OFFICIAL MSWIN Thread

[KE5TLF]

Expect ranges in the 50 mile range minmum.

LOL MAXIMUM is about half that. RF LOS at 400-600 feet, at these freqs is roughly 25 miles. At these freqs. line of sight is about all you get.

Realistically, in less than ideal scanner front ends, it'll be even less. Using my PRO-106 (HOT! front end) with a Larsen NMO150/450/800 Tri-Band Antenna (Great mobile scanner antenna) in my travels I would be pretty much losing the previous site I'd visited when I'd arrive at the next one in line.

A good example of this was when I was at the Silver Creek site I couldn't get a good decode on Brookhaven East. I had to drive about 4 or 5 miles further west on 84 before I could, and even then I had to find just the right spot to stop. hehe.

I can barely receive Fountainbleau (~16 miles) at the extreme SE corner of Jackson County (Chevron), Vancleave (~21 miles) is all but non-existant there. (heck even cell phone service is spotty that far southeast LOL) This is using a deaf as a post 396T with a RS 800 Mhz Duckie. Maybe I'll carry my 396XT in this week and see how it does. The front end in it is much better than it's predecessor.

 

[INDY72]

Professional Motorola radios are much better at recieving than any scanner. The documented testimonial at the MWCC states that they were able to have the aforementioned coverage using the HT and mobiles that will be used daily on this system. From personal experience inMS using an PRO-92, and PRO-96, and PRO-97 on the following systems I can testify to better range than 14 miles. Jackson, MS EDACS on all 3 scanners using 800 MHz rd.... I could decode and listen nicely in Crystal Springs. Same with the Rankin County TRS. I picked up the Hinds TRS before its expansion as far away as Hazelhurst. After its growth could even get it on 28 5 miles beyond Hazelhurst. If I added the RS mag mount, and had it set up for 800 then I could even get farther distances.... On my trip up here to AR, I had Warren County from the Hinds/Copiah line, Greeneville from not to far from Warren line.... And hit AWIN from nearly 19 miles inside MS. All using just the rubber duck. I can tell you for a fact that if an Motorola XTL2500 or the 5000 cant pick up one of those sites from 20 miles out, then the system is a failure. Heck years ago when I lived in Union Church I once took my 3000 on a trip just to see how it picked up certian systems.... I nailed Rankin from Crystal Springs, Hinds from Gallman, and Warren from Jackson. Believe me, the Motorola gear will pick it up a LOT farther out than a scanner. Oh and that was an XTS3000 MIIIR

 

[KE5TLF]

Just to expand on this a little at home I have a PRO 197 hooked up to a Wilson Electronics 13 dB 800 MHz 8 Element Yagi on a rotator about 30 feet up and I can swing it around and pick up Benndale and Lucedale (~27 miles each)pretty good. OTH I can't get a peep out Wiggins South (~35 miles) or Harrison County (~40 miles)

 

[SCPD]

All of you raise good points about the reception. There's no doubt that it's going to be fantastic. There's so much overkill in the system that it's really not even funny when you consider the outrageous price tag. Louisiana implemented their 700 system using the same tower network of that of the old 800 system. I've found that on the Louisiana system, using the same towers, the 700 voice signals travel much further. May be comparing apples and oranges when it comes to the ERP of the 700 vs the 800 but I really don't think it's that much different. However, my point is that using the same towering network, which I assure you is not even close to being as ridiculous as the MSWIN, Louisiana will probably boast 90% or better coverage with 700 system and a lot fewer towers to maintain.

 

[INDY72]

Both the LWIN and MWIN are to have 95 to 97% mobile coverage, while the LWIN is also contracted to have the 95% HT coverage,... MS doesn't even worry about the HT's in the contract,... but with the wild coverage this thing will have, I am pretty sure itll be just as good. I am willing to bet that if we ever get to see the output stats... the coastal sites are bumping closer to 200 plus watts... prolly 300.. and the rest are closer to 200.... BTW Hugh, whats your experience so far on reception of MWIN with various scanners and ants....Ranges you lose signal etc...

 

[SCPD]

I have found using a external antenna designed primarily for VHF HI&Lo, the MSWIN 700 is easily tracking 10 to 15 miles and even up to 20 or more from various tower sites. I'm using the PRO-197 in my vehicle. I also can attest to just using the radioshack 800 rubber duckie on a Pro 106 or Pro 96 getting decent coverage for almost ten miles from most any tower.

 

[SCPD]

In southwest Miss. the two Franklin towers seem to overlap into every county and I'm talking about some pretty amazing overlapping. The tower near Kirby hill goes as far as Hazlehurst and the Bude tower picks up as far away as Kentwood, La.

 

[ffemt601]

I am actually more worried about shortage of frequency pairs/ repeaters and talk groups then I am actual coverage.

 

[SCPD]

The single site in Jackson is easily covering all of Hinds Co. and good bit of the surrounding area. And I'm talking about really strong coverage in that area, probably the best of all the sites I've monitored so far.

 

[KE5TLF]

Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about the 700 Mhz band but were afraid to ask

700 MHz Public Safety Spectrum

Of note to recent ponderings......

960 channel pairs......

The 700 Mhz State License is what MWIN is licensed under. IOW there won't be indvidual site licenses.(ever) Milf and I had been pondering that one recently.

700 MHz State License
"The state license is a geographic area license based on state boundaries, which differs from traditional site-based public safety licensing. State licenses are subject to the general limits that govern geographic licenses including antenna structures and air navigation, international coordination, and environmental requirements including quiet zones."

and much much more......

 

[ffemt601]

Sorry, I was referring to the lack of repeaters / channel pairs .. however you want to refer to it at locations such as the Lamar site. The Lamar site wouldn't even serve the need for Lamar County let alone all the other agencies that want to use the site.

