Westchester County - 👨🏽‍💻 White Plains City School District 🏫

[Westchester1]

So first off forgive me if this is posted in the incorrect forum but I’m not sure where it would best fit.

I am trying to listen to my former school district which is located a few miles away. There is no information on RR or Digital Frequency Search saying whether it’s DMR or not. I got the frequencies from the FCC web site and entered them into Sentinel. The 13 frequencies are in the 400Mhz range. I have them programmed in as conventional and hear nothing. The city’s DPW uses DMR so I’m suspecting the school district may too. There’s nothing else in my area I’d need the DMR upgrade for so I’d hate to purchase that and end up not needing it.

Question: Wouldn’t my SDS200 (or BCD536HP) lock onto one of those school district frequencies and make some “noise” if it was in fact DMR or would it just scan past it ignoring it?

 

[RaleighGuy]

So first off forgive me if this is posted in the incorrect forum but I’m not sure where it would best fit.

I am trying to listen to my former school district which is located a few miles away. There is no information on RR or Digital Frequency Search saying whether it’s DMR or not. I got the frequencies from the FCC web site and entered them into Sentinel. The 13 frequencies are in the 400Mhz range. I have them programmed in as conventional and hear nothing. The city’s DPW uses DMR so I’m suspecting the school district may too. There’s nothing else in my area I’d need the DMR upgrade for so I’d hate to purchase that and end up not needing it.

Question: Wouldn’t my SDS200 (or BCD536HP) lock onto one of those school district frequencies and make some “noise” if it was in fact DMR or would it just scan past it ignoring it?

First we can better answer your question if you tell us what school district or system you are trying to monitor.

That said, the FCC site where you got the frequency also will show the emission type authorized, once you find it, you can look it up in the RR Wiki HERE

 

[Westchester1]

White Plains City School District

 

[BinaryMode]

Give this website a try. Sort by entry and scroll down to the W's. They may be NXDN, at least the school district in my area is. Totally makes since to spend $500+ for a radio in a school district... I figure each school here has about $5K in radios.

 

[K9KLC]

Maybe a State and county?

 

[KevinC]

Give this website a try. Sort by entry and scroll down to the W's. They may be NXDN, at least the school district in my area is. Totally makes since to spend $500+ for a radio in a school district... I figure each school here has about $5K in radios.

Reading is fundamental…

There is no information on RR or Digital Frequency Search saying whether it’s DMR or not.

 

[BinaryMode]

"There is no information on RR or Digital Frequency Search saying whether it’s DMR or not."

They may be NXDN, at least the school district in my area is.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

White Plains City School District

Maybe a State and county?

I'd go with NY over AL based on the OP's username

US-New York

• Westchester County

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Give this website a try. Sort by entry and scroll down to the W's. They may be NXDN,

Their only active license is below. Only analog voice emissions appear on said license, therefore it will not appear on the digitalfrequencysearch.com dump. The search queries on that site have been down for quite some time anyway as has been reported on several threads here. Keep in mind although analog only emissions appear on a license doesn't rule out the use of other modes. OP will need to listen and confirm what's in use

FCC Callsign WNDC907 (WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC SCHOOLS)

FCC Callsign WNDC907 (WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC SCHOOLS)

www.radioreference.com

 

[Westchester1]

Their only active license is below. Only analog voice emissions appear on said license, therefore it will not appear on the digitalfrequencysearch.com dump. The search queries on that site have been down for quite some time anyway as has been reported on several threads here. Keep in mind although analog only emissions appear on a license doesn't rule out the use of other modes. OP will need to listen and confirm what's in use

FCC Callsign WNDC907 (WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC SCHOOLS)

FCC Callsign WNDC907 (WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC SCHOOLS)

www.radioreference.com

That is correct. The license doesn’t provide anything definitive. The mode is the mystery.

Reading is fundamental…

🤭

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

That is correct. The license doesn’t provide anything definitive. The mode is the mystery.

A mystery that can only be solved by listening/observing...

 

[RaleighGuy]

That is correct. The license doesn’t provide anything definitive. The mode is the mystery.

🤭

REALLY? It doesn't?

11K0F3E

Narrowband frequency modulated analog voice, considered by the FCC to be identical to 11K2F3E.

 

[Westchester1]

REALLY? It doesn't?

View attachment 173980

11K0F3E

Narrowband frequency modulated analog voice, considered by the FCC to be identical to 11K2F3E.

No, it doesn’t sadly. Doesn’t mean they haven’t switched over to a different mode. Others have.

 

[Westchester1]

A mystery that can only be solved by listening/observing...

Thus the original question.

 

[RaleighGuy]

No, it doesn’t sadly. Doesn’t mean they haven’t switched over to a different mode. Others have.

Absolutely, FCC records and licenses are only a suggestion for many. But in order to be in compliance they shouldn't.

 

[RaleighGuy]

Thus the original question.

Program them both in and see if you hear anything. Of course, we don't know if they abandoned that system and went to rentals or IP based services like many districts have for buses either, since the license only has about 9 months until it expires.

 

[k2hz]

So first off forgive me if this is posted in the incorrect forum but I’m not sure where it would best fit.

I am trying to listen to my former school district which is located a few miles away. There is no information on RR or Digital Frequency Search saying whether it’s DMR or not. I got the frequencies from the FCC web site and entered them into Sentinel. The 13 frequencies are in the 400Mhz range. I have them programmed in as conventional and hear nothing. The city’s DPW uses DMR so I’m suspecting the school district may too. There’s nothing else in my area I’d need the DMR upgrade for so I’d hate to purchase that and end up not needing it.

Question: Wouldn’t my SDS200 (or BCD536HP) lock onto one of those school district frequencies and make some “noise” if it was in fact DMR or would it just scan past it ignoring it?

Back to your original post - If you program the frequencies as FMN and CSQ then yes, you will hear digital "noise" if they use any digital mode.

If you hear nothing and there is no record of another license they may now be on one of the many local trunked digital systems so they would not appear in a FCC license search. Many school districts are going to a leased service for better coverage than what they have on a their own system.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

A mystery that can only be solved by listening/observing...

Thus the original question.

It's part of what keeps the hobby fun & interesting, doing the detective work yourself to figure out usage. Not every license is going to have a clear cut 7K60FXE for DMR, 4K00F1E for NXDN, etc. Be sure the receiver you're using can cover these modes. Lastly, encryption is never noted on an FCC license either but may be a possibility, yes even with school district ops

 

[Westchester1]

Anyone able to monitor WPCSD? I have the frequencies from the FCC but uncertain as to the mode.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

In the event they aren't analog, raw DMR emissions sound like (LOUD, turn volume down) these clips & raw NXDN like these. Hope that helps set you on the right path