little more useful as well with longer aliases).

The execption to this rule are with ASTRO ID's. If the soft ID feature is enabled, the radio will transmit its number and the stored ID. For instance with my ASTRO, the ID is set for 53245 - but will show up quickly as Elim8tor. Some of us like to screw around and come up with some funky ID's...just because we can.

 

[MB]

All that I know about the system is that in the Troop B Communications headquarters in Ray Brook the console will show the exact car number that is transmitting, ie.. 3B25, 3B87 etc...

 

[PJH]

One constant with NYSP is the constant of not being uniform!

With different priorities at different times, and with no real fleetwide radio serivice maintainers, things tend to be different from one troop to another. Some of voter systems with the new PL's enabled, some do not. Some do not even have voter systems.

Some have the decode display, most don't. Also it depends if they are colocated with county or city agencies.

If/when Opensky finally gets built out, NYSP will contiune to be a large patchwork setup.

 

[DaveNF2G]

The original question hasn't really been answered yet - is there a GE-Star decoder program?

It should work on NYSP and probably NYSDOT. Schenectady County fire apparatus also have data bursts that are likely to be GE-Star because Schenectady has always been the home of G.E. (and way before the days of Tyco and M/A-Com, General Electric had a land mobile radio division).