OHIO COUNTY Sheriff ---- new radios

[Mylan]

Well I think they have made the switch because all day today they have referred 155.550 as the "old radios" and "low band" BUT i cant seem to find the "new radios" on the air... anybody else notice this?

I'm gonna keep on this but as of now, I am not pickin anything up on the ohio county site so what's goin on?

 

[mike_s104]

Well I think they have made the switch because all day today they have referred 155.550 as the "old radios" and "low band" BUT i cant seem to find the "new radios" on the air... anybody else notice this?

I'm gonna keep on this but as of now, I am not pickin anything up on the ohio county site so what's goin on?

do you think they are actually using the WVIRP? Ohio County has two P25 systems listed but with the same freqs. not sure what is actually correct.

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=4076
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=6013

 

[Mylan]

According to my 2096, the system ID that shows up on the control channel is 247... This coincides with the "Ohio County Public Safety System" and not the WVIRP (which is 170)

That much I can tell.

What I can't tell is why I am not getting any voice action.

I am pretty certain that they are using a new radio system because today, on the normal hi band channel, there were no time checks for the deputies which normally occur at half past. HOWEVER for the other county police departments and state units they did do the hourly time checks. (they have always done these checks separately - 30 minutes apart.)

Come on Wheeling area people listen up and report back.

I can't seem to grasp why Ohio Co. would have to institute their own separate system other than to squander more unnecessary big $$$.

ANYBODY ELSE CARE TO TRY AND EXPLAIN THE PHILOSOPHY OF AN INDEPENDENT SYSTEM WITH THE SAME FREQUENCIES AND PROBABLY TG's AS WELL ?

 

[mtindor]

Take note that the WVIRP frequencies for the Ohio Co Simulcast are the same as the frequencies listed for the actual Ohio County Public Safety system.

I submitted that information based upon finding that new system, noticing it has a different system ID (247) than the WVIRP (170). I also had submitted some information based upon the fact that i talked with somebody who is in the know (but who would not necessarily reveal any/all pertinent information to me) - and this person indicated that the site being heard currently was the highlands sites but the others are being worked on.

I have no clue, but possibly it is only listed as system ID 247 while they are getting the simulcast sites set up and working well - and that after that perhaps it will actually change to system ID 170.

I can't guarantee that it is standalone. According to teh RRDB, somebody has monitored the Ohio Co site, monitored the 170 ID, and indicated what the control channels are. And what I'm hearing is definitely not any of the control channels listed in the RRDB for the WVIRP site, but instead the active channels I've seen on systemid 247 were 453.3125, 453.3375, and 453.4375.

I don't pay much attention to the WVIRP or watch the threads closely. Has anybody actually ever heard activity on the "other" / older WVIRP Ohio Co system?

I'm thinking maybe the system id is 170 right now until they get the whole county simulccast set up and working, and then once they join it to the WVIRP they would change the system ID? That's a thought, isn't it?

Mike

 

[mtindor]

Also, aside from what I said in the previous post, are you monitoring all of the freuqencies tied to license WQCL307? Perhaps there is traffic but you aren't hearing it because maybe you have to set up some custom table that is yet undetermined by anyone.

Plug all the frequencies in and scan them conventionally, aside from the active control channel, and see if you hear activity.

mike

 

[mtindor]

Here is something more interesting.

WQDT238 - WV Dept of Health and Human Services
- a lot of WVIRP licenses are listed under that name

WQDT238 lists the Wheeling site with:

453.5125
460.1375
460.4500

(however, the RRDB lists the Wheeling WVIRP site with frequencies from WQCL307 as well)

WQCL307 - Ohio County Commissions

WQCL307 lists the Wheeling site(s) with:

453.1750
453.3125
453.3375
453.4375
453.6000


Notice that both licenses list mutually exclusive frequencies. Also notice that in the RRDB for the Wheeling WVIRP site, the frequencies listed as CCs are frequencies on the WVIRP license and the frequencies that SysID 247 advertises are completely different and are part of the Ohio County Commissions license.

So your guess is as good as mine as to whether they will be seperate or not.

Mike

 

[mtindor]

EUREKA!

3:28 AM - 453.175 had a P25 conversation on it, I imagine from the new system. I say this because I can't hear any control channels for the "other" system and can only hear a control channel from the System with ID 247. BUT, I can't say for sure that the P25 dialog I heard on 453.175 was coming from the Ohio Co system or some other P25 elsewhere (although Im aware of any other P25 within my listening area).

