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SCAN-AID

From The RadioReference Wiki

4/24 - THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
THIS IS A "WORK-IN-PROGRESS" and will be broken up into additional pages.

Please do not edit anything on the page. If you have ideas, corrections or questions, please message me on the forums or email me at starcom21@RadioReference.com

xxx P C L P U Map
R I I S I I D

Contents

Introduction

Welcome to SCAN-AID. Using a combination of material that I have found and knowledge that I have gained, from over the years.

1) Watch this video Radio System Operation for Public Safety Communications Professionals about HOW radio systems work. This is one of the easiest explanations of Two-Way radio operations that I've ever seen. (It does not cover DMR, NXDN or P25 Phase II)

Note: I do NOT take personal credit for some information compiled in these wiki articles. It's mostly info gathered through scanner forums, groups, websites, youtube, etc AND personal experience. I have done my best to make sure what I have here is correct, but to welcome constructive criticism or corrections. starcom21@RadioReference.com. Also, I have tried give credit to others when possible. .


My Story

I grew up in a town of 5400, the County Seat, of about 45,000-50,000 people, but in the 11th largest Illinois County of 862.91 sq mi. We were in telephone 2 area codes and 3 telephone LATAs (Local Access and Transport Area which defines geographical boundaries of local telephone service networks), Due to these LATAs, Enhanced 911 service was not able to go live until 10 years after the E911 system was approved by the voters. Before this, there was not countywide Fire/EMS dispatch system and everyone was dispatched by different methods, radio frequencies, etc. In the county, there are 26 townships (each with their own road department, 26 communities (Cities, Towns, Villages, non-incorporated, 10 police departments, 11 fire districts, 7 ambulance services. My town had the largest school district by area, in the area, and 2nd largest school attendance; with another 8 districts in the county (now, there were more before consolidation)

In the 80s, my local town had 1 VHF frequency for Police, Fire, EMS, street/water/sewer, and 1 VHF car-to-car mobile channel for Police. The County Sheriff had 39 MHz radios, with duplex operations, base on one frequency and mobiles on another frequency. They used 39.5 for talking with some other towns and some other counties. They used 39.46 for contact with a couple towns and with the Illinois State Police dispatch. Illinois State Police where also on 42 MHz duplex for District 18. They used 155.475, the ISPERN channel, for alerts. So ISP had both Low and High band radios in their cars and/or carried a VHF portable. They later on used the VHF portables to talk on 155.505 back to the 42 MHz mobile radios for vehicular repeaters. Secretary of State Police, Conservation Police and DNR were on multiple VHF repeaters across the state, but still used UHF to talk to ISP Dispatch. They also used VHF vehicular repeaters. The local school district had one simplex Base/Mobile frequency. Eventually the County Highway department and some township road departments had their own VHF simplex radios. As a kid, I couldn't tell much of anything else in town that had any radios, except for the scanner crystals "list" you could see at the local RCA dealer, who also sold Bearcat scanners and crystals. Our local Radio Shack also had scanners and crystals available. We had a Bearcat IV 8 channel scanner sitting at home.

I started buying some inexpensive 4-6 channel portable scanners, found at yard sales, etc. I rode my bike miles a day, so often they fell and broke easily. I used rechargeable batteries that I bought from Walmart. I got my first programmable scanner, a handheld, probably the Pro-2006 around 1990 or so, and new I had to take a lot better care. By then, I wasn't riding my bike as much, so only damage from faulty handling.

My friends were members of a local Boy Scout Fire Explorer Post. We had CB radios is our vehicles and a base station set up in my home 2 story house, the fire department and a few other places, that we used to contact each other with. We applied for an FCC License/radio frequency and had a VHF frequency for use, but never got the radios. In the 80s and early 90s, CB radios were still very big with teenagers and 20-somethings that were "cruising the town" in the evenings, but especially on weekends. The local Police and some state police also had CB radios (and sometimes scanners). Even out late out night, helped out people and truckers who were looking for the hospital or were lost. There were multiple other huge CB enthusiasts in town (former Truckers, etc) that had base stations in their homes.

As I got a better job and moved out, with my own vehicle, I ended up with mobile programmable units too. I eventually moved out of town for work and came back home all the time. Back then there was little trunking in the early-to-mid 90s. It was so easy just to program analog frequencies in a scanner that had memory banks.

Living in Springfield IL in the 90s, Police moved from UHF, to a Motorola Type 1, upgraded to a Motorola Type 2, then eventually their own P25 system with back up on STARCOM21. Fire in the state capital Springfield as well as countywide was still on VHF and continues to this day. County was upgraded from 1 Base/Mobile frequencies to multiple repeaters in the county. City Fire was still analog for a long time until switching to the statewide P25 800 MHz system. County Fire departments are also moving to the statewide system, with the addition of Simulcast towers in the county.

Frequencies

Scanners / Receivers

Understanding Radios

  • Video: Radios Explained: Trunked vs Conventional Radio, how does it work? YT
  • Video: Radio System Operation for Public Safety Communications Professionals YT

Uniden

  • HELP - "Global Auto Filter

New Uniden Bearcat BCD160DN & BCD260DN

  • To be released early 2024. See more information on Uniden website BCD160DN BCD260DN

My Issues with buying this "new" scanner:" Yes, it does NXDN and DMR Conventional. TRUNKING and P25 NOT INCLUDED. NOT AVAILABLE.

WHAT they are NOT telling you (from what I have gathered): Some of this stuff matters to more advanced users, others may not care

  • IT WILL display the COLOR CODE or RAN (and apparently Area Code) (and can be programmed for a specific code)
  • WILL NOT DISPLAY TALKGROUP NUMBERS. So you won't know what talkgroup is actually transmitting. You won't be able to only listen to a particular talkgroup and not another one.
  • WILL NOT DISPLAY UID/RIDs (Radio ID numbers). So you can't differentiate those talking or name the radios in the software

There is not enough room on the screen for this, plus with this type of scanner (Banks), I don't think it could work with a list of RIDs.

  • WILL NOT have "1 FREQUENCY DMR" type "UNIDEN TRUNKING" programming. You just enter in a frequency and it decodes the audio, but is not giving you the information (if you want, like, or are used to it in the previous models). This does not have the architecture, this is a BANK memory. (hardware driven radio, not software)
    • According to the Owner's Manual, it will show if the frequency is CAP, CON, DT3, DMR, IDS, NX4, NX8, XPT, P25/DAT (which will be skipped)

We don't know what the future of Rail Scanning is going to be like when it moves to NXDN. There may or may not be any talkgroups in use, but I'm sure there will be Radio IDs. (some conventional NXDN uses talkgroups, but a majority just use "Group Call") 2 different railroads can use 2 different RAN codes. Are you able to program if for only 1 code (so you don't have to hear the other one?)

All I'm trying to do, it help those that just want to go out and buy one immediately without thinking about it's full capabilities.

I have not found a manual PDF yet. BCD160D Manual PDF BCD260DN Manual PDF (It appears that the 260DN manual for English may have been uploaded as the French version)

All the photos that I've see are very generic. The programming software really doesn't show a lot either.

Uniden SDS-100 / SDS-200

Waterfall Option Buy the Upgrade

Uniden Trunking Display Codes

• CAP. Capacity Plus/Linked Capacity Plus site’s voice and data in DMR system.
• CON. Connect Plus site’s voice and data in DMR system.
• DT3. Trunked DMR site’s voice and data in ETSI Standard Tier 3 system.
• DMR. One frequency DMR site’s voice and data/Simplex DMR voice.
• IDS. IDAS in NXDN system.
• ND4. NXDN 4800 Direct Frequency
• ND9. NXDN 9600 Direct Frequency
• NX4. NXDN 4800 NEXEDGE
• NX9. NXDN 9600 NEXEDGE
• NXD. Unknown NXDN system
• XPT. Hytera XPT site’s voice and data in MotoTRBO system.
• P25/DAT APCO P25

Understanding Favorite Lists / Quick Keys on Uniden Scanners

GPS Features on Scanners

  • Program each frequency with Coordinates (latitude and longitude) and a radius. While travelling, with your GPS attached, the scanner will move through the frequency lists that in in the area of the radius that you are

Trunking Discovery on UNIDEN

  • Helps you find talkgroups. Start it and return later to see the active talkgroups and listen to activity to determine usage.

Analyze / LCN Finder on UNIDEN

  • You can Analyze a TRS for site number, site SDS200 Analyze Function (by mesascan)
  • You can use LCN finder on a CAP+, CON+, CAP MAX, NXDN systems.
  • If you only get a partial number of LCN's detected, you can back out and it will ask you if you want to save the found LCNs.
  • LCNs are the same as Channel Numbers. LSNs are .........................

Note: LCNs on Tier III DMR (Std, NonStd, CAPMAX are different than CON+

  • They are "one off", like LCN 1 is LSN3/4 LSN 2 is LSN 5/6

Additional Information

Whistler Scanners

Radio Shack Scanners

GRE Scanners

AOR Receivers

ICOM Receivers

Racing Electronics

  • Website Facebook
  • Scanners, Receivers, headsets and gears for racing fans Webpage
  • Provides rental service at major racing events

REceiver

  • Webpage
  • Miniature VHF receiver, with 2 programmable and scannable presets with LCD screen, stereo/mono audio in/out ports, adjustable volume, compact size

RE3000 Scanner (450-470 MHz)

  • Over-the-air programmable, 440 Channel programmable, zero latency

Scanner Mounts

  • Home, Car, Bike
  • 3D Printer Technology

SDRs - Software Defined Radios

  • SDS100, 200, many of the latest models of scanners.
  • SDRs...
  • SDRTrunk Software Discussion
  • DSD+ Software can also be used

Railroad Monitoring (Railfanning)

  • AAR Channels
  • Future Railroad NXDN will be NX48 (6.25 kHz) [Note: Some smaller/local may already be using)
  • Using Two-Way Radios as a "Scanner" is great for railroad monitoring. Everything must be in the same band ***
  • BCD125 is a great scanner for Railfanning
InterOp frequency - for rail crews/disaster response/
161.xxxx   Calling/Scene

Narrowbanding
https://www.ritron.com/narrowband-radio-compliance-case-study

InterOp can be used by RR Police
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/09/28/2016-23206/railroad-police-officers-to-access-public-safety-interoperability-and-mutual-aid-channels

US RR Frequencies by Company
https://whrc-wi.org/railfreqs.htm#:~:text=The%20railroads%20of%20North%20America,megahertz%2C%20in%2015%20kilohertz%20increments.

Info with Chicago info
https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2020-03/Railroad%20Wireless%20Communications%20Roadmap.pdf

NXDN future/Rich Carlson
https://www.scannermasterblog.com/railroads-nxdn-and-ptc/
https://www.scannermaster.com/scanning_the_railroads_a/219.htm

US/Canada

The planned use of frequencies not within the band 160.215-161.565 Mc/S by the railroads of either country be coordinated individually and the frequencies involved shall not be considered as part of the overall plans accepted, eg, the Canadian Railroads Radio Frequency Assignment Plan includes references to channels A-159.81, B-159.93, C-160.05, D-160.185, E-160.2; which would be subject to the normal frequency assignment coordination procedure (FCC/DOT) for each frequency and location


Related Links

  • The website is FULL of Railfan and Railroad related sites and there a lot of groups on Facebook. (where????????????)
  • Danny Harmon at Distant Signal YT One of the best narrators on the air. FB

Other Scanner Features / Mobile Device Aps

Two-Tone Paging / "Fire Tone-Outs"

  • Phone Apps for decoding the proper tone for Fire/EMS pagers
  • Phone Apps for CW-ID (Morse Code transmitting tones)

Scanner Programming Software

Note
Most/all scanner programming is set up for WINDOWS OS. If you are using a Mac, you'll have to use Parallels, etc.
  • ButTel Software by Gommert
  • FreeSCAN For Uniden SC230, BC246T, UBC3500XLT, BR330T, BCD396T, BC346XT(C), BCD396XT, BCT15X, BCD996XT, BCT15 and BCD996T, BCD996P2 only
  • ProScan For Frequency logging, audio recording, desktop control and internet streaming.
  • Uniden Sentinel Update your scanner's Firmware and the scanner's internal RadioReference database RR Wiki info
  • PSR Edit

Feature requests for New/Future Scanners?

  • GPS inside the unit.
  • More durable standards like used on Motorola, Kenwood name brand 2-way radios
  • Waterproof/IP-68 (see above)
  • Cradle charging / Drop-In Chargers (with antenna port?)
  • Batteries (like 2-way where you can have additional pre-charged batteries available)
  • USB-C Charging
  • BLUETOOTH for listening AND programming from PC. (Program from your home to your mobile in your car....)
  • Program from Android/iOS (see Remote Head)
  • Voice announcements (tuning/programming etc) for the seeing impaired
  • REMOTE head (or ability to see on a phone/tablet screen) (Make a specific type of display/phone for remote heads)
  • I.F. Out with Discriminator Tap (ready to use)

Pagers

Unication

  • These are actually made and marketed as "Pagers", but these receivers have excellent reception of P25 simulcast systems.
  • They can only receive ONE P25 Trunked System at a time. But, they can be programmed for many system.s
  • They can only receive ONE P25 TRS site at a time.

Two-Tone Paging

  • National Weather Service alert tone, 1050 Hz.
  • adding the 2-tone protocol is under tab C. PDF

Weather Alerts

Outdoor Warning Sirens

Originally started out as "Civil Defense", as "Air Raid Sirens", until after the war scar was over, these sirens often got used for alerting the local volunteer fire departments of a fire. Later use included severe weather warning alerts. It took many years for these to go away, although some places are still using them. Most places have upgraded to citywide siren systems, that can be most useful for OUTDOOR warnings to the public. These are usually a form of DTMF "tones", data or digital radio traffic.

Sirens are sometimes integrated into a warning system that links sirens with other warning media, such as the radio and TV Emergency Alert System, NOAA Weather Radio, telephone alerting systems, Reverse 911, Cable Override, and wireless alerting systems in the United States and the National Public Alerting System, Alert Ready, in Canada. This fluid approach enhances the credibility of warnings and reduces the risk of assumed false alarms by corroborating warning messages through multiple forms of media. The Common Alerting Protocol is a technical standard for this sort of multi-system integration

Siren installations have many ways of being activated. Commonly used methods are dual-tone multi-frequency signaling (DTMF) or public switched telephone network (PSTN) using telephone lines, but activation can also be done via radio broadcast. This method opens up vulnerability for exploitation, but there are protections from false alarms. These sirens can also be tied into other networks such as a fire department's volunteer notification/paging system. The basics of this type of installation would consist of a device (possibly the same pager the firefighters have) connected to the controller/timer system of the siren. When a page is received, the siren is activated

DTMF - https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/DTMF

NOAA Weather Radio

  • Move info from above, list frequencies, information about F.I.P.S
  • Most scanners of lately, have been capable of receiving S.A.M.E. codes /NWS and alert xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Midland WR-100 NOAA All Hazards Radio"

Dispatching Solutions

Zetron

Motorola Dispatch Consoles

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

Two-Way Radio

  • Battery Types
  • PC Programming (vs. Mac/Apple)

What Band Should I Choose for my Business, Personal use?

