Texas DPS hop-around...

[Myles]

State Parks

N5DY wrote

"There are also some repeaters on 151.295/159.45 and I never figured out what they are used for. "

They use that repeater at the San Jacinto State Park near the Houston ship channel for ground operations relating to the Monument and Battleship Texas. Not very exciting. PL tone 97.4 Hz.
Don't know what channel they call it.

They also use 151.340 simplex.

 

[texasemt13]

Boulder,
Thanks for finding that map, I had never seen that one. It's interesting that 95% of the P&WD traffic I hear is 51XX units calling in to Austin (rather than San Antonio).

 

[Boulder]

Boulder,
Thanks for finding that map, I had never seen that one. It's interesting that 95% of the P&WD traffic I hear is 51XX units calling in to Austin (rather than San Antonio).

Just found that map with google after reading the post about the unit IDs with the district as one of the numbers and that map sure has helped me map out the units I hear up here.

with the 51xx IDs then the towers in Region 5 Dist. 1 are these: KDN437, KBF545, WNPZ497, KDN514. Not sure if San Antonio has a communications center or not. I know Houston seem to be the ones the units up this way call into from region 8, but I know there is one in Austin too.

Also you might want to check out this from the DB listing the tower locations broke down by county. I plotted the towers closest to me using google earth then used the locations I was hearing the find out the tower they were on.

 

[SCPD]

And I did hear TABC this morning on DALLAS (156.0600 PL: 136.5) Checking 10-41, 10-8. Didn't catch his call, but he did call Dallas and Dallas replied. And the "Task Force" is working Hopkins Co. this week so I keep hearing R10X units checking 41 & 42 on DPS S. Springs & Paris Repeaters. Great maps. thanks.

 

[Boulder]

And the "Task Force" is working Hopkins Co. this week so I keep hearing R10X units checking 41 & 42 on DPS S. Springs & Paris Repeaters. Great maps. thanks.

Max I've heard R105 on Sul. Springs DPS several times before but have only heard it checking 42 in the evenings I hear it, but never hear any traffic from it any other time. Have heard the unit on one of the other towers as I could just hear the dispatcher acknowledge them.

A "task force" worked in Wood/Franklin county around Winnsboro several months ago. About seven DPS troopers with one CVE trooper were here. They were stopping anything they could get a hold of, but luckily I wasn't one of them.

 

[texasemt13]

Got to listen to two awesome DPS 10-80s yesterday.

As for the RXXXs have ya'll only heard 1XX unit numbers. I've heard about 5-6 3 digit units in the low 100s, but they never have identified with an R1XX. It always just something like:

Trooper: "1XX to San Antonio, 10-42."
San Antonio "San Antonio to 1XX, 10-4, KKI413."

Can say I've never heard the "R."

My other question still stands- Has anyone heard the "Paul" identifier I mentioned in post # 16.

 

[Boulder]

As for the RXXXs have ya'll only heard 1XX unit numbers. I've heard about 5-6 3 digit units in the low 100s, but they never have identified with an R1XX. It always just something like:

Trooper: "1XX to San Antonio, 10-42."
San Antonio "San Antonio to 1XX, 10-4, KKI413."

Can say I've never heard the "R."

The times I have heard the unit it Identified itself and was identified by the dispatcher as Robert 105. According to the DPS file ID list it's a radio tech RNxx (the N is the region), but with not hearing any other traffic I can't really say if it is or not.

An example of would be:

unit: Robert 105 Sulphur Springs 10-42
dispatch: Robert 105 received, KJW750

I've heard the DPS Helos being ID'd as low 1xx. The ones I've heard up this way during situations have been 101 and 106. Was real close (like just right on the edge of town close) to a manhunt not more than just a few miles from my house one night with a DPS helo 106 over the location. If I remember right I believe they said they had launched it from Waco. One day during the skip I heard 100 I believe going through Austin DPS talking about reports of another helo in south Austin or something like that...Sulphur Springs kept cutting it off a couple of times.

I found this about the air division of DPS

 

[SCPD]

The times I have heard the unit it Identified itself and was identified by the dispatcher as Robert 105. According to the DPS file ID list it's a radio tech RNxx (the N is the region), but with not hearing any other traffic I can't really say if it is or not.

