[Scan-DC] Scan-DC Digest, Vol 131, Issue 6
Earl Suitor
wvcaver at verizon.net
Sun Mar 22 21:52:11 EDT 2015
RE: Item 2..... I monitor that Morgan Co, WV frequency all the time it has a
strong signal in Winchester.......but.....Morgan comes in much better on the
SIRN system.
-----Original Message-----
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Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2015 1:17 AM
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Subject: Scan-DC Digest, Vol 131, Issue 6
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Today's Topics:
1. DC Fire emission designators (Jeff Krauss)
2. Morgan County 9-1-1 (Alan Henney)
3. NYTimes: A Police Gadget Tracks Phones? Shhh! It?s Secret
(Ed Tobias)
4. Circus Train To Run from Richmond To Washington Today
(Blair Thompson)
5. D.C. 911 fails to send nearest help to choking toddler
(Alan Henney)
6. Charles Philip Arthur George and Camilla Parker Bowles arrive
Tuesday in Washington D.C. for a four-day visit. (Blair Thompson)
7. What is in use and by who (Greg Danes)
8. D.C. Area Twitter/Facebook Scanner News Feeds? (Alan Henney)
9. Re: D.C. Area Twitter/Facebook Scanner News Feeds?
(Thomas J. Dalrymple)
10. 'Upgrades' of local police radio systems fueled by desire for
secrecy (Alan Henney)
11. Re: 'Upgrades' of local police radio systems fueled by
desirefor secrecy (Doorgunner)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2015 21:41:03 -0400
From: Jeff Krauss <jeff at krauss.ws>
To: freqhopping at earthlink.net,scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Scan-DC] DC Fire emission designators
Message-ID: <mailman.10021.1427001422.6812.scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Someone asked a few weeks ago whether the DC Fire radio system will be using
LSM, so I took a look at the FCC's ULS database.
The frequency that RadioReference has designated as the control channel in
the P25 system is 855.46250 MHz. That is licensed under two call signs,
<http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=1302170>KNJE61
6
and
<http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=2520309>WPXT45
9
. They both show 20K0F3E emission designators, which is analog FM voice,
not digital. Not LSM.
But who knows, maybe DC Office of Unified Communications doesn't bother to
operate in accordance with their FCC licenses.
Or am I missing something?
Separately, their 700 MHz frequencies seem to be covered by
<http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=2377049>WPTZ76
6
but that file doesn't show any emission designators.
This page does provide links to letters with some additional background:
http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applAdminAttachments.jsp?a
pplID=8787965#
At 03:27 PM 3/14/2015, freqhopping wrote:
>Fairfax Co LSM Emission code= 8K70D1W P25 Linear Simulcast Modulation
>
>Frederick Co, MD
>8K70D1W- P25 Linear Simulcast Modulation
>8K10F1E- P25 Phase I C4FM voice
>8K10F1D- P25 Phase I C4FM data
>
>Loudoun County not LSM.
>9K80D7W- P25 2-slot TDMA (Harmonized Differential Quadrature Phase
>Shift Keyed modulation - H-DQPSK)
>8K10F1E- P25 Phase I C4FM voice
>8K10F1W- P25 Phase II subscriber units (Harmonized Continuous Phase
>Modulation - H-CPM)
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 01:50:27 -0400
From: "Alan Henney" <alan at henney.com>
To: "Scan DC" <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Scan-DC] Morgan County 9-1-1
Message-ID: <705444A52F744E08B6B0CB7E79C30418 at HPCompaqPro6300>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Anybody hear anything good on 155.145?
The Morgan Messenger (Berkeley Springs, West Virginia)
March 11, 2015
Fire siren pattern alerts
BYLINE: Morgan County Emergency Communications Center
SECTION: NEWS
LENGTH: 636 words
Morgan County 9-1-1 and Emergency Communications utilizes specific siren
patterns to alert responders, and the public, to specific emergency
situations. Sometimes referred to as the "fire whistle," these sirens do a
great deal more than just alert fire crews. Every citizen should keep an ear
open during a siren activation. Anyone living near a fire station has heard
these various siren patterns, but some citizens may not know what each siren
pattern means.
