Puget Sound Energy MPT-1327 Trunked System

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kc5rbq

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Hello all - I have been using trunkview to monitor PSE's newer trunked system that uses 217.50625 to 217.99375 MHz. The FCC license is WQMZ553 which also authorizes the use of 219.50625 to 219.99375 MHz. I have logged five control channels and quite a few voice channels also. I have also logged some of the unit IDs; 22xx, 23xx and 27xx units seem to be repair crews reporting to 62xx units which appear to be the control centers.

Has anyone got information they would like to collaborate on to help map out this system? Trunkview works with many different scanners and radios with no IF tap needed - and it's free! How about killing some time this winter and help us map this system. You can hear the crews talk about downed lines and restoring power so it is kind of interesting, especially after that last storm we had.

Drop a note here and/or in my email and we'll knock this thing out. :)

vy 73, Tracy KO7B Mount Vernon, WA
 

kd7kdc

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Yes any help would be much appreciated.


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kd7kdc

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I will have a look :)


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devicelab

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It would be good to get more info on this system if we can.
I don't understand something. What's the point of collecting this information? There's no scanner that can monitor MPT1327 and AFAIK no programs (other than Trunkview) that would even care about MPT1327.

The talkgroups for this system are not really relevant to the average scanner listener. It's easy just to scan the freqs, lockout the control channels and listen away. It's pretty easy to tell where the crews are since they give their positions quite frequently (relative to other scanner conversations.)

Move on, nothing to see here...
 

kd7kdc

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I take it you have a vested interest in protecting PSE and or it's radio system?


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Wilrobnson

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Wow, Steve. This dude says what people have been saying for years and he suddenly is a PSE insider?

I started asking why all the talkgroup ID numbers for Avista were in the RR DB last year since there's nothing consumer-grade that would ever need them?
It's pretty apparent to me that whoever Avista uses for a radio shop is selling their info and you'd think they be unhappy about that, but that's just my opinion.

You can't program a scanner with MPT1327 talkgroups. I think device guy made his point.

Best,

Wil
 
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kd7kdc

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I never said devicelab was an insider I was just trying to get him to expand on why he chose to tell us in a round about way to leave PSE's data off RR.

Why include it...?
Like the bizarre addition of GE or (whatever it's called today) PROVOICE being added by Uniden they may choose to support MPT1327 and building the database out with these systems may be what we need to do to get the scanner OEMs to support this protocol.
The protocol can't be that dead if two major utility companies just switched to them in the last couple years.

As for Avista there was no dirty back room deals to get the talkgroups. I was just sitting at my desk running trunkview one morning and somebody just started flipping through the channels and confirming that the other guy heard him on channel xxxx. That's where that data came from, just in the right place at the right time.

73
Steve


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Wilrobnson

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I never said devicelab was an insider I was just trying to get him to expand on why he chose to tell us in a round about way to leave PSE's data off RR.

As I read it, he asked what the point was and stated there's nothing to track it.

Like the bizarre addition of GE or (whatever it's called today) PROVOICE being added by Uniden they may choose to support MPT1327 and building the database out with these systems may be what we need to do to get the scanner OEMs to support this protocol.
IMHO that was the squeaky wheel theory.
The protocol can't be that dead if two major utility companies just switched to them in the last couple years.
As I understand, this is a utility company interoperability agreement....Avista, PSE, PG&E, Pacific Power, etc. Western US, mostly, but I've seen utilities on MPT systems in the Midwest as well.

As for Avista there was no dirty back room deals to get the talkgroups. I was just sitting at my desk running trunkview one morning and somebody just started flipping through the channels and confirming that the other guy heard him on channel xxxx. That's where that data came from, just in the right place at the right time.
They multicast all of those on their little 3-freq sites? Strange, the geographical distances would seem to preclude that, but I know so little about MPT1327 it's laughable. Never got Trunkview working well enough to track tgids either.
 

kd7kdc

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It's his last line of "move on, nothing to see here..." seems to me there is more to his post than a just a simple innocent neutral question.

Yes that is squeaky wheel theory... good eye!

Interoperability agreement? That's news to me.

I don't believe the two gentlemen testing those talkgroups were actually in all the geographic areas represented by the alpha tag on the display screen.

Yes I'm pretty sure with only one or two talk paths per site they get busy bonked quite frequently.


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kd7kdc

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Say it was a non pointed innocent query the answer is because the dataset is there for anyone grab. So why not... < yes that is a rhetorical question.


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Wilrobnson

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I read the "move on..." as sarcasm/dismissal. YMMV.

I don't know if there's actually an interop agreement or if that was what some radio tech said. Regardless, since they're private-ish companies we likely won't hear about it.
 

kd7kdc

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I don't know, maybe I'm just jaded because of the people that say the system details are none of our business.


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kd7kdc

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Either way interop is a plausible guess.


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devicelab

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It's his last line of "move on, nothing to see here..." seems to me there is more to his post than a just a simple innocent neutral question.
No it was more of a response to KC5RBQ's original post.

I take it you've never listened to the PSE MPT1327 system? It's pretty dull except when the winds pick up (and the power goes out.) It can be one of the few entertaining things to listen to when you don't have any power... but you don't need any special info to listen.

I don't care what you guys do with PSE's info but it just seems like a waste of time...
 

kd7kdc

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Nope, never listened to it. I imagine it is similar to the 217 avista power system over here.

I am aware there are no scanners on the market that can make use of the data. With a couple usb receiver dongals and one of the software packages out there you can make a "scanner" for it.

Like I said before the data is available so it will continue to be catalogued.


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Hydra206

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The data is useful for people like me that are radio nerds and want as much info as possible about it.I don't believe the site is here exclusively for scanner folks and I'm glad the forum is here to talk to local fellow radio geeks about this obscure radio system.

I've just recently been playing with Trunkview and logging the activity. UniTrunker is capable of decoding it, too. I'll try to contribute something useful soon to the wiki..
Like devicelab said, other than when there are windstorms, it's not very exciting to listen to but it is interesting trying to get the software to work correctly - even if it's not all that popular.
 

FlashP

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Trunkview works on the PSE system up to a point. It won't handle a band plan with more than one segment, so tracking conversations is only 50% there. But it will identify frequencies that can be programmed as "conventional", and with only 2-3 voice freqs per site, that's not bad for monitoring.
 
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