StarCom21 2020 Official Thread

[YoShep69]

It sounds like tg6326 is a simulcast of Tazewell Rural municipalities TG02-021. This is a good test for channel loading on Congerville at least.

That is who I thought it was also, thanks.

 

[jonathany1]

I was reviewing some notes from 2019 and came across one where someone reported that SC21 Site 145 (Gilson, Knox County) might have been renumbered to 245. Can anyone confirm this? It is currently in the Radio Reference database as Site 145.

Yes it did. DSD plus shows it as 245

 

[jonathany1]

What site number is that showing up as? Could you share the active frequencies for that site? Are you hearing any local talkgroups that aren't listed in the Fulton County subcategory of the Radio Refererence SC21 database page?

Thanks!

The new sites are 256 and 257. I have not seen any new talk groups yet. I am uploading them to Calls on the Fulton (Manito) node.

 

[kevino]

Yes it did. DSD plus shows it as 245

Thanks! I've renumbered Site 145 as Site 245 in the Radio Reference database.

 

[kevino]

The new sites are 256 and 257. I have not seen any new talk groups yet. I am uploading them to Calls on the Fulton (Manito) node.

Could you list the active frequencies (including primary and alternate control channels) for each of these new sites? Do you know where each is located? Finally, I'm not quite sure what you meant by the last sentence in your post above. Thanks!

 

[jonathany1]

Site2-56 (Location is unknown so far-somewhere in Fulton County, IL)
770.18125 CC
770.94375
774.55625 scc
774.78125 scc

Site2-57 (Location is unknown so far-somewhere in Fulton County, IL)
769.43125 CC
769.68125 scc
770.43125 scc
773.81875

Both are definitely TDMA.

Broadcastify (this is what i meant by the last sentence)

 

[kevino]

Site2-56 (Location is unknown so far-somewhere in Fulton County, IL)
770.18125 CC
770.94375
774.55625 scc
774.78125 scc

Site2-57 (Location is unknown so far-somewhere in Fulton County, IL)
769.43125 CC
769.68125 scc
770.43125 scc
773.81875

Both are definitely TDMA.

Broadcastify (this is what i meant by the last sentence)

Thanks for the additional information, Jonathan. All of these frequencies are covered by the states's 700 MHz license (WPTZ798). Unfortunately, there is no information in the license documentation that indicates where these particular frequencies are being used.

 

[jonathany1]

2-56 Is definitely in Canton. I believe they are using the canton water tower near the high school.

 

[kevino]

Last week (during "high conditions"), a fellow listener was near Wautoma, Wisconsin when he caught a STARCOM21 control channel on 851.9375 showing as Site 241. Unfortunately, there is not currently a Site 241 in the RR SC21 database. There are, however, five Sites listed in the database that are shown using 851.9375 as their control channel:

Site 107 - East Moline
Site 203 - Champaign
Site 211 - Augusta
Site 333 - Evansville
Site 352 - Kampsville/Mozier

Site 241 might be totally new, but then again this could be a Site that was renumbered. If that's the case, I would think that East Moline would be the best candidate, with Site 333 and 352 being the worst. Has anyone come across a Site 241? Could folks within listening distance of the above Sites determine if, perhaps, one of them is now showing up as Site 241?

Thanks....

 

[kevino]

An update on Site 257. Someone submitted yesterday that Site 257 is on a tower at the Cuba fire station. They also stated that there is another Site that will be located at the Astoria water tower. The Site number is unknown at this point and it is not live as of yet. Something else to keep an eye and ear open for.

 

[RBMTS]

Last week (during "high conditions"), a fellow listener was near Wautoma, Wisconsin when he caught a STARCOM21 control channel on 851.9375 showing as Site 241. Unfortunately, there is not currently a Site 241 in the RR SC21 database.

Wautoma is pretty far up in central Wisconsin. I'm thinking that there is a better chance that it is associated with WISCOM. They have similar numbered sites and even have a site # 241 with 800Mhz frequencies. Site 216 (DOC Stanley) uses 851.9375. I realize that that the bands have been open, but Illinois to central WI would still be a really good stretch for 800mhz IMHO.