Presently sirens are located in Berkeley Springs, Paw Paw, Great Cacapon and
South Morgan.
Tornado warnings and emergency alerts
Should you hear a series of 10 cycles of six seconds winding up and six
seconds winding down, this is the siren pattern for tornado warnings. This
siren may also be used during other county wide emergencies. If you are
accustomed to hearing a fire or EMS siren activation, you'll notice that the
tornado warning/ emergency alert siren is much longer than any other siren
pattern. This siren has a duration of two minutes.
This siren pattern is particularly important to every citizen in Morgan
County. Should you hear this pattern of fire siren, take immediate action.
Seek shelter immediately and tune to the local radio or television station
for details. If you have a scanner, Morgan County's Communications Center
will broadcast specific information pertaining to the emergency at hand on a
frequency of 155.145 MHz.
The Communications Center will repeat this process every 15 minutes until
the immediate threat has passed. We know this siren may get annoying or
obnoxious and that is exactly why we do it - to get your attention. The
Communications Center and the Dispatchers at 9-1-1 want you to take
immediate action to get out of harm's way. We don't mind taking emergency
9-1-1 calls, but Dispatchers also don't want anyone to get hurt.
After the threat has passed, Morgan County will make a general announcement
on the frequency of 155.145 MHz. The local television and radio stations
should also forward this information to the public.
Fire Department Alerts:
Should you hear a series of three cycles of 13 seconds winding up and seven
seconds winding down, this is the siren pattern for firefighters. This siren
has a duration of one minute.
This particular siren might alert fire crews to automobile crashes, fires,
smoke investigations or odor investigations.
Emergency medical service alerts
In the event you hear a long single siren of 30 seconds duration, it is
intended to alert EMS crews in Great Cacapon and Paw Paw. In Berkeley
Springs and South Morgan, this siren might be used to alert firefighters to
assist EMS crews with manpower, lifting, or cardiac or respiratory arrest
incidents.
While there are other means of alerting fire and EMS crews, such as pagers,
scanners and radios, one of the most cost effective and reliable means of
alerting fire and EMS crews remains the trusted siren.
Morgan County 9-1-1 has received phone calls from concerned citizens and
visitors asking what these sirens mean. It is our hope that this helps to
clear up any confusion. We understand it is inconvenient to be awakened in
the middle of the night by a loud fire or EMS siren, but we ask that you
remain mindful of fire and EMS crews who listen for this siren as their
bugle call.
When you hear the siren, remember: there are fathers, mothers, sons and
daughters answering the call of someone in distress. It could be your
neighbor, loved one, friend, or even you in need of emergency assistance.
If you hear a siren, do not call 9-1-1 unless you have an actual life
threatening emergency. 9-1-1 Dispatchers may be handling emergencies for
other callers and emergency responders.
Questions can be forwarded to: Morgan County E 9-1-1, 38 Dispatch Lane,
Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 or E911director at morgancounty wv.gov.
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2015 11:51:27 -0400
From: Ed Tobias <edtobias at comcast.net>
To: Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Scan-DC] NYTimes: A Police Gadget Tracks Phones? Shhh! It?s
Secret
Message-ID: <B5966011-C339-4F40-BCC9-50B56523C359 at comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I think there were questions on this list, not long ago, about this cell
phone tracking technology.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/business/a-police-gadget-tracks-phones-shh
h-its-secret.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad
A growing number of law enforcement agencies have acquired sophisticated
surveillance technology to track cellphones but have done so with an unusual
restriction: They must not talk about it.
Ed
Sent from my iPad
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2015 16:37:34 GMT
From: "Blair Thompson" <b_thom at juno.com>
To: Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Scan-DC] Circus Train To Run from Richmond To Washington
Today
Message-ID: <20150316.123734.5864.0 at webmail06.dca.untd.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Posts at the online sources where people spend way a lot of time thinking
about trains say that the Blue Unit train of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &
Bailey Circus will be headed this way today. It's expected to take the long
way.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/CircusTrain/info
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,3690099
RBBB uses a business band frequency: 151.625 MHz is the circus train
operations radio frequency. When the train is on the old RF&P, The railroad
will use 161.55 MHz for operations. On the Southern Railway, the railroad
will use 160.950 MHz.