 

[KE5TLF]

Not directly related to the Public saftey portion of 700 Mhz but still an infomative read on the propagation characteristics of the band in general.

http://www.mobileparadigm.com/my-articles/200802.700MHz.pdf

 

[INDY72]

Actually all the freqs we have are the data/ID, and CC/altCC info for most sites.. we have NO clue as to full freq load out... What your seeing as just whats been active thus far.... Once more users are online youll see a lot more freqs pop up. Unlike the LWIN, we cant just do a basic FCC search for all licensed freqs.... MWIN just has the broad lic for the whole friggin range lol. Expect plenty of freqs on each site. MWIN is triple redundant... The towers have the height, output power, and plenty of freqs.... Not to mention that on the AWIN here in AR, and other systems, there are sites that have as few as 5 freqs and handle plenty of traffic. Remember also this overlapping site coverage... Thats also going to help with heavy volumes of traffic if and when that happens.... On an TRS site, you have just 1 freq dedicated for the CC at any given time.... The rest of the freqs can handle voice/data/id simultaneously. On an say 5 freq only site, you can have four conversations going at the same time. Add in a second close site and now you have the traffic spread out to two sites. The guys know what towers will have heavy traffic, and which ones won't. Some of these sites will have upwards of ten to twenty or more freqs.... Some will only have and need five to seven. Again whats listed in the database so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[bama9999]

Using the antenna that comes with the Pro-106, I have excellent coverage of the Lee county system here on the far eastern side of Itawamba county. I've put the new settings in the 106 so that the S-meter is more accurate, and the Lee county system is usually 5 bars, sometimes 4, using the rubber duck antenna.

Using an outside Radio Shack discone, up 20 feet, I can of course get the Lee county system full scale, and I can also receive the Columbus Airforce Base trunking system of 400mhz perfectly. My VHF reception is well over 100 miles any direction. Of course I'm located on a ridge, and reception here is incredible. I can use my ham handie-talkie and constantly work repeaters over 50 miles away on just the duckie that came with the HT.

 

[KE5TLF]

Yeah VHF propagation is a totally different animal than UHF. Back a few months ago when the VHF band opened up for those few nights I was picking up, from the best I could figure out, a central Florida P25 agency of some sort on one of MHP freqs. HEHE

If/when they ever go TDMA then multiple talk groups can use the same freq. too. Hopefully that's a few years away still.

 

[INDY72]

LOL VHF is a whole other monster lol....Now want fun??? If this was an VHF P-25 TRS.... Then we would need custom tables,... And youd reallyyyyy get range... And youd get the ducting..... So maybe your friends in say......WV could hear it sometimes.... Anyway.. bama see your PM in regards to the Lee County/Tupelo TRS.... And as to ducting,.. we are entering the Southern Fall season.....When technically the ducting is supposed to be ending but seems to get better, especially at night down south. My longest catches were from September through March on VHF Hi.... And we are in the Skip Season for Lo band.... You may get CA, lots of CB....and other interesting Lo band stuff.... As for the MWIN ducting.. it may happen some.. But its rare.... I have monitored the St Tam TRS from Union Church before... And the old LA 800 several times.... But the best ducting seems to flow from the NE LA area up through SW MS, into Central MS..... Perfect to catch say Tangipahoah lol... Anyway back to the MWIN...... Real construction is slated to be starting on Jeanette...and even with the sucky weather,... They are under a 24/7 work order ... So as soon as they can get rolling, it will pop up pretty fast. Especially as its one of five sites that is now 2 months behind. Heard from a friend that there are now five to six sites actively under construction, going up and getting equipped in P2 A in Copiah, Hinds, Warren, and Rankin counties.

 

[INDY72]

As for the Claiborne County site, I have no info on if its going to go up at the same time as Lorman or not.

 

[INDY72]

Speaking of Phase II.... This is where we will lose out on data... We can get submissions from all of P I, and PII A... a tad of B,.. and a bit of C.... There are huge areas that are going to be lacking from P II, and P III A, and B... once final on P III gets up.. we have sources up that way..... But the middle areas I don't know of any listeners in that region with digital capability yet,..... So from I-20 south we can fill nicely..... but from there up to say Tunica.. we may be some time getting sites confirmed. Also, expect a lot more traffic once P II A is fully running

 

[INDY72]

Here is a list of users that will have MWIN ability in Phase II that I know of.... Copiah County.. (At least one radio for each of the following- CSPD, HPD, CCSO/EOC, WPD, CLPD) Hinds County (already hinted that HCSO is fully compatible just needing programming), Warren County, Lauderdale County, and Rankin County. MHP will use it a lot more once P II A is up.... as will MDOT, F&W, SEMAAD, AirCARE, possibly AMR... Others I don't have concrete data on yet.

 

[KE5TLF]

This brings to mind the symbology and terminology used in the legend of the BGA map.

Green stars = Ph2 (and Ph3) new build towers per contract. Fairly self explanatory.

Black stars = Ph2 (and Ph3) Lease towers by contract. mmmkay.......Does that mean co-location on pre-existing towers?

All the Ph1 new build towers ToM owns are also leased, so therein lies some confusion.

The little green "No construction" dots in Hinds, Rankin, Scott, Copiah, Simpson, and Smith counties are all MWCC owned towers that have registrations in ASR database for sure. I have recorded all that data and mapped it out. Most or all of these are apparently the Ph2A sites to make the Jackson - Gulf Coast connection.

If the black stars are indeed co-location sites that'll complicate matters somewhat. Not terribly, but it still won't be quite as easy as finding all the P1 ToM towers was.

Look forward to that adventure however it plays out....