PA Statewide P25 Phase 2 System

redbeard

OH, PA, WV Regional Admin
Database Admin
Joined
Feb 5, 2003
Messages
1,237
Location
BEE00.348-3.1
The Kenwoods are likely single band VHF as the radio configuration would not allow roaming from one band to another, the radios are seperate chassis and user IDs. And yes PSP using Motorola multi-band, we've seen codeplugs already confirming that.
 

Audiodave1

Member
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 27, 2001
Messages
1,853
Location
Chadds Ford, PA
Seeing more regular affiliations of the 32xxxxx RID's on the 302xx TG's.
Suspected Federal users. Newtown, Pocopson is where I have been running Unitrunker lately.

Plenty of Delco PENDOT affiliations are being seen locally also.
 

EMT1301

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Aug 11, 2005
Messages
173
Location
Somerset, PA
I logged RID 1814036 on TGID 13469 on Site 1.39 (SOME02/Bald Knob) yesterday morning at 09:25. I didn't hear what the audio was, though.
 

u2brent

OAMPT
Joined
Jul 17, 2010
Messages
3,070
Location
KRWDPAXKRS1
Seeing more regular affiliations of the 32xxxxx RID's on the 302xx TG's.
Suspected Federal users. Newtown, Pocopson is where I have been running Unitrunker lately.

Plenty of Delco PENDOT affiliations are being seen locally also.
:unsure:
 

W7FDX

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 12, 2012
Messages
525
Location
NC Pennsylvania
I’ll see if I can get over to his place this weekend and molest it for a bit and see what model it is , etc
From what I've been told it all depends on where the PennDOT district is on whether they use dual or single band radios. For example they are most likely dual band in the metro areas like Harrisburg, Philly, Pittsburgh and Erie and the rest of the state is most likely single band VHF radios. At least that's what I was told by the shop that did some radio work for me when I asked them.
 

cavmedic

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
643
Location
Pottstown Pa
From what I've been told it all depends on where the PennDOT district is on whether they use dual or single band radios. For example they are most likely dual band in the metro areas like Harrisburg, Philly, Pittsburgh and Erie and the rest of the state is most likely single band VHF radios. At least that's what I was told by the shop that did some radio work for me when I asked them.
This is a Montco district, which in this particular area, there isn't a real close tower. The one thats at their " HQ" is still on Broken sky , per the FCC database. It seems like Western Montco and Berks County seems to be lacking any real coverage.
 

HM1529

Pennsylvania DB Admin
Database Admin
Joined
Jul 16, 2003
Messages
3,087
Location
West of the Atlantic Ocean
This is a Montco district, which in this particular area, there isn't a real close tower. The one thats at their " HQ" is still on Broken sky , per the FCC database. It seems like Western Montco and Berks County seems to be lacking any real coverage.

The trouble in that area is that the Port Clinton, Graterford, and Morgantown tower sites provide mobile coverage which is what the contract specs call for. However, since none of those are really that close, the portable coverage is lacking and the scanner reception is going to be poor without an external antenna at home or mobile. It's possible they could convert a site on Mt Penn from OpenSky to P25, but that is not guaranteed...especially since the mobile coverage appears adequate. If so, it would likely recycle the 800MHz frequencies in use. Time will tell.
 

GTR8000

NY/NJ Database Guy
Database Admin
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
15,420
Location
BEE00
At about 0830 this morning, I heard an announcement that said DCNR D19 was now online. Lots of testing on Global Tac 5 as well as D19 TG's.
Just to clarify, DCNR D19 Swiftwater dispatch was "online" for testing purpose; they have not cut over to the new system yet. They gave the same announcement last week before testing for a few hours on Tac 5.
 

bearcat

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2002
Messages
734
The trouble in that area is that the Port Clinton, Graterford, and Morgantown tower sites provide mobile coverage which is what the contract specs call for. However, since none of those are really that close, the portable coverage is lacking and the scanner reception is going to be poor without an external antenna at home or mobile. It's possible they could convert a site on Mt Penn from OpenSky to P25, but that is not guaranteed...especially since the mobile coverage appears adequate. If so, it would likely recycle the 800MHz frequencies in use. Time will tell.
I actually heard a radio tech sometime ago state "I am not going to track down complaints regarding handheld coverage"
 

bearcat

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2002
Messages
734
From what I've been told it all depends on where the PennDOT district is on whether they use dual or single band radios. For example they are most likely dual band in the metro areas like Harrisburg, Philly, Pittsburgh and Erie and the rest of the state is most likely single band VHF radios. At least that's what I was told by the shop that did some radio work for me when I asked them.
I spent a significant amount of time in Westmoreland Co. and Washington Co. this summer. I saw many PennDot trucks and they only had VHF antennas. Some 1/4 wave and some 5/8 wave but nothing to indicate multiple bands. All of the PennDot trucks around Allegheny Co have tri/dual band style antennas.
 

cavmedic

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
643
Location
Pottstown Pa
I actually heard a radio tech sometime ago state "I am not going to track down complaints regarding handheld coverage"

Maybe that radio tech should strap on a vest , badge and gun himself and see how it feels to not have radio coverage when SHTF and he needs backup and his portable doesn’t work.........
 

cavmedic

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
643
Location
Pottstown Pa
The trouble in that area is that the Port Clinton, Graterford, and Morgantown tower sites provide mobile coverage which is what the contract specs call for. However, since none of those are really that close, the portable coverage is lacking and the scanner reception is going to be poor without an external antenna at home or mobile. It's possible they could convert a site on Mt Penn from OpenSky to P25, but that is not guaranteed...especially since the mobile coverage appears adequate. If so, it would likely recycle the 800MHz frequencies in use. Time will tell.

It really lack decent coverage for the far Western park of Montco. The highest point in Montco basically runs N-S along the Rt.100 roughy around 500ish ft and you have the MTN’s just to the east in Berks.

No wonder you never see PSP on this stretch of 100 😂
 

W7FDX

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 12, 2012
Messages
525
Location
NC Pennsylvania
DCNR D19 Whiskey units testing with Swiftwater dispatch on Global Tac 5 all morning and afternoon.
Just wondering why they don't test on their own talkgroups instead of using a random global tac? The other day somebody was on GT 1 then D19 on GT 5 and that automated voice on GT 11.
 

smorris

WX3PMC/WQWZ815/MOPA-27
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
187
Location
Arlington Heights, PA
Just wondering why they don't test on their own talkgroups instead of using a random global tac? The other day somebody was on GT 1 then D19 on GT 5 and that automated voice on GT 11.
I agree. You would think they would want to test on the channels they will be using full time.
 

n3obl

Ø
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,817
Location
PA
probably using the global tac to be able to communicate across the whole system. New local talk groups might be site locked to certain regions and if a tech in Harrisburg won't be able to monitor unless they change the talk group permissions in the system.
 
Top