Starcom in LEE County

[RadioMarkW]

Well, it seems the Lee county Sheriffs department is full into the Starcom thing. I heard a lot of chatter today on a Starcom Channel in full Digital, loud and clear. And I am in an ajoining county. Several dispatches and 10-23 reports.

I'll keep on amonitoring!!!!!!

Mark

 

[N9JIG]

Lee County SO has been using TG 1076 on StaCom21 for a couple months now, I had heard them for a while on a couple different trips to the area (as well as from the Chicago area when they affiliated with a local tower for some reason).

I have not heard them use 154.785 the last few times I have been out there, but can't usually hear it from home, so I don't know if they have stopped using the VHF dispatch channel altogether or not.

Have you heard any other TG's in use by them? What about use of 154.785?

http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56251

 

[RadioMarkW]

This is the first I have heard them from here in Bureau County. TG was the same.

I am not sure of their vhf use. I wasn't actually listening for them, they came across some of the 800 chanels I monitor.

This starcom thing still confuses me for which control channels to use for the differant counties. Lee seems to be listed for 700, but I heard them on an 800. Similcast I suppose?

M

 

[cubn]

This starcom thing still confuses me for which control channels to use for the differant counties. Lee seems to be listed for 700, but I heard them on an 800. Similcast I suppose?

M

It's quite possible to hear talkgroups from other counties on your local site. I occasionally hear St. Clair and McLean County talkgroups here at the Champaign Site. If a radio is monitoring that talkgroup and the radio is affiliating with your local tower, you'll hear the talkgroup too.

Some talkgroups may not be able to roam throughout the state--I don't know how the system is set up. Otherwise if there were a State Police convention in Bloomington and troopers from all districts were there each still listening to their home district dispatch TG, it could easily use up all available frequencies on a site. Some sites only have three or four freqs (one of those being the control channel).

To make sure to hear the agency you want, I would program in the sites in that county. For example, the sheriff's dept will probably be heard on all the sites in the county in most cases, but agencies like Normal PD or Normal Fire are only heard on the Normal site and not on the Leroy or Congerville sites.

This webpage gives some more info on the basics of how a system like Starcom21 or ClearTalk works:
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Motorola_Type_II_SmartZone

 

[MikeyC]

While out in Ottawa this weekend, I was surprised to hear a burst of conversation on 1076 come through the Ottawa site (which has been extremely quiet aside from this short conversation).

 

[RoninJoliet]

Today here in D5 Joliet they were testing on ID1057, they seem to be having trouble with some radios and equipment as one mentioned today "that system worked fine yesterday and today its dead", you know how it is when you buy as new scanner and something does not work!!!...Im hearing this using a 396T with a RS outside antenna on the Dupage Tower...

 

[N9JIG]

While out in Ottawa this weekend, I was surprised to hear a burst of conversation on 1076 come through the Ottawa site (which has been extremely quiet aside from this short conversation).

I have occasionaly heard 1076 (Lee County) come thru the Lake County and Cook County sites (108 and 115), as well as the DuPage (101) site when I have been down there. My guess is that there is somebody affiliating with that talkgroup up here someplace. I also think that this is not a permanent assignment, but a testing or evaluation one, based on the talkgroup number. That may help to explain why they are heard so far out of the area.

 

[RadioMarkW]

I understand listing sites for your county but.................. they only list one site for my county, and at a position where it cannot possibly cover the whole county. They must be relying on sites outside the county for coverage as well. I think it will be a while before the frequency coverage gets sorted out.............................

By the by I heard aparent testing for ISP district 17 (Which does cover my county) today.

M

 

[N9JIG]

I understand listing sites for your county but.................. they only list one site for my county, and at a position where it cannot possibly cover the whole county. They must be relying on sites outside the county for coverage as well. I think it will be a while before the frequency coverage gets sorted out.............................

By the by I heard aparent testing for ISP district 17 (Which does cover my county) today.

M

The county listed is usually the county the tower is located, that does not always match the coverage area. For example, there are no towers in DeKalb County but it is covered by towers near the borders of it's neighboring counties.

The Simulcast sites however are pretty much set up to cover specific counties. The Lake County Simulcast is just that, 8 sites within Lake County designed to cover that specific area. There are two Simulcast sets in Cook County, a set in McHenry County as well as sets in Will, Kane and DuPage. Peoria and Rockford have sites set to cover just the cities.

Each site, even though it may be intended to cover a specific county or other area, will also cover to some extent territory outside the specified area. For example, the north part of Cook County might be better served by the Lake County Simulcast set of sites than the Cook North Simulcast. DeKalb County's west end is covered by the Rochelle tower, which is in Ogle County, this site also covers a large chuck of Lee County as well.

The way RadioReference displays tower locations can be kind of misleading. By listing the county first and then the city in parentheses afterwards gives the impression that the county is the intended coverage area, it isn't. The county listed is merely the one the tower is located in. If it were up to me, I would list the tower city first, the the county in parentheses.

The tower locations are pretty much etched in stone by now. If you are in District 17 (which is LaSalle, Putnam and Bureau counties) you would be covered by 114, 131, 134 and 142, all of which are actually located in those three counties as well as a couple sites that are outside the District but have spill-over coverage. These include 125, 207, 216, 117, 133, and maybe 105 and 136.

 

[RadioMarkW]

Thank you very much Rich!!

You have explained things well.

I think marked sites with map in hand will help much!

And you are right, the way site listings are on RR here is misleading.

Perhaps someday when the dust settles we can get a County by County AND ISP District by District listing for acual coverage frequencies.

Regards,

M

 

[RoninJoliet]

D5 Starcom Tower

I cannot make the Carma meeting tomorrow, there excellent, one question i wanted to ask is about the D5 Tower 113, as you watch the data channel on a 396 or 2096 it goes from 99% to 00% every few minutes on both scanners at the same time, is this something to do with simulcasting?? Thank You ...PS: It even does this sitting one block away so its not distance....

 

[N9JIG]

Thank you very much Rich!!
You have explained things well.
I think marked sites with map in hand will help much!
And you are right, the way site listings are on RR here is misleading.
Perhaps someday when the dust settles we can get a County by County AND ISP District by District listing for acual coverage frequencies.
Regards,

M

A member of the CARMA and StarCom21 Yahoo Groups ("citrus801") put together excellent county maps showing the locations of StarCom21 towers. If you are a member of the CARMA Yahoo group you can see them at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/carmachicago/files/Freqs/.

You can also download the CARMA Profile on StarCom21 at http://www.carmachicago.com/profiles or at the same page download a DeLorme StreetAtlas map folio with the tower locations noted.

Keep an eye out here and on the CARMA and StarCom21 Yahoo lists for some upcoming StarCom21 details that will blow your socks off.....

 

[gewecke]

re.lee co.

yeah,still using hi band aswell!

 

[gewecke]

Re; 154.7850

Yes,lee county is still using the vhf output,but only for the smaller communities such as ashton,amboy,franklin grove and sulette.
The pl for this is 156.7 the input is 158.910mhz. same pl.
Not all of our county cars are even capable of this,strange as it seems. FYI.