Pennsylvania State Police

[jerry092975]

Looking More Into The PSP Switch Over to STARNET System: This Is What I Found

PSP Troop J
Avondale
STARNET (was B) Embreeville (HQ) STARNET (was J) Eprhata STARNET (was A) Lancaster (HQ) STARNET (was A)

 

[jerry092975]

Embreeville (HQ) STARNET (was J)

so how can we monitor the state police there,s gotta be a way.

what kind of radio do we need ?
what are the freq,s they use ?
can a plain old scanner receive the freq,s ?
is the radio,s they use motorola / EF Johnson ect ?

if anyone knows any info on this please let us know.

Thanks Jerry

 

[Benzman66]

Embreeville (HQ) STARNET (was J)

so how can we monitor the state police there,s gotta be a way.

1.what kind of radio do we need ?
2.what are the freq,s they use ?
3.can a plain old scanner receive the freq,s ?
4.is the radio,s they use motorola / EF Johnson ect ?

if anyone knows any info on this please let us know.

Thanks Jerry

1.You have to have a digital scanner with P-25 capability, however, PSP frequencies are all ENCRYPTED!.
2.Frequencies can be found by searching database.
3.See number 1
4.Motorola

The only way to monitor PSP would be with a StarNet Motorola radio as they have proprietory software which programs the portables and allows access to send and receive on the system. And again, you would have to be a state employee and have permission to monitor as they would have to send the data to program the radio. You just can't buy a Motorola radio, turn it on, put in the frequency, and hear the transmissions. IT JUST WON'T WORK LIKE THE OLD PORTABLES!

 

[n3obl]

Um,,,,

Starnet radios are Opensky not P25.

There is no scanner avail to decode these. Opensky was a product of MA-COM . You would have to have an opensky radio and even if you did. It needs to affiliate with the system the first time you use it to receive the programming and talkgroups.

Frank

 

[brey1234]

More on open sky

The Harris, formally Ma/Com, Open Sky format is NOT the national standard, Project 25. The advantage of Open Sky, as I see it--is that one channel can carry on 2 conversations...BUT in day to day communications that will not be needed in my opinion. Another issue: Anyone who does not have a radio WILL NOT be able to communicate with the system. Pa has seen that as an issue and is deploying more repeater sites---in the 450 MHz range( basically an all NEW radio system, I.e.; More costs) and plans on using it's existing sites that use the national frequency of 155.475 MHz to "patch" existing radio systems in.

That may sound good on paper---but when you're involved in a high stress situation---you shouldn't be wasting time asking a dispatcher to "throw a patch" or fiddling with a lector switch, . Right now in most Pa State Police cars, the "old" radio system has the capability of talking the local law enforcement by flicking a channel selector in the car and not having to depend on anyone else.That will done away with with Open Sky. Also, right now, most Troopers can listen to local law enforcement to know whats going on around them---that too will be lost with Open Sky.

Getting back to Project 25. Lets say that local police departments decide to go to that digital format. They can bid on and then buy P25 radios from a variety of vendors, Motorola (Harris DOES make a p25 radio) Relm, GE, just about anyone. That's another problem for taxpayers with Open Sky. Because it is a propriety format (patended) no one else can manufacture those radios---meaning a government agency would be forced to buy from Harris --no one else. That's like saying I have a radio and TV station. I will not be using the national standard to broadcast my programming. If you want to see/hear us you will have to buy the TV/radio set from us!

What a ripoff!

 

[Benzman66]

Starnet radios are Opensky not P25.

Frank

Yeah, I knew that for dispatching, but aren't some of the talkaround channels using P-25? I know some of the state highway can be heard at times, like the flagging people.

 

[n3obl]

I heard the DOT t/a channels were analog.

Im not sure that the opensky radio can support P25 on top of OPENSKY. (ie way too much memory to support all the codecs in the radio)

Frank

 

[HM1529]

I heard the DOT t/a channels were analog.

