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

[edweirdFL]

On the Broadcastify Calls platform, Node 1034 which is Site 2 is now up.

It was silent from Saturday until just after 1pm today, so don't be surprised if there's not much activity. Mostly VCFS dispatch right now.

I still have Site 1 running, but it also has been pretty quiet since Saturday.

Both feeds are now hosted on a Raspberry Pi 4 with their own Nooelec SDR, 2 in total.

Site 1 in Sanford has a 18 element Yagi and a 800/900 pre-amp and filter pointed at it from inside my house. DSD+FL seems to work a little better than what I'm seeing with TrunkRecorder, which often complains about a low decode rate and goes hunting for the control channel.

Site 2 which we think is in Holly Hill is using a small 800/900 magmount Wilson antenna indoors and the signal is strong enough for my SDS100 to also track it indoors with a rubber duck antenna.

 

[KEVINTAAFFE]

Hi everyone............ well i finally started recieving VC P25 today on my way to work to the Palm Coast Post Office on I-95 north. I had a '"gut feeling" to change the filter setting in my SDS 100 for VC P25 that i have programed in. 1) i set the filter to "WIDE AUTO". 2) reset the range to 50 miles. everything just kicked in. Started recieving "VCFR dispatch on "302"(02-042) all day, before work and on my way home from work. Now for the frequencies...... my "SITE 1" is from 851.7750 to 860.7625, and "SITE 2" is 851.7750 to 860.2125. The CC frequencies are 858.2125 & 857.2125. I very happy........and when i put WIDE AUTO ON everything clicked. All the frequencies in my sites are from the wiki page for vc p25... all the sanford & flagler frequencies .Question ? what is everybody using to get all the vc p25 tg's. antennas,radios,living in sanford,flagler. hope to hear back from everbody. Happy Scanning. KEVINTAAFFE.

 

[KEVINTAAFFE]

Been getting alot of VCFR talk on tg 301 & 302. no VCSO yet. are they testing VCFR OR are they dispatching on P25 and not EDAC'S, or doing both?

 

[dlbutlien]

I know that they are currently experimenting with the new P25 Phase II system - but has anyone else found that the edacs system has gone silent on their scanner - I have a RS Pro97 and a Pro 160. [and the VHF simulcast that used to give me the full dispatch on 154.34 is now only giving me the tones, with no voice dispatch].

I know that neither of these scanners will pick up the Phase II system, I am holding off on a new purchase until things are more finalized.

But - back to my problem. In reading this thread - it looks like some of the frequencies from the edacs have been repurposed over to the P25. I checked my programming against the edacs list in the database (as of this morning 8/10/2021) and it matches, but what I haven't specifically checked is whether the frequencies called out in this thread as repurposed, are still in the listing for the EDACS, in other words, is the DB listing for the edacs now out of date, explaining why my scanners have gone deaf? Do we need to determine a new frequency listing (and order) for the edacs system(s)?

Thanks for whatever help you can give

 

[batdude]

Thanks for whatever help you can give

I don't know if this helps, but Site 20 of the EDACS system was just deleted from Radio Reference as user input has it re-purposed for P25.

if you are scanning that particular site (below) - it's no longer transmitting EDACS

 

[edweirdFL]

The EDACS system on site 1 (West) and 2 (East) is working fine. I've been listening to the West side all day on my SDS100, and my stream of LE 5 and some other talkgroups from the East system on Broadcastify.

The site in Holly Hill that used to have the seldom used 5 channel Event (Speedway) has been repurposed lately into a P25 site, as node 2 of the new system.

 

[dlbutlien]

Thanks Bat & Ed, for your replies - I just cant explain why basically both of my scanners have essentially gone deaf. For what it's worth, I am down in the extreme SW corner of the county, in DeBary, way down by the river.

Ed - your sig file indicates you have a Pro97 as well - is that still receiving east/west?

 

[edweirdFL]

My Pro97's display seems to have gone out, and I haven't messed with it for years.

My best guess is that something is messed up on the programming of your scanners.

Right now the West systems control channel is on 855.9875 and the East system is on 856.2625

Can you hear them?

 

[dlbutlien]

Ed - the scanner program hasn't been touched for years - so that likely wasn't it

ANYWAY... I just sat down in my office, and suddenly I am no longer deaf on the east or west systems. Very odd.


So - let me ask this while I have your attention... opinions on the TRX-2 as a new scanner for the new system? I'm leaning that way for the remote head, which will make it easier to mount in my Jeep. Does anyone else make a mobile type scanner with remote head that will do phase II? Am I better off just using one of the Uniden portable-type units like I am now, and saving $110 or so?

Thanks gang!

 

[batdude]

Ed - the scanner program hasn't been touched for years - so that likely wasn't it

ANYWAY... I just sat down in my office, and suddenly I am no longer deaf on the east or west systems. Very odd.


So - let me ask this while I have your attention... opinions on the TRX-2 as a new scanner for the new system? I'm leaning that way for the remote head, which will make it easier to mount in my Jeep. Does anyone else make a mobile type scanner with remote head that will do phase II? Am I better off just using one of the Uniden portable-type units like I am now, and saving $110 or so?