  • VHF vs UHF. UHF frequencies are best for urban or in-building usage because the shorter-wave radio frequencies can bounce around to get better range. However, in rural locales and areas with trees, VHF works much better because the foliage that eats up UHF signals doesn’t have the same problem with VHF signals. VHF signals travel much farther in open areas.


License Free

27 MHz

  • 100 mW Walkie-Talkies, mostly stopped being used in the late 1970s after switching to 49 MHz
  • Was used by Radio-Controlled toys, usually on 27.145 MHz
  • Some Paging Equipment used CB channel 23 (like the Radio Shack version xxxxxx)
  • CB Radio - Now has FM mode available for use.

49 MHz

  • See HF Underground WIKI or ARTICLE from National Communications Magazine
  • Originally using 5 channels: 1/A 49.83, 2/B 49.845, 3/C 49.86, 4/D 49.875, 5/E 49.89 but later changed to any usage of 49.82 to 49.9, any mode, any bandwidth.
  • Used by 100 mW Walkie-Talkies (had no squelch setting), Cordless Phones, Baby Monitors, Intercom/doorbell systems, and Remote-Control (Radio-Controlled) cars, etc.
  • Later used for remote control switches for power outlets, used for example, by outdoor lighting or indoor operations.

72-76 MHz

  • Wireless Clock Systems (GPS) (often used in schools and medical facilities/hospitals)
  • Remote Control Train Engines and more
  • At the 72 MHz frequency, there are also 49 channels that can be licensed.
  • Primex OneVue Sync Transmitter - High-penetration 72 MHz talks to devices throughout a building or campus with the option to leverage GPS or NTP acquired time More Information (PDF)

88-89 MHz

  • Low-Power FM for transmitting audio from a remote device to your car's radio (like 87.9, 88.1, 88.3, 88.5 and 88.7, 89.1, 89.5)
  • Later versions could do parts of the whole FM Broadcast Radio band like This item

MURS

  • See this ARTICLE from National Communications Magazine

GMRS

Midland MXR10 GMRS Repeater

Wouxun KG935G WEB MyGMRS.com

  • Reported as one of the best GMRS radios

Frequencies / Tones

  • Travel Tone - 141.3 PL

Amateur Radio

  • Coming soon SEE BELOW

Types of Users

  • Air-Medical
  • Agricultural (Farms, Seed Companies/Fertilizer, Riverside Facilities to fill barges***) (also see Related Trucking in Transportation)
  • Attractions (Amusement Parks, Museums, Monuments, Sports Stadiums, Tours (Boats), Zoos.....
  • Businesses (Small, Medium, Large - include major industrial plants and factories) SCAN-AID Businesses Churches, Microphone
  • Colleges and Universities
  • Emergency Management (Local, County, State, Federal) (Private agencies) (Previously known as ESDA)
  • EMS (Private and Municipal)
  • Federal Government (Law Enforcement, United States Postal Service
  • Hospitals, Healthcare, Skilled Nursing Facilities and Retirement Homes
  • Hotels, Motels
  • Itinerant
  • Industrial (Factories/Plants) (Automotive, Steel,
  • Manufacturing (Assembly, creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation.)
  • Maritime
  • Media (TV, Radio and formerly newspapers, as businesses entities)
  • Military (related to Federal)
  • Natural Resources/Conservation/Forestry
  • Outdoor Warning Siren (Data)


  • Property Management, Facilities Management (?)
  • Public Safety (911, Sheriff, Police, Fire, Rescue, Public Works)
    • Fireground, Tac/TAC/Talk-Around, Car-to-Car, Interop, All Call, All Talk Group/ATG, Common, etc.
  • Radio Leasing / Radio Companies
  • Railroads and related Recovery Companies SCAN-AID Railroad
  • Recreation (Sports, Golf, Water activities/Swimming, Fishing, Parks,
  • Retail (Stores, Restaurants, Malls)
  • Schools (Public, Private)/ School Transportation
  • Search and Rescue Teams
  • Security (Private, Contracted, Cash-in-Transit <Brinks>,
  • Service Companies (HVAC, Plumbing, Repairmen...Concrete, Construction,
  • Tow Trucks/Roadside Assistance
  • Transportation (Cabs/Taxis, Transit, Light Rail, Ferries, etc, Trucking) (also see Railroads above)
  • Utilities (Cable/Fiber/Internet, Telephone, Electric, Gas, Water, Sewer)
  • Warehousing/Distribution Centers/Refrigeration-Cold Storage (Walmart, Amazon.....)
  • Weather (NOAA Weather Radio) + SKYWARN/Amateur Radio repeaters, also see Emergency Management


Air-Band / Aviation

AM Aviation Frequencies All frequencies here use AM (emission designator 6K00A3E).

  • 121.5 Emergency & Distress
  • 123.1 Search and Rescue (SAR)
  • 122.9 Search and Rescue (SAR) Secondary and Training

Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs), and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) transmitters operate on 406.0 to 406.10 MHz, and some have low power 121.5 MHz homing beacons. Older ELTs use 121.5 MHz, which is also the civil aviation voice emergency frequency, and are still in widespread use. Aviation Notes:

    • Communications with aircraft in the public safety environment is complex and carries additional risks over traditional land mobile radio. Communications occur in both AM and FM modes. AM Communications are typically for pilot to pilot, pilot to tower, pilot to ARTCC, etc. It is less frequently used for tactical Air-to-Ground communications. Extreme caution must be taken with AM Airband frequencies, these are the least desirable choice for Air-to-Ground communication. While not necessarily prohibited, it presents much greater risks to aviation assets than using a discrete Public Safety FM channel.
  • Most Air-to-Ground (A/G) communications occur on FM in the traditional FM VHF, UHF, 700 and 800 MHz bands. Careful coordination of these channels is critical. Frequencies coordinated specifically for that use should be employed. Many jurisdictions have set aside or in some cases licensed specific Air to Ground FM channels in most of the bands. These allow the users to communicate with air assets in a safer environment. A concern with any airborne transmitter is the extended range of the transmission when airborne. It is often the case that an aircraft can broadcast substantially further than the license limitations of the local licensee or user, possibly resulting in unintended interference to other agencies and to the aircraft itself. When multiple aircraft operate in the same theatre of operations, frequency deconfliction and tasking coordination will prevent confusion
    • AWOS/ASOS/ATIS - ASOS stands for Automated Surface Observation Station. It is a type of automated weather station that broadcasts important weather details continuously on a specific radio frequency. ASOS is managed, maintained and controlled by NOAA rather than the FAA or the organization that operates the airport. ASOS reports conditions in the immediate vicinity of the airport. At larger towered airports, you may see a human-monitored Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS) issuing reports rather than AWOS or ASOS.

FCC Part 90 Common Station Class Codes

  • FB - Base Fixed Location Base Radio at a specific location authorized to communicate with mobile stations
  • FB2 - Mobile Relay Fixed Location Repeater – Conventional, decentralized trunking, or centralized trunking (frequency band specific)
  • FB4 - Community Repeater Fixed Location Repeater – Conventional operating with multiple CTCSS or CDCSS
  • FB8 - Centralized Trunked Relay Trunked Radio Systems below 512 MHz
  • FB2T - Mobile Relay – Temporary Mobile, Temporary or Tactical Repeaters
  • FX1 - Control (Control Station) Fixed location base radio that operates through a mobile relay (repeater) in the same way a mobile station operates
  • 6.1 - Control (Control Station) Control Station – Antenna height below 20 ft to tip (6.1 Meters)
  • MO - Mobile Handheld and vehicular mounted radios intended to be used while in motion or during halts at unspecified points
  • MOI - Mobile - Itinerant A similar station class to mobile (MO), but no interference protection is provided from other itinerant operations.
  • MO3 - Mobile/Vehicular Repeater Simplex radio attached to a vehicular mounted radio to extend range
  • MO8 - Centralized Trunk Mobile Handheld and Vehicular Mounted Radios operating on trunked radio systems below 512 MHz

Two-Way Radio FCC Frequency Licensing

See bottom of page??????????????????????????????????

Brands

  • BendexKing (NFM and P25) (different model radios can be cloned with others)

Harris

JVC/Kenwood

  • VP8000 (similar to Motorola APX8000) EFJohnson/Viking product Video 1 Video 2 (by W3AXL) Armada programming is fast and easy. Wi-Fi and bluetooth programming.
  • larger than APX8000, but weighs less

Motorola

  • DMR will probably never be available in a Public Safety grade portable radio (that also has P25)

Motorola APX8000

  • Public Safety grade (P25)
  • Programming Software is slow. Wi-Fi and bluetooth programming.

Watch Duty Echo Project

  • Inside Watch Duty’s Echo Radios: Remote Listening, Tone Detection, and Early Warning
  • Announced Dec 2022, Echo Project for capturing first responder radio communications deep within the wildlands of California and beyond. Watch Duty reporters, (much like traditional news reporters, government contractors, and even utility companies like PG&E) use handheld radio scanners and internet-based scanners to listen to first responders during an emergency. This is how we make sense of what is going on in real-time, between the daily official press briefings to keep residents up-to-date. As it turns out, PG&E and CalFIRE contractors, like dozer operators and water tenders, do precisely the same thing. Contractors and agencies working across multiple regions and states, use the online radio streaming service Broadcastify.com to listen to local radios in multiple regions.

MPT1327 / TETRA

Flyde Micro Fylde is a co founder and current world leader in the design, manufacture and supply of MPT1327 radio trunking networks. Fylde delivered the first ever true MPT system to British Telecom back in 1986 and installed it on the Post office tower in London. This was closely followed by the first multi site systems.

Fylde also actively contribute to the generation and implementation of the new dPMR and DMR digital radio standards and hence are totally aware of the complexities of implementing these standards. It is the Fylde way to always ensure compatibility and upgrade paths for current and new users to our systems.

DSD Plus

  • Will show as "DMR(FLYD)" on decode


Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)

AMATEUR RADIO

  • WELCOME, info

Amateur Radio Brands

Ailunce

HD1 Dual Band Portable

Baofeng

Icom

Kenwood

Puxing

  • Radioddity Also an authorized distributor of Baofeng, TYT, QYT, Xiegu ) ALSO

Retavis

RT-99 Mobile/Base Website Manual - VERY LIMITED Info (PDF)

  • Operate/Program with phone app. Love this radio! 50W VHF/40W UHF

TYT

TH-9800

  • TH-9800 User Manual (radio is "comparable" to Yaesu FT-8800
  • VGC VR-N7500 is identical radio Review
  • My notes: This radio nearly operates the same as the Yaesu FT-8800. It has more some more options available in menu, but is limited on some other features. After being installed for a bout a year at home, this radio stopped receiving properly and just sounded like the squelch was turned all the way down. No longer able to use this "cheap" knock-off radio.

Yaesu

Radioddity GD77 & TYT MD-380 are the same radio. BETTER than GD 88  opengd77.com
radiosification.blogspot.com /YT video
Color Code Scan and Time Slot Filter, CRC ignore (gets around RAS on motorola)

Amateur Radio Features

  • Cross-Band Repeat (works like a Mobile Extender/Vehicular Repeater)
  • DMR
  • Fusion (Yeasu C4FM)

Related Videos

Microphones

PORTABLE RADIOS

  • 2-3 common type of 2-Pin microphones used on portable radios (Amateur/xxxx) Non-Motorola

MOBILE / BASE RADIOS

  • Type of connections, old round, network/phone looking type.

BLUETOOTH

  • Speakers, Head Sets, Ear Pieces, Ear Buds, etc
  • Microphones, programming
  • BT Recommendations

911, InterOp and Related Agencies

Learning Tools for Telecommunications/Dispatcher

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • IS-100.C: Introduction to the Incident Command System, ICS 100
  • IS-200.C: Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response, ICS-200
  • IS-700.B: An Introduction to the National Incident Management System
  • IS-800.D: National Response Framework, An Introduction
  • ICS-300: Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents (Classroom Delivery Only)
  • IS-144.A: TERT Basic Course

911 / Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) / Telecommunicator Resources

International Academies of Emergency Dispatch

Priority Dispatch

ProQA Software

CritiCall 911

  • Website for Dispatcher/Call-Taker Testing and Training

Dispatching Radio Screen Software

Motorola's Touchscreen Consoles

  • Tech Global makes touchscreens that can be used by dispatchers, etc.

Mindshare

AVTEC Scout

Miscellaneous

  • eDispatches.com eDispatches automatically detects audio dispatches as well as CAD dispatches and delivers notifications directly to your members’ mobile devices. Receive your dispatch via mobile app, text message or by phone call – all with no effort whatsoever from your dispatch center.

Field/Mobile Radio Communications

  • See DVRS/Vehicular Repeater/Mobile Extender
  • SOW/COW

Training Videos'

INTEROP

SAFECOM

National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG)

  • Has been updated to version 2.01 and can be viewed and downloaded by clicking on the link below. New content in 2.01 includes references on Information Technology, Emergency Wireless Carrier Services, Interference Management, Encryption, and Cybersecurity.
  • The NIFOG is a technical reference for emergency communications planning and for radio technicians responsible for radios that will be used in disaster response. The NIFOG includes rules and regulations for use of nationwide and other interoperability channels, tables of frequencies and standard channel names, and other reference material, formatted as a pocket-sized guide for radio technicians to carry with them. DOWNLOAD NIFOG V 2.01 (PDF)

National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG) Fact Sheet

  • Has been updated to version 2.01 and can be viewed and downloaded at NIFOG Fact Sheet (PDF)

25 Cities Project Federal Interoperability Channels

  • These are VHF channels that use FBI fixed infrastructure to provide wide area coverage for federal, state, and local public safety users. There are currently 56 channels, overseen by 31 FBI Field Offices. The primary use of the channels is for interoperable communications during both pre-planned and emergency events. The channels may also be available for internal agency communications. All pre-planned use must be coordinated with the local FBI Telecommunications Manager. All federal, state, and local public safety agencies are encouraged to program the 25 Cities frequencies into their land

mobile radio subscriber devices. Most 25 Cities VHF channels are accessible by non-VHF users via permanent or ad hoc patching capabilities provided to many agencies as part of the 25 Cities Project. Please note that in certain cities, the channels use the VHF Law Enforcement (LE) Federal Interoperability frequencies: Baltimore (BA LE 3); Boston (BS LE 4); Charlotte (CE LE 4); Honolulu (HNL LE 2, HNL LE 3, HNL LE 4, HNL LE 5); Kansas City (KC FIOLE2); Milwaukee (MW LE 4, MW LE3 GB, MW LE2 MA); Newark (NK FIO LE 2); Richmond (RH LE4); San Juan/Puerto Rico (SJ LE 2 ME, SJ LE 3 YQ, SJ LE 4 CS, SJ LE 5 CP, and SJ LE 2 STT), and Washington, D.C. (DC LE 2)

Frequencies listed at RR ???? and https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-02/NIFOG%202.01%20508%20FINAL.pdf

FirstNet LTE

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) was created on February 22, 2012, under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act. FirstNet is an independent authority within the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration. It is governed by a 15-member Board consisting of the Attorney General of the United States, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and 12 members appointed by the Secretary of Commerce. The FirstNet Board is composed of representatives from public safety; local, state and federal government; and the wireless industry. These dedicated individuals bring their expertise, experience and commitment to serving public safety and meeting the FirstNet mission.

