Virginia state police richmond area

[beachpirate2]

I have programmed the Petersburg & Richmond sites of STARS into my scanner and I am receiving radio traffic from the Richmond area as well as allot of the Hampton Roads. I live in Colonial Heights and was wondering if there any other sites on STARS that I should program into the scanner that would help me pick up anymore areas of the state. I don't take my scanner with me it stays at the house. Thanks

 

[shumadine]

The way I understand it, if a trooper (or any other STARS user for that matter) based in another part of the state is here in Richmond on business and leaves his radio on, that radio will "affiliate" with the Richmond tower. That will then let you hear traffic from his district over the Richmond control channels.

So programming in more control channels won't help b/c you wouldn't pick them up anyway. But if you program in lots more talk groups, then you "may" have the opportunity to hear more traffic if an out of town STARS user is affiliating with one of the Richmond towers.

The Game & Inland Fisheries talk groups will have interesting traffic. So will the first few TGs in the Dept of Emergency Mgmt. (like 2407) and some of the Mutual Aid talk groups (like 6122-6127) Let us know what you hear.

 

[c5corvette]

The way I understand it, if a trooper (or any other STARS user for that matter) based in another part of the state is here in Richmond on business and leaves his radio on, that radio will "affiliate" with the Richmond tower. That will then let you hear traffic from his district over the Richmond control channels.

FYI... Effective Feb 28, 2011 - it no longer works that way. Due to the number of visiting Troopers to SPHQ that were doing this, they created a lot of system busys and a serious capacity issue. Now, each divisional TG is only operational within the geographic area of the division and within partial areas of each adjacent division.

 

[beachpirate2]

Thanks for the information carolinatoughguy & c5corvette. Can either you explain why I can pick up the Hampton Roads area here in Colonial Heights and if I still will be able to pick that area up after Feb 28. Thanks

 

[tglendye]

The answer to part of your question is there is a more than likely a trooper assigned to the Chesapeake Division that his his/her radio affiliated to a tower in the Richmond Division. It may be the tower with the CC your radio is monitoring or another tower linked to "yours" through the STARS system. I think that's close to being right, anyway. I don't have the technical background.

I don't know what you will hear after the 28th... that's good information, thanks c5. I wondered how the STARS could succeed with so few channels and almost an endless amount of activity from potentially anywhere in the Commonwealth.

Also, without knowing exactly what scanner you have, having more CC's may not make any difference if you leave it stationary. I don't know a lot about the Unidens. But the GRE's and Radio Shack's "lock" onto one CC (let's say the one w/ the best signal) at a time per scanlist. If you do have a GRE or RS, you can add more scanlists and put a tower in Richmond Div in one scanlist and the closest in the Chesapeake Div. in another scanlist. Be sure to add the TG's to both scanlists. You should be able to receive both that way.

 

[Jim41]

Thanks for the information carolinatoughguy & c5corvette. Can either you explain why I can pick up the Hampton Roads area here in Colonial Heights and if I still will be able to pick that area up after Feb 28. Thanks

c5corvette noted Feb 28, 2011, (NOT 2012) in his post. Don't know whether it was a typo.

Petersburg (Site 102) is listed by Pro96Com as an adjacent site to Hampton (along with other Division 5 sites). I suspect that Petersburg is considered part of Division 5 and that Chesapeake traffic is broadcast from Petersburg with some regularity.

Anyone in the Petersburg area that can run Pro96Com on Petersburg and provide a list of the adjacent sites?

Are you monitoring the Richmond Site or the Petersburg site?

Jim41

 

[MOTORHEAD3902]

Petersburg is a designated Div 1 site.

Also, keep an eye (ear?) out for the Waverly site, which is being brought back up as a voice site, having been data/MW only for the past few years. It will carry, as I understand, Div 5 and Div 1 traffic.

 

[c5corvette]

c5corvette noted Feb 28, 2011, (NOT 2012) in his post. Don't know whether it was a typo.