Expect a parade in DC in the next few days, I guess. The elephants won't be
in the circus much long, so this will be one of their final appearances
here. I guess you could say it was their swan song, except they're
elephants.
____________________________________________________________
Old School Yearbook Pics
View Class Yearbooks Online Free. Search by School & Year. Look Now!
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/550706f0b66406f066d0st04duc
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 01:54:56 -0400
From: "Alan Henney" <alan at henney.com>
To: "Scan DC" <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Scan-DC] D.C. 911 fails to send nearest help to choking
toddler
Message-ID: <A955C0CEB7E14744BA46999C42BCFDA0 at HPCompaqPro6300>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
911 fails to send nearest help to choking toddler - DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG
http://tinyurl.com/lemg6at
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 14:19:26 GMT
From: "Blair Thompson" <b_thom at juno.com>
To: Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Scan-DC] Charles Philip Arthur George and Camilla Parker
Bowles arrive Tuesday in Washington D.C. for a four-day visit.
Message-ID: <20150317.101926.29961.0 at webmail09.dca.untd.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Elsewhere, they are referred to as members of "the royal family." We don't
have royalty in this country, not for about 240 years, give or take. Anyway,
expect radio chatter.
____________________________________________________________
Old School Yearbook Pics
View Class Yearbooks Online Free. Search by School & Year. Look Now!
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/5508382d9f3d0382d02e1st02duc
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2015 21:48:13 -0400
From: Greg Danes <danesgs1 at gmail.com>
To: "Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net" <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Scan-DC] What is in use and by who
Message-ID:
<CAKja0dmjXYo_CruQT8FfnkDm6VWFba=s6Vgc6NmnLV-Hf9tftg at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Was curious about the ranges of 500-520 MHZ UHF in the DC area. Also what
traffic if any has been heard in the range of 413-415 MHz. I use to hear
Andrews AFB MPs on 413.375 and USSS Uniformed security embassy comms on
414.850 and 414.950. Were these repeaters retired, reused?
still occasionally used?
Greg
KJ4DGe
--
"I seek not to know all the answers, but to understand the questions"
Please visit
http://greywolfebooks.weebly.com/
www.hopeforpaws.org
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2015 22:15:25 -0400
From: "Alan Henney" <alan at henney.com>
To: "Scan DC" <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Scan-DC] D.C. Area Twitter/Facebook Scanner News Feeds?
Message-ID: <CF4E2F47B9C9448486F89B8DE69F3A6A at HPCompaqPro6300>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
A news friend asked me what Facebook pages or Twitter handles to watch for
breaking scanner news in the DMV (beyond the typical PIO feeds).
Dave Schoenberger and I both have feeds.
There are many in the region, both individuals and groups.
Any favorites?
Thanks,
Alan
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2015 07:07:17 -0400
From: "Thomas J. Dalrymple" <tjdalrymple at gmail.com>
To: Scan-DC <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] D.C. Area Twitter/Facebook Scanner News Feeds?
Message-ID:
<CAGgMGAR+jg8BoDPv8Xu_0b7dFpcf8=k_KqH+1aTb6qyy0S1Aeg at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
I'm in Anne Arundel, and I follow this list in Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/lists/10151221866283749
Has all the posts from the two AA County groups reporting local news.
Both monitor fire and police.
On Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 10:15 PM, Alan Henney <alan at henney.com> wrote:
>
> A news friend asked me what Facebook pages or Twitter handles to watch for
breaking scanner news in the DMV (beyond the typical PIO feeds).
>
> Dave Schoenberger and I both have feeds.
>
> There are many in the region, both individuals and groups.
>
> Any favorites?