So I'm going to guess that the traffic I heard is probably traffic you were looking for and that if you are unable to just put in those frequencies into a P25 Auto configuration, you may need some custom table. Unfortunately I can't help you there because this is the first P25 system I've ever monitored and I don't get a strong enough signal all the time on the control channel without interference from the laptop to get good data from Pro96Com.

Mike

 

[mtindor]

Ok - more info.

The P25 I'm hearing on 453.175 is definitely Ohio County. They were discussing something on Battle Run Road.

Also - note that the actual Ohio county Commission license doesn't specify that it is a trunked license.

Maybe they switched Ohio Co over to the new frequencies, in conventional P25 mode, and that eventually that will meld into a bonafide trunked system. Or maybe it is actually all operating in trunked fashion and I just can't tell you for sure since I can't get reliable data from the control channel because of laptop interference.

So, at the very least, plug all the freuqencies from WQCL307 into yoru scanner, conventional P25 mode. Lock out whichever one is a current control channel. Scan hte rest, enjoy.

mike

 

[mike_s104]

Ok - more info.

The P25 I'm hearing on 453.175 is definitely Ohio County. They were discussing something on Battle Run Road.

Also - note that the actual Ohio county Commission license doesn't specify that it is a trunked license.

Maybe they switched Ohio Co over to the new frequencies, in conventional P25 mode, and that eventually that will meld into a bonafide trunked system. Or maybe it is actually all operating in trunked fashion and I just can't tell you for sure since I can't get reliable data from the control channel because of laptop interference.

So, at the very least, plug all the freuqencies from WQCL307 into yoru scanner, conventional P25 mode. Lock out whichever one is a current control channel. Scan hte rest, enjoy.

mike

For the Berkeley Co. site, they reused all 450/460MHz freqs from Martinsburg PD and Berkeley Co. Sheriff's office for the WVIRP. One day I turned on the Pro-43 and heard nothing but noise so I got out my new 396T and everything was there. Might be what you said; use their new radios as conventional P25 and then use it with the WVIRP later. I guess the radios should be able to do that.

 

[Mylan]

So tell me something... How is it possible for me to pick up a funny sounding CC from 247 on 453.3375 at 99% signal yet not pick up anything on the voice channels which were punched in manually (which I did just until I confirmed actual radio traffic).....

so now I have all frequencies in conventionally and also trunked and still nothing....

The fact that you heard Battle Run being mentioned also confirms to me that the new system has in fact been implemented in at least some fashion but how in the heck can someone in toronto hear it and someone near wheeling can't???

when you guys punch in 453.3375 does the control channel sound funny? like it's not loud and robust as usual

mike s... on the wvirp over your way, does the CC sound like a typical MOT CC?

 

[Mylan]

OK so sooner than I post that, I heard I hear Triadelphia police trying to run a 28 on the 453.175 and the dispatcher said:

"17-01 your using the new frequency; can you go back to the old channel for the time being"...

he then came on the vhf and said:

"sorry about that dispatch I grabbed the wrong mic"

so that tells me that they ARE going to keep all ohio county sheriffs an county police Pd's integrated on the same dispatch channel
and also that Staleys Comm. is actively working on the system.

 

[Mylan]

but once again it sounded like it was LOW POWER because I had to make location adjustments on the radio when I heard him talking.

 

[Mylan]

I'm thinking maybe the system id is 170 right now until they get the whole county simulccast set up and working, and then once they join it to the WVIRP they would change the system ID? That's a thought, isn't it?

Mike

Very good hypothesis

 

[mtindor]

I don't have enough experience listening to P25 CCs to know if it sounds right or not. I will tell you that I have difficulty decoding it even with 3-4 bars most of the time, and I don't believe I should have that problem. It sounds like a "noisy" control channel, like something may not be quite right. Then again, it could just be my unfamiliarity with P25 CCs.

Opposite of your experience, it seems to me that the P25 audio signal on 453.175 seems to be _stronger_ by at least a little bit than the CC on 453.3375.

I can't explain why I would hear it better than you. I really don't think I would or should. Maybe after a day of listening today you'll find your experience different than that of previous days. I really think you'll hear something strong today as long as you have them programmed in as conventional P25 and don't have a NAC set. Mine is set to NAC Search.

I will say that from my listening post I hear something else analog on 453.175 elsewhere, probably in pennsylvania on occasion as well.

