Rayne NXDN??

[Technoguy58]

Anybody in the Lafayette-Lake Charles area have one of the Whistler radios that can do NXDN?? If so, would you mind checking on this system in Rayne (WQXW973). It is a 4 frequency NXDN NEXEDGE system I believe. If I'm mistaken about the flavor of NXDN, please forgive.

 

[Tim-B]

I live in Lafayette but I don't have a NXDN capable scanner but I did put the frequencies on that license in an old BC296D in conventional mode and scanned them just to see if there is any traffic. I did not hear anything so I backed the quelch off all the way and manually stepped through the channels and I heard nothing but the open squelch noise. I still hear Rayne PD on LWIN so the system may not operational yet.

 

[troymail]

Interestingly, it appears the FCC license has action pending as of today (as best I can tell) - The FCC's information can sometimes be cryptic - it's possibly a construction build-out requirement notice but the message says something like "Offlined for Mobile Count".... perhaps not built/active yet and/or in final stages to go live?

ULS Application - 0007668282 - RAYNE, CITY OF

Either way, as you've already noted, once live, you should at least hear some digital noise even if the radio can't decode it.

 

[Tim-B]

I will continue to monitor it periodically and let you know when I begin to hear digital sounds on those frequencies. I chose the BC296D because it seems to have a more sensitive receiver that later scanners and I used a half wave 6 dB gain Antennex antenna made for commercial radios. When I go to the hamfest in Rayne next month I will try again since I will be in that area just in case I can't hear them due to distance. I guess it depends on how tall their tower is. I remember being able to hear the old Lafayette 800 system all the way to Jennings on I-10 because it was on a 590 foot tall tower.

 

[kb5udf]

Curious

I thought Rayne was on LWIN. Also, the tower height seems rather low at only 18m with appertunences.
I'll see if I can monitor this with my airspy and DSD.

JB

 

[Tim-B]

Yep, they are on LWIN and I hear them all the time but that may change after this new NXDN thing is operational.

Since they are on LWIN it kinda makes me wonder why they are spending the money to install their own system since with LWIN all they have to do is buy a few portables and one base and they can use them statewide. One possible scenario that ran through my head is this:

Rayne Dude: Hey, I don't want anyone being able to scan us. What can I switch to?
Radio Tech Dude: Uhh, lets see, wells how about Kenwood's NXDN, it's not as expensive as Motorola trunked systems and no one makes a scanner that can recieve it.
Rayne Dude: Ok, lets do that
Rayne City Council: Ok, we'll pay for it
Whistler: Just announced: we now make NXDN capable scanners
Rayne Dude: Awww @#$%^&*! we already signed the contracts and the system is not even built yet and they are already able to scan us.

That's probably not what really happened but it's just a funny scenario thay played out in my head. I remember back when 800 MHz trunked systems were first being installed there were so many scanner owners and law enforcement people as well who thought that trunking was invented solely for the purpose of making scanning difficult. I heard one deputy say, then they'll make a scanner that can receive it then we'll go to something else then they'll make a scanner that can receive that so then we'll go to something else. I had to laugh whenever I heard one of those conversations.

 

[kb5udf]

800mhz and 59 feet for a city hmm

I can't see this working out well for HT users, especially once the trees regrow their foliage.

 

[Tim-B]

Well, I went to the Rayne hamfest today and while I was in town I checked each of the frequencies on that license and I heard nothing. I had them programmed in analog mode non trunked so I would hear any transmission of digital noise. I tried backing the squelch all the way off and continuously stepping through the channels for a while but I heard nothing by the white noise so I guess that system is not up yet.