^No but I live right there.

1/28/2013 12:08:28 AM

They were def in a hurry wherever they were headed. 4-5 cars in the first group and then 1 trailin about 3 min behind

1/28/2013 12:14:56 AM

Anyone know a good feed to catch the morrisville FD? Since I recently moved Im now right by one of their stations and always hearing them head out.

1/29/2013 9:30:57 AM

^ Any of the Wake County Fire Dept Feeds would fill your need...like this one:
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?feedId=142
Morrisville FD is dispatched out by RWECC (Raleigh/Wake 911) and is usually assigned
one of the PS TAC Channels 35 and above depending on the call.
They also have several of their own "chitchat" Talkgroups on VIPER:
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=4087#tgCid-9847


[Edited on January 29, 2013 at 5:30 PM. Reason : clarity]

1/29/2013 5:27:13 PM

Perfect thx! Got a few calls watching this over the past few days that I knew to expect sirens from.

Anyone know where the gas leak in W Raleigh is? They just called Western Wake and RFD for it, didnt list an address though.

2/2/2013 1:41:07 PM

^Never was able to find out sorry

Been hearing the FBI and SBI on and off all day long on the VIPER Camden Ave tower here in
Northeast Durham. Sounds like they are following 2 different folks around NC.

2/6/2013 2:03:22 PM

any online feeds or is it a locked down channel?

2/6/2013 2:37:18 PM

^Radioreference.com TOS prohibits streaming of Federal Gov Comms and special tactical channels (such as NC SBI).

I have been monitoring the Talkgroups today at work on my Uniden HomePatrol



[Edited on February 6, 2013 at 3:31 PM. Reason : added pic]

2/6/2013 3:26:02 PM

To get into this, is there a club or something around here that is the best? Just looking to get a tech level or whatever. Not sure if a class is worth it or not, looks like RARS has a class next week, are they good?

Also, isn't Morrisville normally on the lower TACS.. 35/36 was Holly Springs then Apex on 37. Though if its Durham, Airport or Cary involved too it'll be MA.

2/9/2013 12:11:40 PM

^RARS is good. That is where I went through training to get my Ham license years ago.
And remember that the RARSfest is coming up at the end of March...that is the place to buy
your first ham radio in person

2/12/2013 9:45:59 AM

Yeah, I'd love to get more into this as well. I'm sorta addicted to my 5-0 Radio app on my iphone (if you dont have it you should get it! It's awesome! It just streams the Radio Reference feeds from what I can tell).

Are there any good sites out there that starts at the VERY basics and explains how all this stuff works?

2/13/2013 11:04:22 AM

I, too, would like all of this stuff explained to me in simple terms. Is there a getting started guide thats written for 12 year olds anywhere?

(I've played around with radios growing up, but none of this digital stuff)

2/13/2013 11:12:23 AM

Yeah, all this digital stuff is beyond my simple understanding.

2/13/2013 11:15:22 AM

Quote :

"Radioreference.com TOS prohibits streaming of Federal Gov Comms and special tactical channels. "

It seems that plenty of your own users are irate that radioreference helped cover up the crimes of the police in this case. Even with the limited feeds that were provided, there is ample radio evidence that police yesterday conspired and acted to burn Mr. Dorner alive. What are your opinions on the subject?

2/13/2013 11:21:28 AM

KE4ZNR,

On the HomePatrol, if I plug in the optional GPS I can take it in my car and it automatically monitors whatever I'm near?

2/13/2013 11:32:03 AM

Trying to catch up after being out yesterday having 2 root canals done at the dentist

first to @Bobby Light:

Quote :

"Yeah, I'd love to get more into this as well. I'm sorta addicted to my 5-0 Radio app on my iphone (if you dont have it you should get it! It's awesome! It just streams the Radio Reference feeds from what I can tell)."

Yep. Pretty much every scanner app uses RR.com as the "Backend" feed provider.

Quote :

"Are there any good sites out there that starts at the VERY basics and explains how all this stuff works?"

The Radioreference.com Wiki has a bunch of great articles about getting started in the hobby:
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Main_Page
In the upper right hand corner select "Links for Newcomers" and read over the articles. If you have specific questions after that feel free to PM or email me.

2/14/2013 9:51:09 AM

Now to @dtownral:

Quote :

"I, too, would like all of this stuff explained to me in simple terms. Is there a getting started guide thats written for 12 year olds anywhere? (I've played around with radios growing up, but none of this digital stuff)"

Take a look at the wiki link I posted above.
It should get you pointed in the right direction. If you still have questions post them
here or email/PM me and I will help ya figure them out.

