Possible VHF Enhancement (VHF Logs 04-28-2016)

[KF4ZTO]

Some more logs. Lots of STARS CC and VC frequencies heard:

151.0250 [C186.2] Law Enforcement Dispatch
151.2125 P25
151.2200 P25
151.3025 P25
151.3175 P25
151.3475 P25 or STARS CC (weak)
151.3625 P25 (weak)
151.4675 P25 (weak)
151.4825 P25
151.5500 [C199.5]
151.5800 [D026]
151.5950 [ ] DMR
151.6250 [C67.0] Film Crew/TV Production (see 151.955, also logged using 154.490 during NASCAR race)
151.7000 [C141.3] Mobiles (possibly related to 151.7750 [C141.3])
151.7600 [D243] Schools?
151.7750 [C141.3] Construction
151.8200 [CSQ] Data Bursts (MURS 1)
151.8200 [C189.9] Portables, could be construction related (MURS 1)
151.8800 [CSQ] Data Bursts (MURS 2)
151.9100 DMR (weak, could have been P25)
151.9400 [CSQ] Data Bursts (similar to ones heard on 151.820 and 151.880) (MURS 3)
151.9400 [C94.8] Voice Inversion Scrambling, base/mobile (MURS 3)
151.9400 [D047] Portables, possibly school-related comms (MURS 3)
151.9550 [C67.0] Likely related to film/TV crew traffic on 151.625 [C67.0]
152.0075 Paging
152.0375 STARS CC
152.1200 Paging
152.1575 STARS CC/P25
152.2025 P25 voice
152.2700 [D606] "Base here, go ahead"
152.3000 [D023] Yellow Cab Base (mobiles on 157.560)weak
152.3000 [ ] Weak voice heard, much weaker than Yellow Cab's very strong signal
152.3375 [ ] DMR, weak
152.3450 [D712] "10-4" "Okay we're at 1500" - Schools
152.3600 [C107.2] "Pull into the driveway? They have it blocked with a trailer?"
152.3600 [C156.7] "Can you go to 3?"
152.3600 [C173.8] Virginia State University (Petersburg)
152.3600 [D263] Schools
152.3750 [D624] Schools
152.3900 [D565] Schools
152.3975 [D503] Schools
152.4275 [D343] Schools
152.5325 STARS CC
152.5625 P25 voice (weak)
152.6300 Paging
152.6900 Paging
152.7125 STARS CC
152.7425 Weak, could have been P25
152.7575 STARS CC
152.7725 STARS CC (weak, could be P25 voice)
152.8775 [D156] Schools (could be RPS)
152.8775 [D743] Richmond Public Schools
152.8850 [C114.8] Talking about thrift store
152.8850 [D411]
152.9000 [D205] "Can you get her to respond to her walkie-talkie?"
152.9075 [D074] "I really need..." (repeater)
152.9150 [ ] Weak
152.9600 [D026] Schools
152.9600 [D043] "She has my wheelchair"
152.9675 [ ] Weak
152.9825 [D156] Richmond Public Schools
153.2000 [C151.4] "the other of the three"
153.2600 [C146.2]
153.4850 [CSQ] Dominion VHF Paging System
154.0550 [C203.5] School Buses (Chesterfield County)
154.1600 [CSQ] Fire Dispatch
154.2200 [C118.8] Fire Dispatch
154.2800 [CSQ] CWID
154.3700 [ ] Fire Dispatch, too weak to capture tone
154.4300 [C118.8] Fire Dispatch
154.4900 [C162.2] Luck Stone? (also 151.550, 154.625, 160.125 per their licenses)
154.5050 [D074]
154.5550 [ ] DMR
154.5700 [C67.0] Crane Control/Construction "Cable Up.." (MURS 4)
154.6000 [C67.0] Store - portables, weak (MURS 5)
154.6100 [ ] DMR
154.6250 [203.5] "Can you do a quick check from here?" (with strong pager QRM at times)
154.6250 [CSQ] Paging
154.9275 P25 (STARS voice input freq?)
155.1300 [C114.8] Virginia State Capitol Police Legacy Repeater (Keyup/CWID)
155.3400 [C85.4] HEAR (not local PL tone)
155.7000 [C203.5] School Buses (Chesterfield County)
155.7300 [ ] Weak CWID
155.8950 [C91.5] Virginia Department of Emergency Management VEOC Repeater
155.9400 [C179.9] Public Safety Traffic
156.2175 [ ] Law Enforcement, weak, unable to get tone
156.3250 [CSQ] VHF Marine Channel 66 - Marina traffic
156.6500 [CSQ] VHF Marine Channel 13 - Truckers/Hunters, complaining about traffic on 95
157.5000 [ ] Tail-end of a keyup, unable to get a tone
157.5600 [D023] Yellow Cab Mobiles (Paired with 152.300 D023])
157.9500 [CSQ] Constant Carrier
158.1000 Paging
158.2575 [C71.9] Classical music heard in background
159.1125 P25
159.1875 P25
159.2625 P25
159.5025 [D265] Simplex, likely Richmond Public Schools
159.5700 [C127.3]
159.6750 [C162.2] Mobiles
160.2300 [CSQ] Railroad
160.3200 [CSQ] Railroad
160.5900 [CSQ] Railroad
160.7550 [CSQ] Railroad
161.1900 [CSQ] Railroad
161.3100 [CSQ] Railroad
161.9250 P25 (weak, probably a STARS CC or VC)
166.9000 P25 (weak, possibly encrypted)
166.9500 P25 (encrypted)
168.7625 P25 (encrypted)
172.8500 [CSQ] Repeater Keyups (FAA/TSA Repeater)

