Unidentified AIRS TG in Baldwin County

[KV4PM]

This morning I heard some traffic on TG 22585 that sounded like an LEA. I see no listing in the RRDB for this TG and the only reference I have found on this forum suggests that it was associated with Medstar. For reasons I can't recall, I had it in my settings as "Unknown EMS." Can those of you down here in LA sell me an opinion?

 

[mike36507]

I believe I have picked that up before and someone called it Special Event. So I'm thinking maybe Fairhope PD Special Events channel

 

[mike36507]

Here is a link to a recorded audio file from that TG This was on 5-18-23

 

[KV4PM]

I listened more and played back a ProScan recording and I did hear a unit calling Fairhope. Why FPD was using this TG I have no idea but there isn't a lot of activity on it, and what I did hear were only traffic stops. I miss those bygone days when Fairhope was a small, quite town and the PD was on the clear on VHF .

 

[mike36507]

Well if you notice the numbering of the TGs, the 58 is for Fairhope and the TGs that start with 22 tend to be police and fire TGs usually begin with 20. 20581 is their fire channel and 22581 is their police channel. Also works on other cities, like Loxley PD is 22601, the 60 is their fire station number. They only use it for special occassions like parades and other events where they would need to use a separate channel to not tie up their primary channel.

 

[KV4PM]

Thanks for the info, mate. On a somewhat related note, Atmore PD is coming in loud and clear on the AIRS Fairhope site. I had heard they were going to do the big "E" but they are in the clear for now. This may be old news, but I tend to listen more to the Foley-Robertsdale-Bay Minette-Daphne Nexedge system.

 

[TomServo]

Thanks for the info, mate. On a somewhat related note, Atmore PD is coming in loud and clear on the AIRS Fairhope site. I had heard they were going to do the big "E" but they are in the clear for now. This may be old news, but I tend to listen more to the Foley-Robertsdale-Bay Minette-Daphne Nexedge system.

What all can you hear on that system? I listened to it many years ago with an SDR but quit when it seemed like everyone suddenly went encrypted.

 

[sadave]

Here is a link to a recorded audio file from that TG This was on 5-18-23

Good morning!

Great catch on the channel name. I also heard the traffic on 5/18 which was related to an Ironman race in Fairhope. With the conclusion of Hangout Fest, I submitted a number of updated talkgroups to RRDB and they have just been published on the AIRS page. I named 22585 "Channel 4" but will send in a correction to name it Special Events. If you are aware of better channel names for those recently added, shoot me a message and I will send an update for all of them.

I also submitted some updates to RRDB for talkgroups on the Nexedge system which have been published on that page.

This weekend down at the beach, BC Fire 5 (AIRS 20195) is the operational channel for the ALEA helicopter (Air 1) staffed with rescue swimmers from Orange Beach and Gulf Shores FDs. They've already been heard in action.

Shep

 

[KV4PM]

What all can you hear on that system? I listened to it many years ago with an SDR but quit when it seemed like everyone suddenly went encrypted.

Bay Minette PD is in the clear, Foley dispatch is clear but mobile units are not, which I have no qualms about. Robertsdale is clear but Daphne is totally the big E.

The only sites I can get with any reliability are Magnolia Springs and Daphne. Sometimes I suspect conditions are such that Bay Minette isn't hitting either of them so at times I do not receive them.

One of these days I'm going to figure out why I can't get any traffic from the Spanish Fort Nexedge site. If I ride up the road a short distance with my old IC-R6, I can clearly hear the CC but can't decode anything at my QTH, either with my AirSpy w/ DSDPlus or my SDS200.

 

[KV4PM]

This weekend down at the beach, BC Fire 5 (AIRS 20195) is the operational channel for the ALEA helicopter (Air 1) staffed with rescue swimmers from Orange Beach and Gulf Shores FDs. They've already been heard in action.

Shep

Thanks, mate. I did not have TG 20195 in my SDS200, so I shall add that one.

I find it somewhat ironic that amongst complaints about encryption (including my own), sometimes it seems that there is almost too much to listen to around here.

 

[sadave]

What all can you hear on that system? I listened to it many years ago with an SDR but quit when it seemed like everyone suddenly went encrypted.