Im not sure that the opensky radio can support P25 on top of OPENSKY. (ie way too much memory to support all the codecs in the radio)

Frank

Conventional talkaround channels in the radio are programmed both as analog and P25 digital. However, I would not expect to hear much other than construction zone traffic control on these talkarounds. There's no real reason for PSP or OAG to use these non-secure talkarounds when they have many new talkgroups available that are both unmonitorable because of the technology used and encrypted to boot.

 

[Benzman66]

So Ben, can Open Sky radios support both P25 and Open Sky, as well as analog too?

 

[HM1529]

So Ben, can Open Sky radios support both P25 and Open Sky, as well as analog too?

I'm not an expert on all the radios they offer for OpenSky, but the radios I have seen do OpenSky trunking and also have conventional channels that can be programmed to have analog or P25 digital voice.

 

[Benzman66]

Thanks for confirming. I thought they did all formats, but wanted to be sure or at least get a second opinion.

 

[dlnorth]

Thanks for confirming. I thought they did all formats, but wanted to be sure or at least get a second opinion.

I use an OpenSky radio that does OpenSky trunking and P25 digital and analog conventional, but not in the same profile. The radio has four profiles, 3 of which are conventional and one that is OpenSky trunking. The conventional profiles have analog and digital channels in them, but all of the digital OpenSky trunking is in a separate profile. I haven't seen P25 trunking and OpenSky trunking together in the same radio, and don't know if that can be done or not.

Hope that helps.

 

[n3obl]

yes its kind a like you have to go off the network to access the other channels.

I have a DOH base station here in my office with Hosp_SW on it. For all this money ive only ever heard it used once.

Frank

 

[dlnorth]

Yes, that is exactly how it works. Once you switch modes, you are not able to receive any OpenSky traffic, and conversely, when you are in OpenSky mode, you can't hear any conventional traffic.

On the OpenSky portables, you can switch from OpenSky to conventional by using the menu system. On the mobiles, or at least the ones that I have seen, you actually need to reboot the radio to go from one mode to the other.

 

[n3fe]

Just dropped my vehicle off to get it inspected and talked to my buddy that is a state trooper in Tioga County. He said the new system is a joke in this hilly area of PA. They try it on and off but it just doesn't cover so they are still using VHF. I looked in the vehicle they brought down and it still has the SyntorX and the computer data radio in it. They will not add the nbew radio to the rest of the fleet until they have coverage.

 

[Steveradio]

Well the crew in FerRidge are now all sporting portable radios. Think 200 something since they were trying to figure out how to get onto a TAC channel and tell the other car to cancel for a call. Had them also on another scene were it sounded garbled but when asked how they like it he looks and says "It works". Was also hearing Lehighton but not sure if they were scanning or how its all set up yet.

 

[ab8sn]

I was in Washington Co. last week and had my Pro 96 with me. From Mt. Morris all the way to Washington we passed a couple highway patrol units but during the entire time I wasn't able to hear anything in conventional analog. Just curious if the units there are using the Open Sky system or VHF analog.

I apologize if this has been asked before

Chad

 

[captclint]

I was in Washington Co. last week and had my Pro 96 with me. From Mt. Morris all the way to Washington we passed a couple highway patrol units but during the entire time I wasn't able to hear anything in conventional analog. Just curious if the units there are using the Open Sky system or VHF analog.

PSP Troop VHF Channel Assignments i is the best place to check, but is not 100% accurate. In fact, we need more input from members in the Western Counties to update this list.

 

[K3HY]

If there were some kind of emergency, how many units could actually communicate at one time in any particular area.
There must be a limit.
Also if you program only the input frequencies, wouldn't you hear digital noise or something.
That in itself would indicate if there was a starnet unit transmitting, would it not?

 

[Benzman66]

I was in Washington Co. last week and had my Pro 96 with me. From Mt. Morris all the way to Washington we passed a couple highway patrol units but during the entire time I wasn't able to hear anything in conventional analog. Just curious if the units there are using the Open Sky system or VHF analog.

I apologize if this has been asked before

Chad

Allegheny, Washington, Beaver, Butler are all pretty much on the Open Sky, but do flip over to the old system from time to time when reception areas are bad.