What is Baldwin EMC using for communications?

[M105]

Back in the good old days one could monitor Baldwin Electric Membership Cooperative (BEMC) when there were storms and keep up with the progress they were making. They switched to DMR on their VHF frequencies for a while but now I can't find them anywhere. Their VHF licenses have been updated and maintained in the FCC database but they are silent, and the business doesn't even show up on RadioReference for the county. I set DSDPlus up to monitor the Power South trunked system thinking that BEMC might be using that but the sparce traffic on it doesn't appear connected to the day to day operations of BEMC.

Does anyone know how to monitor BEMC? Have they switched to cell phone PTT or something?

 

[mike36507]

It's been a few years since I've tried to monitor them, but when I did, I found two talk groups, 2 and 1101? They were using slot 1 and color 1. Probably just seldom used and may just use Southern Linc or something similar.

 

[M105]

It's been a few years since I've tried to monitor them, but when I did, I found two talk groups, 2 and 1101? They were using slot 1 and color 1. Probably just seldom used and may just use Southern Linc or something similar.

Thanks for the feedback Mike. I have put the VHF frequencies into a scanner expecting to hear digital noise if they were running DMR but after a couple of weeks I have heard nothing. I also have a little VHF DMR radio that I will program with your information just as a test.

They have probably switched, as you say, to Southern Linc or similar. I ran the DSDPlus setup on Power South's trunked system for several days and heard a sparce amount of traffic which was not encrypted but also not related to BEMC.

 

[M105]

Added Talkgroup to: All (11790002 Baldwin EMC: Substation/Line Crews) 2025-06-22
I noticed this today on the Powersouth Trunked System. Hopefully BEMC will start using the Powersouth system and can once again be monitored.

 

[KV4PM]

Been a few years, but last I heard they were using a push-to-talk solution that seemed to be ever crappier than Southern Linc, which is quite a feat, IMHO.

 

[KV4PM]

Hopefully BEMC will start using the Powersouth system and can once again be monitored.

If it makes you feel any better, I am an EE at another local electric utility and our typical group radio chatter, if it could be monitored, would probably put the average listener to sleep, as it's mostly routine switching and hot line tags, lol. Often outage dispatch is done privately.

 

[M105]

Thanks David. Yes, I know but BEMC is something I had in the scanner back in the old VHF analog days and it was of interest during power outages since they are my utility out here. I am an old ME and a ham so I understand part of it. LOL

KC5LIO

 

[JamesBrox]

Good morning, guys. Here's some more TGs I've logged. I didn't want to send them into the DD because I've not sure what departments it's coming from. The recordings are inconclusive.

10090004
10090005
10090008
10290001 (Possibly BEMC Line Crews)
10690002
10890002

WRXU693

 

[M105]

Good morning, guys. Here's some more TGs I've logged. I didn't want to send them into the DD because I've not sure what departments it's coming from. The recordings are inconclusive.

10090004
10090005
10090008
10290001 (Possibly BEMC Line Crews)
10690002
10890002

WRXU693

TIIInonStd,L7, 10290001, 10200001, 50, Normal, 41, 2025/07/06 20:42, *"Test Mobile 1"
TIIInonStd,L7, 10290001, 10200003, 50, Normal, 27, 2025/07/07 10:35, *"Test Base 3"

This is what my .radios file shows. I did hear some traffic about "those meters should be back online" after a storm passed through. So you are probably correct.

 

[JamesBrox]

TIIInonStd,L7, 10290001, 10200001, 50, Normal, 41, 2025/07/06 20:42, *"Test Mobile 1"
TIIInonStd,L7, 10290001, 10200003, 50, Normal, 27, 2025/07/07 10:35, *"Test Base 3"

This is what my .radios file shows. I did hear some traffic about "those meters should be back online" after a storm passed through. So you are probably correct.

I'm also logging UIDs. 10200001 - Truck 125, 10200003 - Control Room

 

[M105]

I can hear the Foley and Loxley sites. I did send RR a correction on the Foley site. The CC is 452.200 and that channel number is 1155 not 1123 as it shows. I worked out the formula for the channel numbers and there are a few errors on some sites.
=============================
TIII - Power South system
This is for odd numbered channels (slot 1)
Frequency = (Channel * .00625) + 444.98125
Channel = (Frequency - 444.98125) / .00625

This is for even numbered channels (slot 2)
Frequency = (Channel * .00625) + 444.975
Channel = (Frequency - 444.975) / .00625
=============================
Attached table was generated with a PHP script.