In 2017 Nextcom launched its FLEX branded 4G LTE two way radio service that provides instant, always-on communications between teams no matter where they are in the USA and Canada with no roaming fees, no licensing, no long distance and no overage charges. FLEX truly redefines "wide-area communications."
NEXTCOM EXPO - Radio Over Wi-Fi System Applications
For Hotels & Convention Centers, Supermarkets & Large Retail Shopping Malls, Warehouses, Stadium and Auditoriums, Hospitals.

CDCSS (DPL) Tones
CTCSS (PL) Tones

Microphones for Two-Way Radios


Volume / Speakers / Line-Out

Volume

Rec. (Record) Line-Out

  • Useful when recording your scanner audio for later review (using a PC program and/or programming software that keeps track of hits)
  • Also see Broadcastify/Online Streaming

Bluetooth

  • Adding Bluetooth earpieces to your scanner.
  • Adding Bluetooth speakers to your scanner.
  • Adding Bluetooth speakers to your Unication Pager Device
  • Using you

Speakers

Live Scanner Feeds / Streaming

  • Broadcastitfy
  • Broadcastitfy Calls *****SDR Links
  • OpenMHZ.com Listen to Police and Fire radio from across the US; or Broadcast

Squelch / Carrier Squelch / Codes

Squelch

  • Squelch is used in two-way radios and VHF/UHF radio scanners to eliminate the sound of noise when the radio is not receiving a desired transmission.

Carrier Squelch

PL (CTCSS)

It is a use of sub-audible tones that are transmitted along with the speech portion of the transmission which allows more than one agency (or fleet) to use the same radio frequency without hearing the other agency on that frequency. Receivers for agency XYZ are set to only open their audio squelch when the proper sub-audible frequency tone is part of the transmission.

Today the sharing of frequencies by agencies is less common than it once was, CTCSS is more commonly used by repeater systems to prevent noise or interference from causing the repeater squawk obnoxiously, and by receivers as an extra measure of squelch (for instance, to prevent engine noise from breaking squelch).

In addition to the standard tones, some manufacturers have made available additional tone frequencies specific to their own products, but not available to products from other manufacturers. 

Because period is the inverse of frequency, lower tone frequencies can take longer to decode (depends on the decoder design). Receivers in a system using 67.0 Hz can take noticeably longer to decode than ones using 203.5 Hz, and they can take longer than one decoding 250.3 Hz. In some repeater systems, the time lag can be significant. The lower tone may cause one or two syllables to be clipped before the receiver audio is unmuted (is heard). This is because receivers are decoding in a chain. The repeater receiver must first sense the carrier signal on the input, then decode the CTCSS tone. When that occurs, the system transmitter turns on, encoding the CTCSS tone on its carrier signal (the output frequency). All radios in the system start decoding after they sense a carrier signal then recognize the tone on the carrier as valid. Any distortion on the encoded tone will also affect the decoding time.

Engineered systems often use tones in the 127.3 Hz to 162.2 Hz range to balance fast decoding with keeping the tones out of the audible part of the receive audio (Courtesy WikiPedia)
  • Many NATO military radios have a switchable 150.0 Hz tone. The list includes the following radios: AN/PRC-68, AN/PRC-117F, AN/PRC-117G, AN/PRC-77, AN/PRC-113, AN/PRC-137, AN/PRC-139, AN/PRC-152, AN/PRC-119, AN/VRC-12, AN/PSC-5, and Thales AN/PRC-148 MBITR. (from Wikipedia)

DPL/DCS/CDCSS

  • CSQ....
  • Standard codes
  • Digital-Coded Squelch (DCS) system was developed by Motorola under the trademarked name Digital Private Line (DPL). General Electric responded with the same system under the name of Digital Channel Guard (DCG). The generic name is CDCSS (Continuous Digital-Coded Squelch System).

DCS (Digital-Coded Squelch), generically known as CDCSS (Continuous Digital-Coded Squelch System), was designed as the digital replacement for CTCSS. In the same way that a single CTCSS tone would be used on an entire group of radios, the same DCS code is used in a group of radios. DCS is also referred to as Digital Private Line (or DPL), another trademark of Motorola, and likewise, General Electric's implementation of DCS is referred to as Digital Channel Guard (or DCG). Despite the fact that it is not a tone, DCS is also called DTCS (Digital Tone Code Squelch) by Icom, and other names by other manufacturers. See DCS on WikiPedia


  • The use of digital squelch on a channel that has existing tone squelch users precludes the use of the 131.8 and 136.5 Hz tones as the digital bit rate is 134.4 bits per second and the decoders set to those two tones will sense an intermittent signal (referred to in the two-way radio field as "falsing" the decoder) (From WikiPedia)

* In this same sense, RadioShack/GRE/Whistler scanners may show 136.5 PL on a poorly received transmission using DCS.

Digital Modes

NAC

  • Used in P25, conventional and trunking, often pronounced as "Nack" or "Nax" (plural), but can be said as "N" "A" "C". Can be abbreviated to "N" or $, ie $070
  • See (under P25)

Air Ambulance / Helo / MedEvac

  • GMR AirEvac Lifeteam AEL
  • arch.... etc

Frequency Hunting

  • How to finding New and Exciting monitoring opportunities
  • Just because your local Police (and or Fire) are encrypted, doesn't meant you can't find new ways to continue your hobby.
  • CLOSE CALL - Uniden
    • Due to DMRs emissions, it will miss a lot of/most DMR activity.
  • SIGNAL STALKER - GRE

Frequency Counters

Scanning Bands

  • Pre-programmed ranges in your scanner
  • Self-specified ranges in your scanner
  • These ranges can also be defined to scan during your regular scanning sessions.
  • Keeping track of Radio IDs on DMR, P25 and NXDN systems. (what you here in the clear, may help identify what is being used on an encrypted talkgroup)

Trunked Radio Decoders

Note
  • I have yet to have time to get an SDR dongle working. All of my decoding is done through scanners with DSD+ and pro96com

DSDplus / DSD+

  • LRRP - Location Request/Response Protocol

Notes/Future Explanations

  • "Found Rest Channel

DMR

  • MOTO
  • KENW
  • KIRI = KIRISUN (?)
  • TRID = Trident Datacom DBA Trident Micro Systems (USA)
  • ASEL = ASELSAN Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Turquía)

pro96com P25 decoder

Other Programs

Apps

  • Phone - Morse Code etc.

Statewide/Areawide Radio Systems

Trunked Radio Systems

Motorola

Type 1, 2

  • PrivacyPlus
  • Ion

Tait


Hytera

  • Pseudo Trunking, basically a single freq DMR repeater with 2 time slots/talk paths. Users are normally assigned a time slot, if group A is talking and group B is on the same slot they can't key up while the channel is busy, even if the other slot is open. Pseudo trunk dynamically lets group B use the other slot. This is a single freq trunking system.
  • Multiple repeaters at a site Hytera has XPT, extended pseudo trunking, which makes each slot in any repeater a resource available to any user so they don't have to change channels to find an open slot.

JVCKenwood NXDN

LTE

  • Cellular/Wi-Fi based radios

DIGITAL MODES / other

Monitoring MOTOTRBO (DMR) and NEXEDGE (NXDN)

Discriminator Tap "Output"

Scanners with discriminator taps: 396XT, Pro 96, Pro 2096, PSR500, PSR600, PSR106, PSR107, PSR800; Whistler 1088, 1095, 1098

DSD Plus https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/DSDPlus TIPS 'N' TRICKS Error Code: "fm demodulated p25p1 psk signal detected"

DMR Tier III Hytera vs Tier III CapMax (Motorola) https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/fastlane-errors.466165/ 

Then, throw in a system like Selex / Leonardo ( search here for: Goosetown Tier III ). It is not a CAPMAX system, but it does not use an Area ID and does not require +1'ing the bits in the Syscode. Unfortunately, there is no OTA information sent that allows DSDPlus to distinguish that it is a Selex system, so DSDPlus presumes its a DMR TIII Standard system and shows AreaID+SiteID and +1's the bits.

I agree, after a few years of seeing TIII systems now, that it would be better to never present the AreaID+SiteID information for a system -- and instead they should be presented as just a model, network ID, and SIte ID. But, I have a feeling DSDPlus would require a significant revamp to do this, and would then require everyone to change how they present aspects of a TIII system in the DSDPlus.* files.

But let's assume that miraculously every piece of software was on the same page using Network Model, Network ID, Site ID. There is still the issue of any software knowing precisely when a SysCode is not presenting "the facts", for every TIII system variant, and thus needing to be +1'd.

I don't think any software developer is every going to get DMR TIII (including all variants -- standards compliant, Capmax, Selex, etc) 100% all the time because we do in fact know that in the DMR TIII standards there is actually an Area ID and a Site ID, and that there is a very important variable (LA -- length of Area) that is not sent over the control channel / not sent in the SysCode information -- there making it impossible to get the Area ID + Site ID combination correct 100% of the time.

 GRE/Whistler scanners can't tell the difference and don't truly trunk track and maybe can't even handle TIII. Uniden scanners can't tell the difference between 100% standards compliant TIII systems and variants like CapMax and Selex. Uniden treats them all the same. SDRTrunk appears to treat them all the same (taking in no account for Area ID+Site ID or +1'ing), but I may be wrong about that -- there may be circumstances where SDRTrunk does +1'ing . I do not use it enough to know. And for anything else handling TIII, I'm pretty sure they aren't attempting to display AreaID+SiteID.

Digital Modes

DMR/MotoTRBO

Modes • Direct mode
• Repeater mode
• Through a repeater in conventional single site mode
• IP Site system is configured through a set of repeaters in IP Site Connect Connect mode.

    • Tait recommends not using simulcast in DMR. See LINK (PDF)

• Capacity Plus Single Site system is configured by trunking a set of repeaters in Capacity Plus Single Site mode.
• Capacity Plus Multi Site system is configured by trunking a set of repeaters connected across multiple sites in Capacity Plus Multi Site mode.

  • Can be configured to operate in analog mode, digital mode, or in both modes

• Dynamic Mixed Mode (DMM), MOTOTRBO uses a pair of physical channels configured for 12.5 kHz channel bandwidth for digital operation and analog operation. The repeater dynamically switches between analog and digital modes based on the call it receives from radios. If an analog radio transmits, the repeater switches to analog mode to repeat the analog call. However, the repeater only repeats analog calls that are qualified by PL (DPL/TPL). If a digital radio transmits, then the repeater switches to digital mode to repeat the digital call if the call uses the right color code. While the repeater repeats one analog call at a time, it can repeat 2 digital calls at a time, one on each logical channel.

Call Types

  • Group Call - Everyone on your "Channel" (talkgroup) can hear you and respond
  • All Call - Everyone on your whole system can hear you and respond (Emergencies, etc.) [Capacity Plus or higher]
  • Private Call - Find the employee in your contact list and call directly (Only you and the other radio can hear the call) [Capacity Plus or higher]

Restricted Access to System (RAS)

  • Used by MOTOROLA systems only
  • Information courtesy DJOWH
  • This feature prevents unauthorized subscriber users from using the repeaters in the system. It also offers some protection to prevent unauthorized subscribers from listening to any repeater outbound voice/data transmission.
  • RAS is not a privacy feature and if voice privacy is a concern, Basic Privacy, Enhanced Privacy, or AES should be used. It is supported in all MOTOTRBO system configurations – Conventional Single Site, IP Site Connect, Capacity Plus, and Linked Capacity Plus.

RAS provides two methods to prevent a subscriber from accessing the system:

  • RAS Key Authentication // Radio ID Range Check

These two methods are independent of each other and may be enabled/disabled separately or together. When used together, they provide a robust and flexible way to control the users access to the system.

RAS on LCN decoding

  • Since RAS keeps unauthorized radios from accessing the system, it may also foul up your attempts to get a proper LSN/LCN for a CAP+/Tier III/CON+ system.
  • RR Forum Post
  • Some DMR mobile radios can be set to "PROMISCUOUS" mode, which will allow you to LISTEN to the system.

Rest Channel / Timeslot

DMR Networks

DMR Network Layout/Size

  • T (Tiny) S (Small) L (Large) H (Huge)
  • Huge network model we can set up up to a total of 1024 sites


LRRP Data

  • Location Request Response Protocol
  • Uniden Scanners (x36 and SDS), LRRP will cause the scanner to falsely flag the system as "CAP". So some unsuspecting users may think a frequency is CAP+, and has the standard Cap+ beacons, when really it's just LRRP doing it's thing to confuse the easily confused Uniden scanners. Info courtesy W1KNE

Capacity Plus - Single Site (CPSS)

  • No trunking controller, the repeaters and subscribers contain all necessary trunking logic. 1 of the Repeaters will be a "Master"
  • There is no dedicated Control Channel, instead a rolling "rest timeslot" is used
  • A total of 20 networked devices on the site (repeaters, RDAC* or PCs) -- Up to 8 trunked repeaters (16 time slots) and 12 data revert repeaters.
Data Revert - The GPS Revert Channel feature allows system to off load radio transmitted location updates onto a programmed digital channel that differs from the digital Selected Channel. This feature effectively removes Location Update traffic from the Selected Channel in order to free up that channel. The GPS Revert Channel also allows a large group to communicate on a single voice channel while sending location updates on multiple GPS Revert  Channels to accommodate larger Location Update loads. 

Each channel programmed into the radio has a configurable CPS option to designate the GPS transmission channel on which it transmits Location Update messages. The CPS options for the GPS transmission channel are Selected, All, and None.

- Choosing Selected means that the GPS updates are transmitted on the current channel.

- In the case of All, a single channel must be chosen from the list of all channels. This chosen channel is known as the GPS Revert Channel and this is where GPS updates are transmitted on.
  • Up to 255 talkgroups
  • Rest Timeslot - Rest "Beacon" messages; when all timeslots are busy, the rest timeslot can be a voice timeslot
  • "Channel Pool" Frequencies with times lots available.
  • Terms: Personalities, Voice Lists, Subscriber Radio, "Slot ID" same as LSN,
  • Polite vs Impolite - being able to talk over a radio already using the talkgroup
  • Higher priority only to All Call and Emergency Calls (can trigger a channel to impolite) WILL NOT break into current conversations.