 

[kevino]

Wautoma is pretty far up in central Wisconsin. I'm thinking that there is a better chance that it is associated with WISCOM. They have similar numbered sites and even have a site # 241 with 800Mhz frequencies. Site 216 (DOC Stanley) uses 851.9375. I realize that that the bands have been open, but Illinois to central WI would still be a really good stretch for 800mhz IMHO.

The listener that this report came from is a solid source and I believe he arrived at the STARCOM21 determination due to the system number decoded/observed when he received the signal. Thanks to a report from another Radio Reference user, it appears that STARCOM21 East Moline Site 107 has likely been renumbered as Site 241. That site has previously been reported using a 851.9375 control channel. The user reported the other day in another RR Illinois forum thread that his ProCom96 logs from last year indicated that a total of seven(!) SC21 North zone sites in Rock Island and Mercer Counties have been renumbered as Central zone sites.

A different RR user has told me that he'll be in the East Moline area today and will attempt to confirm as many of these reported changes as possible. The database will be updated as necessary.

 

[kevino]

Woodford County has a license (WRDF445) for two 800 MHz sites, guessing that they'll both be used for STARCOM21:

Minonk - 415 Washington Street (construction deadline 4/16/20):
854.0125
854.5875
857.0875
858.0875
859.0875

Cazenovia - 2 miles SE of town (construction deadline 7/10/21):
854.0875
854.3375
854.5625
856.9625
857.4375

I would expect the Minonk site to be up and running by now. Is anyone seeing any activity on those frequencies?

Kevin

 

[n9lob]

Woodford County has a license (WRDF445) for two 800 MHz sites, guessing that they'll both be used for STARCOM21:

Minonk - 415 Washington Street (construction deadline 4/16/20):
854.0125
854.5875
857.0875
858.0875
859.0875

Cazenovia - 2 miles SE of town (construction deadline 7/10/21):
854.0875
854.3375
854.5625
856.9625
857.4375

I would expect the Minonk site to be up and running by now. Is anyone seeing any activity on those frequencies?

Kevin

I check them every couple of days to see if I can hear a control channel or anything but so far have heard nothing.

In August, the Sheriff reported to the county public safety committee that Minonk was just needing a connection from AT&T which was supposed to happen by the end of August. Cazenovia was waiting on a similar connection and the Sheriff was hoping to get the SO on it by the end of this month. There was no update given at the Sep. meeting last Tuesday. I know the Iowa derecho tied up tower crews for a while and delayed installation of the antennas for our county EMA and amateur 2-meter repeaters but they were installed at Cazenovia last week. I would speculate there may be similar delays on AT&T crews as well. (At least that's what I tell myself)

I keep waiting.

 

[kevino]

The listener that this report came from is a solid source and I believe he arrived at the STARCOM21 determination due to the system number decoded/observed when he received the signal. Thanks to a report from another Radio Reference user, it appears that STARCOM21 East Moline Site 107 has likely been renumbered as Site 241. That site has previously been reported using a 851.9375 control channel. The user reported the other day in another RR Illinois forum thread that his ProCom96 logs from last year indicated that a total of seven(!) SC21 North zone sites in Rock Island and Mercer Counties have been renumbered as Central zone sites.

A different RR user has told me that he'll be in the East Moline area today and will attempt to confirm as many of these reported changes as possible. The database will be updated as necessary.

It has now been confirmed (thanks, calebotten15!) that SC21 East Moline Site 107 has been renumbered as Site 241. The database has been updated for this and six other Quad Cities Sites that have been renumbered as well.

 

[kevino]

I'm reviewing some SC21 Site 101 recordings from last week and am hearing what sounds like possibly Urbana area EMS dispatch ops on TG 6236. Heard mention of "Heart of Mary" (hospital in Urbana) and possibly "Sacred Heart" (hospital in Danville). 482xxx RIDs, ambulances use 8900-series identifiers. I found nothing in the database other than what I just added to the SC21 wiki for the TG and RIDs. Is anyone down that way hearing this? Anyone know who this is? I see mention of AMSEC on TG 5332 in the SC21 wiki with ambulance identifiers in the 8900-series - possibly related?

