koØm
01-14-2018, 01:43 PM
My interest in Radio took off on a tangent towards SDR and the ability of sound cards to encode and decode audio.
I read up on the building of a "$19.00 Police Scanner (https://forums.radioreference.com/software-defined-radio/301459-virtualbox-project-run-op25-windows-7-a.html)" which, involved the tightening up my knowledge of Linux, Unix, Python and, the Apple OS-X operating systems. I have 2 laptop computers dedicated to linux based scanning.
So, you ask, "What does this have to do with 'DX-Land' and Ham Radio chit-chat?"
All of the Public service agencies in my state use the same 800 MHz frequencies in a "Trunked" fashion; they are all linked together by IP Protocol and separated by Talk-groups depending upon city/area/service. The computer determines where and to whom the output of the transmissions are received.
Either through human-error or design (bad weather conditions), Talk-groups from the other corners of the state are showing up in the local transmissions for example, "Lucas County Correctional Facility" talk-group are being heard hundreds of miles away because someone hit the wrong button and during the last snow emergency, the state highway trucks clearing snow near Cleveland were heard in Cincinnati.
Because there are so many talk-groups, I also find it extremely interesting to listen to the transmissions of those who think that their transmissions are private and have not decided to not encrypt it.
I get more 'New" from the scanner than I do from the local News feed from TV, Radio or Internet.
.
I read up on the building of a "$19.00 Police Scanner (https://forums.radioreference.com/software-defined-radio/301459-virtualbox-project-run-op25-windows-7-a.html)" which, involved the tightening up my knowledge of Linux, Unix, Python and, the Apple OS-X operating systems. I have 2 laptop computers dedicated to linux based scanning.
So, you ask, "What does this have to do with 'DX-Land' and Ham Radio chit-chat?"
All of the Public service agencies in my state use the same 800 MHz frequencies in a "Trunked" fashion; they are all linked together by IP Protocol and separated by Talk-groups depending upon city/area/service. The computer determines where and to whom the output of the transmissions are received.
Either through human-error or design (bad weather conditions), Talk-groups from the other corners of the state are showing up in the local transmissions for example, "Lucas County Correctional Facility" talk-group are being heard hundreds of miles away because someone hit the wrong button and during the last snow emergency, the state highway trucks clearing snow near Cleveland were heard in Cincinnati.
Because there are so many talk-groups, I also find it extremely interesting to listen to the transmissions of those who think that their transmissions are private and have not decided to not encrypt it.
I get more 'New" from the scanner than I do from the local News feed from TV, Radio or Internet.
.