Programming help needed - Phantom Police Dept? (Greenville area)

[mayor954]

Hello RR Forum members. I for the life of me cannot find any traffic for my local PD. I think it’s a challenge because I think they do a lot via cell phone. Second, I don’t believe they are all that proactive with policing. I never see them out running radar etc. I monitored “their listed frequency” but never heard anything on analog so I bought the BCD996P2.

Background info: I am a long time scanner user but never got into radio. My first scanner was a Realistic PRO 57. (Yes, old timer.) I got a Christmas present a couple years back in a Bearcat BC355N. The BC355N was what prompted me to buy the BCD996P2 this past November as a black Friday special. I was so intimidated by the reviews detailing the programming that I postponed doing anything with it until a couple weeks ago. After YouTube videos and online commentary, I downloaded the FREESCAN APP and programmed my new scanner. YAY! SUCCESS. Well, almost, that brings me to my need for help.

After digging around RR database as well as FCC DB, I’ve found 4 frequencies that they could be using.

Greenville NH Police 03048 KKR624 FRN 000519710
Greenville PD (Gilford share) FB2 154.49000 (146.2 PL)
Greenville PD (Hooksett share) FB/MO 155.56500
Greenville PD FB2 159.2100
Greenville PD MO 156.030

When I monitor 154.4900 with a digital setting I do receive Gilford NH transmissions even though they are about 70 miles away from me. I assume because I’m up on a hill at about 1100’ that’s why I pick them up. There are times when I hear a “buzz saw” noise on that frequency.

When I monitor 155.565 on a digital setting I occasionally pick up Hooksett Police which is about 40 miles from me. They’re actually less common than Gilford surprisingly.

I have monitored 159.2100 and 156.030 but I don’t find any traffic. I did turn on Close Call but I think I need to study the manual as the only frequency it picked up was my local ambulance which I already have programmed. I need to read more up on CC I guess.

To further confound things, Greenville also allows Mason PD (town right next door) to use the frequency, but I never hear any of their traffic either.

Anybody have any ideas as to how they could hide so well? They list 12 mobile units so I assume encrypted would be cost prohibitive?

Could they be on another frequency that isn’t listed in RR or FCC?

Hillsboro County Sheriff’s handle the dispatch for GV PD. The Sheriff’s themselves use P25 on 155.520. I didn’t hear GV PD on this frequency but I didn’t set it up for P25 either.

Could GV PD be using P25 and I need more help with that?

My apologies for the lengthy posting and would very much appreciate any help/suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[ofd8001]

I presume you've explored this page: Hillsborough County, New Hampshire (NH) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Encryption seems to be creeping in more and more these days.

You may want to ask this question in the New Hampshire page after searching it to see if this topic isn't already there.

 

[sflmonitor]

According to the RRDB, the Greenville PD is dispatched by the Sheriff’s Office on 155.520 in P25 conventional mode. You will need to program your scanner in digital mode.

 

[mayor954]

Yes ofd8001, I've spent a lot of time on that page and several others related. I was unaware of a New Hampshire specific page so Ill scout it out. Thanks.

 

[mayor954]

According to the RRDB, the Greenville PD is dispatched by the Sheriff’s Office on 155.520 in P25 conventional mode. You will need to program your scanner in digital mode.

Green VILLE is done by Hillsboro County Sheriffs as I mentioned in my post. GV PD does not list 155.220 as a frequency for it - Only for use by the sheriff's themselves. You have circled Green FIELD which is a couple towns away - a fairly common happening.

 

[sflmonitor]

Green VILLE is done by Hillsboro County Sheriffs as I mentioned in my post. GV PD does not list 155.220 as a frequency for it - Only for use by the sheriff's themselves. You have circled Green FIELD which is a couple towns away - a fairly common happening.

Oh man my apologies. I didn’t notice that. However you said that the Hillsboro County Sheriff’s Office handle dispatch for Greenville PD and they use 155.520 in P25 mode. You said didn’t hear Greenville PD on this frequency because you didn’t set it up for P25? The DB shows that they are using P25 with a 117 NAC. It seems you have to program your scanner in P25 mode to be able to hear. Greenville does not necessarily have to be listed on the 155.220 license if they are subscribers to the Sheriff’s office system.

 

[creeperjeep]

Greenville PD is dispatched by county. P25 ID numbers starting with 620
Greenville FD shares a channel with Mason. Analog

 

[mayor954]

Thanks creeperjeep. I had put the Greenville specific channels into the scanner under the P25 listing but did not hear anything. I've switched to the Hillsboro County Sheriff frequencies as of this AM, but have not heard any activity at all. Is there a trick beyond what is listed in the manual as to inputting the possible frequencies they operate under?
Thanks!

