Texas Federal monitoring

[ecps92]

YMMV

Since the GRE can do Auto, I leave ALL of my entries that way, due to travel, and the use of Multiple Tones and NAC's in my area on the same frequency [New England].

I also allows for the one or two times an Analog user comes into the area, onto a network already converted to P25 [Customs is a good example]

Unless you have some real need to [Logging?] to put specific tones on channels, I would go with the Auto/Search mode

I am attempting to optimize my federal monitoring. I went into Win500 and changed all Federal agencies to show: Mode-auto; Squelch-search for my GRE PSR 500, conventional mode.

Today, a friend of mine indicated that 165.2375 was active in the Waco area, but he is sitting very close to the Federal building. Hopefully, I will be able to hear this frequency.

I would be interested in knowing if anyone else uses this method of auto and search for Federal monitoring. If not, why?

For instance, DEA uses a digital and analog mode for 418.625. If my radio hits the analog channel first, will it seek out the digital version on its own given the aforementioned settings?

 

[texasemt13]

I agree with Bill, since they're capable of the "Auto" feature, I leave 99% of my conventional objects programmed that way.

As Steve said, storing the tones negates the Search/Auto setting, so I leave all of mine unstored. After awhile it becomes natural seeing the same tones coming up for the same object, so when an off the wall tone (or the first digital transmission) pops up, you're ready for it and can easily spot it.

165.2375 MHz is both a simplex frequency and repeater output for CBP. In my experience, most major cities are set up with the "A2" repeater in Texas, and I bet Waco is not an exception (though it may not be used much). The 100.0 CTCSS is common. San Antonio has a lot of simplex traffic on "A1" through low power mobile operations and can be hit or miss. I'd bet most of the times they're using handhelds, because I only hear them for a mile or two with a handheld antenna at ground level and in my vehicle, the range wasn't that much better. Again, the 100.0 CT was constant. The only difference in the two signals was that the A2 repeater in San Antonio is a beast and offers great reception in my AO. The *kerchunk* of this machine is deafening. The simplex operations were fleeting conversation snippets when mobile, and obvious low power when they were near me (as confirmed by addresses).

 

[SCPD]

Getting garbled voice hits in north Austin on 409.95 P25 NAC 156 (likely encrypted).

 

[texasemt13]

Getting garbled voice hits in north Austin on 409.95 P25 NAC 156 (likely encrypted).

This has been identified as the DEA in the San Antonio area (and Houston I think). NAC matches the similar old CT tone of 156.7 Hz. I haven't personally heard encryption on this frequency yet (and come to think of it, I haven't heard it used since last August).

 

[rbarker]

409.95 it is DEA in Austin

It is DEA, I have heard them before and they we active last night using some encryption and some in the clear stuff. I heard them say sallyport in the clear once so i know they prob had someone they were taking in to the jail.

 

[Ensnared]

Waco Federal

I agree with Bill, since they're capable of the "Auto" feature, I leave 99% of my conventional objects programmed that way.

As Steve said, storing the tones negates the Search/Auto setting, so I leave all of mine unstored. After awhile it becomes natural seeing the same tones coming up for the same object, so when an off the wall tone (or the first digital transmission) pops up, you're ready for it and can easily spot it.

165.2375 MHz is both a simplex frequency and repeater output for CBP. In my experience, most major cities are set up with the "A2" repeater in Texas, and I bet Waco is not an exception (though it may not be used much). The 100.0 CTCSS is common. San Antonio has a lot of simplex traffic on "A1" through low power mobile operations and can be hit or miss. I'd bet most of the times they're using handhelds, because I only hear them for a mile or two with a handheld antenna at ground level and in my vehicle, the range wasn't that much better. Again, the 100.0 CT was constant. The only difference in the two signals was that the A2 repeater in San Antonio is a beast and offers great reception in my AO. The *kerchunk* of this machine is deafening. The simplex operations were fleeting conversation snippets when mobile, and obvious low power when they were near me (as confirmed by addresses).

In Waco, the USMS Fugitive Task Force uses TxWarn P25 "digital J" on a frequent basis. However, lately, 165.2375 is being used on a more frequent basis, with encryption. When they use this frequency, I am hearing one side of the conversation.