 

[kevino]

Could someone using software (DSD+, Pro96Com, Unitrunker, etc.) give Site 248 (Kankakee County Simulcast) a listen to confirm which frequencies (including alternate control channels) are being reported as currently in use there? The State of IL recently modified callsign WQAZ296, adding 852.4125, 852.9125, 853.4375 and 853.9875 to locations in Saint Anne and Herscher. These are the same freqs covered by WQAZ297 at Grant Park. Wondering if some of the legacy 800 MHz freqs covered by licenses issued to the City of Kankakee, Village of Bradley and the State of Illinois might not be be in use any longer.

 

[cubn]

I'm reviewing some SC21 Site 101 recordings from last week and am hearing what sounds like possibly Urbana area EMS dispatch ops on TG 6236. Heard mention of "Heart of Mary" (hospital in Urbana) and possibly "Sacred Heart" (hospital in Danville). 482xxx RIDs, ambulances use 8900-series identifiers. I found nothing in the database other than what I just added to the SC21 wiki for the TG and RIDs. Is anyone down that way hearing this? Anyone know who this is? I see mention of AMSEC on TG 5332 in the SC21 wiki with ambulance identifiers in the 8900-series - possibly related?

Sure sounds like what you're hearing is Pro Ambulance.

OSF Pro Ambulance in Champaign uses 8900 series radio identifiers. They're the ambulance company for Urbana's Provena Hospital which is now known as OSF Heart of Mary. OSF Sacred Heart is in Danville and Pro is probably the main ambulance company for them.

The last I knew (and this was 2 years ago), Pro Ambulance used MDICE TG 22018 in Champaign County and from the database it appears that Pro uses 460.6375 465 DPL in Danville according to the database.

Arrow Ambulance (AMSEC) is the other main ambulance in East Central Illinois. They use 8200 units. Dispatched on MDICE TG 22016 in Champaign. Looks like they use S21 TG 5331 in Vermilion County.

If Pro has switched to Starcom21 or uses a combination of Starcom21 and MDICE, I'd be interested to know.

 

[lu81fitter]

Could someone using software (DSD+, Pro96Com, Unitrunker, etc.) give Site 248 (Kankakee County Simulcast) a listen to confirm which frequencies (including alternate control channels) are being reported as currently in use there? The State of IL recently modified callsign WQAZ296, adding 852.4125, 852.9125, 853.4375 and 853.9875 to locations in Saint Anne and Herscher. These are the same freqs covered by WQAZ297 at Grant Park. Wondering if some of the legacy 800 MHz freqs covered by licenses issued to the City of Kankakee, Village of Bradley and the State of Illinois might not be be in use any longer.

I am currently staying near Kankakee for work and don't have access to software, but I am hearing traffic for Kankakee County SD, Kankakee City, Bradley, Bourbonais, Dist 6 ISP, Dist 5 ISP, Dist 10 ISP, and Dist 21 ISP using the current freq listings for Kankakee County Simulcast on RR. It's tracking the control channel just fine and its loud and clear. Not able to confirm other frequencies. That is on a BCD996P2 in my car.

 

[kevino]

Sure sounds like what you're hearing is Pro Ambulance.

OSF Pro Ambulance in Champaign uses 8900 series radio identifiers. They're the ambulance company for Urbana's Provena Hospital which is now known as OSF Heart of Mary. OSF Sacred Heart is in Danville and Pro is probably the main ambulance company for them.

The last I knew (and this was 2 years ago), Pro Ambulance used MDICE TG 22018 in Champaign County and from the database it appears that Pro uses 460.6375 465 DPL in Danville according to the database.

Arrow Ambulance (AMSEC) is the other main ambulance in East Central Illinois. They use 8200 units. Dispatched on MDICE TG 22016 in Champaign. Looks like they use S21 TG 5331 in Vermilion County.

If Pro has switched to Starcom21 or uses a combination of Starcom21 and MDICE, I'd be interested to know.

I believe that you've hit the nail on the head here, Tom. Photos of OSF PRO Ambulances found online show that they use rig numbers in the upper 89xx-series, which is consistent with what I was hearing on SC21 TG 6236. That, combined with the fact that I only heard them taking patients to OSF hospitals in Urbana and Danville, seals the deal for me. I will add this talkgroup to the database under the Champaign County subcategory. Another radio mystery solved!