Capacity Plus - Multiple Site (CPMS)

May also be called MotoTRBO Linked Capacity Plus

  • Multi-site dynamic trunking, large groups across a large area. through an IP
  • Up to 15 locations with up to 8 repeaters on each site (16 timeslots), 1600 users on each site. Up to 11 (or 6) data revert per site (GPS, etc),
  • Up to 255 talkgroups. Ideally can support 100 subscribers per slot.
  • 1 master Repeaters with peers, If the master repeater goes down, the network picks up the rest, with a pair of timeslots probably missing
  • The master repeater contains a list of rudimentary fleetmap that lists all of the sites in the system, and a list of the talkgroups, and which sites they should be networked to.
  • All repeaters carry traffic from all talkgroups, unless it's turned off during setup. Some talkgroups may only be set to transmit on specified sites.
  • Individual calls (Private Call/iCall) are only placed on the source and destination site.
  • Location information not available, whether a radio is turned on and which site it is on.
  • Main advantage is added subscriber capacity that has the ability to share calls across multiple sites.
  • With IP Site-Connect Ability to link sites together that are on different bands (VHF, UHF, 800)
  • Neighbors HAVE to have overlap coverage, for handing over during roaming
  • Each site has to have it's own router/network,
  • Adding more data radios or shortening the GPS update period could drive the need for more revert slot, or the need for enhanced GPS on the system

Capacity Max

  • Dynamic Site Assignment, Call Queuing, Priority and preemption.(available on TIII or greater, not on capacity plus)

Hytera XPT

Tier III" Non Standard vs Standard

Connect Plus

TRBOnet Plus

  • Based on TRBOnet Enterprise, support for all TRBO systems; sold and supported by Motorola
  • IP-based, integrated, AMBE vocoder, Modular based, Scalable, Direct IP interface to repeaters, remote administration
  • GPS, Telemetry, Voice Recording, Automation, Fleet Management, Event logging, Text Messaging/Email, Job Ticketing, EBT, Phone Interconnect, Alarm Management, RF Coverage Management, Location Tracking, Indoor Positioning
  • Multiple dispatch position, Each dispatcher can set up their position as they like
  • System Bridging with 2 different system, Analog radios can migrate to the system

JVCKenwood DMR-S Trunking

  • Information courtesy KD4EFM
  • RR Thread on Up to 15 sites max, up to 8 repeaters per site
  • S-Trunking is a JVCKenwood proprietary DMR-based TDMA Trunking system.
  • There is support for DMR Tier 3 Trunking, and it's centralized trunking relay system that has exclusive control channel (FB8)*.
  • Conforms to shared channel license environments, by: the TSCC is basically transmitted in intervals (data pulses). It negates interference to neighboring systems unlike the other equipment out there.
  • Reference: ETSI TS 102 361-4 (DMR Tier III Trunking Systems)
  • Shared channel (FB6) and Exclusive control channel (FB8) as defined by the FCC

TIER 3 Hytera

Tait Tier 2/3 IP-Based Simulcast

  • Tier2

Simulcast achieves wide-area coverage with multiple (geographically separated) repeaters using the same receive and transmit frequencies. A digital voter is used on the receive sites to determine the best signal to relay. Simulcast is very useful when multiple frequency allocations may be hard to obtain, and reusing the same frequencies over a large area is more cost-effective. It also reduces channel changing and the number of re-registrations on a network.
Simulcast can also be DIFFERENT frequencies as each site. This eliminates the chance for distortion between transmitting sites.

  • Tier3 Express (up to 6 simulcast sites)
  • Tier3 Express20 (up to 20 simulcast sites with High Availability redundancy option)
  • Tier3 Full Solution

DMR Tier III Motorola MOTOTRBO Capacity Max

  • Motorola Video from 2015
  • Can cover 15 facilities, 29 voice/data per site, additional 12 data channels per site.
  • Advanced Location Tracking, Remote programming, Enhanced Security
  • You might not see the LCN for the control channel that you're decoding in the control channel messaging.
  • You may be able to calculate the LCN for the frequency that you're decoding if they're using a standard channel raster.
  • Typically the control channel is dedicated and typically there are not voice calls on the control channel. And without voice calls, you won't see the application discover the LCN. If there is another site, you might be able to see the peers (neighbor list) which will give you the LCN of the site.

DMR Association

Understanding FCC License information

DMR CASE STUDIES

Motorola's The Safe Hospital Ecosystem

INTEGRATED GAME-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY FOR BETTER OUTCOMES Case Study (PDF)

  • SSM Health (Metro St Louis) has completely reimagined how it secures its campus and facilities. By integrating once-disparate pieces of security and communications technology into a seamless integrated ecosystem, SSM Health doesn’t just receive better security, they can generate better outcomes: enhanced clinical care, higher patient satisfaction, more efficient operations and a safer workplace that enhances employee morale and retention.
  • By bringing together the innovative and integrated technology needed to detect, analyze, communicate and respond to security threats, SSM Health now has a game-changing platform that takes their security and communications to a whole new level.

SAFE HOSPITALS TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM

  • Avigilon Control Center (ACC) Video Management Software
  • Avigilon Access Control Manager (ACM) System
  • Avigilon Cameras with Video Analytics
  • MOTOTRBO Radios
  • Radio Alert
  • Ally Security Incident Management Software

CALLAWAY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE SEES INCREASED SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY WITH MOTOTRBO

Serving more than 13,000 members in rural Missouri, Callaway Electric Cooperative depends on its MOTOTRBO digital radio system to keep its workers safe in the field, while increasing their efficiency...

NXDN

  • NXEDGE 12.5KHz/9600baud NXDN is called "Narrow NXDN" in the programming software. (*Kenwood language)
  • Icom's iDAS: 6.25KHz/4800baud NXDN is called "Very Narrow NXDN" in the programming software. (*Kenwood language)
  • RAN (pronounced "ran" or "R" "A" "N"
  • Some of the very low end commercial/business radios that Kenwood sold would only do 4800NXDN.
  • Very Narrow NXDN tends to have a bit better coverage. It uses 6.25KHz wide channels, so it's easy to stick it in between other users.

Narrow NXDN tends to not have quite as good coverage, but it benefits from having a wider channel/higher data rate, so if you are using the radios to transmit data, video, GPS location, etc. it can be a better choice. Discussion

NXDN uses FDMA, and a NXDN channel be either 12.5 kHz or 6.25 kHz wide. 6.25 kHz dual-channel systems can be configured to fit within a 12.5 kHz channel. This effectively doubles the spectrum efficiency compared to an analog FM system occupying a 12.5 kHz channel. The architecture of NXDN is such that two NXDN channels, within a 12.5 kHz channel for example, can be allocated as voice/voice, voice/data, or data/data.

Kenwood's brand for NXDN equipment is "NEXEDGE", while Icom's brand for NXDN equipment is "IDAS", or Icom Digital Advanced System.

Legacy ICOM only did NX48 (6.25 kHz), newer radios can do both. Future Railroad NXDN will be NX48 (6.25 kHz)

NX48 / NXDN 6.25 kHz (iDAS)

  • Vocoder AMBE+2
  • Codec Rate 3600 bps
  • Transmission Rate 4800 bps
  • Modulation 4-level FSK
  • Peak deviation 1.05 kHz
  • Symbol Deviation: 01 +3 +1050 Hz, 00 +1 +350 Hz, 10 –1 –350 Hz, 11 –3 –1050 Hz

Emission designators

  • 4K00F1D 6.25 kHz single channel digital data (NEXEDGE)
  • 4K00F1E 6.25 kHz single channel digital voice (NEXEDGE)
  • 4K00F1W 6.25 kHz single channel digital voice and data (NEXEDGE)
  • 4K00F7W voice & data ???
  • 4K00F2D 6.25 kHz single channel analog CW ID (NEXEDGE)

NX 96 / NXDN 12.5 kHz (NEXEDGE)

  • Vocoder AMBE+2
  • Codec Rate 7200 bps
  • Transmission Rate 9600 bps
  • Modulation 4-level FSK
  • Peak deviation 2.4 kHz
  • Symbol Deviation: 01 +3 +2400 Hz, 00 +1 +800 Hz, 10 -1 -800 Hz, 11 -3 -2400 Hz

Emission designators

  • 4K00F2D CW ID
  • 8K30F1D 12.5 kHz single channel digital data (NEXEDGE)
  • 8K30F1E 12.5 kHz single channel digital voice (NEXEDGE)
  • 8K30F1W 12.5 kHz single channel digital voice and data (NEXEDGE)
  • 8K30F7W voice & data

iDas

  • System ID has an Integrator Code (0 to 15) and System Code (0 to 32767) [default 1-1]
  • Site IDs have a range of 1 to 250; 0 and 251 to 255. are reserved

P25 (APCO P25)

  • Handshake, Channel Grant

Phase 1 vs Phase 2

  • FDMA - Frequency Division Multiple Access - Original phase 2 application of splitting a 12.5 kHz frequency into 2 6.25 kHz slots
  • TDMA - Time Division Multiple Access (Note: DMR is also TDMA) Splitting a 12.5kHz frequency into 2 faster data rates to create 2 "slots"
  • C4FM - Continuous 4 level FM modulation—a special type of 4FSK modulation—for digital transmissions at 4,800 baud and 2 bits per symbol
  • CQPSK - Compatible quadrature phase shift keying (C4FM receivers can demodulate)

Phase 1

  • 12.5 kHz digital mode, single user per channel access, using C4FM
  • Many talkgroups may use Dynamic Dual Mode, which allows the talkgroup to automatically switch to TDMA (Phase II) when only TDMA-capable subscriber radios are active on the talkgroup, but will revert to Phase I when older radios (not P2 capable) are active on the talkgroup. As a result, many talkgroups in "D" Mode (Phase I) may intermittently become T (TDMA, Phase II) and only be monitored on a Phase II capable scanner at any time.

Phase 2

  • The P25 Phase 2 Standards are based on a two-slot TDMA channel access method within 12.5 kHz channel bandwidth and is used for P25 trunking systems. P25 Phase 2 two-slot TDMA trunking is an

addition to the P25 Standard and does not replace P25 Phase 1 FDMA. The P25 two-slot TDMA for Phase 2 doubles the spectrum efficiency of Phase 1 (12.5 kHz).

  • The P25 Phase 2 TDMA CAI uses two different modulation schemes for over-the-air transmission of the 12 kbps data stream, Harmonized Continuous Phase Modulation (H-CPM), is a common constant-

envelope non-linear modulation and is transmitted by the subscriber equipment. Harmonized Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keyed modulation (H-DQPSK), is a non-coherent modulation scheme and is transmitted by the fixed site equipment.

  • A P25 Phase 2 FDMA solution was finalized (CQPSK), but never widely used

(information above by Coden***) See Page 96 for pictorial

Phase 2 Control Channels

  • Some of the newest Phase 2 trunk system have a Phase 2 control channel, meaning that the other slot can be used for a voice slot. Most Phase 2 and all phase 1 systems, the control channel information takes up the whole bandwidth/rate of the frequency.
  • The P25 Phase 2 trunking system uses an FDMA Phase 1 Control Channel (with TDMA extensions / advanced signaling) for all registration, channel access and other system control. Two-slot TDMA channels are used for voice traffic channels, and FDMA channels are used for data traffic channels. The Phase 2 subscribers request a voice traffic channel by communicating with the TRC on the control channel using advanced signaling (over Phase 1) to identify the TDMA time slots.
  • A P25 Phase 2 two-slot TDMA fixed site trunking system and subscribers will support the Phase 1 CAI. This facilitates interoperability among multiple manufacturers’ equipment, migration planning from Phase 1 FDMA to Phase 2 two-slot TDMA, and inter-system roaming, according to network operator requirements

P1 vs P2

  • P2 radios can revert to P1 as needed, by P1 radios can NOT access P2
  • P1 is used by most(?) conventional, is used by trunking. P2 is usually only used in trunking applications
  • Any manufacturer of P25 should be backwards compatible and offer interoperability with other P25 vendors
                                                  1. NEW INFO

Phase 1 - radio systems operate in 12.5 KHz analog, digital or mixed mode. Phase 1 radios use Continuous 4 level FM (C4FM) non-linear modulation for digital transmissions. Phase 1 P25 compliant systems are backward compatible and interoperable with legacy systems, across system boundaries, and regardless of system infrastructure. In addition, the P25 suite of standards provides an open interface to the RF subsystem to facilitate interlinking of different vendors’ systems. Phase 2 - radio systems will achieve one voice channel or a minimum 4800 bps data channel per 6.25 kHz bandwidth efficiency. The P25 Phase 2 FDMA solution is finalized (CQPSK), and an alternate TDMA solution is currently under development. Phase 2 implementation achieves the goal of improved spectrum utilization. Also being stressed are such features as interoperability with legacy equipment, interfacing between repeaters and other sub-systems, roaming capacity and spectral efficiency/channel re-use. Phase 3 - Implementation of Phase 3 will address the need for high-speed data for public-safety use. Activities will encompass the operation and functionality of a new aeronautical and terrestrial wireless digital wideband/broadband public safety radio standard that can be used to transmit and receive voice, video and high-speed data in wide area, multiple-agency networks. The European Telecommunications Standards are working collaboratively on Phase 3, known as Project MESA (Mobility for Emergency and Safety Applications). Current P25 systems and future Project MESA technology will share many compatibility requirements and functionalities

NAC

  • NAC is the Network Access Code, somewhat similar to PL tones or DPL tones used on analog (4096 codes available to use) (range of $000 to $FFF)
  • Unlike most other applications, NAC is referred to by the HEX (hexadecimal) number. These will either be shown with "NAC" or preceded by a dollar sign ($)
  • Used on conventional simplex, repeaters and simulcast systems.
  • Used on trunked systems. Usually each site is assigned a "unique"* NAC (however it can be reused in the system elsewhere) [Each frequency on the site will use the same NAC]
  • Note: No need to say "NAC code" and "NAC tone" is not appropriate.

Optional NAC

  • $293 - Default code used by manufacturers, many interop channels
  • $F7E - A receiver will pass through ANY NAC received (but the transmitter will use it's programmed NAC)
  • $F7F - A receiver will pass through ANY NAC received and the repeater will transmit THAT NAC

P25 Data

  • Data can be streamed......

P25 Conventional

Simulcast Repeaters (Conventional)

P25 Conventional Talkgroups (P1)

  • Most conventional P25 systems are using a talkgroup, along with the NAC. Some systems have even have more than 1 talkgroup, but, for example, talkgroup 1 may have priority over the other talkgroups.
  • 1, 2, 3 (Routine Group Call) (1 is the default on Motorola systems)
  • 4095 Motorola DIU (Digital Interface Unit), often a phone patch
  • 65535 (Routine Group Call) (usually the default on other vendor systems)
  • Unit-to-Unit / Individual Call (will show the RIDs of each radio as the talkgroup)
  • Programming You may need to program your scanner as a "P25 One Freq" to receive talkgroups. You'll need to use "P25 One Freq" to add and assign RIDs aliases.