 

[mayor954]

Oh man my apologies. I didn’t notice that. However you said that the Hillsboro County Sheriff’s Office handle dispatch for Greenville PD and they use 155.520 in P25 mode. You said didn’t hear Greenville PD on this frequency because you didn’t set it up for P25? The DB shows that they are using P25 with a 117 NAC. It seems you have to program your scanner in P25 mode to be able to hear. Greenville does not necessarily have to be listed on the 155.220 license if they are subscribers to the Sheriff’s office system.

That was the light dawns on marble head (more of a local Massachusettes joke) moment after I pondered your response last night. Correct, just because GV PD has licenses for a set of channels, they don't have to use them. I get that now. I guess my biggest issue is knowing how to program the P25 portion. I can't find a listing for Hillsboro County Sheriff's P25 frequencies/control channels to be able to input. I did input ALL the frequencies into a new P25 program for HCSO this AM but have not heard any communication. Simply see ID SEARCH when scanning any of those channels. Another poster told me GV PD is using ID starting at 620 but I don't see where in freescan I can enter that info. Where do I find 620 thru ???

 

[sflmonitor]

Unfortunately I’m not very familiar with the BCD996P2 programming but the basics should be the same. From what I can gather, the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office is using 155.520 MHz in conventional mode (vs. trunking). So there would be no control channels nor any other frequencies associated with this repeater channel, except for the input frequency, but that’s not needed. First make sure you are programming it in conventional mode, not trunking. You also need to assure that the frequency (155.520) is programmed in digital/P25 mode with the correct NAC code, in this case it should be 117. I recommend this site to assist in the programming. Hopefully this helps.

 

[mayor954]

Thanks, over the last few days I've set up a variety of sites. Some I guess conventional with no control channel, others with an attempt at that. I may have to revisit some of my programs as I think I never monitored 155.520 with a 117 NAC. I did the GV PD local channel with 117 NAC, but NOT the HCSO channel with 117 NAC. I know GV PD has gone to bed for the night so I'll try it in the morning!

 

[sflmonitor]

Thanks, over the last few days I've set up a variety of sites. Some I guess conventional with no control channel, others with an attempt at that. I may have to revisit some of my programs as I think I never monitored 155.520 with a 117 NAC. I did the GV PD local channel with 117 NAC, but NOT the HCSO channel with 117 NAC. I know GV PD has gone to bed for the night so I'll try it in the morning!

Also, I would not rule out Greenville PD’s licensed frequency (155.490). They may use it as a car to car or tactical channel. Looking at the FCC database, that frequency is licensed for analog use which coincides with the RRDB info. I would punch it into the scanner as well. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[mayor954]

So I've spent the last few days doing a variety of P25 programming and then monitoring to see what I pick up.

I've had to learn a couple of OBVIOUS things. (1) - when you want to monitor/program a frequency, you have to DOUBLE CHECK your entry. You can't monitor 154.xxxx if you input 155.xxx. Lost a day there.....

(2) - I've also realized (the obvious) that just because GV PD has licenses for several frequencies, it doesn't mean that they have to use them !!!!!

sflmonitor had planted the seed that GV PD may have been using a frequency under Hillsboro County Sherriff's Office (HCSO) and I believe that in fact is the case. Problem is that I still can't find their transmissions. HCSO FRN is 0005952650, they have 152 entries on the FCC database site but I'm not a radio guy so things aren't necessarily obvious to me that would be obvious to a radio guy. I have tried to focus on 154.65000 as there is a listing for an FX1 site in both Greenville and Mason along with a few other towns that also use HCSO for dispatch.

I think I'm at the point where I need to learn more about the intricacies of P25 monitoring/programming. When I monitor HCSO under their P25 "main channel" 155.52000 I do hear regular Sheriff conversations. They all show a 117 NAC. However, transmissions are somewhat garbled. Sometimes I'm only picking up one side of the conversation, other times both the start and the stop of the conversation seem to be truncated. Is there a setting that I should also be adjusting beyond setting at auto? I have clicked on ATT for the channels I'm monitoring. I'm making changes using FREESCAN.

I did catch what I believe was a local GV PD broadcast yesterday but I couldn't catch the frequency in time. I think it was 154.65000 but I haven't heard anything more since then.

General questions on P25 programming - Do I have to set a NAC to hear P25 transmissions? I had one transmission come thru that showed a 617 NAC. When I searched the FCC frequency DB for that frequency and NAC nothing was found.

creeperjeep had posted for me that GV PD uses P25 ID numbers starting with 620. I set one channel to show ID 620 but I'm not sure how to set for 621 etc..... How do I find out where their ID numbers end? If I don't set an ID will I still hear the transmission? If I set a specific ID on a channel will I only hear transmissions by that ID?

Any insight on what I've mentioned would be helpful. I have read some of the manuals, but being new to radio is a challenge.
Thanks, Mark

 

[ecps92]

Thanks, over the last few days I've set up a variety of sites. Some I guess conventional with no control channel, others with an attempt at that. I may have to revisit some of my programs as I think I never monitored 155.520 with a 117 NAC. I did the GV PD local channel with 117 NAC, but NOT the HCSO channel with 117 NAC. I know GV PD has gone to bed for the night so I'll try it in the morning!