The memo was dated Feb 28, 2011 - not a typo.

 

[tojohnso]

I've got all the state police talk groups programmed in my 106 and have heard locations other than Chesapeake (I'm in Va Beach) since Feb 28th of last year. Mainly Richmond.

 

[c5corvette]

I've got all the state police talk groups programmed in my 106 and have heard locations other than Chesapeake (I'm in Va Beach) since Feb 28th of last year. Mainly Richmond.

That would explain the part that says "and within partial areas of each adjacent division" - Richmond being adjacent to Chesapeake.

 

[W4UVV]

Petersburg STARS Site

c5corvette noted Feb 28, 2011, (NOT 2012) in his post. Don't know whether it was a typo.

Petersburg (Site 102) is listed by Pro96Com as an adjacent site to Hampton (along with other Division 5 sites). I suspect that Petersburg is considered part of Division 5 and that Chesapeake traffic is broadcast from Petersburg with some regularity.

Anyone in the Petersburg area that can run Pro96Com on Petersburg and provide a list of the adjacent sites?

Are you monitoring the Richmond Site or the Petersburg site?

Jim41

The VSP Div 5/Div 1 operational dividing line is at the south side of Petersburg....sort of. Petersburg is in Div 1 but Prince George Co. adjacent to east of Petersburg is in Div 5. Geographically Prince George Co. relatively is just as close to Richmond as Petersburg and certainly not closer to Tidewater approximately 60-70 miles away. But the dividing line was not done that way.

Petersburg and other selected Div 1 sites additionally relay only Div 5 dispatch traffic from their Richmond site affiliations. Div 5 Tac comms are not relayed via Richmond. I can confirm that as I also receive the Div 5 Emporia and Franklin STARS sites. As previously posted these Div 5 comms most likely are to provide better coverage in the northern portion of Div 5.

Attached is a Pro96com screen capture taken a few minutes ago of the Petersburg STARS site information.

Adjacent site affiliations are:

101-Richmond
105-Rumford
111-Hampton
112-Williamsburg
115-Emporia
116-Franklin
128-Waverly
203-Leigh Mtn.
204-South Hill
207-Cumberland

Notice the "Failed, Current" status for site 128-Waverly. Actions have been underway for the past 6-8 months if not earlier to configure Waverly to an active STARS repeater site vice being a PTP relay site. The second tower has been installed for over a year. The last time I passed the Waverly STARS site a month ago I did not notice any new antenna configurations. Why the delay is puzzling. Any equipment issue should have been resolved by now.

When the STARS sites were being configured 7-8 years ago and Waverly designated only as a microwave relay site, it was a surprise to many area monitors and defied common sense as previously Waverly was a main Div 5 VSP analog site.

So far nothing heard from Waverly...no cc testing on 152.7125 mhz....nothing. When operational I should receive it about S30+.

The callsign WQFV371 is incomplete as it lists only 3 of the 7 voice repeater frequencies used at the Petersburg site.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

The VSP Div 5/Div 1 operational dividing line is at the south side of Petersburg....sort of. Petersburg is in Div 1 but Prince George Co. adjacent to east of Petersburg is in Div 5. Geographically Prince George Co. relatively is just as close to Richmond as Petersburg and certainly not closer to Tidewater approximately 60-70 miles away. But the dividing line was not done that way.

When was PG moved out of Division 1, Area 7 and to Division 5? PG was in Division 1 when I worked there, and still is according to the VSP website.

 

[Jim41]

The VSP Div 5/Div 1 operational dividing line is at the south side of Petersburg....sort of. Petersburg is in Div 1 but Prince George Co. adjacent to east of Petersburg is in Div 5. Geographically Prince George Co. relatively is just as close to Richmond as Petersburg and certainly not closer to Tidewater approximately 60-70 miles away. But the dividing line was not done that way.

