PA Statewide P25 Phase 2 System

[radio3353]

I'm sure someone knows but probably won't say, but does anyone have any firsthand knowledge about the actual codeplugs in the state radios? I'm very curious what the site preferences are in the areas that have both VHF and 700/800 bands. I'm wondering if they have them set to "prefer" VHF and offer 700/800 as an alternative if the VHF signal is less than desired. It may help people trying to monitor by site if we know which band the agency leans towards more. I would assume that even in urban areas the mobile radios would prefer VHF but it's possible the portables are favoring 700/800 when in buildings. Thoughts?

See posts #2,345 and #2,350 which may answer some of your question regarding VHF vs. 700/800 preferences. I had asked a similar question several weeks ago and they were the helpful responses I received.

 

[redbeard]

I'm sure someone knows but probably won't say, but does anyone have any firsthand knowledge about the actual codeplugs in the state radios? I'm very curious what the site preferences are in the areas that have both VHF and 700/800 bands. I'm wondering if they have them set to "prefer" VHF and offer 700/800 as an alternative if the VHF signal is less than desired. It may help people trying to monitor by site if we know which band the agency leans towards more. I would assume that even in urban areas the mobile radios would prefer VHF but it's possible the portables are favoring 700/800 when in buildings. Thoughts?

From my programming experience I'd say 800 would be the preferred, to offload local traffic from the VHF high sites. However, verifying that from a radio won't be as easy as it was in the past. I have been told the radio's codeplugs are locked via passwords.

 

[phillydjdan]

Some slight changes to the neighbor sites you listed:

Site 70: 1.65 (Truce), 1.68, 1.79, 1.82, 1.89, 1.91
Site 75: 1.68, 1.76, 1.80, 1.83
Site 82: 1.70, 1.80, 1.81, 1.83, 1.89, 1.91
Site 83: 1.75, 1.76, 1.81, 1.82
Site 91: 1.70, 1.76, 1.79, 1.82, 1.89
Site 93: None

 

[phillydjdan]

See posts #2,345 and #2,350 which may answer some of your question regarding VHF vs. 700/800 preferences. I had asked a similar question several weeks ago and they were the helpful responses I received.

I did read those posts. While they are solid points, they appear to be based on theory. What I was looking for was confirmed data.

Going a little further, is it fair to assume that agencies like DOT, Game Commission, etc are being handed single band VHF radios, or are they getting dual band units like PSP is?

 

[n3obl]

PSP are carrying APX 8000 that I have seen.

 

[DSheirer]

We stayed at a Hampton in the town of Bedford by the PA turnpike interchange last night near the former 800 MHz opensky site and Site 107 161.85 is definitely not here. The Bald Knob (Somerset) site 161.8375 is very strong here in the town of Bedford and provides good coverage.

I made wideband recordings at various points from I99 in State College down through Bedford, and then US-30 south to PA-96 to Buffalo Mills by my Mom's house. Site 107 was strongest on hill overlooking intersection of US-30 and PA-56 (as reported by @N3BGA), but was mostly strong enough to decode along the PA-96 valley heading down to Buffalo Mills.

I'll try to get some recordings along PA-96 from Manns Choice heading out to Shellsburg, New Paris and Pleasantville.

Denny

Updated Site Details for Site 107, Bald Knob and Blue Knob:

Site 107:
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:107 RF SUBSYSTEM:1 LOCATION REGISTRATION AREA:0 STATUS:ACTIVE RFSS NETWORK CONNECTION
PRI CONTROL CHANNEL:5-60/4-2900 DOWNLINK:161850000 UPLINK:157250000
SEC CONTROL CHANNEL:5-80/4-2920 DOWNLINK:161900000 UPLINK:157300000
CURRENT DATA CHANNEL:15-2047 TS1 DOWNLINK:462793750 UPLINK:462793750
Neighbors
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:3 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:4-491/4-3561 DOWNLINK:151227500 UPLINK:158902500
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:39 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:5-55/4-2895 DOWNLINK:161837500 UPLINK:157237500
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:40 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:5-45/4-2885 DOWNLINK:161812500 UPLINK:157212500
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:41 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:4-593/4-2394 DOWNLINK:151482500 UPLINK:155985000
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:77 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:5-40/4-2624 DOWNLINK:161800000 UPLINK:156560000

