STARS and DOT units (highway safety patrol)

[freqhopping]

Anybody else notice how some DOT units don't display a radio ID? What's up with that? I would figure even if they were using some sort of non-STARS radio patched into the system there would at least be an RID for the transmitting console.

 

[Ghstwolf62]

For what's its worth on my 600 I have never received any Radio IDs at all. The closest and that very rarely is it displaying 0 for an ID.

Its all set correctly and does work on other TRS just not STARS.

Don't know if that helps or has anything to do with your issue though.

I only get RIDs off Pro96com otherwise I'd be SOL.

 

[billsblots]

STARS, SSP, DOT, Serco

Anybody else notice how some DOT units don't display a radio ID? What's up with that? I would figure even if they were using some sort of non-STARS radio patched into the system there would at least be an RID for the transmitting console.

Freq:
VDOT and the SSPs use standard STARS equipment, that is, Motorola XTL-5000 mobile, Futurecomm Digital Vehicle Repeater System, and XTS-5000 portable radio. Their talk groups are also set up the same as any other state agency talk group.

I didn't catch where you are listening. In northern Virginia the SSP normally take dispatch directly from the VSP on Fairfax 1 or Fairfax 2 Talk Groups. The northern Region Transportation Operations Center (RTOC) sits in the combined Fairfax/VSP/VDOT PSTOC in Fairfax but currently does not have access to STARS equipment. Ergo the SSP are defacto State Police assets.

In southwest RTOC in Salem, they have STARS control stations and directly dispatch the SSP vehicles on DOT Tac 2. It is one of the most active talk groups in the entire STARS system. Opposite to northern Virginia, the SSP operation has nothing directly to do with the VSP.

Northwest RTOC and SSP in Staunton has limited historical use of tactical radios but will be employing new Motorola APX radios on STARS in 2014.

Central Region and SSPs from Chester use the VDOT radio through repeater on 47.300. You can hear them using identifiers "downtown", "new kent", "295", etc.

Eastern Region and SSPs continue to use the DOT radio and monster repeater at Driver also on 47.300, but with a different CTCSS tone than Central Region. This is also quite busy with a good range.

NOTE: If you were not aware of it, all the Transportation TOC and SSP functions were contracted out to Serco, Inc., at the end of 2013. The contract calls for payment of some $60,000,000 a year from the COV to Serco. However, contractually DOT is on the hook to provide the radios and communications means for Serco. DOT has purchased some $320,000 worth of additional STARS radios to put in new Serco trucks in NOVA. Northwest Region DOT is trying to purchase some 15 systems worth about $240,000 to be placed in Serco trucks to perform the SSP mission. The TOC functions contracted out involve a lot more than SSP.

 

[CVASSB]

I heard some of the snow plow drivers on 47.28 when we had the snow last week. I could hear them pretty well actually.

 

[freqhopping]

What I just noticed now while listening to STARS and the patch on the Fairfax Co system is that when DOT units transmit, a few different RIDs show up on the Fairfax system but not on STARS. The RID for the dispatcher and troopers is always the same on the Fairfax system, it's the console ID.

Seems kind of like some of the DOT units are communicating with the Fairfax system which gets patched to STARs.

Dispatcher and trooper RID on Fairfax: 39500
DOT units RIDs that I've seen: 3200038, 3200045, 3134561 (just saw this one for the first time now)

 

[freqhopping]

Some more units communicating through the Fairfax system. RIDs don't show up on STARS.
DOT302 3200047
DOT517 3200063
DOT568 3200049
DOT552 3200036
DOT551 3200031

 

[dtscho]

I get radio IDs for the SSP trucks on the 436HP. They're usually 24xxx.

Dave

 

[brownlab]

Freq:
VDOT and the SSPs use standard STARS equipment, that is, Motorola XTL-5000 mobile, Futurecomm Digital Vehicle Repeater System, and XTS-5000 portable radio. Their talk groups are also set up the same as any other state agency talk group.

I didn't catch where you are listening. In northern Virginia the SSP normally take dispatch directly from the VSP on Fairfax 1 or Fairfax 2 Talk Groups. The northern Region Transportation Operations Center (RTOC) sits in the combined Fairfax/VSP/VDOT PSTOC in Fairfax but currently does not have access to STARS equipment. Ergo the SSP are defacto State Police assets.

In southwest RTOC in Salem, they have STARS control stations and directly dispatch the SSP vehicles on DOT Tac 2. It is one of the most active talk groups in the entire STARS system. Opposite to northern Virginia, the SSP operation has nothing directly to do with the VSP.

Northwest RTOC and SSP in Staunton has limited historical use of tactical radios but will be employing new Motorola APX radios on STARS in 2014.

Central Region and SSPs from Chester use the VDOT radio through repeater on 47.300. You can hear them using identifiers "downtown", "new kent", "295", etc.

Eastern Region and SSPs continue to use the DOT radio and monster repeater at Driver also on 47.300, but with a different CTCSS tone than Central Region. This is also quite busy with a good range.

NOTE: If you were not aware of it, all the Transportation TOC and SSP functions were contracted out to Serco, Inc., at the end of 2013. The contract calls for payment of some $60,000,000 a year from the COV to Serco. However, contractually DOT is on the hook to provide the radios and communications means for Serco. DOT has purchased some $320,000 worth of additional STARS radios to put in new Serco trucks in NOVA. Northwest Region DOT is trying to purchase some 15 systems worth about $240,000 to be placed in Serco trucks to perform the SSP mission. The TOC functions contracted out involve a lot more than SSP.

This just shows me again that STARS does not “work” the “same”
In different regions of the Commonwealth. This was an issues when we were discussing STARS reception and programing on the new Uniden 436. Thank you for your very interesting post.