Unit ID (UIDs) / Radio IDs (RID)

  • Used on both Conventional and Trunked. Some trunked radios can assign a separate RID for each P25 trunked system that they can access

Specific Functions

  • $000000 -- No-one. This value is never assigned to a radio unit
  • $000001 to $98967F for general use.
  • $989680 to $FFFFFE for talk group use or other special purposes.
  • $FFFFFF -- Designates everyone. Used when implementing a group call with a TGID

P25 Options

P25 Encryption

There are three different states for encryption: • Clear is used when there is no encryption on the talkgroup and the encryption cannot be turned on. • Selectable can be used to turn encryption on or off using a switch or button or other radio feature selectable setting. • Strapped (Secure) is used when the talkgroup is always encrypted and cannot be turned off.

  • Encryption Key
  • Applies to both trunking and conventional systems, as well as voice messages and data packets. The IMBE™ vocoder produces a digital bit stream for voice messages that is relatively easy to encrypt. Major advantages of the P25 encryption design are that encryption does not affect speech intelligibility nor does it affect the system’s usable range. Both of these advantages are major improvements over encryption previously used in analog systems.
  • Encryption requires that both the transmitting and the receiving devices have an encryption key, and this key must be the same in each unit. This may be done using a Key Loader. Most P25 subscriber equipment is optionally available with the capability of storing and using multiple keys. That is, a unit could use one key for one group of users and use a separate key for another group of users. System management of keys may be done in a Key Management Facility, or KMF.
  • The traffic channels of a trunked system can be encrypted in the same manner as a conventional system encrypted system, using the Algorithm ID, Key ID and Message Indicator for encryption variables. The control channel of a trunked system may also be optionally encrypted. In a TSBK message, the Opcode and Arguments may be encrypted and the Protected trunking block flag (P) is set to indicate encryption. In an MBT message, the Logical Link ID, (and in the alternate header format, the Opcode and Octets 8 and 9) as well as all Data (except the CRC) may be encrypted, and the SAP Identifier is set to indicate encryption.
Types of P25 Encryption
  • In the U.S. there are four general “types” of encryption algorithms. Type 1 is for U.S classified material (national security), Type 2 is for general U.S federal interagency security, Type 3 is interoperable interagency security between U.S. Federal, State and Local agencies, and Type 4 is for proprietary solutions (exportable as determined by each vendor and the U.S. State Department). The CAI supports use of any of the four types of encryption algorithms. P25 documents currently standardize two different Type 3 encryption processes. One encryption process is the U.S. Data Encryption Standard, or DES algorithm, which uses 64 bit Output Feed Back and is denoted as DES-OFB. Another encryption process is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) which is a 256 bit algorithm.
  • P25 also includes a standardized Over The Air Rekeying (OTAR) function. OTAR is a way to greatly increase the utility of encryption systems by allowing transfer of encryption keys via radio. This remote rekey ability, controlled from a Key Management Facility, or KMF, means that radios no longer have to be physically touched in order to install a new or replacement key into a radio. OTAR signaling is sent as Packet Data Units over the Common Air Interface.
  • Optionally, multiple encryption keys can be stored in P25 radio equipment. In order to identify the keys, they are stored with an associated label called a Key Identifier or KID. The type of algorithm to be used with the key is identified by an Algorithm ID or ALGID.
Types of Encryption Algorithms

• ADP (Advanced Digital Privacy)/ARC4 Low security encryption. Usually loaded in template but can be loaded with keyloader. • DES-OFB (Digital Encryption Standard Output Feed Back) Medium security encryption that is usually loaded with keyloader but can be loaded with software. • AES256 (Advanced Encryption Standard) High security (Federal Grade) encryption that can be loaded with keyloader or software (in some radios).

P25 Emergency Switch

  • The Emergency switch will allow the user to assert the emergency condition. Once asserted, the emergency condition remains active until cleared by some other means (eg. turning the radio off)
  • EBT - Emergency Button
  • May be on a separate talkgroup

P25 Conventional Control Messages

  • Emergency Alarm is activated by a user to inform the dispatcher an emergency situation is encountered. The Emergency Alarm is typically used in a life threatening situation.
  • Call Alert sends a data packet to the destination subscriber identifying the source of the Call Alert and requesting the destination to contact the source. Call Alert is typically used if the destination subscriber

did not respond to a voice message from the source.

  • Radio Check is used to determine if a specific subscriber is currently available on the radio system. A response to the Radio Check is required, or the system will assume the subscriber is not available
  • Radio Inhibit (Radio Uninhibit) is used to deny all calls between the inhibited subscriber and the RFSS. Radio Uninhibit cancels the inhibit status of the subscriber
  • Status Update is used by a subscriber to indicate its current status (user and unit status) to a designated target address. Status Request is used by a subscriber to request the current status of a specified subscriber.
  • Message May be sent by a subscriber or the RFSS to send a short message to another subscriber.
  • Telephone Interconnect Dialing will allow a subscriber to initiate a Unit to PSTN call, and will allow a telephone network to initiate PSTN to Group and PSTN to Unit calls.
  • Radio Unit Monitor is used to cause a subscriber radio to key up when requested to do so by a dispatcher. Allows a dispatcher to listen to activity at the location of the subscriber.

P25 Location Services

  • Location Services, such as GPS, provide a method of supplying a Location Service Host System (mapping software for example) with the location of subscriber units within a P25 Radio System coverage area. The Location Services can include information such as latitude, longitude, altitude, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), GPS quality, and many other location information messages. The P25 standards break the location services into two tiers of service, Tier 1 and Tier 2.
  • Tier 1 is a simple subscriber to subscriber interface for Conventional direct (talkaround) or repeated radio signals, without providing IP addressing, fixed host routing, or more advanced configuration of triggering and reporting.
  • Tier 2 is a request/response protocol that allows an LSHS to make a request for location information from a subscriber unit or Mobile Data Peripheral (MDP), and to receive a response from the subscriber

immediately, periodically or under various triggering conditions. The information can be transmitted between subscribers in Conventional direct (talkaround) or repeated mode, or between a subscriber and a Fixed Data Host (FDH) in Conventional or Trunked Fixed Data mode. Tier 2 is used where there is the necessary infrastructure to allow routing and transport in a customer data network using IPv4. The Tier 2 approach utilizes Location Request/Response Protocol (LRRP) across the P25 Packet Data Service to transport UDP/IP addressed location information packets from the LSHS to the subscriber, and to transport location information from the subscriber to the LSHS. LRRP is an XML-based protocol, and uses Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) compression for efficient transmission over the Common Air Interface

P25 Over The Air Rekeying (OTAR)

  • OTAR is the ability to rekey the radio over the system without the use of a keyloader. This provides the ability to issue a new key quickly and without the possibility of missing radios or having older keys that

don't work. This should be used to eliminate the possibility of a lost or stolen key or if constant key updates are needed for secure communication.

  • (encryption) P25 also includes a standardized Over The Air Rekeying (OTAR) function. OTAR is a way to greatly increase the utility of encryption systems by allowing transfer of encryption keys via radio. This remote rekey ability, controlled from a Key Management Facility, or KMF, means that radios no longer have to be physically touched in order to install a new or replacement key into a radio. OTAR signaling is sent as Packet Data Units over the Common Air Interface.

P25 Trunking

  • System/Network ID (NID) - $001 to $FFE
  • WACN - $00001 to $FFFFE
  • RFSS - $01 to $FE
  • Site ID - $01 to $FE
INTRODUCTION TO P2 5 T R U N K I N G
  • In a conventional radio system, the operation of the system is controlled by the radio users, whereas in a trunked system the management of system operation, including call routing and channel allocation, is automatic. A trunking system is basically a group of communications channels automatically sharing among a large group of users. The users request access to the communication channels (also called traffic channels), and a trunking controller (also referred to as FNE – Fixed Network Equipment) grants access to the traffic channels. In a conventional system (non-trunked), the users control their own access to the traffic channels by direct selection of frequencies or channels.
  • P25 trunking standards specify a control channel, and one or more traffic channels. The control channel can be a dedicated control channel, or optionally, a composite control channel. A dedicated control channel will operate as a control channel only, where a composite control channel can operate as a control channel or as a traffic channel when all other traffic channels are busy. A secondary control channel can also be specified, to be used when the primary control channel is unavailable.
  • The P25 trunking standards and P25 digital conventional standards use identical modulation (C4FM), bit rate (9600 bps), voice messages (CAI), and control messages (data packets) for various features, including voice, data, status, message, or other features. The Common Air Interface for both trunking and conventional P25 digital systems is similar. The only difference is that the trunked version requires a command/response process to a trunking controller (on a control channel) using packet access techniques which coordinates the users’ access.
IMPLICIT / EXPLICIT
  • A P25 trunked system can be configured in either the implicit mode or the explicit mode of operation. In the implicit mode of operation, all radios are pre-programmed with the channel and frequency information. The radio then looks internally to the pre-programmed channels when switching between control and traffic channels. The explicit mode sends the channel and transmit or receive frequency over the air to the radio. The implicit mode of operation typically uses single block messages, where the explicit mode typically uses multi block messages
Registration

The subscriber unit (mobile or portable radio unit) registers with the network whenever the subscriber is turned on or moves into a new zone. Registration ensures that only authorized users access the network, and that the network can track where the subscriber is located

Trunking Talkgroups (Working Group ID/WGID)

  • TGID (talkgroup ID) ranges from hexadecimal $0000 to $FFFF and contains 65,536 addresses. These are usually referred to in DECIMAL in the scanning community
  • $FFFF == All call group
  • Announcement Group Call
  • Unit-to-PSTN
  • Unit-to-Unit
*************************************************###############################

The following TGID’s have specific functions:

  • $0000 -- No-one or a talkgroup with no users. Used when implementing an individual call.
  • $0001 -- Default TGID value and should be used in systems where no other talkgroups are defined.
  • $0001 thru $FFFE - Assignable working group
  • $FFFF -- Reserved as a talkgroup which includes everyone

The three main types of voice message calls are:

  • Routine Group Call This is the most common type of call and is intended for a group of users within the radio system. This type of call is typically initiated by asserting the PTT switch.
  • Emergency Group Call This type of call is similar to a Routine Group Call, but is used during an emergency condition. An emergency condition is defined by the radio system users This type of call is typically initiated by asserting the Emergency switch.
  • Individual Call -- As addressed to a specific individual. The caller enters the subscribers Unit ID, that they wish to call, and this is used as the Destination ID by the radio making the call. This type of call is made after the Destination ID is entered into the radio


Analog vs. P25

  • Transition - P25 equipment can be used in any configuration that is typically found in existing analog systems. Base Stations, remote bases, repeaters, voting, and simulcast systems are all configurations of P25 conventional systems. Transmitter RF power output levels and receiver sensitivity levels of P25 equipment are very similar to those of conventional analog equipment. P25 equipment can therefore be used in a “one-for-one replacement” scenario of analog equipment.
ANALOG VS. P25 DIGITAL COVERAGE
  • There is much discussion about the RF coverage area of an analog radio signal versus a digital radio signal. In theory, a P25 digital radio signal will allow for a slightly greater coverage area when placed in the same location as an analog radio. There are some factors, however, that may interfere with the digital signal to a greater degree than the interference to an analog signal.
  • P25 Phase 1 uses C4FM modulation. Because C4FM is a constant amplitude modulation, it allows use of nonlinear power amplifiers. Use of nonlinear amplifiers results in digital equipment that produces RF power levels that are equal to the power levels of current analog equipment. Systems can be implemented with little or no loss of coverage. An analog transmitter can be replaced with a P25 Phase 1, digital transmitter that produces the same transmitter output level of the analog transmitter. This is currently not necessarily true for higher power analog systems that are replaced by some TDMA systems when bandwidth of the resultant signal is a critical issue

P25 Failsoft

  • In P25 trunking applications, P25 Failsoft allows a dispatcher to continue voice communication during degraded P25 system operation.
  • When a site fails, designated repeaters enter the Failsoft state which allows the console and affected radios to continue communicating using Failsoft channels in conventional mode. Failsoft operation supports Conventional Group Calls, PTT ID/ANI Alias, Emergency Calls/State, Late Entry, Call Alert, and Console-Controlled Encryption.

P25 Trunked on VHF

MOSWIN

Missouri Statewide Wireless Interoperable Network (MOSWIN)

  • For Example,, in Missouri P25 PDF
  • Uses Federal Government frequencies for this project, Devices must operate throughout the 138-174 MHz VHF High band (see the link above for more system requirements)
  • Device must be capable of Advanced Project 25 Control Channel functionality that enables explicit trunking. Due to the lack of standardized channel pairings in the public safety VHF High Band spectrum allocation, higher tier P 25 control channel functionality is required in subscriber devices on the MOSWIN network for it to be able to explicitly trunk and specifically assign unique, site based VHF channel pairings to a subscriber radio based on channels available, thereby enabling the subscriber to access the network.
  • This specific method of granting a channel is a more extensive process for the network’s Control Channel than in implicit trunking, where the channel pairings are standardized and a reduced amount of messaging on the Control Channel dedicated to channel granting is required for each channel assignment. In addition to the above criteria, subscriber units proposed for use on MOSWIN need to be tested on the MOSWIN network to ensure consistent operation. Experience in other states, using both VHF High Band and 700/800 MHz Wide Area trunked systems, indicates that field testing of subscriber units prior to system certification is necessary to ensure that the full functionality of the subscriber is achievable and expectations of the users are verified. Those field tests include roaming throughout a system to ensure the subscriber transfers across all the zones of a system and we look forward to working with the vendor community on developing those tests.
  • The Missouri Department of Public Safety anticipates developing a certification process in which subscriber units from multiple manufacturers can be approved to operate on MOSWIN. Any additional questions on the MOSWIN Project 25 requirements listed above, contact Stephen Devine at 573-522-2382 stephen.devine@dps.mo.gov

P25 IntelliRepeater (Trunking)

An IntelliRepeater is a trunked repeater with built-in capabilities to perform the trunking functions without the need for a site controller. Any IntelliRepeater at a site can provide this capability if a station was to fail. This eliminates the need for central controllers at every site, while still providing full system capabilities.

Other Digital Standards

TETRA

  • A number of European countries submitted TETRA to ITU-R Working Party 8A on behalf of ETSI (the European Telecommunication Standards Institute). TETRA’s primary mode uses ›/4DQPSK modulation that requires a linear or linearized amplifier and fits four-slot TDMA within a 25 kHz channel mask.