Some of these are local, others I need help IDing. The traffic on 151.625 (67.0Hz PL) and 151.955 (67.0Hz PL) was also logged during the NASCAR race this past weekend. My assumption is that these users are local enough for me to at least hear their base station(s). The 152 MHz area was very active, mostly with school-related traffic. 152.3000 had the usual powerful Yellow Cab base-to-mobile traffic with DPL 023. However, there was a significant amount of just-at-the-noise-floor voice traffic on 152.300 that I was not able to decode a PL/DPL from. Similar situations on 152.9150 and 152.9675. I know most local school districts make use of on-site repeaters in the VHF band now. RPS was logged very often, especially on 152.9825.

 

[ecps92]

Just a little one
VHF Propagation Map

 

[KF4ZTO]

The whole East Coast is red on that link, ecps92! That certainly explains the increase in logged VHF high band activity. Certainly some serious VHF propagation enhancement.

Interestingly, I didn't really notice an increase in the number of and/or signal strength of the NOAA weather frequencies normally receivable in Richmond, VA. Naturally, there's the local station on 162.475 MHz (WXK65, 1000 watts on a tower in Southside Richmond) but I can hear the Covesville, VA transmitter on 162.450 MHz (KZZ28, 1000w).

I just did another quick scan of the NOAA NWR Weather channels and can hear activity near the noise floor on 162.4000, 162.4250, 162.5000 and 162.5500. It sounds like two stations at the same time on 162.4000 as well as 162.5500, which would make sense as I'm roughly halfway between KHB36 (162.5500, 1000w in Manassas, VA) and KHB37 (162.5500, 1000w in Norfolk, VA).

I did another quick band scan (this time of VHF and UHF), omitting pagers/STARS P25 this time around, except for the driveway sensors and motion detector systems that are likely the source of data bursts on the MURS freqs, with MURS 1 and 2 the worst affected it seems. I can still, however, hear Fork Mountain STARS CC on 152.7125 MHz Since I scanned UHF, it appears there may be some slight enhancement there as well, but most of what I logged appears to be local...or local-ish. The GMRS activity on 462.700 actually matches up with a repeater pair (PL tone too) but the traffic I heard was simplex. Scanned VHF low band (30-50) a few quick times and got nothing.

151.0475 Encrypted P25
151.5800 [D026]
151.7000 [C210.7]
151.7750 DMR (possibly King George County School buses, WQAU724)
151.8200 [CSQ] Data Bursts (same type as those logged previously)
151.8800 [CSQ] Data Bursts (similar to those heard on 151.820/MURS 1)
151.9100 CWID
151.9400 [C156.7] Mobiles, maybe taxis
154.1600 [C156.7] Fire Dispatch
154.2200 [C118.8] Fire Dispatch
154.3250 [CSQ] "Southside Regional"
155.0325 P25 voice "out of service"
155.4600 [C146.2] weak
155.5500 [D125] Law Enforcement Dispatch - Louisa County SO
155.5650 CSQ CW ID (weak)
156.2175 [C229.1] Dispatch heard, rapid fading/QSB
160.5900 [CSQ] Railroad
162.0625 P25, very weak
162.4000 NOAA WX (distant)
162.4250 NOAA WX (distant)
162.4500 NOAA WX (KZZ28)
162.4750 NOAA WX (local, WXK65)
162.5000 NOAA WX (distant)
162.5500 NOAA WX (distant, likely both KHB36 and KHB37)
---
452.9375 CSQ - Telemetry/SCADA
453.1625 [C229.1] Prince George County Police Ops 1 (local)
453.7250 [C167.9] Virginia Department of General Services Repeater (local)
453.9125 [C192.8]
454.0750 DMR (local MotoTRBO TRS)
454.1000 DMR
454.2250 DMR (local MotoTRBO TRS)
454.2750 DMR (local MotoTRBO TRS)
454.3000 DMR (local MotoTRBO TRS)
454.4250 DMR (local MotoTRBO TRS)
454.5750 DMR (local MotoTRBO TRS)
455.5500 CSQ Data Bursts
460.4750 [C127.3]
461.1500 CSQ LTR repeater keyups
461.4250 DMR
461.6875 DMR
461.7750 DMR
461.7875 DMR
461.8750 DMR
462.0250 DMR
462.1625 DMR (local MotoTRBO TRS)
462.5625 [CSQ] Motorola roger beeps, local kids playing with walkie-talkies
462.7000 [C118.8] Midland roger beeps [GMRS/FRS 21] - simplex
462.8500 Paging (strong)
463.2125 DMR
463.2875 CSQ - LTR traffic and repeater keyups (part of local LTR TRS)
463.6250 [D565] "You want me to call security back?" "10-4"
463.6375 DMR
464.0750 DMR
464.5000 CSQ CWID
464.5750 DMR
464.6500 CSQ - Paging (VCU/MCV Parking Garages)
464.8250 [D032]
467.8125 [C103.5] Portables, with roger beeps

