StarCom21 2021 Official Thread

[Engine104]

Good info. Thanks. I am about two years away from retiring and moving closer to our kids in Geneva and Naperville. I mostly monitor local fire depts here in SoCal. I hope to continue to be able to do that in IL, mainly our local one. PD and State Troopers would be a bonus, but it sounds like that ain't happening.

 

[FFPM571]

ISP is still clear

 

[Awesomeman92]

I see Northbrook units along with their dispatch on TG 3688 encrypted. I had to run a computer update this afternoon so I have a large gap in Unitrunker data, have they switched from 3886 clear? I'm not seeing anything on 3886.

Edit: Never mind, there is some traffic on 3886. Traffic is actually being simulcast on both, IDs are identical on both. Clear on 3886, encrypted on 3688.

 

[Awesomeman92]

I'm seeing a Motorola tech on OLREC 1 along with an Alsip PD radio, both encrypted. Looks like they're still mainly using 4, but I think its safe to assume they're making the switch to secure. I remember McHenry County did the same thing when they went encrypted, they used their secure alternate until the main was reprogrammed as secure.

 

[Elpato]

The short answer: save your money.

There are only a handful of PDs that aren't encrypted (Gurnee, Barrington off the top of my head, Round Lake Beach and anyone CENCOM may not be but I can't remember for sure), most of the big ones are and anyone on StarCom is guaranteed encrypted.

Was traveling across the cheddar curtain Monday, Gurnee (33322) is encrypted.

 

[Awesomeman92]

Was traveling across the cheddar curtain Monday, Gurnee (33322) is encrypted.

You are correct, good catch. Switch happened sometime in the last couple months. https://www.gurnee.il.us/docs/defau...1/2021-07-12_vb_minutes.pdf?sfvrsn=17554eb1_2

 

[kevino]

Was traveling across the cheddar curtain Monday, Gurnee (33322) is encrypted.

Database updated, thanks for the report, Elpato!

 

[empired987]

Just a bit of general findings here, hearing normal Douglas County traffic off of the Pesotum site on 5931. I did have about 6 transmissions from a single unit (RID 469115) on TG's 5944, and 5932 (mainly 5944). That Radio ID is associated with Douglas County's 5931. Unsure if these are errors or not, but I had 5 on the same TG so I'm not sure. Another note is that I'm only hearing that one Radio ID, and one voice.

These aren't listed on the unknown talkgroups. Anyone know anything?

 

[empired987]

After a bit more listening, more traffic on 5932, by a different douglas county unit (469113), still unsure of the usage. Channel 2 maybe?

 

[kevino]

After a bit more listening, more traffic on 5932, by a different douglas county unit (469113), still unsure of the usage. Channel 2 maybe?

Thanks for sharing this information! I've added talkgroups 5932 and 5944 to the Radio Reference STARCOM21 database page as Douglas County "Emergency Ops" talkgroups. If you're able to determine names for either one of these (or whatever other new talkgroups you may come across), please submit the information to the Radio Reference database.

 

[FFPM571]

And for the record.. Cencom PD's are still VHF Conventional clear..

 

[ILjim]

You are correct, good catch. Switch happened sometime in the last couple months. https://www.gurnee.il.us/docs/defau...1/2021-07-12_vb_minutes.pdf?sfvrsn=17554eb1_2

I noticed while reading the doc that Zion Police got switched to StarCom21...

 

[werinshades]

You can add Oak Lawn Central to the "big E" list. Switched back to the primary OLREC-1 this morning, and seeing encrypted traffic.

 

[ILjim]

You can add Oak Lawn Central to the "big E" list. Switched back to the primary OLREC-1 this morning, and seeing encrypted traffic.

Yup, can confirm this. It's showing "ENCRY" on my SDS100...

 

[Eric_dsm]

Tazewell County will transition to Starcom21 by next summer:

A new radio system is coming to Tazewell County fire and police departments

With Tazewell County's radio system at the end of its life, county police and fire departments are switching to Starcom21.

www.pekintimes.com

 

[kevino]

Hearing Sauk Village PD (Cook County) dispatch comms on STARCOM21 talkgroup 34860. Dispatch RID 186031 (Markham PD?). Officer RIDs (100028xx) previously observed with key-ups on TGs 34860 and 34861.

 

[Awesomeman92]

Seeing more and more activity on the 35xxx series talkgroups. 35120 had many (encrypted) voice calls yesterday, phase II, from radio ID's 10005619, 10005637, and 10005705. Unitrunker caught new affiliations yesterday on 35120, 35121, 35124, 35125, 35126, 35127, 35129, and 35130 (this all was caught off site 149). One of these radios affiliated with the MCD PD talkgroups, making me wonder if this is NORCOMM. Going back on OpenMHz, 35130 was heard with a few radios-10005615, 10005616, and 10005619-in the clear IDing as "Fire Main" but not sure from where. Given that it was seen on both site 149 and 102, NORCOMM is a very good guess with Rosemont being a close 2nd.

 

[werinshades]

Going back on OpenMHz, 35130 was heard with a few radios-10005615, 10005616, and 10005619-in the clear IDing as "Fire Main" but not sure from where. Given that it was seen on both site 149 and 102, NORCOMM is a very good guess with Rosemont being a close 2nd.

Also heard on Site 1-001. "Fire Main testing from the 6th floor of the Westin". Westin-O'Hare in Rosemont perhaps

 

[kevino]

TE="werinshades, post: 3570112, member: 794"]
Also heard on Site 1-001. "Fire Main testing from the 6th floor of the Westin". Westin-O'Hare in Rosemont perhaps
[/QUOTE]
Rosemont was heard with coverage testing on a Motorola TG (I believe) a few months ago, FWIW.

 

[werinshades]

TE="werinshades, post: 3570112, member: 794"]
Also heard on Site 1-001. "Fire Main testing from the 6th floor of the Westin". Westin-O'Hare in Rosemont perhaps

Rosemont was heard with coverage testing on a Motorola TG (I believe) a few months ago, FWIW.
[/QUOTE]

Do they self-dispatch or is it done by Norcom?