IDEN/DIMRS

  • Canada submitted DIMRS to ITU-R Working Party 8A. It is a six-slot TDMA system using 16QAM modulation that fits within a 25 kHz channel mask. It is designed primarily for public systems and is in use in a number of countries around the world. Motorola Inc. is the principal manufacturer of this equipment, under the name IDEN™

Cellular Networks

FirstNet

  • Public Safety Nationwide Coverage

NexTel

  • History

Early Mobile Phones

  • 800 MHz/Scanners
  • Banning of devices that can monitor cellular communications

SEARCHING FOR FCC LICENSES

  • CP/Paging Licenses cover a spectrum or frequency range, auctioned off by the FCC in blocks. (Note: These licenses DO NOT show up in the RadioReference FCC Database
  • You can search some of these databases, by just name, or by LICENSEE city, by state or using coordinates (latitude longitude)
  • Converting coordinates - Degrees Minutes Seconds to/from Decimal Degrees https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/dms-decimal
  • Federal Government frequencies are NOT available for searching. NTIA

National Telecommunications and Information Administration https://www.ntia.gov/page/united-states-frequency-allocation-chart https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/redbook/2012-05/7_12.pdf https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-105221.pdf

Searching for Mass Media / TV & Radio Stations

Air / Military Air (MilAir)

FREQUENCIES

BY CHART/LIST by Category

UNSORTED INFORMATION TO BE PLACED LATER

UNKNOWN FREQUENCY USAGE

(Radio) Towers/Transmitter Sites in your areas

My History of Scanning


Former ScanIllinois.com website (hosted by unknown user on Angelfire hosting

Notes
  • I DO NOT monitor Aircraft or MilAir. I have made attempts on monitoring Railroads, but can never find interesting to keep me listening.

Nothing about the actual air frequencies that I enjoy either. Local UHF systems/repeaters on an airport are productive listening.

Conventional Uses

  • Simplex mobile/portables
  • Simplex Base/Mobile
  • Repeater
  • P25 on above
  • DMR on above (MOTOTRBO)
  • NXDN on above (NEXEDGE)
  • Using "ONE FREQ DMR" or "ONE FREQ NXDN" or "ONE FREQ P25" on capable Uniden scanners

Monitoring DMR or NXDN on Radio Shack/GRE scanners

  • These scanners are NOT capable of scanning a system, but is able to pick up the voice transmissions

Let say this is a conventional DMR system in use near you: 

462.0375  467.0375  WRCR799  RM  CC 15|TG 2|SL 1  Lodge Ch 2  Operations (Ch 2)  DMR  Business
462.0375  467.0375  WRCR799  RM  CC 15|TG 3|SL 1  Lodge Ch 3  Operations (Ch 3)  DMR  Business
462.0375  467.0375  WRCR799  RM  CC 15|TG 4|SL 1  Lodge Ch 4  Operations (Ch 4)  DMR  Business
  • I would keep an eye on the slots. It's very possible that the talkgroups can be used on either slot.
  • For example Ch. 4 has traffic, which is on SLOT 1, then Ch.2 wants to talk at the same time, ...It will go on SLOT 2, while SLOT 1 is still carrying the traffic on Ch 4. Ch 4 could stop for a second and Ch 2 could switch to SLOT 1. While Ch. 2 is on SL1, Ch. 4 starts back up again and will use SL2 (if they both are still carrying traffic)

Trunked Systems

  • Motorola Type II (Legacy)
  • EDACS (Legacy)
  • LTR (Legacy)
  • APCO P25 Digital Phase I (+ Simulcast)
  • APCO P25 Digital Phase II (+ Simulcast)
  • DMR Type I - Conventional Digital Mobile Radio (non licensed conventional, ie) MOVE????
  • DMR Type II (Licensed conventional) MOVE????
    • Internet Protocol Site Connect (DMR)
  • DMR Type III Hytera (Trunking)
  • DMR Type III Other (ie. Capacity Max) Trunking
  • DMR Capacity Plus (Cap+)
  • DMR Linked Capacity Plus - trunked multi-site multi-channel configuration of MotoTRBO which combines both Capacity Plus and IP Site Connect configurations.
  • DMR Capacity Max
  • DMR Connect Plus (Con+)
Common Emission Designators

Channel Spacing

  • Emissions below "fit" into the available channel spacing
  • Radio/TV
  • The smaller the channel spacing, the more users that we can fit in a block of frequencies
  • The wider the channel spacing, the better the reception and audio fidelity
  • 25 KHz - Wideband
  • 12.5 KHz - Narrowband* (1/2 of wide)
  • 6.25 KHz - Ultra-Narrow (1/2 of narrowband)

RF Channel FDMA TDMA (2 Time Slot) can carry 2 voice channels (Conversations)


Emissions / Emission Designators


Common Emission Designators See SCAN-AID Emissions for full list

Common Emission Designators
11K0F1E Digital voice using frequency modulation without modulating sub-carrier. (11K0F1D Narrowband digital data, using frequency modulation without modulating sub-carrier)
11K0F2E Digital voice using frequency modulation with modulating sub-carrier. (11K0F2D digital data)
11K0F3E Narrowband analog voice, considered by the FCC to be identical to 11K2F3E.
11K2F1D POCSAG paging (narrowbanded, i.e., Swissphone alerting).
11K2F1E Digital voice frequency modulated without modulating sub-carrier.
11K2F2D Frequency modulated (FM) 2.5 kHz deviation audio frequency shift keying within a 12.5 kHz channel spacing. Commonly used for 1.2 kbps packet, FFSK station alerting, and AFSK outdoor warning siren signaling.
11K2F2E Digital voice frequency modulated with modulating sub-carrier.
11K2F3D Frequency modulated (FM) 2.5 kHz deviation DTMF or other audible, non-frequency shift signaling, such as Whelen outdoor warning sirens or “Knox-Box®” activation.
11K2F3E Frequency modulated (FM) 2.5 kHz deviation analog voice, "narrowband 12.5 kHz" (FMN mode in RadioReference.com Database) – may also be 11K0 and 11K3 bandwidth in the United States, may also be 10K1 or 12K5 bandwidth in Australia or Canada.
13K1F9W Harris OpenSky (SMR – 4 slot).
13K6W7W Motorola iDEN (900 MHz).
14K0F1D Motorola 3600 baud trunked control channel (NPSPAC).
14K0F3E EDACS Analog Voice (NPSPAC).
15K4F9W Harris OpenSky (SMR – 4 slot Data/Voice).
16K0F2D * 4 kHz deviation FM audio frequency shift keying (72 MHz fire alarm boxes).
16K0F3D Frequency modulated analog data
16K0F3E * Frequency modulated (FM) analog voice, 4 kHz deviation (NPSPAC); (FM mode in RadioReference.com Database).
20K0F3D * Frequency modulated (FM) 5 kHz deviation DTMF or other audible, non-frequency shift signaling, such as Whelen outdoor warning sirens or “Knox-Box®” activation.
20K0F3E * Frequency modulated (FM) analog voice, 5 kHz deviation; "wideband 25 kHz" (FM mode in RadioReference.com Database).
20K0F9W A "catch-all" designator originally intended for a number of simultaneous emissions, but has been misused as a single designator to indicate multiple types of operation.
4K00F1E 6.25 kHz voice NXDN (Narrow IDAS, NEXEDGE). (4K00F1D 6.25 kHz data)
4K00F1W 6.25 kHz voice and data NXDN (Narrow IDAS, NEXEDGE) frequency modulated without modulating sub-carrier. (4K00F2W with subcarrier)
4K00F2D 6.25 kHz analog CW ID NXDN (Narrow IDAS, NEXEDGE).
6K00F1D SCADA Carrier Frequency Shift Keying. (6K00F2D SCADA Audio Frequency Shift Keying.) (6K00F3D SCADA Analog data that is not AFSK (variable tone, DTMF, etc.).)
7K30F1E Futurecom “MOBEXCOM” DVRS (mobile repeater) voice (P25 waveform, slightly narrower occupied bandwidth). (7K30F1D data)
7K60F1E 2-slot DMR (Motorola MOTOTRBO) TDMA voice. (7K60F1D Data) (7K60F1W Data and voice) 7K60FXE (7K60FXD Data) (7K60FXW Data and voice)
2-slot DMR (Motorola MOTOTRBO) TDMA voice.
8K00F1D P25 Phase I C4FM data.
8K00F2D Frequency Modulated digital data with modulating sub-carrier.
8K10F1D P25 Phase I C4FM data.
8K10F1E P25 Phase I C4FM voice (P25 mode in RadioReference.com Database).
8K10F1W P25 Phase II subscriber units (Harmonized Continuous Phase Modulation – H-CPM).
8K30F1E 12.5 kHz voice NXDN (Wide IDAS, NEXEDGE). (8K30F1D 12.5 kHz data)
8K30F1W P25 Phase I C4FM hybridized voice and data applications (most commonly seen on trunked licenses).
8K30F7W NXDN 12.5 kHz digital voice and data (Wide IDAS, NEXEDGE).
8K40F1E P25 Phase I (4 Level C4FM Voice). ( 8K40F1D 4 Level C4FM Data)
8K50F9W Harris OpenSky (2 slot narrowband). (8K40F9W NPSPAC – 4 slot Data/Voice)
8K70D1W P25 Linear Simulcast Modulation ASTRO (9.6 kbps in 12.5 kHz channel spacing).
9K30F1D SCADA/ EOD Robot Remote Control.
9K36F7W Yaesu System Fusion C4FM (Voice Wide * Voice Narrow + Data * Data Wide).
9K70F1E P25 Linear Simulcast Modulation “WCQPSK” voice (per Harris MASTR-V literature). (9K70F1D data)
9K80D7W P25 Phase II fixed-end 2-slot TDMA (Harmonized Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keyed modulation – H-DQPSK), per Motorola literature.
9K80F1D P25 Phase II fixed-end 2-slot TDMA H-DQPSK data, per Harris MASTR-V literature.
  • When used between 136 – 470 MHz in Part 90 use, this technology is not compliant with 2013 narrowbanding requirements and must be discontinued by January 1, 2013. As of January 1, 2011, this emission may no longer be applied for between 136 – 470 MHz in Part 90 use, unless the applicant certifies that the station equipment meets the narrowband efficiency standard, or the licensee has been granted a waiver of the January 1, 2013 deadline for that station.

VHF Low Band has not been required to narrowband. A 20K0 emission bandwidth continues to be acceptable for nearly all uses.

Encryption

  • May be called "crypto" for short. CAN NOT and WILL NEVER will be available to listen to on a scanner/receiver.
  • Encrypted frequencies or talkgroups CAN NOT be monitored with-out permission of the agency. That agency may issue a Encryption Key for use in a two-way radio or Unication Pager to be able to monitor.
  • Types of Encryption:
  • Motorola radios require a MACE module and software upgrades

Mobile Extender/Vehicular Repeater/DVRS

  • 173 MHz mobile extenders can not be 12.5 MHz bandwidth instead of the before limited 6.25 MHz. Can be used for Public Safety or Business. The extender still needs to have both filters installed.
  • The FCC will only allow you 1 frequency with 50 units. After build-out, the FCC may issue a 2nd frequency.
  • System tone 682.5, 832.5, 847.5

Pyramid Communications WEB FB LinkedIn

  • The "original" vehicular repeater system. Made in the United States.
  • All VRs work on a simplex channel. Can work IN-BAND with filtering options.
  • VHF In-Band requires both the BPF-1604 Band Pass Filter and VHF Notch Filter. SVR Simplex MUST be 2 MHz or 5 MHz, or greater from all mobile frequencies (both TX and RX). The Notch filter is made in the 2MHz and 5MHz, with obviously the 2 MHz costing more. NOTE: This doesn't just mean the main channel you use, but ANY channel that may may need to use on the VR.
  • (integrate above) BRF-1601 Notch Filter for as close as 5 MHz separation between mobile TX/RX and SVR-200. Use the narrower BRF-1602 Notch Filter for frequencies as close as 2 MHz separation
  • VHF In-Band repeating is the most popular method of deployment, per Pyramid. Be aware, the 173 MHz MO3 frequencies are already crowded, at least with licenses in many areas. Much of this being used as constant data transmissions for water or waste-water monitoring systems.
  • Pyramid (spent 5 years) worked to secure new MO3 channels on 173.2375, 173.2625, 173.2875, 173.3125, 173.3375, 173.3625. These are SHARED with telemetry users (as stated above). Recommended to work with EWA for licensing of these frequencies, as they helped. APCO or any Public Safety coordinator "Should" be able to help though.
  • UHF In-band DOES NOT require the use of a Band Pass Filter (, only the Notch Filter. The Notch Filter must be 5 or 10 MHz away from ALL mobile frequencies (both TX and RX).
  • Multi-Band Radios and In-Band - New TPLX-V-U-M 100W VHF, UHF, 7/800 MHz Triplexer, works with Kenwood and Viking..... Harris Unity or APX-8500 mobiles only have one antenna connection for all bands.
  • Bandpass Filter: The BPF-1604 is a high selectivity pre-selector filter that prevents the mobile’s transmitter from overloading the SVR-200VB receiver’s front end. The filter is tuned to the SVR-200’s simplex frequency and rejects everything except a narrow band of frequencies centered around the SVR-200 frequency.
  • Notch Filter: Transmitters are designed to broadcast on a specific frequency, but no matter how good the design of that transmitter, it produces RF energy across a broad band of frequencies. The FCC sets limits on how much “off-frequency” energy a transmitter can produce, but even within the limits, it may be enough to cause interference in a receiver located close by, such as the SVR-200. No amount of bandpass filtering on the SVR-200 will reduce this interference since it is right on the SVR-200 receive frequency. The BRF-1601 or BRF-1602 notch filter is tuned to the SVR-200’s receive frequency but installed on the mobile’s antenna cable. The notch filter further attenuates the noise produced by the mobile that occurs on the SVR-200 receive frequency. This is also why frequency spacing is so critical. None of the mobile’s frequencies, transmit or receive, can be within 5 MHz using the BRF-1601 or 2 MHz using the BRF-1602. If a mobile transmit frequency is too close, the filter will consume too much of the transmitter power, damaging the filter and possibly the transmitter. If a receive frequency is too close, the mobile’s receiver sensitivity will be degraded.
  • Antenna Placement Webinar, cuppling btwn antennas when they are very close (can leak in the other)


SVR-200

SVR-250

SVR-252

SVR-P250 PDF Manual

  • for P25
  • In P25 mode, the SVR-P250 must also operate on simplex frequencies. The handhelds must transmit a

different NAC code than the SVR-P250 transmit NAC code, and the Handheld Receive NAC code must be F7Eh (all call) in order to hear the other handhelds and the SVR-P250's which transmit different NAC codes for different functions.

SVR-P255 EVRS Enhanced Vehicular Repeater Solutions (Aug 2017) for Kenwood Viking P25 Trunking Systems, (like VM-900)

  • P25 Smart Trunking Protocol, acts just like you were talking directly to the P25 trunking system. Simulates Trunking, still an MO3 License.

