Probably many people around Minnesota don't monitor anything from 450-470 MHz. I know many folks are interested exclusively to public safety and focus on ARMER and, possibly, the page outs on VHF high band. Other are interested in just aviation, railroad, marine, amateur or other services. I am interested in having a general understanding of who is using what on various parts of the spectrum.
Lately, I have been doing some monitoring, both attended and unattended, in the 450-454.9875 and 460-464.9875. I have done it in the past, from time to time, over the years just to see what I can hear. Much of it in the past was analog, of course, and I would even log the PL/DPLs being used and determine who the user was in many cases. There was some LTR trunking in the past, too, often on systems that end users rented air time from.
The biggest change I have noticed lately, not unexpectedly either, I might add, is how much digital modulation there is in the Twin Cities on 450-470. Don't get me wrong, there is still some analog on 450-470, but the vast majority that I have monitored is digital modulation of one types or another. I have heard XPT, Capacity Plus, Connect Plus, etc. I have heard very little APCO P25 or NXDN. Great River Energey and Xcel come to mind, locally, as a UHF APCO P25 usaer. The database shows Action Radio and Mobile Radio Engineering as having NXDN. That matches what I have heard along with some U of M NXDN activity.
I will have to look a bit closer at all of the LTR systems shown in the database. Does anybody happen to know which are still using LTR vs, switching to a digital mode?
Lately, I have been doing some monitoring, both attended and unattended, in the 450-454.9875 and 460-464.9875. I have done it in the past, from time to time, over the years just to see what I can hear. Much of it in the past was analog, of course, and I would even log the PL/DPLs being used and determine who the user was in many cases. There was some LTR trunking in the past, too, often on systems that end users rented air time from.
The biggest change I have noticed lately, not unexpectedly either, I might add, is how much digital modulation there is in the Twin Cities on 450-470. Don't get me wrong, there is still some analog on 450-470, but the vast majority that I have monitored is digital modulation of one types or another. I have heard XPT, Capacity Plus, Connect Plus, etc. I have heard very little APCO P25 or NXDN. Great River Energey and Xcel come to mind, locally, as a UHF APCO P25 usaer. The database shows Action Radio and Mobile Radio Engineering as having NXDN. That matches what I have heard along with some U of M NXDN activity.
I will have to look a bit closer at all of the LTR systems shown in the database. Does anybody happen to know which are still using LTR vs, switching to a digital mode?