Ozaukee I-CALL ID's

[otrebla]

Over the past 24 hours I've logged these I-CALL ID's.

i00105 i00202 i01070 i04107 i09040 i10978
i00106 i00203 i01080 i05010 i09090
i00107 i00206 i01090 i05020 i09110
i00109 i01003 i01610 i05030 i09120
i00110 i01004 i01618 i06001 i09140
i00111 i01020 i01701 i08120 i09150
i00112 i01040 i01935 i08150 i09234
i00114 i01050 i03160 i09001 i09242
i00119 i01052 i04103 i09018 i09246
i00129 i01060 i04105 i09020 i10010

My question is, has anyone ever figured out which departments these ID's belong too?

 

[DaveIN]

Are they voice or data?

 

[otrebla]

voice

 

[SCPD]

If you have UniTrunker, if not you can download it from the wiki page. You can hook up a scanner with a discriminator tap to your audio card input on your computer. You can see what radio ID key up on what talkgroup and corrispond the talkgroup with what agency.
Or you can just wait for the ID pop up on Icalls and try to figure it out that way.

 

[radio50]

Another approach, although not perfect, might be this -- in ARC996PRO, for example, set it to "log every event to history grid". Then you'll see every hit in order. So you might interpret the log this way (example):

9:24:07 Townville PD ("squad 2, can I give you a special call?")
9:24:11 Townville PD ("yes")
9:24:15 i12345
9:24:35 i54321

It's not perfect, but the odds are that the i-calls were the Townville PD people talking. If you have a really busy system this method won't work well.

 

[otrebla]

IDing users by listening is impossible, users usually call each other by first names. No unit ID's are used, radio ID's are occasionally used, but thats no help since I already know their radio ID number. Also everyday there are between 5-10 ID's I've never heard before. So far I've logged 104 ID's and the list continues to grow.

 

[triryche]

I assume you have noticed 99% of the conversations taking place are just general chit-chat about personal lives and generally more annoying than worth listening to?

I never bothered to follow up on determining users since the unit to unit I-call chit chat tends to keep the scanner from catching important activity on regular channels. Another little known fact about EDACS systems is the phone-patch feature. Try scanning the system frequencies in conventional mode and you will hear some of these phone calls. Since all of the radios on the system are "private" i-call capable, you could be pulling hair trying to ID them. The users do also believe the traffic is 100% private! :lol:

 

[otrebla]

I was conventionally scanning the TRS frequencies and found loud buzzing sounds when the frequencies weren't being used for voice communications. By chance are they also using these frequencies to send data?

 

[triryche]

Possible but I think it is more llikely some sort of controlling data used by the system itself. Similar buzzing occurs when a user keys a mic and gets a "busy" indicator and the system will jump the user to a different channel. I'm not 100% sure which buzzing is for what but I'm sure it's possible there is other data passed on the system. The radio techs for the system are Scan-Wis group members and usually are more than willing to answer these types of technical questions.

 

[otrebla]

Has Ozaukee moved to the upgraded EDACS system? Since friday I've been receiving a much stronger signal. The Radio Techs have also been very active on TG 01-157 the past four days.

 

[dwillborn]

Yes they did. Thanks for noticing. Buzzing is mobile data.

 

[otrebla]

Thanks, the upgraded Ozaukee system sounds great. Now even the PRO-94 has no problem locking onto the control channel and monitoring the Ozaukee TRS from 16 miles north-northeast of the Belgium tower.

 

[OpSec]

I should try again with the 780XLT at work...maybe the VHF two bay dipole scanner antenna and a 50 foot run of RG58 won't stop the 780 from hearing the EDACS system this time.

Sometimes it really sucks when every antenna on the tower is VHF. Does OZSO have a spare M-PA and vehicle adaptor for long term rent?

 

[wirr]

I was conventionally scanning the TRS frequencies and found loud buzzing sounds when the frequencies weren't being used for voice communications. By chance are they also using these frequencies to send data?

Yes, Ozaukee runs mobile data to squads through the trunking system.

 

[mkescan]

I can now pick it up here on 27th & College in Milwaukee,but some freqs (channels) don't seem to have the same signal strength for me,but it's cool to finally listen to Oz at home.

 

[triryche]

techs are messing around again today testing analog & digital

 

[radio50]

I-Call identifier toggle?

Speaking of I-Call topics . . . I have the Ozaukee County TRS set up (on my Uniden 996T) so that I normally "scan" my favorite TGs. I also have I-Call "on" but since those are not programmed as TGs, I don't hear them, until I want to, at which time I change from "scan" to "search". Then, there they are. Fine so far.

So, a few minutes ago I decided to listen to an I-Call exchange. While one unit was talking, with identifier i12345, for example, I decided to press the scan/search button to see who else was using the system. Well, it was quiet, so the radio locked back on the same person's I-Call. But this time it showed a different identifier, such as i67890. Each time I hit "scan/search" it would lock back on (he was long-winded), but would switch i-numbers, like this:
i12345
scan/search
i67890
scan/search
i12345
scan/search
i67890
etc. with the same person still talking (same transmission). At least I *think* that's what I saw. Strange, or normal?

 

[izz]

Here are a few user ID blocks that I've identified over the years.

001xx Sheriff
002xx Sheriff
008xx County Highway
009xx County Highway
010xx Cedarburg PD
081xx Grafton PD
090xx Mequon PD
091xx Mequon PD

 

[izz]

I almost forgot. The users don't call it, I-Call, the users call it, Special or Special Call.

 

[radio50]

Halfway down this page it shows the vehicle and radio numbering scheme for fire/EMS, which may be related - ??

http://www.fire-command.org/scanning.html