SVR-300 DMR

  • Full Tier 2 DMR modulation to the portable radio, on a simplex talk-around channel using 1 Time-Slot. Encryption available.
  • Mobile Radio can interface to Tier 2 or 3, Capacity Plus, Connect Plus, Max, Tier 3, IP Site Connect, etc.
  • Interface cables for most popular DMR mobile radios
  • Previous analog VRs DO WORK on DMR, but this is an upgrade from that.
  • VHF, UHF, 700/800 MHz
  • Uses Group IDs (GIDs)

SVR-300 NXDN

  • NEXEDGE/iDAS. USB-D programming 6.25 or 12.5 MHz
  • Uses RAN codes for priority signaling

Vehicular Repeaters / Mobile Extenders

  • VRX1000 Vehicle Radio Extender provides federal agencies, state patrol and public safety first responders the ability to communicate on their portable radios in a mobile-only coverage area. Equipped with cross-band and in-band performance, and available in 700/800 MHz VHF and UHF frequencies, the VRX 1000 is compatible with P25 APX 7500, APX6500 and APX 4500 mobile radios.
  • See Pyramid Communications

DVRS (Digital Vehicular Repeater System)

  • In-Building etc.
  • See Futurecom DVRS Explainer Video (on YouTube, by Futurecom Systems)
  • Owned by Motorola Solutions as of Oct 2022 LINK For over 30 years, Motorola Solutions and Futurecom have collaborated on RF repeaters and extenders that are tightly integrated with Motorola Solutions’ radio networks and devices. These solutions help to ensure that first responders, even in remote locations, maintain critical communications and advanced features, such as encryption and data services, to do their jobs more safely and securely. FUTURECOM HAS A GREAT SELECTION OF VIDEOS ON YT: (LIST HERE) that explain how they work. Neat! for Fire Departments
  • DVRS in Subway Tunnels, etc.]
  • Example - Illinois State Police are using VHF P25 DVRS to extend their 700/800 MHz STARCOM21 mobile radios, etc. This CONVENTIONAL P25 system still passes through the P25 NAC, Site ID, RFSS, RID/UIDs, Talkgroup numbers. On a Uniden scanner it looks just like you are on the P25 Trunked System voice channel.
  • PSU - Portable Subscriber Unit
  • Can repeater to Conventional or Trunked. Multiple units on-scene can use the same DVRS.
  • DVRS available through DataTronics, Alton IL

Motorola PDR8000 Portable Digital Repeater

PDR8000 [https://www.datatronicscom.com/downloads/motorola/motorola-pdr80000-datasheet.pdf Datasheet (PDF)

VRX1000

Temporary Repeaters

  • SOW Site on Wheels, COW
  • Field/Incident Repeater (see youtube Jim G Field Incident Repeater/Portable Booster

Paging / Data

Two-Tone Paging

  • Paging/Decoding/Alerting (See Unication and other scanners with available "Fire Tone-out")
  • Unication
  • True Two-tone paging is only on analog, On P25 trunked, the sounds are simulated as an alert, but the paging info is sent digitally in the transmission.

Store and Forward

Simplex Repeater Mode: The PR-10i can be connected to a simplex mobile or base station to create a simplex store and forward repeater. When the PR-10i sees a busy indication from the connected radio it will start recording the received audio. When the busy indication goes away for a programmed amount of time, the PR-10i will key the radio and retransmit the recorded audio. The following are applications for the PR-10i as a simplex repeater:

- Expand radio coverage into remote locations, tunnels, buildings (hospitals, campuses, etc), downtown areas and more. - Evaluate potential radio site or coverage problems by connecting the PR-10i to a mobile radio. A technician can then drive through the desired coverage area, key up and transmit voice, unkey and listen to the repeated audio quality.

Selective Repeat Mode: The PR-10i has an integrated decoder that can be programmed to decode 2-Tone, with an option for DTMF, 5-Tone or Pulse Tone (1500 Hz or 2805 Hz for HEAR Systems). When the tone decoder decodes the programmed sequence(s) it will give a validate output to the PR-10. The validate confirms that the PR-10i should repeat the incoming audio. The tones will also be regenerated. The following are applications for the PR-10i as a selective simplex repeater:

- Regenerate 2-tone or DTMF (optional) pages for fire departments into remote areas or buildings with poor coverage. - Regenerate Pulse Tone (optional) pages from ambulances in remote areas with poor coverage to hospitals (HEAR Systems).

Announcement Mode: The PR-10i can be programmed to repeat the last received audio message continuously at programmable intervals, applications include:

- Broadcasts for road or weather conditions - Aviation authority broadcasts for pilot information (ATIS � Automatic Terminal Information Service)

POCSAG

  • Post Office Code Standardization Advisory Group, also known as Radio-paging code No. 1 Wikipedia (with Frequency List) Sigid Wiki info
  • Numeric and Text Pagers often used by Hospitals/Medical facilities and more (Much less use with the popularity of cellular phones/networks)
  • VHF (152/157-158 MHz), UHF (454/459 MHz) and probably rare use: VHF low band (35/43 MHz) 72-76 MHz
  • 27 MHz CB band, with high power on 27.255 (CB Ch. 23), 4W limit on other frequencies.
  • NEEDS NOTATION: 30.56-49.58 MHz, 150.775-162.000 MHz VHF bands and the 450-470 MHz band (plus 421-430 or 470-512 MHz in certain cities)
  • Coaster Pager System at Restaurants, common frequency is 433.92 MHz with some 315 MHz
  • HFunderground Frequency list

Super-POCSAG

  • 1200 or 2400 BPS, has replaced most former POCSAG systems

Companies

Analog Data Transmissions (Non-DMR/NXDN/P25)

(used in monitoring water pressure/pumps,

  • SCADA -
  • Telemetry -
  • Paging
  • POGSAC
  • CW-ID (Morse Code)
  • DTMF - Dual Done Multi-Frequency DTMF Definition (by Techtarget)
    • Can be used to activate a phone patch or other repeater options, can be used to active outdoor warning sirens (weather), can be used by some older style radios as a "tail" at the end of the transmission, denoting the radio's ID number.
  • DTMF Data Tail (at end of a voice transmission)
  • End-of-Train (EOT)
  • Robots
  • 1 Tone Paging
  • 2 Tone Paging
  • 1 Tone Paging
  • DMR also offers advanced data communications such as SCADA, Telemetry
  • NXDN

Paging systems (in the FCC database, often seen on 462.9, 465.0)

  • Wireless PA Paging, Wireless/Two-Way Intercoms, Wireless Panic Buttons & Mass Notification/Emergency Notification Systems, Break Bell Systems, Wireless Clock Systems, Wireless Nurse Call Systems, Weather Alert Systems
  • Used at Fairgrounds, Campgrounds, Campus (College/Business), Hospital, School Intercoms, Churches, Portable Classrooms, Military Base, Day Camp, Manufacturing Wireless.
  • Base/150 Wireless Paging System (Emergency Notification, PA Paging, 2-way Intercom & Bell systems)
  • FCC Application 0011153034
  • ISM (?) Paging Frequencies 902-907, 915-928

REPEATERS

  • Conventional. For Trunking, see
direct-mode_radio_coverage_eng_150dpi_800x254.jpg
  • A repeater added to the system allows radios to send their communications via a central point which repeats the message to the rest of the system. By installing a repeater high up (often on top of a building) the calls to the repeater are less affected by the obstructions. It also allows radios located far away from the repeater in opposite directions to communicate with each other, effectively increasing the range of the system.
with_repeater_radio_coverage_eng_150dpi-800x304.jpg
  • Repeater stations can be connected together by either retransmitting received signals (parroting) or by sending received signals to other repeaters on the system via other methods (internet, unidirectional transmitter, etc). With these methods, the range of the system is only limited by the amount of infrastructure you install.

Remote Bases

  • VR-N7500 VHF/UHF Manual (More info coming later)

VOTERS / REMOTE LINKS

BDA/DAS In building Antennas

  • In-building signal booster solutions typically include three key components: (from [1])
    • A donor antenna that is mounted on the roof to seize the wireless signal from the outside.
    • A Distributed Antenna System (DAS), which is a group of antennas placed throughout the structure to boost signal coverage.
    • Bi-Directional Amplifiers (BDAs) that extend two-way radio coverage into difficult-to-reach areas, such as stairwells, underground hallways, tunnels, parking garages, and other challenging zones. (Depending on size, materials, and structural design, some buildings may not require a BDA, or a standard two-way radio Repeater may be sufficient.)
  • Many buildings benefit from having BDAs, including hospitals, office buildings, schools, manufacturing plants, sports arenas, and more.
  • Depending on the equipment chosen and how it is installed and programmed, BDAs can be deployed to improve team communications for facility staff who use two-way radio systems (usually VHF or UHF bands) and/or to meet Public Safety radio coverage requirements, as required by law (usually on the 450/700/800 MHz bands).
  • Public Safety radios help keep first responders in contact with each other during an emergency. It increases their safety, but it helps public safety professionals serve building occupants and visitors better, as well.
  • Cellular BDA is also available to help improve cell coverage in buildings. These are specifically for cellular devices and will not increase two-way radio coverage. Therefore, it’s recommended to install two separate systems for your building: one for two-way radios and one for cell phones.

Public Safety Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS)

  • Also called an Emergency Responder Radio Communication System (ERRCS)
  • Ensure that first responders have reliable radio communication in buildings and structures that might otherwise have areas with poor wireless coverage or heavy interference.
  • Public Safety DAS is a relatively new development in the life-safety space. However, International Fire Code Section 510 (IFC 510) requires approved radio coverage for emergency responders in all buildings, making DAS an essential, code-driven system
  • Improve radio communications - Boost the signal indoors for communication reliability of any two-way radio system in any frequency band - public safety or private enterprise.
  • Comply with local mandates - Local jurisdictions may require adequate in-building coverage for public safety two-way radio systems before a building can be occupied.
  • Lower total cost of ownership - A properly designed DAS can support multiple two-way radio systems, both public safety and private.

Radiating Coax (Radiating Coaxial Cable)

  • May also be called "leaky coax"
  • An application may require that the receiver be installed in one area, while the transmitter is used in another. In such an application, remote mounting the antennas insures that the performance area will receive proper RF coverage. Choosing the correct antennas, cabling, and mounting systems is essential for proper installation and Shure offers technical bulletins on this subject. But when the area being covered is an unusual shape, or if there are several areas, or if multiple floors of a building need to be covered with the same wireless system, radiating coaxial cable, or "leaky coax", can often provide a better alternative to stand-alone antennas.
  • Similar to the standard coax cable used when mounting antennas remotely. What differentiates radiating coax are slots cut in the cable shield that allow RF to exit or enter the cable at any point along its length. An analogy is that of a light bulb and a fluorescent tube. While the bulb is a point source of light, like a whip or telescoping antenna, the fluorescent tube distributes light evenly along its entire length.
  • Often used for distributed communication systems in tall buildings, tunnels, mines, and subway systems. The cable can be designed to handle any number of frequency ranges and can be installed in numerous ways. There are specialized mounting accessories and some cable designs are thin strips which can be mounted along ceiling tiles. Plenum-rated cables are also available.

For wireless microphone systems, radiating coax may be used in situations where a standard antenna will not provide adequate coverage. This cable can be fairly thick, 0.5 to 2 inches in diameter, so it is best suited to permanent installations, e.g. a museum with several floors. A single length of cable can be installed near the ceiling of each area that needs to be covered. Avoid placing radiating coax directly next to metal surfaces; it should be at least 2 inches away. Because the cable can potentially pick up more outside interference than standard coaxial cable, the transmitter should be within 40 feet of the cable for best performance. A 50 ohm termination load must be used to prevent standing waves or an unacceptable amount of signal loss. If there is a need to cover an outdoor area as well, the radiating coax can be terminated with a 1/2 wave antenna.

Radiating coax is also useful for personal monitor systems (PSM). In this application, the PSM transmitter drives the radiating coax and the PSM receivers pick up the RF signal being radiated.

Like standard coaxial cable, cable length and operating frequency directly effect the signal loss of radiating coax. In order to minimize losses or the impact on overall system performance, a large diameter cable must be used for longer length runs or higher frequencies.

SIMULCAST, etc.

Simulcast

Conventional Analog

  • For example, a countywide Fire paging (tone-out) system using only 1 frequency. Multiple towers scattered throughout the county linked and synced to broadcasting the exact same traffic, all at perfectly the same time.

If it's off sync, it can cause pagers to not properly pick up the paging tones. Radio/Scanner users may hear the slight delay (or if it's actually out of sync, a bad delay)

  • A bad simulcast delay would sound like this <<Insert YouTube/xxx link>>>

Conventional P25

  • Same as analog, but with P25 can be synced by better means.
  • How Simulcast works

Simulcast on 700/800 MHz system. Multiple towers with the exact same frequencies, in the same general area, broadcasting the exact same traffic, all at perfectly the same time. Radios and Scanners have to pick up the towers, that are all broadcasting, with different reception levels.

DMR (or NXDN ???) Conventional Simulcast

  • Example, a college with 25 buildings across multiple acres. Could have just a few talkgroups needed/in use. Let's say 1 for Security/Admin, 1 for Maintenance, 1 for Janitorial/Housekeeping. Have 1 repeater at 5 different locations using 5 different frequencies, all capable of 2 SLOTS. All 5 frequencies will broadcast the exact same talkgroups on SL 1 and SL 2


What is Multicast?

Using a P25 800 MHz system, but the talkgroup traffic is also broadcasted on the old VHF system. It may be PATCHED, it may work both ways. Talk on the old analog frequency and you can talk on the units on the P25 system.

Inter RF Subsystem Interface (ISSI)

  • For example, in Georgia, Fulton County and Cobb County have created an Inter RF Subsystem Interface (ISSI) link that allows users of certain Cobb County talk groups to automatically roam onto the Fulton County P25 system in certain areas where the Cobb County system has weak coverage but the Fulton County system has strong coverage. A temporary talk group on the Fulton County system is automatically assigned and linked back to the user's home talk group on the Cobb County system. Currently, Cobb County PD Precinct 2 units have access to such a temporary, automatically created ISSI patch on the Fulton County system. The talk groups below are part of a pool of talk groups that are automatically randomly assigned by the Fulton County system for these temporary ISSI links on an as-needed basis, with no user, dispatcher or system administrator intervention required. See Fulton County Public Safety P25


ANTENNAS

  • Note: Some antennas are made to RECEIVE ONLY. So may be able to transmit a certain amount of wattage.
  • [ The Future of Antenna Technology (innovations unleashed)] (by Antenna Expert, on YouTube)

How Antennas Work

Line-of-Sight Formulas


Portable Antennas

Mobile Antennas

  • Magnet Mount
  • NMO
  • Clip-On / Gutter Mount
  • Canister Type - a low profile narrow band antenna such as the Antennex Phantom series TRA1500B. Not only is it a smaller target and narrow band, but because it is a canister type antenna (about the size of a soup can) you have more mounting options such as behind the grill of the vehicle.
  • Through-Window

Base Antennas

  • Poles, Chimney Mount

Special Situations

  • HOA or spouse doesn't allow outdoor antennas ----- MOVE and/or divorce
    • Attic
  • Live in an apartment
  • Live in a High-Rise without accessible windows.
  • Live in a High-Rise with accessible windows.
  • On the road, at a hotel, motel. etc.
  • Campers, Camping, RVs
  • Boats

FEED LINE / CONNECTORS

  • Type of adapters / uses
  • COAX
  • SPLITTERS, Stridesburg, etc
  • How to get coax into your house and keep it neat.

