Volusia County EDACS and P25 (00A.91F82)

[Aaron_0924]

I do not think there is enough voice traffic on the P25 system for it to be (currently) worthwhile to monitor. I could be wrong - I am not local to this system, but it seems that all the radio traffic on P25 is just ported over from the analog EDACS system --- meaning there are not currently P25 radios in the field.

however, for EDACS, you need to download Unitrunker, it will work with SDRs (Airspy and RTL-SDR) and track EDACS. Also, perhaps this is obvious, but analog EDACS scanners (used) are very cheap - and very effective at trunk-tracking this system. There is not enough digital traffic on the Volusia EDACS system to justify purchasing a ProVoice capable scanner - so any of the older Uniden scanners (analog) that can trunk-track will work fine until the switchover to P25 - no one seems to know the answer to "when" - my guess would be some time in 2024.

Thanks for the info. Ill try Unitrunker with my RTL-SDRs tonight and see if I can hear any Volusia traffic. If it works out maybe I'll pick up a Uniden for mobile. For a home base setup is there a specific antenna I should be using? Im assuming a 700-800 mhz one, but all i can find are tiny mobile ones.

 

[billy2047]

I've only logged talkgroups 301 and 104 monitoring holly hill P25 site during my stay there. You should be able to pick up TG 301 using SDR Trunk holding on TG 301.

For TG 104 (LE 4) it's a bit tricky due to the fact that they're utilizing simulselect patching several subgroups together into a supergroup 65XXX (e.g. TG 102 and 104 are patched into 65XXX supergroup), you will only hear TG 104 traffic if you hold SDR Trunk on the 65XXX supergroup, not TG 104. Keep in mind that those 65XXX supergroups are dynamically assigned, meaning they'll randomly changing from time to time throughout. The only time they seem to drop simulselect patching is during 10-33 in which central announces "emergency traffic" then the patches drop then you'd be able to monitoring each subgroup individually.

Coming from MOTO land, simulselect patching seems weird to me.

 

[seagravebuff60]

There hasnt been a single change to the P25 system in about a year.

 

[seagravebuff60]

Has anyone been actively searching for new P25 sites?

 

[bravo14]

Has anyone been actively searching for new P25 sites?

When I travel through I try to scan for new sites seems nothing new since Nov.

 

[seagravebuff60]

When I travel through I try to scan for new sites seems nothing new since Nov.

Ah ok. I haven't been down there in a while, but it seems like nothing new on the east side of Volusia.

Im not too sure about the layout of the New P25 System, but I expect it to be something similar to how the EDACS is set up.

 

[gulf155]

I know nothing about police scanners, so I apologize for the noob questions. You have to start somewhere. I'm interested in monitoring fire/ems/police traffic in New Smyrna Beach, southeast Volusia county.
Are the comm systems encrypted, or can I buy a radio to monitor this traffic?
If so, can someone recommend a radio that would work from my home (not vehicle).
Thanks in advance for any advice you can pass along.

 

[gulf155]

I know nothing about police scanners, so I apologize for the noob questions. You have to start somewhere. I'm interested in monitoring fire/ems/police traffic in New Smyrna Beach, southeast Volusia county.
Are the comm systems encrypted, or can I buy a radio to monitor this traffic?
If so, can someone recommend a radio that would work from my home (not vehicle).
Thanks in advance for any advice you can pass along.

To further clarify my questions above, I am not looking to find a radio for encrypted public safety channels, which I believe is illegal. I am wondering if it is worth buying something like a Uniden HomePatrol-1 or a similar scanner, or would I be buying a boat anchor if the public safety traffic in my area is all encrypted and not available for me to scan.
I did read some posts on this thread from May 2023, but apparently the situation is fluid, and I'm trying to find out how conditions are today for scanning public safety comms.
Again, thanks in advance for any advice you can pass along.

 

[Aaron_0924]

Having an issue. I was using unitrunker to monitor volusia edacs 199 for a couple weeks at the end of December but for the past 2 weeks i've been having issues decoding. The signal vfo never gets to 100%. It comes through for maybe 10 seconds at around -40 RSI and then jumps to -60 and the green decode drops out. i'm getting no voice traffic on VFO2 or call data either. just sporadic clear voice on the control - all 4 frequencies.

any ideas? also I may be able to help with P25 monitoring. but would need some coaching. i'm new to this but got 2 sdrs and a diamond discone in Debary.

 

[billy2047]

Having an issue. I was using unitrunker to monitor volusia edacs 199 for a couple weeks at the end of December but for the past 2 weeks i've been having issues decoding. The signal vfo never gets to 100%. It comes through for maybe 10 seconds at around -40 RSI and then jumps to -60 and the green decode drops out. i'm getting no voice traffic on VFO2 or call data either. just sporadic clear voice on the control - all 4 frequencies.

any ideas? also I may be able to help with P25 monitoring. but would need some coaching. i'm new to this but got 2 sdrs and a diamond discone in Debary.

I've had trouble trunk tracking some of the EDACS' LCNs during my stay there last month (which I posted about earlier). I think they did some system work sometime last year and some of the LCNs in the DB could be now out of order now, but I could be wrong. As for the P25 site (851.1), last I check back in december they were still utilizing simulselect patches over from EDACS

 

[seagravebuff60]

Does anyone have a sitemap of the EDACS System? I can't seem to find one in the database or wiki.