 

[ecps92]

Next time you see an opening like that give the 470, 700/800 and 900 a try, you might be surprised at how well the coast opens up.

The whole East Coast is red on that link, ecps92! That certainly explains the increase in logged VHF high band activity. Certainly some serious VHF propagation enhancement

 

[W4UVV]

KF4ZTO can you provide a more specific location than "Virginia"? The reason I ask is reading your recent posts one is your reception of the Prince George Co. 453.1625 mhz. PD dispatch good and also the STARS Fork Mtn. cc. How did you confirm it was the Fork Mtn. site vice the STARS Waverly site you were hearing? Depending where in central VA one is located that reception scenario is possible. Unfortunately both sites use 152.7125 mhz. as its' primary cc. Such a choice originally was unnecessary using that specific frequency when other acceptable frequency choices were available, but what's done is done. Since my location is only 10 air miles from the Waverly site, the day Waverly became active my Fork Mtn. reception was wiped out. Now I have to scan the Fork Mtn. voice repeaters as conventional which is something compared to nothing.

On another subject, I highly recommend you install PRO96COM software. Using it on the cc you quickly would know exactly what STARS site was being received plus additional site attributes. The software also can be a valuable diagnostic aid for other trs such as when I recently used it on the Hopewell trs.

Finally, you listed a number of DMR frequencies. Over the past three years sight checking almost every FCC license actions updates, I noticed an increasing trend. More private/local govt/commercial/ businesses and occasional smaller law enforcement systems (i.e.,Charles City Co., Madison Co., selected SWVA counties, etc.) converted to DSD (MOTOTRBO/NXDN/NEXEDGE) systems. All CSX/NS licenses now additionally are licensed for NXDN operation. As proof I offer this. Tune 460-465 mhz. and count the MOTOTRBO signals heard compared to analog. NXDN/NEXEDGE transmissions have a momentarily low hum sound preceding each voice comm and difficult to detect when tuning unless the exact frequency is known. I find DSD audio significantly superior to typical scanner audio, being closer to wideband FM.

I decided I needed to configure a DSD receive system immediately. Not being a teckie type I made mistakes but kept at it until I was successful. I used to hate hearing MOTOTRBO BRAAAP signals, but not anymore. I look forward to monitoring them especially the ones I have yet to identify the users.

Configuring a DSD receive system is not difficult with compatible components. But it does require some basic technical knowledge,time, effort and maybe some expense for system compatible components. Help is available on the RR DSD forums. DSDPLUS software works great and DMR DECODE software is a good diagnostic aid. By monitoring DSD systems for the past three years I have been able to id some commercial provider system users. DSD monitoring is an enhancement to analog/digital monitoring and without that capability, many monitoring comms are missed. Like it on not DSD technology exists and continues to increase.

Thanks.

John
W4UVV

 

[KF4ZTO]

My apologies regarding the location vagueness, usually when I post logs I put it in the body of the post but I forgot to this time. I'm located in downtown Richmond, VA. The antenna used for reception is a dual band VHF/UHF mobile antenna (144-174/440-470 MHz) on a ground plane kit roughly 35-40 feet up. Radios are a combination of a RadioShack Pro-96, a GRE PSR-800, a TYT TH-9000D (VHF version 136-174), a RadioShack HTX-242, a Puxing PX-973UV, a Quansheng TG-UV2 and a handful of that various incarnations of the UV-5R. Most of the scanning done from my base station is done either with the Pro-96, however the receiver in the TH-9000D is actually quite impressive when it comes to pulling out weak signals on VHF. It also features 2.5 kHz steps but the scan speed (like most Chinese rigs) is almost unacceptably slow.

I intend on setting up a dedicated SDR setup and including DSD in that setup, due to the ever-increasing adoption of digital modes (DMR/MotoTRBO, and NXDN/NEXEDGE/IDAS). I'm also looking into purchasing an analog/DMR dual-mode dualband VHF/UHF HT. The prices on them are getting closer and closer to realistic for my budget - naturally I'd have to get a pair of them.

