Roanoke Va Trunking

[HOOSIER3]

Anyone no what happened to Roanoke City/County. Iam no longer picking up talk groups. A friend is also having problems.

 

[hdralleiii]

The County/City updated the TRS last night as part of the re-banding project. Some freqs were dropped and others added. You also need a custom trunking table and re-band capable scanner to monitor properly.

See my post in this forum and freq updates in the database as soon as they are published.

What type of scanner do you have?

 

[mike_s104]

the above posted while I was typing my post.

 

[jrrob8]

Can you post the info here, it may take a while to get the database updated.

The County/City updated the TRS last night as part of the re-banding project. Some freqs were dropped and others added. You also need a custom trunking table and re-band capable scanner to monitor properly.

See my post in this forum and freq updates in the database as soon as they are published.

What type of scanner do you have?

 

[HOOSIER3]

Scanner Type

I Have A Uniden Bct8. Thanks For The Info.

 

[hdralleiii]

The new re-banded Roanoke Frequencies are as follows:

852.437500
853.437500
856.462500
856.962500
857.462500
857.762500
857.962500
858.462500
858.962500
859.437500
859.962500
860.437500
860.962500
854.137500
854.412500
856.662500
857.162500

You MUST use the custom trunking table that has been posted in the forums, or on a PSR500 using software (and perhaps others), you can simply select "rebanded" as an option. Uniden scanners will most likely NOT work on this system any longer until Uniden (if and when) issues a firmware update to allow rebanded systems.

All talkgroups are the same... for now... some MAY change in the near future according to Moto.

Also, talks are underway to convert this system to APCO25 digital in the next 2-3years. It has been discussed for some time, but talks are more serious at this point.

 

[HOOSIER3]

Thanks Again

 

[jrrob8]

Thanks from me too. 857.1625 is the current Control Channel.

Thanks Again

 

[John]

There is actually a contract to install a new digital APCO25 trunking system towards the end of this year but that will be for the county only. The city will remain on this analog system for the near term. Some of the frequenencies from this system will move to the new one and some will stay.

Now my confusion.... I expected as you stated that a new scanner with custom freq tables would be needed. I programmed 2 GRE PSR600s and 1 GRE PSR500 along with 2 PRO-2096s this way with rebanded tables and they work. My surprise is my old PRO-2053 scanner also continues to track the system with the simple change of the new control channel.

How is this possible? If the newer scanners are using the new tables then the system must be sending the new channel numbers right? If so, then how is the old scanner also able to track when it doesn't know about the new channel numbers for the voice channels?

For example, the voice freq of 856.4625 was FCC channel 219 prior to rebanding. After rebanding it is supposed to be channel 329 for the same freq. I would expect the older scanner to go this frequency when it sees channel 219 but the newer scanner with the custom tables should require the control channel to tell it channel 329 to get the same frequency. Is the control channel sending out 2 different channel numbers for the same frequency?

I am glad it is working since it stops my older scanners from becoming door stops but I don't understand it. Can anybody explain? Is anyone still using an older supposedly not rebandable scanner and it still works (once the control channel is changed to 857.1625)?

John

 

[n4jri]

There is actually a contract to install a new digital APCO25 trunking system towards the end of this year but that will be for the county only. The city will remain on this analog system for the near term. Some of the frequenencies from this system will move to the new one and some will stay.

Now my confusion.... I expected as you stated that a new scanner with custom freq tables would be needed. I programmed 2 GRE PSR600s and 1 GRE PSR500 along with 2 PRO-2096s this way with rebanded tables and they work. My surprise is my old PRO-2053 scanner also continues to track the system with the simple change of the new control channel.

How is this possible? If the newer scanners are using the new tables then the system must be sending the new channel numbers right? If so, then how is the old scanner also able to track when it doesn't know about the new channel numbers for the voice channels?

For example, the voice freq of 856.4625 was FCC channel 219 prior to rebanding. After rebanding it is supposed to be channel 329 for the same freq. I would expect the older scanner to go this frequency when it sees channel 219 but the newer scanner with the custom tables should require the control channel to tell it channel 329 to get the same frequency. Is the control channel sending out 2 different channel numbers for the same frequency?

I am glad it is working since it stops my older scanners from becoming door stops but I don't understand it. Can anybody explain? Is anyone still using an older supposedly not rebandable scanner and it still works (once the control channel is changed to 857.1625)?

John

That would be interesting to know. My understanding is that new tables are supposed to work with systems that are either pre or post rebanding. Since the table is supposed to work both ways, maybe there's a way for the system as well--just in case.

