York Region P25 Testing.

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mciupa

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Talk group 17503 was heard in the clear.
Monitoring from work in Toronto.

My version of pro96com shows a flavour of Phase 1
Hmmmmm?

Yes, same here with Version 1.11.4 . I will correct the database.
Packet dumps show the Phase II TDMA identifier with freq. and ID, then the next line isTDMA Sync Broadcast *Invalid*

System ID : 64C
System Name :
WACN : BEE00
Tower Number (Decimal): 1-1
Tower Number (Hex) : T0101
Tower Description :
Control Capabilities : Data,Voice,Registration
Flavor : Phase 1

Unknown Packet screen yields this info:

Multi-Block Unknown 0 - OpCode:33 (IDEN_UP_TDMA) Mfg:00 (Standard)
 
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Aurora

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Fire switchover as of 10 AM

All York region fire apparatus switched as of 10 AM
 

RainbowSix

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Vaughan fire was still simulcasting as of 8am this morning.

Although just heard on the York fire VHF paging freq that all Vaughan fire stations to switch over the station alerting / pagers to the new P25 system.
 

fire4117

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153.6650 will not be going enc as that is the paging channel for the volunteers throughout the region. Unless they decide to do something similar to Caledon with alpha numeric pagers in the future, they're staying as is on the VHF paging channel, YRF Paging.


So far the regional paging channel of 153.6650mhz is still in the clear.
 

jonesyxvii

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They've all switched now. No one is left on the old system. Seems like A2, B2 and C2 are in the clear, and that dispatchers are in the clear on all channels. Remote units (trucks and handhelds) seem to be in the clear on A2, B2 and C2 but encrypted on all other channels.
 

ScottBL

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Sad to see it all go digital...pulled my scanner out of my car today. Debating upgrading though if its all going to be heading to encryption.
 

gbriden

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Only things I'm hearing are sporadic Fire calls in York Region on P25 also sporadic calls on Toronto P25 and well business as usual on OPP P25.
 

SCPD

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Anyone find the York region fire system hard to listen to? only three talkgroups are partially in the clear but unless I am in York region my radio doesn't seem to walk to decode the control channel very well, maybe I have the steps set wrong? The frequency goes in ok but it just doesn't seem to decode it as well as the Peel or Toronto P25.

I have got it to work but just not as well as other systems. Radio is the 396XT
 

jonesyxvii

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The new system is a P25 Phase I but is simulcast, so all the tower sites are broadcasting on the same frequencies. The older scanners, such as the 396XT and 996XT, get confused by this and don't always pick up a signal or drop the signal part way through a conversation. My 396XT is pretty much useless for monitoring it, and the 996XT I have in the car is only slightly better. I've heard the further away you are, the better it decodes with a 996XT, which makes sense because the further away you are the less likely you are to be picking up multiple sites.
 

SCPD

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The new system is a P25 Phase I but is simulcast, so all the tower sites are broadcasting on the same frequencies. The older scanners, such as the 396XT and 996XT, get confused by this and don't always pick up a signal or drop the signal part way through a conversation. My 396XT is pretty much useless for monitoring it, and the 996XT I have in the car is only slightly better. I've heard the further away you are, the better it decodes with a 996XT, which makes sense because the further away you are the less likely you are to be picking up multiple sites.

Thanks, totally forgot it is a simulcast system and that would explain the sometimes spotty reception even when signal is showing very strong.
 

Jay911

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So is there any way to try and clear this up or is it simply how things are ?

I've not got much experience with simulcast systems, but I've heard people say that either running the attenuator or, if you're in a fixed location, using a directional antenna pointed at your favored tower are two options.
 

exkalibur

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Uniden scanners cheaped out when they designed the FM receiver, it doesn't support P25 simulcast properly. Unfortunately if you're in an area where you can pick up more than one site at once, you're going to have less than optimal results. Using the attenuator is a pretty good way to fix this, unless the other site(s) are too strong.
 

SCPD

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Are the dispatchers in the clear on all the channels? I thought they were but am not able to properly listen to the system just yet.

Last week on the day they changed over the dispatch on A B and C in clear but most trucks and portables respond back with ENC noise and all other channels full ENC that was on the day they changed over, haven't heard them in the clear since and today silent but it could have been quiet day.
 

SCPD

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I've not got much experience with simulcast systems, but I've heard people say that either running the attenuator or, if you're in a fixed location, using a directional antenna pointed at your favored tower are two options.

Tried the attenuator on the Peel system today and range dropped and bylaw came in nice and clear but there wasn't much fire activity to properly test, the York system sort of the same, signal dropped with attenuator on but from Peel I could see a signal, decode it and get the system ID but no voice but then again fire might have fully encrypted the dispatch channels or maybe just quiet day.
 

yorkphotog

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No they will not be encrypting dispatch on A2, B2, or C2. The portables are encrypted on the dispatch channels but not the truck radios. Great use of taxpayer money. But I thought earlier in the week you could hear the dispatcher on all the channels.
 

SCPD

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No they will not be encrypting dispatch on A2, B2, or C2. The portables are encrypted on the dispatch channels but not the truck radios. Great use of taxpayer money. But I thought earlier in the week you could hear the dispatcher on all the channels.

Yes, earlier in the week I could, I listened around 1pm on the day they switched over and dispatch was clear and those were portables talking back encrypted and trucks in the clear but I will have to listen again sometime as today was very quiet but there was a lot of talk on ems. I have to still fine tune my reception on the 700mhz system as I can't hear it too well due to the scanner not liking the simulcasting.

With the rest of the system encrypted and silent I should have heard those three dispatch channels going off, will try again sometime.
 
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