Petersburg and other selected Div 1 sites additionally relay only Div 5 dispatch traffic from their Richmond site affiliations. Div 5 Tac comms are not relayed via Richmond. I can confirm that as I also receive the Div 5 Emporia and Franklin STARS sites. As previously posted these Div 5 comms most likely are to provide better coverage in the northern portion of Div 5.

Attached is a Pro96com screen capture taken a few minutes ago of the Petersburg STARS site information.

Adjacent site affiliations are:

101-Richmond
105-Rumford
111-Hampton
112-Williamsburg
115-Emporia
116-Franklin
128-Waverly
203-Leigh Mtn.
204-South Hill
207-Cumberland

Notice the "Failed, Current" status for site 128-Waverly. Actions have been underway for the past 6-8 months if not earlier to configure Waverly to an active STARS repeater site vice being a PTP relay site. The second tower has been installed for over a year. The last time I passed the Waverly STARS site a month ago I did not notice any new antenna configurations. Why the delay is puzzling. Any equipment issue should have been resolved by now.

When the STARS sites were being configured 7-8 years ago and Waverly designated only as a microwave relay site, it was a surprise to many area monitors and defied common sense as previously Waverly was a main Div 5 VSP analog site.

So far nothing heard from Waverly...no cc testing on 152.7125 mhz....nothing. When operational I should receive it about S30+.

The callsign WQFV371 is incomplete as it lists only 3 of the 7 voice repeater frequencies used at the Petersburg site.

Thanks for sharing the adjacent sites to Petersburg.

Do you hear much Division 5 traffic (Dispatch Talk Groups 49 and 51) on the Petersburg tower?

Jim41

 

[W4UVV]

PG County VSP Div 1

I have programmed the Petersburg & Richmond sites of STARS into my scanner and I am receiving radio traffic from the Richmond area as well as allot of the Hampton Roads. I live in Colonial Heights and was wondering if there any other sites on STARS that I should program into the scanner that would help me pick up anymore areas of the state. I don't take my scanner with me it stays at the house. Thanks

You are correct. Sorry I misread my VSP Divisions map. PG County is in Div 1 not Div 5.

 

[W4UVV]

I don't listen to Petersburg except when mobile out of range of Richmond. I monitor Richmond on my base station. I believe the Petersburg site is relaying Richmond Div 5 comms.

 

[seanshepard]

HELP in Richmond VA

Hi there,
I am VERY new to scanning ... I have what I think is a pretty cool scanner (uniden bct15x) sand software ... I have tried to program trunking groups from Chesterfield, Richmond, Midlothian and I am afraid I am doing something wrong, as I only seem to hear the "tracktor" sound on the freq ... I am not sure if I am doing it right. Is the Richmond area digital or analog?? This scanner is anolog trunking. Conventional freq's work just fine, but I want to use the trunking finction. Can anyone give me any help? Maybe a basic freq and 1 or 2 talkgroups that I could program just to test?? Any help would be AWSOME! fell free to email me.
seanshepard2000@yahoo.com

Sean Shepard
KJ4NLD

 

[gcgrotz]

High Sean, welcome to RR. Your answer lies in your post: "This scanner is analog trunking". You will need to obtain a digital capable scanner. Go back to the Forums Home page and read the sections on scanners. There are many good choices out there from Uniden and GRE/Radio Shack. The Shack frequently has sales on their models.

Read the scanner forums a bit and you will find that many others before you have asked "Which is the best scanner for me"?

 

[seanshepard]

ok cool .. for some reason I thought that richmond was still analog, but I do appreciate the help.

 

[shumadine]

Sean, welcome to the forum. I think you will find a good split in Richmond listeners between the Uniden models and the GRE/Radio Shack models like gcgrotz mentioned above. I've got a Radio Shack Pro-106 handheld which is perfect for this area. Plus there are several guys on here that emailed me their programming files from Don Starr's win500 software to get me started. That's what I would recommend. I saw a lot of Pro-106s on eBay last time I looked and if you can wait, they do have decent sales a few times a year at Radio Shack.