StarCom21 UID Question?

[K9JDN]

Please excuse me if this has already been answered. Can anyone explain why when I hear certain ISP cars in District 18 that sometimes their UID is i300xxxx and sometimes it's i310xxxx? Only one digit changes and I don't understand why it does. Is this because they may be mobile extending at times? (vs. just using the car's mobile unit directly?)

Any insight into this UID information will be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[N9JIG]

If the last 4 digits are common among the two ID's for the trooper then it is a pretty good bet that the two ID's are the portable and mobile.

If the trooper is using the portable in Mobile Extender mode then the UID that appears would be the mobile radio, not the HT.

If the trooper is using the portable directly on the system (not in Mobile Extender Mode) then the UID would be the portable's.

Some radio assignments were based on the Unit Number, especially in District 15. Remember though that as troopers get transferred from car to car the ID's will change. This means that if you see your favorite trooper with a specific ID every day then he suddenly changes for a few days and then reverts back to his usual ID, he probably took a pool car while his regular car was being repaired.

 

[K9JDN]

Rich - Indeed, the last four digits remain the same in the UID. It's the first three that change and I hear the trooper's ID whenever he calls the dispatcher, so I know it's the same car/trooper. I'm not so interested in whether it's the same person each time or not, as I am in identifying the car number.

This same scenario happens with my local sheriff's department. I hear them identify when calling, and sometimes their first three numbers are different, like i700xxxx or i710xxxx, where the last digits remain the same.

The mobile extending ability has to be the reason for the change in UIDs. By listening carefully, and visually checking the UID in the display, I can usually distinguish between their usage of the car radio or portable, thus allowing me to alpha-tag the UIDs correctly. Only problem is, I have two UIDs for every instance of an ISP car number (ie., car & portable). (It's really not that bad, I guess...)

Thanks so much for your reply and information. I've been learning a lot since I got my BCD996XT & 396XT. It confirms my thinking of what was going on with the different UIDs appearing.

 

[MikeyC]

Typically for ISP patrol units, the first digit indicates the "zone" (1 = north, 2 = middle, 3 = south) and the second digit indicates mobile vs. portable - 0 for mobile and 1 for portable. For example, 1004837 is 17-K9-1's mobile radio with 1104837 being the portable. The big exception is District 15. For them, the IDs are 15xxx with xxx being their unit number for mobiles and 16xxx for portables.

The ISP radio IDs remain relatively static since the radio is assigned to the car (which can be identified by the plates on the car) and the car is assigned to the trooper

 

[K9JDN]

Great information on the first two digits! That really helps explain the UIDs I'm seeing, since I am monitoring units in ISP districts 09, 11, 18, & 20 (UIDs in 2-central and 3-south). I alpha-tag my UIDs like; ISP D18-49, or ISP D11-K9-1, etc. It's fun to see who's working seat-belt or radar duty a few miles in front of you while traveling! HA!

 

[werinshades]

Here's a bit of information i've picked up. The last 4 numbers are their ID's..i'll assume Star numbers, so this should remain consistent. The latest recruits that came out Nov. 22nd, appear to have ID's or Star numbers in the 6100 Series. For example i1006134 is C-304, i1106134 is C-304 (District-Chicago). After their 90 days, their call sign will change, but their ID should remain the same. I would assume in your Districts you mentioned, they would be using call signs 18-1xx,9-1xx , 10-1xx to identify the recruits.

 

[ChargerSRT8]

I could see a use for the Uniden's accepting wildcard characters in the UIDs, if one wanted to use only one ID tag for mobiles and portables to save space. Also if one wanted to assign a single tag to a group of mobiles, say a fleet of city cars that rotate, having a different tag each shift. Just assign the whole fleet to something such as City Unit if they have consecutive UIDs.