Site 39 Bald Knob:
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:39 RF SUBSYSTEM:1 LOCATION REGISTRATION AREA:0 STATUS:ACTIVE RFSS NETWORK CONNECTION
PRI CONTROL CHANNEL:5-55/4-2895 DOWNLINK:161837500 UPLINK:157237500
SEC CONTROL CHANNEL:5-75/4-2915 DOWNLINK:161887500 UPLINK:157287500
CURRENT DATA CHANNEL:15-2047 TS1 DOWNLINK:462793750 UPLINK:462793750
Neighbors
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:35 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:4-2885/13-3416 DOWNLINK:157212500 UPLINK:171070000
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:36 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:5-70/4-2910 DOWNLINK:161875000 UPLINK:157275000
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:40 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:5-45/4-2885 DOWNLINK:161812500 UPLINK:157212500
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:77 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:5-40/4-2880 DOWNLINK:161800000 UPLINK:157200000
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:107 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:5-60/4-2900 DOWNLINK:161850000 UPLINK:157250000

Site 77: Blue Knob
Current Site
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:77 RF SUBSYSTEM:1 LOCATION REGISTRATION AREA:0 STATUS:ACTIVE RFSS NETWORK CONNECTION
PRI CONTROL CHANNEL:5-40/4-2880 DOWNLINK:161800000 UPLINK:157200000
SEC CONTROL CHANNEL:5-65/4-2905 DOWNLINK:161862500 UPLINK:157262500
CURRENT DATA CHANNEL:15-2047 TS1 DOWNLINK:462793750 UPLINK:462793750

Neighbor Sites
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:3 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:4-491/4-3561 DOWNLINK:151227500 UPLINK:158902500
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:35 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:4-539/4-1980 DOWNLINK:151347500 UPLINK:154950000
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:39 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:5-55/4-2895 DOWNLINK:161837500 UPLINK:157237500
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:41 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:4-593/4-2394 DOWNLINK:151482500 UPLINK:155985000
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:47 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:4-1769/4-2930 DOWNLINK:154422500 UPLINK:157325000
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:62 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:4-2184/4-3759 DOWNLINK:155460000 UPLINK:159397500
SYSTEM:2370 SITE:107 LRA:0 RFSS:1 CHANNEL:5-60/4-2900 DOWNLINK:161850000 UPLINK:157250000

 

[Twister_2]

I'm sure someone knows but probably won't say, but does anyone have any firsthand knowledge about the actual codeplugs in the state radios? I'm very curious what the site preferences are in the areas that have both VHF and 700/800 bands. I'm wondering if they have them set to "prefer" VHF and offer 700/800 as an alternative if the VHF signal is less than desired. It may help people trying to monitor by site if we know which band the agency leans towards more. I would assume that even in urban areas the mobile radios would prefer VHF but it's possible the portables are favoring 700/800 when in buildings. Thoughts?

Some PSP units in the HBG area only have dual band V/U mobiles. So these units have access to county TRS's and the VHF sites of STARnet. The troopers I've seen on foot so far have all had APX8000s so I assume they have equal access to V/800. I would have to assume that while in buildings, the portables have a propensity to go its DVRS because coverage has proven to be lackluster thus far.

On another note, I am tired of listening to these Penndot guys. My list as plateaued and I'm hanging steady around 40 discovered Penndot TGs from Ellendale VHF alone. Almost all have location hints listed as well. Once we get a better idea of how Penndot is set up, I may return. Until then, here is my list for all to analyze and make assumptions. My most recent curious observation was hearing Tyrone units on Ellendale VHF. Unsure if somebody affiliated nearby on their TG or if one of their units actually made the trip to the Ellendale site. I wouldn't be surprised because from the Tyrone area I could reach the Ellendale tower on VHF.

 

[phillydjdan]

PSP are carrying APX 8000 that I have seen.

Thats not surprising. The question is what the non-PSP units are. From a scanning perspective, PSP is out for us anyway. But if DOT and those other agencies are carrying 6000s or lower, and we can determine which band, we can concentrate our scanning to those bands. I have seen other systems where public safety uses one model and public works, etc uses a lesser model. Personally, my only daily interest is the DOT tow trucks in the Philadelphia area, so if they are handed VHF APX-1000s or something like that, I can not even bother scanning the 800 sites. I just cant see every single portable and mobile in the state being dual band (or all band). Public safety, sure, but not everyone.

 

[phillydjdan]

On another note, I am tired of listening to these Penndot guys.

I'm really hoping the tow trucks (safety patrols) are given their own talkgroups lol

 

[Twister_2]

Penndot and PGC are 100% Kenwood. I see both only on VHF but I have a robust VHF tower in my area. Not sure what the story is in Philly where it's 800 land. PSP mobiles are V/U or V/800 depending on the troop location for interop purposes.