There is actually quite a lot to hear on AIRS in Baldwin County (and even some multi-cast fire departments on VHF). All the police departments on the Eastern Shore (Fairhope, Daphne (on NXDN), and Spanish Fort) as well as the Sheriff's Office are encrypted on their own talkgroups but may still be heard on mutual aid TGs. Unencrypted police departments on AIRS include Orange Beach, Summerdale, Elberta, Silverhill, and Loxley. Gulf Shores is encrypted on AIRS. All the fire departments, EMS units, lifeguards, and medical helicopters on AIRS in the area are not encrypted. It can be too much to listen to sometimes.

As noted by KV4PM, there is lots to be heard on the NXDN system. I tend to receive Bay Minette PD all the time in Foley on the Foley, Magnolia Springs, and Robertsdale sites due to a number of officers (with take home cruisers) living in the area.

We get Atmore PD and Poarch PD (in Escambia County) occasionally but only when one of their radios affiliates with a nearby site. For them to be heard on the Fairhope site, I suspect someone brought their radio with them on vacation. (Hint: That's why I typically keep my scanners on ID Search to grab some interesting traffic during the tourist season.) The Escambia County agencies can be routinely heard on Rabun, Bay Minette, and Uriah if you're close enough.

Shep

 

[KV4PM]

We get Atmore PD and Poarch PD (in Escambia County) occasionally but only when one of their radios affiliates with a nearby site. For them to be heard on the Fairhope site, I suspect someone brought their radio with them on vacation.

Hmmm, so a portable or mobile unit has to be within range a certain site to link their system to it? Didn't know that but it makes sense. I sometimes get Atmore EMS Medstar calls on the Fairhope tower but never got the PD until yesterday, but I also didn't have the TG entered until then. I do a search vice scan at times but not on a regular basis. I have also cut down on the number of AIRS sites I monitor, just listening to Fairhope, Orange Beach, and Spanish Fort, figuring such sites as Magnolia Springs and Robertsdale would pick up pretty much the same traffic.

 

[KV4PM]

It appears that the Fairhope PD is using 22585 as a secondary frequency; I've only heard a few traffic stops so far.

 

[sadave]

Hmmm, so a portable or mobile unit has to be within range a certain site to link their system to it? Didn't know that but it makes sense. I sometimes get Atmore EMS Medstar calls on the Fairhope tower but never got the PD until yesterday, but I also didn't have the TG entered until then. I do a search vice scan at times but not on a regular basis. I have also cut down on the number of AIRS sites I monitor, just listening to Fairhope, Orange Beach, and Spanish Fort, figuring such sites as Magnolia Springs and Robertsdale would pick up pretty much the same traffic.

That is correct. Here's a couple of Location tricks to try with your SDS200. Remember, Location settings apply to the physical location of your scanner (GPS coordinates or Zip Code) as well as the GPS coordinates of the site and the GPS location of the department listed in the RRDB - all of which can limit your actual reception. I have a favorites list called AIRS Statewide which I update every time there are updates to the RRDB and use it on my SDS200 at home and BCD436HP on the road.

First, try setting your AIRS Statewide location to "No." This will cause every AIRS site to be searched even if outside any functional reception range and is very slow but will display the TG information found in the RRDB received on a site within range of your location. Of course this only works when a radio from a far away department affiliates with a site near you. The process can be speeded up significantly if you manually "Avoid" all those sites not within range of your scanner. I also have ID Search on.

Second, try setting your AIRS Statewide location to "Yes." This will limit reception to those sites and departments (based upon their GPS coordinates in the RRDB) within range of the physical location of your scanner (GPS coordinates or Zip Code). Department data will be displayed as found in the RRDB but any radios from departments outside your location settings which affiliate with your nearby sites will appear as "Unknown Talkgroup" (with ID Search on.) For any Unknown Talkgroups appearing using this technique, refer to the RRDB to determine they are truly unknown or merely from a previously identified talkgroup outside your location settings.

From your location in Fairhope, you might also consider adding the sites in Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan. Both are relatively new.

Shep

 

[KV4PM]

I have a 700/800 MHz Yagi aimed west and whilst it gets the OB site well off the back side, I have had no luck getting the two new ones. Mobile booms in and I often get traffic from Jackson County MS on their 800 MHz Motorola SmartZone system, though I listen to those only occasionally.