An example of would be:

unit: Robert 105 Sulphur Springs 10-42
dispatch: Robert 105 received, KJW750

I've heard the DPS Helos being ID'd as low 1xx. The ones I've heard up this way during situations have been 101 and 106. Was real close (like just right on the edge of town close) to a manhunt not more than just a few miles from my house one night with a DPS helo 106 over the location. If I remember right I believe they said they had launched it from Waco. One day during the skip I heard 100 I believe going through Austin DPS talking about reports of another helo in south Austin or something like that...Sulphur Springs kept cutting it off a couple of times.

I found this about the air division of DPS

That's her. R105 and it's a SHE or a HE with a REAL cute voice! I heard her Check 41 this morning and the Task Force seems to be CVE geared As they have been doing some serious jacking of Commercial rigs. I have not heard the Tech Call sign, but I have heard several 1XX calls which seem to be talking about Radio and Computer systems and More commonly on 159.2100/159.2175 TLE Repeaters.

 

[texasemt13]

I've never been able to glean any clues from the 1XXs I've heard... and i can say I've never heard the "Robert1XXX."

By reading various articles across "the internets," I've found various DPS air assets, keeping track of their "N-numbers." The only DPS air asset I have heard is DPS 100 out of Austin, helping San Marcos PD with a stolen vehicle. He was patched to the SMPD Disp LCRA talkgroup, to coordinate the ground search effort. Never found him though.

Also got to listen to the Capital DPS today- it seems that many of the troopers around the region get to assist with Capital operations. I was hearing some 32XXs working- check on that one, and many 72XXs. The Capital "Security" was identifying as "S2XX." Not Sam, but "S." Never heard that.

Thanks for the help again guys...

 

[SCPD]

I've never been able to glean any clues from the 1XXs I've heard... and i can say I've never heard the "Robert1XXX."

By reading various articles across "the internets," I've found various DPS air assets, keeping track of their "N-numbers." The only DPS air asset I have heard is DPS 100 out of Austin, helping San Marcos PD with a stolen vehicle. He was patched to the SMPD Disp LCRA talkgroup, to coordinate the ground search effort. Never found him though.

Also got to listen to the Capital DPS today- it seems that many of the troopers around the region get to assist with Capital operations. I was hearing some 32XXs working- check on that one, and many 72XXs. The Capital "Security" was identifying as "S2XX." Not Sam, but "S." Never heard that.

Thanks for the help again guys...

Not even Sierra? Just simply "S"? We have DPS 101 and 102 up here, 101 is common for the Dallas Area. I think DPS-102 is in S.Springs.

 

[mfn002]

The DPS Bryan helicopter here is referred to as "Bryan 100".

 

[texasemt13]

The one time I was hearing the helo it was identified as "DPS 100." By googling "Texas DPS helicopter" you can get millions of results and find many pictures and many articles. Also, for an in depth look at many different aspects of DPS just search for the "DPS Annual Report." I was finding them from the early 2000s until present. They are lengthy but definitely worth it.

Boulder thanks for that DPS Aviation link, I hadn't seen it. Just when you think you've searched the internets over for all the clues, a new one is often right under your nose.

As for the "Capital Security" callsign, it was nothing other than "S," the 19th letter of the alphabet. Not Sam, Sierra, Sally or Sue, just "S." All were low "S200s." Other than that I was hearing all sorts of DPS units working Capital detail. I was hearing all sorts of 3XXXs and 6XXXs. I wonder if anyone within driving distance can pickup extra shifts there?

 

[motorola_otaku]

There is a whole 'nother dimension to this that you guys are missing out on by using scanners for your DPS monitoring, and that is individual radio IDs.

Radios operating in conventional P25 mode continuously transmit a numeric ID along with the voice signal, similar to trunking radios, and a commercial P25 radio with "digital ID display" can decode and display these IDs while the radio user is talking. The vast majority of DPS mobiles transmit IDs in the 4xxxxx - 7xxxxx range, and most of the base stations transmit an ID of 1, while some others (like DPS Conroe) use 5. But every once in a while, an odd-numbered ID will pop up. I've seen 101 and 102, which I guess now are helicopters, and one guy (usually operating in Galveston County with DPS Texas City) around here shows 555555.