Maybe there's some temporary element in the trunking that's allowing this to happen. Something to do with the table #, possibly?

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[jrrob8]

Hey John, I just changed the control channel on my PRO-97, and it seems to be working just fine. It is possible that Allen is correct and they haven't finished the process. It would be nice for some that don't have current scanners.

There is actually a contract to install a new digital APCO25 trunking system towards the end of this year but that will be for the county only. The city will remain on this analog system for the near term. Some of the frequenencies from this system will move to the new one and some will stay.

Now my confusion.... I expected as you stated that a new scanner with custom freq tables would be needed. I programmed 2 GRE PSR600s and 1 GRE PSR500 along with 2 PRO-2096s this way with rebanded tables and they work. My surprise is my old PRO-2053 scanner also continues to track the system with the simple change of the new control channel.

How is this possible? If the newer scanners are using the new tables then the system must be sending the new channel numbers right? If so, then how is the old scanner also able to track when it doesn't know about the new channel numbers for the voice channels?

For example, the voice freq of 856.4625 was FCC channel 219 prior to rebanding. After rebanding it is supposed to be channel 329 for the same freq. I would expect the older scanner to go this frequency when it sees channel 219 but the newer scanner with the custom tables should require the control channel to tell it channel 329 to get the same frequency. Is the control channel sending out 2 different channel numbers for the same frequency?

I am glad it is working since it stops my older scanners from becoming door stops but I don't understand it. Can anybody explain? Is anyone still using an older supposedly not rebandable scanner and it still works (once the control channel is changed to 857.1625)?

John

 

[jrrob8]

Hey Allen, nice to see you are still lurking around. Missed seeing you at the meeting. Hope you are well. J.R.

 

[resqpig]

I had the custom table already entered on my 396T and re-entered the frequencies. Everything seems to be working wonderfully! Thanks for posting that on the forum for quicker entry. I guess I'll be
re-entering the freqs on my buddy's 246T tomorrow.

 

[fmon]

Is this the first reband in VA?

 

[hdralleiii]

The radio shop and Moto techs have been reprogramming the radios with new freqs for months. There must be a way to have the Moto radios track using both Frequency sets, otherwise they would not have been working up until the switchover a few days ago... I will see what I can find out from my sources..

Also, John, what details do you have about the digital system? I directly asked a county employee (affiliated with the upgrade process) yesterday and was told that nothing had been decided yet. The current radios are not APCO25 compliant so all new equipment will have to be purchased. I'm interested to hear more!

 

[n4jri]

Is this the first reband in VA?

The first Moto reband that I know of was Richmond Int'l Airport last year. Everything went down exactly 15 MHz. I think that Amherst and Hanover have also rebanded their EDACS, and Alleghany Co. has rebanded the 800 stuff that people keep saying is LTR, but that my radio cannot ID as such.

They're pretty sneaky...I'm sure glad there Don put a rebanding function on Win500!

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[fmon]

The first Moto reband that I know of was Richmond Int'l Airport last year. Everything went down exactly 15 MHz. I think that Amherst and Hanover have also rebanded their EDACS, and Alleghany Co. has rebanded the 800 stuff that people keep saying is LTR, but that my radio cannot ID as such.

They're pretty sneaky...I'm sure glad there Don put a rebanding function on Win500!

73/Allen (N4JRI)

Thanks Allen. Not only Win500 but Win96 also. Had two p500 files with Roanoke and one p96. I recall discussion on multi county EDACS (Amherst) and your post on the airport now that you mention it.

Due to lame brain, I Probably need to alert my bride to start driving.

 

[K4APR]

Is this the first reband in VA?

Looks like Roanoke beat Virginia Beach to it. We're in the middle of reband flashing in VB, right now.

 

[K4APR]

The radio shop and Moto techs have been reprogramming the radios with new freqs for months. There must be a way to have the Moto radios track using both Frequency sets, otherwise they would not have been working up until the switchover a few days ago... I will see what I can find out from my sources..

Basically, each radio has the ability to have two codeplugs loaded at a time. One is pre-reband and the other is reband. The radio continues to operate on the first codeplug during the time leading up to the reband. Once the reband programming of the trunking controller is complete, they can send a status bit over the air to tell the radio to switch over to the reband codeplug. Esentially seamless to the user.

Tell FD I said hi next time you call the county shop. He is hard to keep up with.

 

[resqpig]

Picking up what appears to be Western VA Regional Jail on ID 000-4 with the re-banding. I thought they were on UHF. Anybody have any input?