Overall, Waco Federal activity tends to use low power simplex.

 

[Ensnared]

Big Spring Federal Institution TG's

Recently, I changed the way I programmed the Federal Corrections Institution in Big Spring, Texas. I thought it was rather odd to hear very little radio traffic given the custody level there. Since I have worked in prisons, I know radio traffic is fairly frequent.

So, I loaded Wildcards into my PSR 500 & discovered several unlisted TG's. At present, the RR DB shows these two TG's, 16 & 208.

Here are the TG's with the associated hit counts during the course of several days in the attached PDF. I am including the two TG's listed to show the frequency of use for that recording period.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-XdyiJvLa1oTDQteTVzWEFTVFk

For those who wish to monitor this system, I suggest using all of the operating frequencies listed because the CC shown in the RR DB is incorrect or was not in use at the time. Also, I suggest using the Wildcard function for those who have GRE radios.

I also set my PSR 500 to show the CC during transmissions. I believe the CC I observed was 410.000.

When I attempted to use Unitrunker for further analysis, I discovered something unfamiliar to me. When I started Unitrunker, it showed the CC; however, the operating frequencies were in the 800 mhz range. If I were guessing, Unitrunker is not designed to analyze a federal system like this. The band plan might not be included. I may be wrong.

I will be returning to Big Spring in the very near future to continue my observations. Hopefully, I can shed additional light on the TG's in question. However, there may be listeners in Big Spring who might follow the aforementioned methods to monitor said system. It is also possible that some of these individuals might have worked at this facility.

When & if I have more detailed information, I will likely initiate a formal submission to RR.

 

[texasemt13]

... I suggest using all of the operating frequencies listed because the CC shown in the RR DB is incorrect or was not in use at the time.

I recommend that for every trunking system Ensnared, just because when living in San Marcos, the LCRA EDACS site there would switch its CC daily. So I had to program every channel to listen in. It made running UT for any length of time almost impossible, so I chose to always program every known channel and never perform "CC only trunking" on every trunked system I came across. I never get burned.

Also, I suggest using the Wildcard function for those who have GRE radios.

I usually leave one open on every trunking system I listen to, and I figured everyone did... how are you going to find new talkgroups if you don't have a wildcard on every system?

Back to the topic at hand, those correctional facilities (prisons, institutes and camps) are all fun to listen to. It'd be interesting to hear some lockdown or riot response recordings from one.

 

[Ensnared]

Wildcards

I recommend that for every trunking system Ensnared, just because when living in San Marcos, the LCRA EDACS site there would switch its CC daily. So I had to program every channel to listen in. It made running UT for any length of time almost impossible, so I chose to always program every known channel and never perform "CC only trunking" on every trunked system I came across. I never get burned.



I usually leave one open on every trunking system I listen to, and I figured everyone did... how are you going to find new talkgroups if you don't have a wildcard on every system?

Back to the topic at hand, those correctional facilities (prisons, institutes and camps) are all fun to listen to. It'd be interesting to hear some lockdown or riot response recordings from one.

I have a question. The annoying issue with Wildcard monitoring is the inability to lock out TG's of no interest to me. For instance, if I were to program Wildcards for the McClennan/Waco analog trunking system, I would be hearing TG's from PW, transit, etc. Is there a way to lock out unwanted Wildcards?

On the other hand, monitoring TxWarn P25 is an easier system to decode since there is limited activity. At present, Waco is using this system for mostly ETMC & PW. There is some activity on Waco PD, but it is very limited.

 

[Ensnared]

Wildcard L/O

I stand corrected. For some reason, I thought I could not lock out a particular Wildcard TG, but I was wrong. I found it on the soft key. So, I will now attempt to find one of the more elusive agencies. I might start loading this function for all TSYS I have entered.

 

[texasemt13]

Once you "store" a wildcard, that talkgroup receives a new object number, and it recreates the blank wildcard again. If you locked out the wildcard before it was stored, it is no longer searching for unknowns. If you locked it out after you stored it, you locked out the talkgroup and not the blank wildcard. Make sense?

That's why if it's an unknown, I'll store it immediately, and if I can tell it's boring, or a distant talkgroup from the same trunking system that is "randomly" affiliated to this site, I will lock it out then.