Thanks gang!

i will chime in here. I would not purchase a TRX-2. I do not expect Whistler to update the radio with TDMA control channel capability (which you may need one day....) --- just my opinion on the matter.

additionally, the TRX-2 software (again, my opinion) is not user friendly. at all. yes, I've owned one. Yes, I no longer own one.

doug

 

[dlbutlien]

Thanks Bat - that's one glowing recommendation!

So does anyone else make a remote head mobile unit - or should i look at the portable versions like BCD325P2 which has the advantage of being about $100 cheaper? (I think I said that right now I have a portable unit - PRO97 in my wrangler on a windshield mount)

 

[batdude]

i do not work for uniden.

if I was after a handheld, there is only one that I would buy. the SDS100.

the 325p2 is a great - GREAT radio... but i worry about firmware upgrades.... i can see uniden upgrading the 436, but not the 325.... and TDMA P2 control channels are coming... Duke Energy is a great example.



doug

 

[alanlungs2]

Dave read your OC email.

 

[902]

Dave read your OC email.

It seems that the testing you were talking about in another thread has begun. Do you have any more information?

 

[alanlungs2]

It seems that the testing you were talking about in another thread has begun. Do you have any more information?

Fire dispatch cutting in half the number of talk groups being used both East and West will be on the East Side system.

 

[902]

DSD+ is no longer seeing TG 302 (Fire 2) on the east side P25 test site, and for the past day, Fire 1 has been countywide and sending EVERYONE to Fire/EMS TAC 3. We're also seeing a resurgence in TAC 4 activity. So, we can guess - 1) staffing shortage (non-technology related)? 2) RF technology change-over on the A system? 3) dispatch configuration changes? 4) a little of this and a little of that?

Are the A system SO channels affected?

 

[edweirdFL]

from the Calls archive on 8/10/20 around 9:30 AM

Dispatch told them to listen West Fire A bank to monitor Fire 1 for Dispatch.
Then told them Fire 2 was closed. Some test tones afterwards for an hour or so and then nothing since.

I do like the way the Calls platform makes it easy to find a specific talk groups activity in the archives.

 

[dlbutlien]

DSD+ is no longer seeing TG 302 (Fire 2) on the east side P25 test site, and for the past day, Fire 1 has been countywide and sending EVERYONE to Fire/EMS TAC 3. We're also seeing a resurgence in TAC 4 activity. So, we can guess - 1) staffing shortage (non-technology related)? 2) RF technology change-over on the A system? 3) dispatch configuration changes? 4) a little of this and a little of that?

Are the A system SO channels affected?

They are definitely prepping for a system replacement, and i think there could be a little bit of headcounts stuff going on too.

 

[edweirdFL]

I had DSD+ FL sitting on the P25 system's Node 2 Holly Hill today when I noticed it started searching for a control channel. I stopped it on the spike I could still see on 857.2125 and cut on monitoring and thought to myself "hey, that sounds like an EDACS control channel".

According to my Calls feed, that was 3 hours ago. P25 Node 1 down in Sanford is still operational.

I restored the EDACS Daytona Beach site (Events System) programming back into my SDS-100 and sure enough it's showing Sys ID 14h.
I'm going to guess that they brought it back ahead of the races at DIS this weekend. No traffic on it now, and it wasn't up for the funeral stuff on Sunday Monday which was on MA-POL1 on the EDACS system.

Will it go back to P25 after the race weekend? That would be my guess but I'm just a guy with too many radios and all day to listen to them.

p.s. If you need a Sentinel or ProScan file for the Events System (since it's not in the db on RR now) let me know via message and I can send one to you. No guarantees on how long it stays this way. I do think it's cool that the radio techs can provision and reconfigure systems quickly.

 

[batdude]

I had DSD+ FL sitting on the P25 system's Node 2 Holly Hill today when I noticed it started searching for a control channel. I stopped it on the spike I could still see on 857.2125 and cut on monitoring and thought to myself "hey, that sounds like an EDACS control channel".

According to my Calls feed, that was 3 hours ago. P25 Node 1 down in Sanford is still operational.

I restored the EDACS Daytona Beach site (Events System) programming back into my SDS-100 and sure enough it's showing Sys ID 14h.
I'm going to guess that they brought it back ahead of the races at DIS this weekend. No traffic on it now, and it wasn't up for the funeral stuff on Sunday Monday which was on MA-POL1 on the EDACS system.

Will it go back to P25 after the race weekend? That would be my guess but I'm just a guy with too many radios and all day to listen to them.

p.s. If you need a Sentinel or ProScan file for the Events System (since it's not in the db on RR now) let me know via message and I can send one to you. No guarantees on how long it stays this way. I do think it's cool that the radio techs can provision and reconfigure systems quickly.

was the Events system in the RR dB at one time and then removed? if so - submit it. we do have a way to add them.

i concur with your assessment above - back to EDACS for race weekend would be a good bet.



doug