Attenuation

  • Do you live close to cell phone towers, paging, large industrial, Public Safety or 2-way radio towers?
  • You many need to attenuate your signal, either by frequency or the whole scanner (Global)
  • Bands / Filters
  • IF Frequency on your receiver xxxx

????

PUBLIC SAFETY VEHICLES

  • Ford Crown Victoria
  • Chevy Caprice
  • Ford Taurus
  • Chevrolet Blazer EV SS PPV (Police Pursuit Vehicle)
  • Chevrolet Express Transport Van
  • Chevy Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle
  • Chevrolet Silverado Police Pursuit Vehicle
  • Chevy Suburban
  • Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility
  • Ford Expedition Special Service Vehicle
  • Ford F-150 Police Responder
  • Ford F-150 Lightning Pro SSV
  • Ford Maverick
  • Dodge Charger Pursuit
  • Dodge Durango Pursuit

REFERENCE

Acronyms / Abbreviations

  • AES - Advanced Encryption Standard which is a 256 bit algorithm. (P25) General use and is the required format for interoperable encryption.
  • ALGID - Algorithm ID (for P25 Encryption)
  • AM
  • CAI - Common Air Interface #############
  • CSQ - Carrier Squelch ####### (See terms)
  • CTCSS
  • CDCSS - See DCS
  • DCS - Digital Coded Squelch (used on analog conventional)
  • DPL - See DCS
  • DES - Data Encryption Standard -- algorithm, which uses 64 bit Output Feed Back and is denoted as DES-OFB (P25). An encryption standard using a 56 bit key that was

previously approved by the Federal government. This standard is no longer certified by the Federal government but is still in widespread use.

  • DTMF - Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency” - a signaling scheme used by the telephone system in which two voice band tones are generated for each keypad key press######
    • Used by some two-way radio systems and Outdoor Warning Sirens
  • DVP - Digital Voice Protection - An encryption algorithms used to provide secure voice radio transmissions
  • DVRS - seeeeeee############
  • FCC
  • FDMA - Frequency Division Multiple Access (Phase I) More info
  • FIPS - Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)
  • FIPS Code - ###########NWS
  • FM
  • FMN (see NFM)
  • ISSI - Inter Sub-System Interface
  • KID - Key Identifier for Encryption (P25)
  • KMF - Key Management Facility (P25)
  • LMR - Land Mobile Radio
  • LRRP (dsd+)
  • LMR - Land Mobile Radio
  • MDC - Mobile Data Computer (laptop in vehicle
  • MDT - Mobile Data Terminal (laptop in vehicle
  • NFM
  • NIST - National Institute of Science and Technology - laboratory as compliant with the security requirements $$$$$$$ (P25 Encryption)
  • NPSPAC - National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee - User/industry advisory committee established by the FCC to develop a plan for the use of the 800 MHz Public Safety spectrum.
  • NSW - National Weather Service (US Govt, NOAA) ###
  • OTAR - Over The Air Rekeying
  • OWSR - Outdoor Warning Sirens (these are general meant only to be heard when outside) (Tornado sirens etc)
  • PTT - Push-to-Talk (switch on a radio that "key" up a radio transmitter by Mic*
  • P25 - Project 25 - Defines system interfaces that are utilized to build P25 communications networks. TIA-102 Standards documents define the messages and procedures required for P25 features to operate across the P25 system interfaces.
  • RF - Radio Frequency [also See RF-Link below)
  • RID
  • SCADA -
  • TDMA - Time Division Multiple Access (Used on DMR, P25 Phase II; see above)
  • TGID - Talkgroup ID
  • TRS - Trunked Radio System
  • UHF - Ultra High Frequency (300 MHz - 3 GHz)
  • UID - Unit ID (see also Working Unit ID / WUID) see RID * (P25)
  • VHF - Very High Frequency (30 - 300 MHz) may also be called "High Band"
  • WUID - Working Unit ID (see UID) (P25)
  • WFM

Emissions

  • CSBK

Terminology

(Decibels, noise, VHF tune, Search mode) (RF interference, de-sense,


  • Bandwidth - The difference between the limiting frequencies of a continuous frequency band. Typically measured in Kilohertz. May be considered the amount in kilohertz required for a single communications channel.
  • Base Station
  • Carrier Squelch - A radio receive mode of operation that causes the receiver to unmute in the presence of a received signal
  • Channel Spacing - Typically measured in kilohertz from the center of one channel to the center of the next-adjacent-channel. May, or may not, be identical to bandwidth
  • Clear Channel - Usually referring to AM stations that (only had
  • Covert - Adjective used to describe undercover operations by government agents. “Covert” communications are generally encrypted
  • Encrypt/Encryption/Encrypted - A coding of plain voice or text, into unintelligible forms, for secure transmission, that cannot usually be decoded by those without a "key"
  • Firmware - Software that is stored in a device, such as a scanner/receiver/two-way radio, that is used to operate the device. Manufacturers can send out updates if/when they elect.
  • Fixed Base / Control (Repeater input) ############
  • FLEET - While in many cases, these usually is a companies "vehicles", Fleet is used in the communications world as "radios" (mobiles, portables, etc) *may also be referred to as "Subscriber radios"
  • Full-Duplex - Transmission is permitted, simultaneously, in both directions on a telecommunications channel.(requires 2 channels/frequencies)
  • High Band - VHF (usually referred to the 150-174 MHz band, but technically includes others)
  • Input
  • Landline - Telephone (old-fashioned telephone service/call)
  • Low Band - Usually referring to radio systems operated below 45 MHz
  • Output -
  • Packet - terminology // noun - ham radio term
  • Public Service - By Telephone (used by Public Safety for meaning info from telephone, etc)
  • Repeater -
  • RF Link -
  • Secure - Encrypted
  • Signal (How is my signal)
  • Silent - Station is off the air
  • Silent Key - Ham Radio operator (who has past away) "John WB9ABC is a silent key"
  • Simplex - Not using a repeater, radio to radio (direct)
  • Squelch
  • Strapped - Talkgroup is always encrypted and cannot be turned off (opposite: user selectable)
  • SUBSCRIBER - Radios that "subscribe" (have access) to the radio systems (mobiles, portables, desktop control stations, repeaters, DVRS, etc)
  • Twenty One - Reference to 10-21 10 Code for telephone call
  • Vehicular Repeater /// mobile extenders // DVRS
  • WILCO - Will Comply
Related wiki pages

Codes

  • 10-Codes
  • Common Language Protocol - (The Agency is) Using no codes at all. All plain language
  • TIPS - Illinois State Police codes (mostly not used any longer)

Abbreviations/Codes/Terms for Radio Traffic

some terms above may need to be moved here

  • Flatbed - Flatbed truck for towing (either too big or too damaged to drag with a tow truck)
  • Hook - Tow Truck
    • Next on the list - Driver didn't request specific tow truck, so use the in-house list of rotating tow trucks
  • In-house - Usually referring to the Local/PD's database on information (Phone numbers, addresses, citizens)
  • NCIC

Scanner Websites/Social Media/eMail Groups/YouTube

Learning

Two-Way Radio

YouTube

Discord

  • Scanner School

Discussion/Forums

  • RadioReference Forums
  • ioGroups (replacement eGroups/YahooGroups)

Places to buy Scanners, Pagers, Antennas, Feed Wire and more

  • ScannerMaster (Use this link to give referral money to ScannerSchool!
  • Zip's Scanners
  • HRO ?
  • MFJ (closing it's local manufacturing in May 2024, will still distribute products by other manufacturers)

Two-Way Radio Sales and more

Datatronics (Metro St Louis)

  • Vehicle Upfitting Services (Public Safety/Municipal in Greater St Louis , Northeast MO, and Southwest IL
  • Two-way Radio and Wireless Communications Solutions (Motorola Solutions channel partner)
  • Marine Electronics (for ships on the Mississippi River and other lakes/waterways throughout the Midwest)
  • DVRS

Warner Communications (Metro St Louis)

  • Radio systems, Rentals and wide-area coverage systems Location Map
  • P25, TETRA, NXDN, DMR Tier 2 and Tier 3, fleet vehicle installs, connecting multiple sites over IP, and building and deploying dispatching solutions are some of our specialties.
    • Bought IE Communications in Trenton IL in 2015
  • 2014 acquisition of Dittronics in Benton MO (Founded in 1974, serving the SE MO region for 40 years.)
  • 2000 bought some assets of former St. Louis company A&E Electronics
  • Voceon founded in Houston TX in 2015, expanded into Chicago in 2016 and San Antonia in 2018

WirelessUSA (Metro St Louis)

  • Website Based out of Maryland Heights MO, with satellite offices in Collinsville IL....... Jefferson City MO
  • Trunked Radio Systems

(ILLINOIS)

BeckTech - A Barbeck Company

DataTronics (Alton IL)

MISSOURI

Radio Comm. Co

  • Website
  • A Motorola Solutions Channel Partner is based in Washington, MO. We are located about 50 miles west of St. Louis. We are uniquely geographically situated in Missouri to serve both rural communities and the St. Louis metro area.

Some of the counties and cities in our local service area include: Franklin County Jefferson County St. Charles County St. Louis County Sullivan County Warren County

Central Communications Service Company (Sedalia)

  • Website Appears to currently be down

(ARKANSAS)

Smith Two-Way Radio Inc (Fayetteville)

Frequency Coordination

  • See WIKIPEDIA for full explanation; WIKIPEDIA on Coordinators APCO
  • Frequency Coordination is a technical and regulatory process that removes or mitigates radio-frequency interference between different radio systems that operate on the same frequency or adjacent frequencies.
  • The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has certified specific associations to perform the coordination process used to choose appropriate frequencies for land mobile radio systems before they, the FCC, will accept applications for licensees to operate two-way radio systems. This is essential to ensure the numerous systems across the country have clear and interference-free operation on their critical radio systems.
  • It is REQUIRED for (nearly) all FCC Part 90 radio radio frequency applications and many "major" modifications. (Major has a certain definition per the FCC rules).

(mix

  • Anything that requires Frequency Coordination must be electronically submitted by the Coordinator. Frequency Coordination is required for a new filing. Major Modifications and Amendments that change or add frequencies, emissions, ERP, Output Power, Antenna Height, Ground Elevation, change location of Base, Fixed, Mobile or Control stations or number of Mobile units and any change to station class. (Hydro frequencies listed in CFR 47 Section 90.265(a). Go through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for coordination.
  • Frequency Coordination is not required for STAs unless the applicant is requesting a waiver of the 180-day limit of STA. Developmental and Demonstration applications, Radiolocation (RS) applications, Itinerant operations and station classes ending in the letter "I" or "L" and applications for 6.1 Meter Control Stations.

Frequency Coordinators

  • Public Safety Coordinators (FCC)
  • APCO International Public Safety
  • Enterprise Wireless (EWA)
  • RadioSoft
  • AAR (American Association of Railroads)
    • The only Frequency Coordinator for the railroad frequencies, 160.215-161.565 MHz and 452 and 457 MHz bands. Can also help with General Business Pool 30-50 MHz,150-173 MHz, & 450-470 MHz bands; can assist with frequencies in cooperation with the Automobile (LA), Petroleum (IP), Power (IW) frequency coordinators.

Frequency Consulting and Advisory

Licensing

FCC

New Licenses / Modification Applications

Notice of Return letter

  • This letter is sent when the FCC finds discrepancies in the application submitted. It will need to be corrected in ULS as an application amendment. See LINK

Searching the database

Renewing Licenses

Construction/coverage reminder letter and build out deadline (FAILURE)

  • The buildout deadline is the FCC’s request that all license holders notify them when the frequencies have been placed into service. You have 1 (one) year from grant date to do this. Approximately 90 days from the build out deadline, the FCC will send a courtesy letter notifying you of this deadline in the form of a Construction/Coverage letter. Not filing within a timely manner will result in frequency termination. LINK

Need Two-Way Radios? Frequencies??

Terminology

  • Spike Strips - Negative Spike, Positive Spike

Related Wiki Pages (Future)

  • Metro St Louis Road (info and construction)
  • Metro St Louis Radio Stations - AM
  • Metro St Louis Radio Stations - FM

Metro St Louis Radio Personalities/Shows

Farmer Dave Schumacher

Frank O Pinion / Large Morning Show in the Afternoon

JC Corcoran

  • K-WOLF Mornings (2023-2024)

Search and Rescue Mutual Aid (SARMA)

  • Former Illinois Weather Alert Radio Network (I-WARN)
  • 155.205 assigned for use in Illinois statewide, Temporary Base, mobiles, Base Station located in Madison County. May also be used in St Louis City and County WQCI585
  • 152.285 Repeater with 157.585 input (licensed, but no longer on air). Bases licensed in Illinois, but mobiles on both frequencies authorized for use in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana WQBB433
  • Used by various agencies (152.285/157.545 Weather, SAR Teams in IL, IN and MO) Formerly used by Illinois Weather Alert Radio Network (I-WARN)
  • 155.205 is only licensed in IL and parts of St Louis/St Charles Counties,. 155.205 D331 FERMA can be used by IL Fire, EMS or Rescue agencies for Tac, Training or Local Events For more info, see WIKI
  • 155.205 WQCI585 BM 331 DPL FERMA V1 Fire, EMS, Rescue Mutual Aid / Events [Ch 1] FMN
  • 151.760 MURS M 156 DPL SARMA V2 Operations [Ch 2] FMN
  • 157.545 WQBB433 M 432 DPL SARMA V3 Search and Rescue [Ch 3] FMN
  • 152.285 WQBB433 BM 205 DPL SARMA V4 Search and Rescue/Weather [Ch 4] FMN
  • 152.285 WQBB433 RM 205 DPL SARMA V5R Search and Rescue/Weather/Disaster [Ch 5-Deployable Repeater] FMN (157.545)
  • 155.205 WQCI585 M 205 DPL SARMA MX/CBR Mobile Extender/Cross-Band Repeater FMN
  • 152.285 WQBB433 BM 88.5 PL I-WARN Ch 1 (Legacy) Weather Spotters / Search and Rescue FMN
  • UHF Frequencies coming soon (8/24)
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