Railroad NXDN Conventional

Status
Not open for further replies.

KenFL9

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
48
Location
Benbrook, TX
I have a new TRX-1 and it is receiving railroad analog transmissions on channels 007 through 097 very well. As a railroad contractor I have a Kenwood NX-210 portable and a NX-700 in my SUV. Both are programmed with NXDN channels 307 through 487 in one of the groups although I have yet to actually use them at work.

I programmed a scanlist in my TRX-1 with the appropriate frequencies and set everything to NXDN with RAN 0 (and I also tried "any"). When I test it with either of my radios on a specific channel with the TRX-1 an appropriate distance away to avoid overload the scanner shows no reaction visibly or audibly.

Any thoughts on how I should be programming the settings and or what I am missing?

Thanks!
 

werinshades

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
5,817
Location
Chicago , IL
I have a new TRX-1 and it is receiving railroad analog transmissions on channels 007 through 097 very well. As a railroad contractor I have a Kenwood NX-210 portable and a NX-700 in my SUV. Both are programmed with NXDN channels 307 through 487 in one of the groups although I have yet to actually use them at work.

I programmed a scanlist in my TRX-1 with the appropriate frequencies and set everything to NXDN with RAN 0 (and I also tried "any"). When I test it with either of my radios on a specific channel with the TRX-1 an appropriate distance away to avoid overload the scanner shows no reaction visibly or audibly.

Any thoughts on how I should be programming the settings and or what I am missing?

Thanks!

Are you programming the input frequencies in? Maybe the NXDN repeaters haven't been activated yet?
 

KenFL9

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
48
Location
Benbrook, TX
These are all programmed as simplex frequencies. No repeaters.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

W2GLD

Active Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 20, 2003
Messages
595
Location
Michigan
Try putting the scanner in manual tune search mode, enter the known frequency only, then see what's being transmitted from the actual NXDN radios. I'm tracking several here and it works just fine, no issues.
 

dsankir

Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2017
Messages
159
Location
Adana-TURKEY
f you already know tx frequencies,set all of them as conventional in same scan group,then start to scan.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

wa8pyr

Technischer Guru
Staff member
Lead Database Admin
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
6,983
Location
Ohio
I have a new TRX-1 and it is receiving railroad analog transmissions on channels 007 through 097 very well. As a railroad contractor I have a Kenwood NX-210 portable and a NX-700 in my SUV. Both are programmed with NXDN channels 307 through 487 in one of the groups although I have yet to actually use them at work.

I programmed a scanlist in my TRX-1 with the appropriate frequencies and set everything to NXDN with RAN 0 (and I also tried "any"). When I test it with either of my radios on a specific channel with the TRX-1 an appropriate distance away to avoid overload the scanner shows no reaction visibly or audibly.

Any thoughts on how I should be programming the settings and or what I am missing?!

I ran into this at Bellevue, OH over the weekend, having taken my TRX-1 along just to search and see if anything was using NXDN in the yard. It was.

I have a scan list called RR Search (List 99) set up with all the RR frequencies pre-programmed, analog channels set to Analog and NXDN channels set to Digital. Analog worked fine, but when 160.7325 digital came up active it would not stop on AAR 376 as it should have, instead kept stopping on the analog channel making all kinds of racket.

I finally had to set the digital search channel to DG Mode - Auto, RX Mode - Auto and Sq Mode - Srch to get the digital traffic to come through, after which it did fine, showing RAN=0 during active transmissions. I then added that channel to the normal "confirmed" railroad scan list (list 100), and once again, nothing. I had to tinker with the settings until it started working. Still not sure exactly what I did to make it work, but try this:

DG Mode - Dig
RX Mode - Auto
Sq Mode - Srch
Sq Search - checked yes
NXDN - checked yes
RAN - Any
RadioID - checked yes
RID - Any

If that doesn't work try setting RAN to 00. I can't recall if RAN 00 is "pass any RAN" or "pass only stuff that doesn't have a RAN."

I really need to sit down and monitor some conventional NXDN around here, and play with the settings to confirm what really works.
 
