Otsego County Road Commission

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jbas

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Was just wondering if anyone has stumbled across the OCRC? I know they have started using their new radios. I thought they were on the MPSCS but I am beginning to wonder I can't seem to find them. I just thought I would ask if anyone else has stumbled across them.
 

jack3726

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The DB says 159.120, I don't see a alpha tag for Otsego Road Commission on the MPSCS, as your asking that doesn't mean that they are not on the system. I would be looking at county trucks, maybe the antenna would give it away.
 

rdale

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I wasn't listening for the road commission when I submitted the MPSCS updates though... And I'm only there in the summer, so doubt they would have been saying much anyways.
 

jbas

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Thanks for the reply. They just made the switch about two months ago. They have installed GPS capable radios. I don't know if that would make any difference but I think they are using the old 159.120 for that and something different for the voice because the old frequency about every 20 seconds or so it sounds like a data transmission. Like you said though things have been kind of slow so they probably haven't been doing a lot. In another couple weeks I'm sure it will pick up. I will also keep an eye on antennas when I pass them thanks.
 

jbas

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I passed a couple of trucks today and did not see any new antennaes on them. I was wondering with GPS enabled radios could they be using the 159.120 frequency to transmit both the GPS data and the voice info with a different voice format that a pro-197 can't decode? The only thing I can hear is what sounds like someone keying up the mike and firing a machine gun about every 20 seconds. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.
 

rdale

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That would be the GPS location system if anything, certainly not voice. Have you followed around with closecall? They may just be using cellphones too.
 

rdale

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No. MPSCS radios are very expensive out the door, plus you have to pay a hefty annual fee too. And then you still need to add your own GPS (as far as I know, I don't think MPSCS itself supports AVL.)
 

jack3726

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RDALE: this is off topic but was the MPSCS put in to be a state revenue generator?? Based on what your telling me I am sure counties and the like need to budget to have a presence on MPSCS. Once you are on it I am sure it would be a pain to revert or move off of it. Just curious as I would think the MPSCS would be more designed for flexability/availability etc that it could offer those end users that it support today and the future ones.
 

rdale

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I'm not sure that's why it was created, but I know it certainly does bring in a lot of local income.
 

kotaguchi

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Otsego County Road Commission is using the following for voice Traffic:

"154.90500 WPWZ916 RM 100.0 PL Gayl LocGovt Local Govt: Building/Engineering FM Public Works "


I heard them on this freq this morning starting at about 4:00am this morning.


I could be wrong?I know heard radio traffic about starting from one end of town to the other..


I am about 7 miles outside of town and that freq is coming in very clear on that repeater freq.

Just that if it being used only for Gaylord City,the power output would be a lot lower and I would not hear it normally.But the power output is high enough for me to hear it way away from town.

So I suspect they increased the repeater output for the County Road Commission trucks to use it for voice traffic??

I am only using a Motorola XTS1500 VHF Model 1.5 portable with front display to monitor the freq and not a mobile.
 
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rdale

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I could be wrong?I know heard radio traffic about starting from one end of town to the other..

Since it's licensed to the city and they talked about staying within the city, that would indicate that it's for the city?

Just that if it being used only for Gaylord City,the power output would be a lot lower and I would not hear it normally.

You don't need much power to get 7 miles outside of the antenna. Keep checking and see if they mention county roads (I think that would be a given with the current conditions.)
 

kotaguchi

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I heard radio traffic of someone asking for help in town when they were done and got back into town.Of doing the residential areas.Not sure if this is just the Gaylord City Public Works plowing or Otsego County Road Commission.
 

mkoronka

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I believe what you were hearing this morning was the Gaylord Dept. of Public Works on 154.905. They start about that time and all I have listened to this and it was them not the county road commission. I just heard them now at 10:40a stating they were getting back out starting at 7th and court. But thanks any info or leads is great because on days like today I would really like to be listening to them. The reports I have heard so far around Otsego has been 5 to 8 inches with blowing and drifting and more lake effect on the way!
 
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jbas

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I think OCRC has switched to a different type of radio system that I suspect might me MOTOTRBO. I was doing some checking on RR website that is what I think has happened. I really don't know if I am right but all the info I found points that direction. If you are in the Otsego county area and know anything about radios just listen to 159.120 for about 1 minute you will hear what I am hearing and I am sure know more about it than I do. I was wondering if I do get a chance to talk to the radio service guy for Otsego county what questions would be good to ask him? I don't want to beat a dead horse here but it says MOTOTRBO uses TDMA digital. What are the chances that a scanner will be made to decode that on a conventional channel not trunking. I really don't know a lot about this and I could be way off base here but I won't know until I ask I guess. I do not know why our county would go to this system unless the OCRC is just the first one on it. Now central can not talk directly with the trucks like they have in the past. It kind of takes the interoperability out of a system I think.
 

rdale

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I'd be SHOCKED if Otsego Co had the money to do MOTOTRBO, let alone only for one agency. Especially when they are already paying to be on MPSCS, which has pretty good coverage there. So honestly, I don't know how you can come to that conclusion.

As mentioned before - if you are hearing constant quick transmissions, it's a vehicle location system. Not voice. Odds are much higher that they are using Nextel's for their voice transmissions if you aren't hearing anything else. Have you tried listening on MPSCS?
 

SCPD

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Sharing freqs.

Since it's licensed to the city and they talked about staying within the city, that would indicate that it's for the city?

Maybe not. We have two cities downriver that share the same UHF DPW freq, and one of them has never had a license for that since I got into scanning over 30 years ago.
 

rdale

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We have two cities downriver that share the same UHF DPW freq, and one of them has never had a license for that since I got into scanning over 30 years ago.

I'm not saying it's not possible - but given the facts as we know them 1) only city locations have been referred to 2) the county is licensed on a separate frequency and 3) nobody has heard the county use that frequency - I'm feeling safe assuming the county isn't using Gaylord's freq.
 

jack3726

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Maybe the head of the OCRC could be called and asked or drop by the the DPW garage and take a look around. If they aren't on MPSCS and they are on NEXTEL how do they get away with that in these budget lean times(wouldn't they have to pay for NEXTEL services). I have asked this before on a different thread, wouldn't Otsego County be paying the state to use MPSCS, not sure how much and if they are what they are to get and what they are paying for. Maybe you could get a hold of an online or documented commission meeting minutes/notes that states what they were going to do etc. witht the OCRC radios. The thing I don't understand is why jump on the MPSCS bandwagon and not use it. Are they still licensed to 159.120 and are they paying fees for it still.
 
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