Patuxent River NAS Trunk

[Gemini]

Folks,
It appears that Patuxent River NAS has switched over to the 380-400 P-25 system entirely. I have been scanning the old M T2 system since 1/1 and have not heard a peep out of them. I don't have a digital card and don't plan on purchasing one until somebody else in the area goes digital as well. It's a shame. I used to like listening to PAX

 

[ka3jjz]

Jeff, that's interesting information. That, along with the 380 Mhz freqs you are hearing digital should be sent to the admins. At least that would get the ball rolling for other folks in your area.

For the record you don't need a digital capable scanner to discern what talkgroups are on your new system. UniTrunker can do it; all it needs is a nice clean baseband audio signal - which, as I understand it, is available on the PCR1000 on one of the external jacks. Patch that into a PC and you should begin to see who is what. Someone either here or on the Trunker forum can get you set up if interested - I have never had much luck running Trunker-like utilities for some reason.

73s Mike

 

[scansomd]

I live about three miles from PAX River and often listen to their system. A cursory glance at my scanner shows the 406 trunked system is still up, but I haven't heard any activity this morning. I will have to take note and see if I still hear anything on the PAX trunked system.

Folks,
It appears that Patuxent River NAS has switched over to the 380-400 P-25 system entirely. I have been scanning the old M T2 system since 1/1 and have not heard a peep out of them. I don't have a digital card and don't plan on purchasing one until somebody else in the area goes digital as well. It's a shame. I used to like listening to PAX

 

[scansomd]

Update: 01/10/07 0632: I just heard NAS PAX Police on Talk Group 848.
It seems they will be around for a little while longer.

I live about three miles from PAX River and often listen to their system. A cursory glance at my scanner shows the 406 trunked system is still up, but I haven't heard any activity this morning. I will have to take note and see if I still hear anything on the PAX trunked system.

 

[TinEar]

Didn't Pax have a trunked system in the VHF (138-144) range also? Wasn't that one of the systems they asked to have removed from the database some time ago? Or am I confusing this with someone other than Pax?

 

[scansomd]

I'm not aware of a VHF trunked system at PAX, now or in the past.

Didn't Pax have a trunked system in the VHF (138-144) range also? Wasn't that one of the systems they asked to have removed from the database some time ago? Or am I confusing this with someone other than Pax?

 

[ka3jjz]

Tin, I'll bet you are thinking of the DC Military District freqs; there's a log for the removal for it.

73s Mike

 

[Gemini]

Update: 01/10/07 0632: I just heard NAS PAX Police on Talk Group 848.
It seems they will be around for a little while longer.

I must be listening at the wrong times or maybe they have not switched over entirely, I can't say I have heard a peep and I have had a BC-250 working it 8 hours a night while I have been at work. I guess I'll put a computer on it and record and see what I get. I can honestly say there is still a Ctrl Channel but for whatever reason normal signal traffic as far as vebal comms has been drastically reduced. I'll open that bank up again while at work tonight and listen some more. If I still suspect things are not right I'll call over to dase dispatch and ask. I have a few guys over there I am familiar enough with that they won;t mind answering this for me. I suspect they are probably trying to sitch over and just maybenot have done it entrely. Hence the Ctrl Channel still being up. We'll see.

I'm not aware of a VHF trunked system at PAX, now or in the past.

Ditto. I pull in a couple of Trunked Systems from Dalgren and A.P.Hill in that range but nadda from PAX

Jeff, that's interesting information. That, along with the 380 Mhz freqs you are hearing digital should be sent to the admins. At least that would get the ball rolling for other folks in your area.

For the record you don't need a digital capable scanner to discern what talkgroups are on your new system. UniTrunker can do it; all it needs is a nice clean baseband audio signal - which, as I understand it, is available on the PCR1000 on one of the external jacks. Patch that into a PC and you should begin to see who is what. Someone either here or on the Trunker forum can get you set up if interested - I have never had much luck running Trunker-like utilities for some reason.

73s Mike

I might play with that eventually Mike but am kind of in the middle of a major project here and don't want to get to far sidetracked. The software looks interesting and I have the radios I can dedicate to that but I am putting up a TS server and having to reconfigure my whole way of doing things to support that and I want to settle into things before setting out on another project.

Dahlgren NSWC is the one I was trying to remember that had the trunked system that demanded radioreference pull the freqs from the database. Thanks for reminding me Jeff.

Alan

I rememer something about that as well now that you mention it.

 

[TinEar]

Ditto. I pull in a couple of Trunked Systems from Dalgren and A.P.Hill in that rnage but nadda from PAX

Dahlgren NSWC is the one I was trying to remember that had the trunked system that demanded radioreference pull the freqs from the database. Thanks for reminding me Jeff.

Alan

 

[freqhopping]

j333_76484. Take a look at this thread if you haven't.
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57558

 

[Gemini]

j333_76484. Take a look at this thread if you haven't.
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57558

I think I may have a handle on this now. I had been using TrunkStar Pro to Upload/Download freqs to a BC250D. I had entered the base freq of 406.35 but for some reason it would not put the correct base freq in the scanner. I manually went through the scanner and checked everything and it kept trying to enter the base freq as 406.00. Even after a correction to the original file. Don't know why but this most certainly appears to be the problem. I had used the same scan file on several scanners and was sure the file was correct, and indeed it was, but the scanner did not like taking the correct base freq from the software. I'll have to remember to check that from here on out.