Last edited:

alabamarailfan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 6, 2009
Messages
232
Hey Guys,
I guess I got lucky as I never put any of the new frequencies in. I had one scan list with all the 1-97 AAR list, all set as analog. I have a second scan list, same frequencies but the mode set to NXDN and had no problem catching the NS car-men working on AAR 79.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlEadey0axY

I guess if they had been using one of the narrower band frequencies, I would have had trouble. I might need to check again with those channels entered. Hope this helps, Ken.
-- John
 

Attachments

  • Untitled.jpg
    Untitled.jpg
    106.1 KB · Views: 1,026

KenFL9

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
48
Location
Benbrook, TX
Thanks for the updates!

Thanks to both Tom and John!

I will experiment with those settings here and let you know the results.
 

Muxlow

Super Secret
Joined
Aug 16, 2005
Messages
1,627
Location
Middlesex County
Same deal here in Canada. Seems all CN Rail workers have NX700/NX210's but havne yet to hear any digital comms.. All just analog still. Wonder if the NX channels are just for common use if they venture across the border or to have comms with US trains or whatnot?
 

tyytor

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
367
Location
Wyoming
NXDN channels 307 through 487 ??

were do i find these tried google no luck,
thanks for any help

sorry need to look harder found them here on RR,
 
Last edited:

RRR

OFFLINE
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,970
Location
USA
I seem to remember some didn't want to believe me for suggesting NXDN was in use on Class 1 Railroads across the USA. My reply has always been "you have to know where to look" You are getting warm.

I forsee others will locate even more as the growth of NXDN capable scanners become more prevalent
 

N9JIG

Sheriff
Moderator
Joined
Dec 14, 2001
Messages
5,581
Location
Far NW Valley
There is no question that there isn't NXDN used around the country, it is. It is used in many areas for isolated and insular operations like yards, stores departments and facilities.

There have been those who insist that NXDN is used for Road operations or that the use of NXDN is imminent for Road operations, especially on Class One and Regional roads. It is not, and won't be for years.

While railroads are adding NXDN emissions to licenses as they come up for renewal or modification and are buying NXDN capable radios instead of analog only ones during regular replacement cycles. there are no plans to switch to it any time soon on Road channels.

Right now they are more concerned with PTC implementation as there actually is a mandate for this to happen. Once this is completed, tested and the kinks worked out they can then focus their attention on NXDN for more wide-range applications.

We will have plenty of notice of cutover dates for NXDN for Road use. The amount of cooperation and coordination needed for a smooth transition is enormous.

When a road switches a sub over for example they will need to post Special Notices to their own personnel and also notify any other railroad that interacts with that Sub. Any road that crosses, has trackage rights, interchanges with etc. will all need to know. All these other roads will need to be able to talk to each other on NXDN by the announced dates as well.

Yes, NXDN is here and the use is spreading but it will be a matter of years before Road operations switch over for the majority of communications the hobbyist are concerned with.
 

radioman2001

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
2,974
Location
New York North Carolina and all points in between
I have to wade into this murky mess again. There are NO railroads using NXDN on a MAIN LINE for rail traffic at this time. Considering the number of people who use RR as a reference, I am sure we would know the next day when and if someone did.
When I set up a NXDN repeater in our yard the very next day it was being discussed. As has been said notices must be posted and sent out, and signs which are a new thing, also would have to be posted. The RR industry is very conservative and doesn't jump into things. Our adding a single channel to 20 miles of the Northeast corridor took over 2 years to implement.
Anyone saying that NXDN is being used on a main rail is BS. No matter who you work for.
 

RRR

OFFLINE
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,970
Location
USA
Signal maintainers and installation force repeaters, MOW repeaters, Police repeaters (encrypted), all on the existing repeater systems as well as the "Networked" communications system.

I never stated a locomotive to dispatcher/trains/conductor. But most radios are already programmed for it in banks, and all new radios issued are programmed for it in banks as well, ready to go when ready, on a certain class 1.
 

AA6IO

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
1,511
Location
Cerritos, CA (LA County)
Many Los Angeles Metro (Blue, Green, Gold, Red line, etc) using NXDN . All conventional. Very active frequencies and 36HPs do well with new NXDN upgrade.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top