The Fork Mountain site has some impressive coverage but you make an excellent point re: the Waverly site using the same CC frequency of 152.7125 MHz. There have been several occasions driven from Fairfax to Richmond and been able to hear Fork Mountain on 152.7125 the entire way down I-95. When I can hear Fork Mountain STARS all the way down 95, I'll usually check the 166.9000 Loft Mountain and 172.6750 Fork Mountain SNP repeaters and many times can hear them, this is of course during times of VHF propagation enhancement.

From Richmond, however, I rarely hear any of the SNP frequencies.

 

[kb4cvn]

Here is the premier VHF/UHF Tropo Forecast website:

Tropospheric Ducting Forecast for VHF & UHF Radio & TV

 

[KF4ZTO]

Excellent. I now have:

Tropospheric Ducting Forecast for VHF & UHF Radio & TV

VHF Propagation Map

and, of course, EA6VQ's excellent DXMaps.com Real Time QSO/SWL MUF Map Overview with DX spots powered LF-HF and VHF+ propagation/estimated MUF Sporadic-E clouds and QSO/SWL mapping. I've used DX Maps for as long as I've been interested in high-HF (25-30 MHz)/low-VHF (30-50 MHz), before I branched out into mid band (66-88 MHz in most of the world, 72-76 MHz in the USA), TV and FM DX and high-VHF 136-174 MHz DXing. The cool thing about DX Maps is that is not only uses DX Cluster spots info from beacons/CW/WSPR/APRS and other ham modes but SWL reports, FM broadcast band DX reports, the non-US Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) in the 174 - 240 MHz region, VOR (108-118 MHz), and the VHF marine AIS service (161.975/162.025 MHz) to generate the MUF estimates. DX Maps combined with the other two services provided by the posters in this thread will be even more helpful.


I greatly appreciate everybody who's posted in here so far.

 

[W4UVV]

Your info update

My apologies regarding the location vagueness, usually when I post logs I put it in the body of the post but I forgot to this time. I'm located in downtown Richmond, VA. The antenna used for reception is a dual band VHF/UHF mobile antenna (144-174/440-470 MHz) on a ground plane kit roughly 35-40 feet up. Radios are a combination of a RadioShack Pro-96, a GRE PSR-800, a TYT TH-9000D (VHF version 136-174), a RadioShack HTX-242, a Puxing PX-973UV, a Quansheng TG-UV2 and a handful of that various incarnations of the UV-5R. Most of the scanning done from my base station is done either with the Pro-96, however the receiver in the TH-9000D is actually quite impressive when it comes to pulling out weak signals on VHF. It also features 2.5 kHz steps but the scan speed (like most Chinese rigs) is almost unacceptably slow.

I intend on setting up a dedicated SDR setup and including DSD in that setup, due to the ever-increasing adoption of digital modes (DMR/MotoTRBO, and NXDN/NEXEDGE/IDAS). I'm also looking into purchasing an analog/DMR dual-mode dualband VHF/UHF HT. The prices on them are getting closer and closer to realistic for my budget - naturally I'd have to get a pair of them.

The Fork Mountain site has some impressive coverage but you make an excellent point re: the Waverly site using the same CC frequency of 152.7125 MHz. There have been several occasions driven from Fairfax to Richmond and been able to hear Fork Mountain on 152.7125 the entire way down I-95. When I can hear Fork Mountain STARS all the way down 95, I'll usually check the 166.9000 Loft Mountain and 172.6750 Fork Mountain SNP repeaters and many times can hear them, this is of course during times of VHF propagation enhancement.

From Richmond, however, I rarely hear any of the SNP frequencies.

Ok...very good. Tnx for the location info. In that case the odds are favorable you are hearing the Fork Mtn. cc vice the Waverly cc. Regarding PRO9COM, it definitely supports the PSR800 and PRO96 and is a good software diagnostic aid.

The Fork Mtn. STARS site provides good reception in my area but as you mentioned also good reception in some parts of NOVA. SNP reception certainly is not reliable and varies at my location.

I experimented with SDR reception about 4 years ago when the first primitive SDR "dongles" first appeared on EBAY, etc. With technical help from a friend I got it to work. However, in testing it for my reception requirements I found the sensitivity and selectivity performance results on vhf/uhf to be awful and unacceptable. However, that being said, since then there have been enhancements in software and SDR units have evolved and hopefully are better performers now. Good luck.

My DSD receive configurations are "homemade" and work great but are base configurations only which is ok for me because that is where I do most of my monitoring. Regarding MOTOTRBO/NXDN/NEXEDGE reception using commercial HTs, some individuals have had success in modifying certain models. Good luck on that project too.

John
W4UVV