 

[batdude]

something has massively changed with this system .... bands are open a bit this AM


Site: 10.10

Channel 0-97: 855.2125 CC


Site: 40.40 NAC=028

Neighbor: 91F82.00A-10.10

Channel 0-29: 854.3625 SCC
Channel 0-117: 855.4625 SCC
Channel 0-181: 856.2625 SCC
Channel 0-199: 856.4875 SCC
Channel 0-235: 856.9375 SCC
Channel 0-239: 856.9875 CC
Channel 0-279: 857.4875 SCC
Channel 0-301: 857.7625 SCC
Channel 0-341: 858.2625 SCC
Channel 0-359: 858.4875 SCC
Channel 0-379: 858.7375 SCC
Channel 0-421: 859.2625 SCC
Channel 0-457: 859.7125 SCC
Channel 0-461: 859.7625 SCC
Channel 0-519: 860.4875 SCC
Channel 0-539: 860.7375 SCC

 

[gcopter1]

Having an issue. I was using unitrunker to monitor volusia edacs 199 for a couple weeks at the end of December but for the past 2 weeks i've been having issues decoding. The signal vfo never gets to 100%. It comes through for maybe 10 seconds at around -40 RSI and then jumps to -60 and the green decode drops out. i'm getting no voice traffic on VFO2 or call data either. just sporadic clear voice on the control - all 4 frequencies.

any ideas? also I may be able to help with P25 monitoring. but would need some coaching. i'm new to this but got 2 sdrs and a diamond discone in Debary.

FWIW, I'm in Orange county. When I had my SDS scanners, I used to be able to hear their EDACS system fairly well, with the aid of a Yagi and a pre amp.

Nowadays, I don't have the scanners and I'm using an RTL-SDR dongle with Unitrunker.

I am facing the same problems. Been running Unitrunker for the past 24 hours. I see lots of scrolling but only one of the frequencies is populated? If I recall correctly, previously, many months ago, when I ran Unitrunker on this system, everything just worked.

Unitrunker automatically filled up with all the frequencies of the system.

If I play enough with the squelch settings of Unitrunker, I do hear occasional voice traffic, unlike before when I would fairly consistently, heard voice, regardless of time of day.

As far as the P25 side of things, last weekend I drove across the county, from Seminole all the way east to Daytona.

I brought my Unication G4 programmed with both the Sanford and Holy Hill sites. Even then, traffic was very sporadic and I kept getting "Out of range" warnings in the Unication.

My question for the people living in Volusia, just how busy it is and or just how well the reception quality is?

 

[seagravebuff60]

My question for the people living in Volusia, just how busy it is and or just how well the reception quality is?

The P25 System is seldom used, and Eastside Fire TG 301 is sometimes active on the county's Eastside P25 site. I'm not sure about the Sanford Site.
The EDACS system is the primary system and is very active.

Remember that the P25 Sanford site is located on the Volusia/Seminole line but facing NE into Volusia. My signal diminishes at FL417 and I4, so im assuming Winter Park is a bit out of range.

 

[batdude]

For the record, it appears something has changed here. There current RR dB entry may not be true…. So cue up my post above.

 

[gcopter1]

The P25 System is seldom used, and Eastside Fire TG 301 is sometimes active on the county's Eastside P25 site. I'm not sure about the Sanford Site.
The EDACS system is the primary system and is very active.

Remember that the P25 Sanford site is located on the Volusia/Seminole line but facing NE into Volusia. My signal diminishes at FL417 and I4, so im assuming Winter Park is a bit out of range.

From home, with the scanners, I had the P25 system programmed with both sites. Even then, I would get full bars with one of the sites, can't recall which but no voice decode or talkgroups acquired. After awhile decided it was a lost cause.

Now, with the G4, I started driving from Winter Park to Daytona Beach thru Seminole (Google map route). Sometime midway thru the just over an hour long drive, I started hearing some voice traffic.


Leaving Daytona Beach back to Winter Park, I took a different route, can't recall what roads I used but I remember at one point driving past an Amazon warehouse.

Just before reaching the Amazon warehouse, I was hearing traffic about a car chase, pretty consistently.


Looks like I'm gonna have to get another scanner when travelling to Volusia or Brevard, thanks for your reply.

 

[mk262]

Just before reaching the Amazon warehouse, I was hearing traffic about a car chase, pretty consistently.

Are you sure this was actually broadcast on one of the p25 systems, not edacs?

 

[gcopter1]

Are you sure this was actually broadcast on one of the p25 systems, not edacs?

I was listening on the G4 but, don't quite remember if the voice was analog so, not sure if it was a patch or an actual digital talkgroup.

 

[JAWSxs]

I can agree with above! My analog (BCT15X) and digital (converted whistler 1080) scanners still work as normal. But I can't get Unitrunker 2.1 and sdr to work on the edacs system. It's been working fine for the last year. I only use the Volusia EDACS East system. However, I tried West, East, and Daytona on my sdr with unitrunker and nothing. When this would happen earlier in the year I would just find the new CC and all would be fine. Now, I can't hear anything.

 

[Bote]

I can agree with above! My analog (BCT15X) and digital (converted whistler 1080) scanners still work as normal. But I can't get Unitrunker 2.1 and sdr to work on the edacs system. It's been working fine for the last year. I only use the Volusia EDACS East system. However, I tried West, East, and Daytona on my sdr with unitrunker and nothing. When this would happen earlier in the year I would just find the new CC and all would be fine. Now, I can't hear anything.

Shirley, you can at least receive the EDACS control channel on the SDR?