Mike

So tell me something... How is it possible for me to pick up a funny sounding CC from 247 on 453.3375 at 99% signal yet not pick up anything on the voice channels which were punched in manually (which I did just until I confirmed actual radio traffic).....

so now I have all frequencies in conventionally and also trunked and still nothing....

The fact that you heard Battle Run being mentioned also confirms to me that the new system has in fact been implemented in at least some fashion but how in the heck can someone in toronto hear it and someone near wheeling can't???

when you guys punch in 453.3375 does the control channel sound funny? like it's not loud and robust as usual

mike s... on the wvirp over your way, does the CC sound like a typical MOT CC?

 

[mtindor]

Hmm, that's good news. At least you can confirm things now and know where to listen if you don't hear them on high band. I can barely pick up the high band from here oddly enough.

Assuming they are in a testing/implementation phase, it wouldn't surprise me at all if (a) power may be lower and (b) the site radios may need some tuning. Who knows.

I can't confirm any of this, but I always felt that if Staleys was tuning a radio system they probably set it at 50 watts if its designated at 100 watts just for reliability sake. Again, that's my own speculation and may not be true at all.

Mike

OK so sooner than I post that, I heard I hear Triadelphia police trying to run a 28 on the 453.175 and the dispatcher said:

"17-01 your using the new frequency; can you go back to the old channel for the time being"...

he then came on the vhf and said:

"sorry about that dispatch I grabbed the wrong mic"

so that tells me that they ARE going to keep all ohio county sheriffs an county police Pd's integrated on the same dispatch channel
and also that Staleys Comm. is actively working on the system.

 

[Mylan]

to me it seems like a motorola CC is a motorola CC they all sound the same... I don't think it matters what audio is used they should all sound pretty similer.....

I bet you are right, they have it on low power until they get everything online (at least I hope so)

What is NAC?

 

[mtindor]

to me it seems like a motorola CC is a motorola CC they all sound the same... I don't think it matters what audio is used they should all sound pretty similer.....

I bet you are right, they have it on low power until they get everything online (at least I hope so)

What is NAC?

Well, in this case it definitely doesn't sound like any other Moto system CC around here. That's because all of the Motorola systems around here except for the pure P25 systems like Ohio County / WVIRP, have 3600 baud control channels.

So the CC on 453.3375 definitely would sound different than that of Wheeling Public Safety, Belmont, or Jefferson's CC.

But I don't have enough experience listening to CCs of true P25 systems to know if they all sound "dirty" or if just this one does.

NAC - http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/NAC

It's not applicable unless you were programming the frequencies as P25 conventional. And then, in a GRE scanner at least you scan specify a NAC. This would be similar to PL or DPL but would be for a P25 conventional freq. You won't have to worry about that.

Mike

 

[paul1]

ohio co freq's

Paul1 here ,Wheeling is my turf and i have been fighting this thing for 8 months now ,today is thursday the 16 of oct. its now 9:35 am and no time checks were heard however there is still traffic on 155.5500 ohio co . i am located in Bethelehem apx 600 feet above the ohio river .

I intent to program into my psr500 all freq.s associated with WQCL307 IN CONVENTIONAL P25 MODE AND SEE WHAT I MIGHT COME ACCROSS. Thanks Mike i will keep you posted.
thanks Paul1

 

[Mylan]

I have four different radios with 453.175 programmed... and the 2096 is the only one that will decode the p25 audio; the other 3 (960 996 and796) sound like they are non digital radios when that frequency becomes active.
Even then, the 2096 only sometimes decodes the audio and it is very frustrating... I even pick the radios up and move them around and it doesn't help.
I can only hope that this is all beta and they do fix it.

Put this way I can pick up the wvirp fairview tower and with that many TG;s from harrison and monongalia county with no, issues
when I listen to the CC for that site it sounds like the normal "buzzsaw"...
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UPDATE: I just heard voice on the ohio county channel... it was EMA calling in from Rt. 2 in weirton testing the radio. and now once again all I get is Digital noise
I'm gonna end up locking this stuff out; it's gettin' real annoyin'

 

[mule1075]

i am also monitoring them conventional and have not heard anything at this time.but at around 2:15 today monitoring it in trunked mode picked up somebody doing a test count and the said they were 10 miles from cabelas and the TGID was 1.i will keep monitoring conventional p-25 and report if i hear anything.