 

[phillydjdan]

The mobiles make sense. Kenwood kinda surprises me but, then again, nothing should surprise me after the OpenScam debacle lol. One would think that a particular agency would use the same radios across the board statewide, so in thoery all DOT and all PGC units "should" be VHF. But I guess we'll have to see.

 

[Twister_2]

The mobiles make sense. Kenwood kinda surprises me but, then again, nothing should surprise me after the OpenScam debacle lol. One would think that a particular agency would use the same radios across the board statewide, so in thoery all DOT and all PGC units "should" be VHF. But I guess we'll have to see.

It would be a lot simpler if everybody had APXs but I guess it would cost too much. If you listen closely to Penndot, you can hear the TPT bleed into the beginning of the transmission of the user has the volume on full blast, which happens a lot. The beep is a different frequency than the tones used in Motorola's TPT.

 

[phillydjdan]

So far we dont have a lot of DOT activity out here but I will keep an ear out when that changes.

 

[hundeesport412]

Thanks all,
The BASF Plant is the most likely culprit, In the past I've picked up what seemed like a DMR signal on the frequency. Other times I've heard data bursts as well.. (most notable from around the Downingtown/W Chester area) The frequency is definitely not quite..
Sorry for sounding a false alarm..

Now that I've looked at he BASF license, I'm sure that's what I was picking up. Dunno why it says Newport.. The transmitter is North of Newark (Even closer to me than Newport)

Maybe one of the admins could move the BASF 10 or so posts to its own thread so others could add to it.

 

[druhe]

It was my intention to visit Everett/BEDF03 today and confirm it as Site 107. I stopped about two miles out, west of the mountain, at a low spot along the river with line of sight to the mountain, and could not decode the site. It was similarly weak on US-30 east of Everett. With this information, I went further west instead of attempting to reach BEDF03.

The strongest I saw was near the intersection of US-30 and PA-56 west of Bedford. It was also strong near UPMC Bedford. It was weak near where PA-96 crosses the turnpike.

Some other suggestions between the forum, wiki, and looking at other nearby STARNET sites and ASRNs are:
* BEDF601 - good, central location
* BLAI02 - it would probably have neighbor sites in Huntingdon?
* FULT05 - too close to FULT01?
* SOME04 - too close to SOME02?
* BEDF30 (ASRN-1253658) - near Hyndman, PA

Have you considered SOME07 Meyersdale ? I can head that way Monday pending weather.

 

[HM1529]

Anybody know if the Quakertown/Nockamixon site is online?

https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applFreqSum.jsp?applID=11871864

851.9375
853.175
853.4875
853.675

 

[GTR8000]

Anybody know if the Quakertown/Nockamixon site is online?

https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applFreqSum.jsp?applID=11871864

851.9375
853.175
853.4875
853.675

I happened to grab the latest data from Site 85 Center Valley a few nights ago, and did not see any new sites come up as a peer. That being said, Site 84 Emmus 800 MHz wasn't showing as a peer either, and those two sites are right on top of each other.

 

[HM1529]

I happened to grab the latest data from Site 85 Center Valley a few nights ago, and did not see any new sites come up as a peer. That being said, Site 84 Emmus 800 MHz wasn't showing as a peer either, and those two sites are right on top of each other.

I guess we will just have to keep an eye on it. I don't get up that way often. I used to travel up and down River Rd quite a bit in Bucks Co. I'm kind of surprised they have not looked at placing a site on the NJ side of the river to enhance coverage through the palisades area of northern Bucks (Nockamixon Cliffs area). PSP, PennDOT, and DCNR would all have a lot of interest in that area since PSP does patrols, it is a state road, and it is paralleled by Delaware Canal State Park for dozens of miles.

Back in the VHF only days, DCNR's Upper Black Eddy repeater was on the NJ side of the river. https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/licenseSiteMap.jsp?licKey=1245355

 

[redbeard]

I mentioned before that I have seen DOT affiliations on an 800 site, Oakdale I think in particular as it's closest. The only tg I recall seeing affiliated there was Pittsburgh Tunnels, but I know I have seen at least one other tg. I mentioned how odd this was after confirming seeing a Kenwood mobile in a PennDOT truck, as well as a conversation elsewhere about how the Kenwood mobile didn't seem to be able to roam between bands if setup with two radio decks. And also the same radio ID was seen on both VHF and 800 so it must be a multiband radio, whether portable or mobile.

 

[phillydjdan]

When I ran UniTrunker on the Buckingham site yesterday no other sites from Bucks showed up as peers. Just Philly, Montco and Lehigh