Control channels would be for a Trunked System Only
Off the top of my head, ONLY Nashua and Manchester maintain a trunked network.

All other NH agencies using P25 are conventional, just like the old Analog Days, just using P25

 

[ecps92]

So I've spent the last few days doing a variety of P25 programming and then monitoring to see what I pick up.

I've had to learn a couple of OBVIOUS things. (1) - when you want to monitor/program a frequency, you have to DOUBLE CHECK your entry. You can't monitor 154.xxxx if you input 155.xxx. Lost a day there.....

(2) - I've also realized (the obvious) that just because GV PD has licenses for several frequencies, it doesn't mean that they have to use them !!!!!

sflmonitor had planted the seed that GV PD may have been using a frequency under Hillsboro County Sherriff's Office (HCSO) and I believe that in fact is the case. Problem is that I still can't find their transmissions. HCSO FRN is 0005952650, they have 152 entries on the FCC database site but I'm not a radio guy so things aren't necessarily obvious to me that would be obvious to a radio guy. I have tried to focus on 154.65000 as there is a listing for an FX1 site in both Greenville and Mason along with a few other towns that also use HCSO for dispatch.

I think I'm at the point where I need to learn more about the intricacies of P25 monitoring/programming. When I monitor HCSO under their P25 "main channel" 155.52000 I do hear regular Sheriff conversations. They all show a 117 NAC. However, transmissions are somewhat garbled. Sometimes I'm only picking up one side of the conversation, other times both the start and the stop of the conversation seem to be truncated. Is there a setting that I should also be adjusting beyond setting at auto? I have clicked on ATT for the channels I'm monitoring. I'm making changes using FREESCAN.

I did catch what I believe was a local GV PD broadcast yesterday but I couldn't catch the frequency in time. I think it was 154.65000 but I haven't heard anything more since then.

General questions on P25 programming - Do I have to set a NAC to hear P25 transmissions? I had one transmission come thru that showed a 617 NAC. When I searched the FCC frequency DB for that frequency and NAC nothing was found.

creeperjeep had posted for me that GV PD uses P25 ID numbers starting with 620. I set one channel to show ID 620 but I'm not sure how to set for 621 etc..... How do I find out where their ID numbers end? If I don't set an ID will I still hear the transmission? If I set a specific ID on a channel will I only hear transmissions by that ID?

Any insight on what I've mentioned would be helpful. I have read some of the manuals, but being new to radio is a challenge.
Thanks, Mark

FCC DB won't contain NAC information, nor PL/DPL etc

What Freq did you hear the N617 on ? Likely an adjacent frequency, as there are multiple entities in NH who use N617

 

[mayor954]

FCC DB won't contain NAC information, nor PL/DPL etc

What Freq did you hear the N617 on ? Likely an adjacent frequency, as there are multiple entities in NH who use N617

Sorry Bill, I didn't catch the frequency - may have been main sheriff of 155.5200 or the one I THINK GV PD uses 154.6500

 

[ecps92]

Sorry Bill, I didn't catch the frequency - may have been main sheriff of 155.5200 or the one I THINK GV PD uses 154.6500

Exeter being on the adjacent Freq of 155.5350 it was likely Splash over

As Creeper mentioned they are Dispatched thru the SO, but do have their own channels for Chit-Chat, Town interop and ....?
usages? You might not hear anything on the local channels for days, weeks, months, then all of a sudden

 

[mayor954]

Exeter being on the adjacent Freq of 155.5350 it was likely Splash over

Very Possible since I do pick up Gilford sometimes which is even farther away from me than Exeter. You did pick up on me being in Green VILLE, not GreenLAND or Green FIELD? It's a VERY common mistake.

 

[ecps92]

Very Possible since I do pick up Gilford sometimes which is even farther away from me than Exeter. You did pick up on me being in Green VILLE, not GreenLAND or Green FIELD? It's a VERY common mistake.

Hillsborough County Police Departments - Scan New England Wiki

www.snewiki.com

Yes

 

[tvengr]

If Greenville is dispatched by the sheriff, units probably stay on that frequency unless they want to do car to car communications. Station class FX1 transmits on a repeater input frequency from a fixed location such as a fire or police station. You only need the repeater output frequency. The attenuator should be used only if a transmitter is very close and overloading the receiver. It will greatly reduce your receive range when turned on. I don't know what P25 ID numbers starting at 620 mean. Creeperjeep please be a little more specific. As stated earlier, Manchester and Nashua are the only cities using a trunked system and have control channel frequencies. Police are fully encrypted and cannot be received by any scanner. I am very familiar with the BCD996P2. Please attach your FreeSCAN programming file so that we can take a look at it. You will need to zip the file to be able to attach it. Click on Attach files and open the zipped file.