Understanding regional systems

[jcanupp]

I actually have two questions please:

1. Cobb County has a huge radio system. I live in Forsyth Co. Forsyth ties in with Cobb. If I tuned in an unencrypted talk group, say Paulding County, can I hear Paulding? In other words, is a talk group rebroadcast over the entire system?
2. On the database, there is an old VHF frequency of 154.335 PL 131.8 for fire dispatch. I know the DTS went encrypted, I'm just wondering if it still works? I don't own a scanner right now, that's why I ask.

 

[MTS2000des]

Cobb's system has multiple zones and is typical of how a multizone Astro 25 system is deployed. The core is shared. Talkgroups can be wide area or isolated to a single zone. Usually it means a subscriber requesting that talkgroup(s) needs to have affiliated outside their "home" zone, and their radio ID be provisioned to allow wide area use, then that talkgroup will have a presence on the remote zone(s). At that point, a scanner scanning the site will receive traffic on that particular talkgroup. When that user leaves the area, de-affiliates (changing channels, powering down the radio, or after a preset amount of time), that intra-zone traffic will cease outside the home zone to free up the RF resources on the remote sites.

As far as question 2, someone else more familiar with that can comment.

 

[jcanupp]

Got cha. Thank you for answering.