>
> Thanks,
> Alan
> ______________________________________________________________
> Scan-DC mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/scan-dc
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
>
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> list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2015 02:22:24 -0400
From: "Alan Henney" <alan at henney.com>
To: "Scan DC" <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Scan-DC] 'Upgrades' of local police radio systems fueled by
desire for secrecy
Message-ID: <67D269C769D94573A367E33348AAF2E8 at HPCompaqPro6300>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
The News Journal (Corbin, Kentucky)
March 18, 2015
'Upgrades' of local police radio systems fueled by desire for secrecy
BYLINE: TRENT KNUCKLES
SECTION: OPINIONS; Pg. A4
LENGTH: 713 words
It wasn't so long ago that with an inexpensive radio scanner, a handful of
frequencies and a little time, citizens in this area used to easily be able
to monitor the goings on of all our local first-responders (police, fire,
EMS, etc.)
Spend a little more for a "digital trunking" scanner and you could hear
Kentucky State Police too.
It was a very nice way of doing things. People got to know, in real time,
what was going on in their communities.
Around about 2010, we started to enter what I like to call "The Dark Age."
Flush with money from the federal government to upgrade to digital
communication systems, police departments, mainly, began the process in
earnest.
But they did a funny thing.
They made DARN sure that the radio systems they adopted could not be easily
monitored. There were all kinds of reasons why they picked the systems they
picked, but the main reason is to make certain that the general public was
kept in the dark. Period. The less you heard, and knew, the better.
What's worse, is that while police department brass, naturally, are the ones
that wanted these radio systems, our elected town commissions and councils
didn't look out for our best interest. They weren't the buffers they should
have been. They didn't put on the brakes and ask any questions. There was no
due diligence. They just dove in headfirst and went right along with it.
They were complicit in doing something that was not in our best interest.
That is a shame.
Since, that push toward secrecy has taken strange and illogical turns.
The radio systems our local police agencies use are not compatible with
Kentucky State Police. KSP made the leap from analog radio to digital years
before smaller city and county police forces. So why not just adopt their
system and be consistent? Why not get the same thing so that everyone can
easily communicate with everyone else?
Makes sense, right? The decision to go to a different, proprietary system
has had stupid results.
Like, for instance, a case in Laurel County recently where officers from the
Sheriff's Department there and KSP had to swap increasingly agitated
messages to each other through dispatchers to coordinate the capture of a
suspect during a chase on I-75. I've got the audio of it here at the office.
It is sort of ridiculous, really. Common sense tells you technology allowing
officers to talk directly to one another is much better than a Trooper
telling a dispatcher at KSP Post 11 to tell as dispatcher at the county 911
center to tell the Sheriff's Deputy on the road to back off a little bit so
they can deploy spike strips. It's just crazy.
We should have seen it coming! Some basic questions and even the slightest
bit of research would have revealed this problem in advance. But none of
that was done because, I believe, there is some built in aversion to
question police agencies about things like this. They are given too much
deference. Or, people just didn't care. It was too technical and confusing
soehwhatever.
Unfortunately, it's led to a lot of silliness. I've talked to many
rank-and-file officers who have admitted to what I'm telling you. As long as
they are dealing with officers in their own agency, things are fine. But
when fighting crime becomes a multi-agency affairthe new radio systems can
be a hindrance. Our money has been wasted on a half-baked patchwork of radio
systems when we should have gotten a larger, more connected network.
What the federal government wanted was police departments that could work
more cohesively together on similar digital radio systems to better fight
crime and serve the public.
What's happened instead is the creation of little police fiefdoms walled
off, digitally, from one another for the most cynical of reasons.
Internally, they do have better communications. But across the line,
departments have not been brought together in the way envisioned. Instead,
they are more fractured and less cohesive than ever. All so you would know
less about the activities of your local law enforcement agencies.
How is this good for the citizens? How does this lead to better policing? It
doesn't. It just leads to less accountability. Taxpayers footed the bill for
something that hasn't been good for them.
We got swindled. We'd have been better off staying analog.
------------------------------
Message: 11
Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2015 01:18:06 -0400
From: "Doorgunner" <doorgunner666 at msn.com>
To: "DC-Scan" <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] 'Upgrades' of local police radio systems fueled
by desirefor secrecy
Message-ID: <SNT147-DS1273120BB7CE9DC5777F18E00C0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
Nailed it here...