 

[SCPD]

There is a whole 'nother dimension to this that you guys are missing out on by using scanners for your DPS monitoring, and that is individual radio IDs.

Radios operating in conventional P25 mode continuously transmit a numeric ID along with the voice signal, similar to trunking radios, and a commercial P25 radio with "digital ID display" can decode and display these IDs while the radio user is talking. The vast majority of DPS mobiles transmit IDs in the 4xxxxx - 7xxxxx range, and most of the base stations transmit an ID of 1, while some others (like DPS Conroe) use 5. But every once in a while, an odd-numbered ID will pop up. I've seen 101 and 102, which I guess now are helicopters, and one guy (usually operating in Galveston County with DPS Texas City) around here shows 555555.

VERY GOOD POINT!

And people like myself who use digital conventional radio for work but the agency was too cheap to use Caller ID on the radio's, we over looked that. Excellent contribution to the thread, motorola_otaku.

 

[texasemt13]

I actually use radioIDs on my 500 and nothing will appear on the the conventional Repeater 21.
I was under the impression that there was no need for that information to be sent over a conventional frequency (or for that matter, no way to...- but what do I know)...

RadioIDs will only appear when the trooper switches over to a talkgroup (and I've only experienced this on the LCRA talkgroups). The numbers I have been logging are 107XXs and 108XXs. During a stolen vehicle chase recently I got the helo "DPS 100" as 10476.

If anyone is in Austin with radioID capability I'd love to compare the ids you are getting with what I am getting off the LCRA system- enough of these guys get on both...

editotaku- I see now you're saying on a commercial P25 radio, not a scanner. That would be the way to go there...

 

[davidbond21]

The RadioID display on the PSR-500 is only for trunking LID's, and though for a while I always figured that P25 conventional ought to be able to transmit a radio ID similar to MDC, I haven't really heard anyone confirm this before. Here in the future when I start looking for an actual P25 radio, I'm going to make to sure to look for this feature.

And texasemt13, because we were having this conversation the other day, here are the acceptable ranges of LIDs for various trunking formats, maybe this will help you out:

EDACS: 1-16382
EDACS IP: 1-1048575
Project 25: 1-9999999

 

[wylie_k]

As for your question about the Rangers, they use the DPS radio system, but I have a friend who is a ranger and the radio is usually turned off in his car. They use cell phones for everything. They work very independant. His call sign is 3 numbers. He told me that some small counties use DPS radio for license checks and so forth, because they don't have dispatch after hours. TABC does have a channel, but I don't think they have a dispatch. They usually use another agency, local, county, or school, dispatch for their computer information.

 

[motorola_otaku]

The RadioID display on the PSR-500 is only for trunking LID's, and though for a while I always figured that P25 conventional ought to be able to transmit a radio ID similar to MDC, I haven't really heard anyone confirm this before. Here in the future when I start looking for an actual P25 radio, I'm going to make to sure to look for this feature.

Transmitting an ID is standard in all P25 radios. Displaying a received radio's ID, otoh, requires a flash option, at least in the Motorola line. Also, the ID is embedded in the data stream, so if you jump into a conversation mid-transmission the ID will still pop up.

 

[texasemt13]

Man I'm getting some awesome skip from across Texas this morning. While in San Marcos I was getting Laredo and Texas City beautifully. Now that I'm in San Antonio I'm getting Corpus Christi and McAllen awesome.

 

[davidbond21]

Transmitting an ID is standard in all P25 radios. Displaying a received radio's ID, otoh, requires a flash option, at least in the Motorola line. Also, the ID is embedded in the data stream, so if you jump into a conversation mid-transmission the ID will still pop up.

I've recently been able to get my paws on a P25 radio and have been able to see this for myself. Pretty neat.

Does this allow for a system administrator to set a digital repeater to only pass authorized users traffic, sort of like on a trunking system where you must have a valid LID to transmit?