Still interested in that software though. Was staring at my shack tonight thinking about how to redo things to accomodate it. I hate dedicating a soundcard to anything other than MILAIR but I do like to listen to the MIL Trunked systems from PAX. I'll likely set aside one of the PCR-1000s and hopefully one of the BC250s for that. I think I has an exernal soundcard for the laptops I have never played with. I might have to dig that out.

I hope you gus are correct in that I can pull this new system in with a Digital Card. I am only about 25% done setting my shack up the way I want to and it's nickle and diming me to death. I must have 200 various connectors doo dads and what nots and it seems for everything my crazy butt gets into I have to run back out to RS.

 

[ka3jjz]

Jeff, the BC25i card for the 250 and 785 will only copy digital trunks with a 3600 baud CC. If it's running 9600, then it will not work. It's becoming harder and harder to find, as noted on some of the other sale boards I sometimes watch. Probably better to grab UniTrunker and use that, or break down and get a 796, which will cover 9600 baud systems - since being discontinued, they do occasionally show up used, and I think your software supports that, too.

Or just for use on your 400 mhz system, I understand TrunkPCR might also work on your various PCR1000s.

I think we'd all like to see your shack once you get it done. I know I would.....73s Mike

 

[Gemini]

Jeff, the BC25i card for the 250 and 785 will only copy digital trunks with a 3600 baud CC. If it's running 9600, then it will not work. It's becoming harder and harder to find, as noted on some of the other sale boards I sometimes watch. Probably better to grab UniTrunker and use that, or break down and get a 796, which will cover 9600 baud systems - since being discontinued, they do occasionally show up used, and I think your software supports that, too.

Or just for use on your 400 mhz system, I understand TrunkPCR might also work on your various PCR1000s.

I think we'd all like to see your shack once you get it done. I know I would.....73s Mike

I'll likely look into it pretty soon I bet. For me MILAIR is #1 priority but The Trunked systems are definately #2 so I might as well bite the bullet and figure out how to map the systems out better. After getting the divorce I put most of my gear in storage. I have not been by there in a few months. Was like Christmas this morning when I went by there. Scantenna, tripiods, masts, coils of LMR-400. and all sorts of other misc doodads and such. I need to get that gear all up before I get to far sidetracked here.

I guess there is no way to post pics here is it. I belong to the Meguiar's Vbulliten thing and they have a Gallery to post pics to

I just upgraded my software to Spectrum Manager and received it yesterday. Today I hope to get that installed and do some tryouts with the R-8500.

 

[TinEar]

I guess there is no way to post pics here is it. I belong to the Meguiar's Vbulliten thing and they have a Gallery to post pics to.

Yes, Jeff, you can post pictures here. When you're building a message, scroll down a bit below the text block and you'll see the instructions for attaching a .jpeg file - or any of a dozen other types. That's what I used to post the pictures of my setup over on the MilAir thread (msg #907.)

Jeff, the BC25i card for the 250 and 785 will only copy digital trunks with a 3600 baud CC. If it's running 9600, then it will not work. It's becoming harder and harder to find, as noted on some of the other sale boards I sometimes watch.

Mike, I noticed the Uniden store website had the BC25i card on sale again a few days ago. They wanted $100 for it. That's the price they used to sell it for (when all the dealers were trying to charge $250), then it disappeared for a few months and reappeared last week. It would be kind of doubtful at this point for a dealer to have any of them left in stock though so Uniden might be the only source if you know someone looking for one.

Alan

 

[Gemini]

I took a few pics today and will post them tonight or tomorrow. As soon as I got started the CAP went up and I got sidetracked. Now I have well over 3000 recorded audio clips to sift through. I guess I better make a pot.

BTW. A note on PAX TRUNK. Last night I did figure the scanner progrtamming problem out and got it working. So life is good

"BUT" I do stronlgy suspect somehting is amiss with the system. Every night while at work. Without Exception I listen to the VQ-4 Security force watching their birds. At nighttimethey are always the busiest talkgroup on the system unless there is a major PD/FIRE actvity going on. They do this 24/7. Last night I did copy plenty of PD/FIRE but absolutely no VQ-4. They were there and working as I work next door to their facility and could see them. With them being such a high profile aircraft, I wonder if they got put on the new system first. I'll keep an eye on that.

After thinking about it I almost doubt PAX will totally do away with the old system. It would be dumb, unless it is costing an arm and a leg for upkeep. The base Chief Master at Arms group still use simplex radios. 140.05 I think, had them on it last night. I wonder if they might just put them on the old system? Time will tell. Just throwing out possibilitie to watch for.

 

[ka3jjz]

If they are on the new 380 system Jeff, then you will need a new scanner if you want to trunktrack it with a radio. Nothing you have in your stable - even with the BC25i card - will do the job. At least so far, the 396 and 996 are the only scanners that can trunk in this band. The other trackers could listen to the individual freqs in conventional mode - much like we did way back when before trunktrackers became available.

Time will tell, I guess. 73s Mike