How is this good for the citizens? How does this lead to better policing? It
doesn't. It just leads to less accountability. Taxpayers footed the bill for
something that hasn't been good for them.
-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Henney
Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2015 2:22 AM
To: Scan DC
Subject: [Scan-DC] 'Upgrades' of local police radio systems fueled by
desirefor secrecy
The News Journal (Corbin, Kentucky)
March 18, 2015
'Upgrades' of local police radio systems fueled by desire for secrecy
BYLINE: TRENT KNUCKLES
SECTION: OPINIONS; Pg. A4
LENGTH: 713 words
It wasn't so long ago that with an inexpensive radio scanner, a handful of
frequencies and a little time, citizens in this area used to easily be able
to monitor the goings on of all our local first-responders (police, fire,
EMS, etc.)
Spend a little more for a "digital trunking" scanner and you could hear
Kentucky State Police too.
It was a very nice way of doing things. People got to know, in real time,
what was going on in their communities.
Around about 2010, we started to enter what I like to call "The Dark Age."
Flush with money from the federal government to upgrade to digital
communication systems, police departments, mainly, began the process in
earnest.
But they did a funny thing.
They made DARN sure that the radio systems they adopted could not be easily
monitored. There were all kinds of reasons why they picked the systems they
picked, but the main reason is to make certain that the general public was
kept in the dark. Period. The less you heard, and knew, the better.
What's worse, is that while police department brass, naturally, are the ones
that wanted these radio systems, our elected town commissions and councils
didn't look out for our best interest. They weren't the buffers they should
have been. They didn't put on the brakes and ask any questions. There was no
due diligence. They just dove in headfirst and went right along with it.
They were complicit in doing something that was not in our best interest.
That is a shame.
Since, that push toward secrecy has taken strange and illogical turns.
The radio systems our local police agencies use are not compatible with
Kentucky State Police. KSP made the leap from analog radio to digital years
before smaller city and county police forces. So why not just adopt their
system and be consistent? Why not get the same thing so that everyone can
easily communicate with everyone else?
Makes sense, right? The decision to go to a different, proprietary system
has had stupid results.
Like, for instance, a case in Laurel County recently where officers from the
Sheriff's Department there and KSP had to swap increasingly agitated
messages to each other through dispatchers to coordinate the capture of a
suspect during a chase on I-75. I've got the audio of it here at the office.
It is sort of ridiculous, really. Common sense tells you technology allowing
officers to talk directly to one another is much better than a Trooper
telling a dispatcher at KSP Post 11 to tell as dispatcher at the county 911
center to tell the Sheriff's Deputy on the road to back off a little bit so
they can deploy spike strips. It's just crazy.
We should have seen it coming! Some basic questions and even the slightest
bit of research would have revealed this problem in advance. But none of
that was done because, I believe, there is some built in aversion to
question police agencies about things like this. They are given too much
deference. Or, people just didn't care. It was too technical and confusing
soehwhatever.
Unfortunately, it's led to a lot of silliness. I've talked to many
rank-and-file officers who have admitted to what I'm telling you. As long as
they are dealing with officers in their own agency, things are fine. But
when fighting crime becomes a multi-agency affairthe new radio systems can
be a hindrance. Our money has been wasted on a half-baked patchwork of radio
systems when we should have gotten a larger, more connected network.
What the federal government wanted was police departments that could work
more cohesively together on similar digital radio systems to better fight
crime and serve the public.
What's happened instead is the creation of little police fiefdoms walled
off, digitally, from one another for the most cynical of reasons.
Internally, they do have better communications. But across the line,
departments have not been brought together in the way envisioned. Instead,
they are more fractured and less cohesive than ever. All so you would know
less about the activities of your local law enforcement agencies.
How is this good for the citizens? How does this lead to better policing? It
doesn't. It just leads to less accountability. Taxpayers footed the bill for
something that hasn't been good for them.
We got swindled. We'd have been better off staying analog.
______________________________________________________________
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Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/scan-dc
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
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