Palmetto 800 P25 2021

[mrat1234]

Hi everyone I thought I would create this one thread for all things Palmetto 800 so their are not multiple threads about the same system/subject. It would probably be a good thing if Brian or another admin pinned this to the top of the page so it stays at the top.

I want to start off by asking has anyone noticed a lot of audio problems lately. I've been monitoring Lexington county town pd's and Fairfield county with horrible audio. Chester county was the same but not as bad. it's the same on both of my scanners and my Harris p7100 (RX only).

 

[holsen]

Not noticing anything on my Unication G4. Still crystal clear.

 

[mrat1234]

It's a lot better then what is was but the City of Cayce DPS sounds horrible. their units are always up and down as well as cutting in and out.

 

[Caesar]

I mostly listen using Motorola's, but even my SDS100 on Lexington and Richland sites haven't had any issues other than a couple nights when they were doing site maintenance and went into Site Trunking.

 

[BryanTheRed]

Hi everyone I thought I would create this one thread for all things Palmetto 800 so their are not multiple threads about the same system/subject. It would probably be a good thing if Brian or another admin pinned this to the top of the page so it stays at the top.

I want to start off by asking has anyone noticed a lot of audio problems lately. I've been monitoring Lexington county town pd's and Fairfield county with horrible audio. Chester county was the same but not as bad. it's the same on both of my scanners and my Harris p7100 (RX only).

What scanners are you using? Possible simulcast issues?

 

[mrat1234]

I have ruled out simulcast problems as I mainly use the harbison and prosperity sites as well as the problem being on my harris p7100 (RX ONLY) also. The audio is clear now they must be working on the system.

 

[mrat1234]

Curious has anyone seen any active talkgroups related to the incoming severe weather such as the SCHP Hurricane talkgroups etc.

 

[mrat1234]

Hey everyone I am trying to clean up the medical talkgroups and I am surprised at how random they are assigned unlike all the other talkgroups on the system. I'm also trying to find talkgroups for first priority medical transport and gold cross ems. Does anyone have any corrections to the current listed talkgroups or any talkgroups that are not listed. I put ops for talkgroups with no confirmed usage. Also wouldn't it make more since to move the few talkgroups from the county listings and move them to either the "Ambulance Services" or "Medical Helicopters" categories since their in the same range.

Ambulance Services
2380 - Family Medical Transport Ops
2381 - Family Medical Transport Ops
2387 - Family Medical Transport ???
51709 - Careflight EMS Dispatch
28601 - Medshore Ambulance Midlands
51702 - Medshore Ambulance
51706 - Medshore Ambulance
51707 - Medshore Ambulance
51711 - Medshore Ambulance Pee Dee
51712 - GHS MedTrans (Prisma Health)
51733 - Prisma Health Ambulance (Either Dispatch or Transport because all I hear is transports in the Lancaster area)

Meducare/MUSC
10392 - Ops
10393 - Ops
10394 - Ops
10395 - Ops

Helicopters
28606 - LifeNet Prisma Richland ER
28609 - LifeNet Dispatch
51703 - AirReach
51704 - Medtrans Roam
51705 - Medcenter Air
51708 - AirCare
51713 - Medcenter Ground
51701 - AnMed Lifeflight

 

[brian]

I can only speak for the Upstate, but the GHS MedTrans talkgroup 51712 and AnMed Lifefllight 51701 are only used for initial dispatch and answer-up comms. The same is true of the Regional 1 talkgroup. Once the helicopter is up on the call, they use the MedTrans Roam 51704 talkgroup.

So it tend to think that those talkgroups should be listed in their respective county lists, since you're only going to hear these groups in those counties. That keeps the geo-tagging for the talkgroup groups appropriately set.

 

[mrat1234]

I have also been looking through the Palmetto 800 FCC licenses and have noticed some have been changed from 100 watts to 150 watts. The few I have seen changed are in rural areas so I guess their trying to improve coverage with existing sites. I wonder how much coverage would be gained from an extra 50 watts.

 

[rescuecomm]

At 700/800 MHZ, probably not much. If the increase was on the transmitter power versus the effective radiated power, then it was new radios. An increase in ERP could be different antennas or coax. It could even be new RF wizardry involved with coupling 5 to 10 transmitters to one antenna. Any money spent on base station improvements is usually to better the receiving of hand held units. A 100 watt radio transmitting to a good base antenna will out range any 100 watt mobile. Whether that works for a transmitter encumbered with circulators and isolators at a trunked site is a good question.

 

[mrat1234]

I guess they are trying to gain as much coverage as they can because I just noticed the Gaston subsite of the Lexington county simulcast site went from 100 watts to 150 watts while the other 4 subsites are still 100 watts. I guess the Gaston area had some coverage issues. I also see the Bluffton site has been changed from 100 watts to 125 watts and the Johnston and Plum Branch sites have gone from 100 watts to 500 watts.

 

[mrat1234]

I also want to put in the thread that 2 sites are missing from the database. They are Allendale in Allendale county and Blackstock in Fairfield county. I will be in Blackstock in 2 weeks and will try to run my scanner to try and identify the Blackstock site. This info was put in an old thread but wanted to put it in the new Palmetto 800 thread.

Allendale (Allendale County)
FCC: WPPA764
Frequencies - 851.325 / 852.225 / 852.725 / 853.2125 / 853.950

Blackstock (Fairfield County)
FCC: WREZ900
Frequencies - 772.20625 / 772.21875 / 772.74375 / 773.45625 / 773.46875 / 773.96875 / 774.89375

 

[brian]

Good catch on the Blackstock site in Fairfield Co. The Chester site (2-85) is reporting a new neighbor, site 2-83 with an active control channel of 773.96875. Feel free to submit this info and I'll add it to the DB.

Regarding Allendale, I was last in the Lowcountry in Summer 2020. I monitored the Hampton site at that time with DSD+ and it did not return a neighbor matching up to Allendale. The license for this site has been around a while (2016). My guess is that since we have no report of Allendale County agencies using Palmetto 800, it's likely this site doesn't exist. Allendale County probably gets acceptable coverage from the nearby sites of Hampton and Barnwell.

 

[mrat1234]

Brian I just submitted it.

 

[shajoe44]

Allendale site does not show up as a neighbor to the Aiken site either. It is the next county over so it should be showing up if still in use. The sites that show up as neighbors are: North Augusta, Johnston, Barnwell, Bamberg and Salley.

 

[mrat1234]

Shajoe44 if your able to recieve the Hampton 2-068 site i would see if you could find the control channel and alternate controls as both the control and alternate controls are missing for the site.

 

[shajoe44]

I am unable to monitor it from my location. I occasionally travel down that way. I will run DSD if I go that way anytime soon.

 

[brian]

Hampton site updated, Blackstock site added.

 

[gorj]

Good Evening,
I’m scanning from Goose Creek, SC. Been using a Home Patrol 2 for a few years including the P25 update a year or so ago. Recently we lost, not receiving transmissions from Berkeley County fire ems / 1040 or Sheriff Dispatch 1011. Still getting Goose Creek fire and police. Also able to get SCHP on Palmetto 800. I’m hearing Berkeley County fire/ems on Broadcastify so I don’t think it’s been encrypted.
Any help or suggestions appreciated.