2/14/2013 11:45:28 AM

Quote :

"KE4ZNR, On the HomePatrol, if I plug in the optional GPS I can take it in my car and it automatically monitors whatever I'm near?"

That is correct. I have used a GPS Puck device with my HP-1 many times before on road
trips. I just recently purchased a new vehicle


and have not thought about how (or if) I want to do a permanent install. But if needed
I can take a few pics of how the HP-1 looks with a GPS puck antenna attached.
There is a blog post over at HomePatrol.com that explains some of the process where the HP-1
gets its Lat/Long info from at RR.com: http://goo.gl/8CJv3

2/14/2013 11:55:28 AM

Check out proclip.com for some mounting platforms that look nice without tearing up your interior

2/14/2013 12:03:43 PM

for smc (who is known for trolling threads):

Quote :

"It seems that plenty of your own users are irate that radioreference helped cover up the crimes of the police in this case. Even with the limited feeds that were provided, there is ample radio evidence that police yesterday conspired and acted to burn Mr. Dorner alive. What are your opinions on the subject?"

Ok since it is obvious you know little of how RR.com works let me help you out with some
facts:
1) I have very little to do with the Live Audio section of RR.com. I am not a feed provider.
I am a forum moderator (NC/SC and Uniden Forums) and database admin (NC/SC) for the site.
2) That being said I do know that feed providers offer the feeds voluntarily and use their
own radios to host the feeds.
3) I am intrigued by your statements that somehow the site "helped cover up the crimes of
the police in this case". How exactly would the site do that? Also I would like to see evidence that "plenty of users" are "irate".
4) I am only speaking for myself and not as a representative of RR.com. I personally believe that any type of theory that RR.com would conspire with any LE agency of any type is tin foil hat nonsense.
5) My person opinion on the Dorner situation is that I believe it is too early to know exactly what happened. I also paid very little attention to the situation overall as I do not have cable tv and spend more time reading than anything else.

2/14/2013 12:39:57 PM

Quote :

"Check out proclip.com for some mounting platforms that look nice without tearing up your interior"

Thanks for the heads up. Will check it out. And if you ever want to see an HP-1 in person
before deciding if you wish to pick one up feel free to schedule a meetup at KRDU General Aviation
one Saturday/Sunday. Why KRDU G.A? It offers the ability to easily pick up multiple trunked radio systems (Wake VIPER/Durham/RDU Airport) along with seeing how it does on Aviation VHF/UHF.
Gives you a better overall picture of how the radio works on different systems.
If the weather is decent I am usually out at KRDU at least once a weekend with many different
radios in hand. From a past trip:


Radios Pictured: Uniden HomePatrol HP-1, Uniden BCD396XT, City issued Motorola XTS5000, Yaesu VX-5r. Camera is an ancient Canon XT that works well enough for me.

2/14/2013 12:47:45 PM

(link above should have been http://www.proclipusa.com/ )

2/14/2013 12:51:05 PM

Quote :

"Did anyone else see the kangaroo on Gorman the other day? There was like 10 cop cars and the whole shit was blocked off"

T.I. - What You know (dirty).mp3


I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

2/25/2013 10:51:01 PM

^ It got robbed. Suspect had a "large knife" and got away on foot.

They tried to track with a K9 but (last I heard) they did not get the suspect.

2/26/2013 7:36:04 AM

Last minute I know but the annual RARSFest is tomorrow at the Fairgrounds....
I should be there for a while catching up with various folks...
Say hey if you see me

http://forums.radioreference.com/north-carolina-radio-discussion-forum/263582-annual-rarsfest-thread-saturday-30th.html

Quote :

"41st Annual RARSFest 8AM-3:30PM Saturday March 30, 2013 ARRL NC State Convention 2013 Theme - Emergency Communications Planned exhibts include Cary CERT Emergency Communications Trailer, WINLINK, KD4AGQ Mobile Communications Trailer, Raleigh PD Mobile Command Post, ARES AUXCOMM, and Salvation Army (SATERN) SATCOM trailer. Jim Graham Building - NC State Fairgrounds 1025 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh NC 27607 Lattitude: 35.7936 Longitude: -78.71175 FREE PARKING Admission $7 pre-registration (Payment must be received by March 23) $8 if purchased after March 23 or at the door. A $100 prize will be drawn from pre-registrations. Age 16 & under admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Walk-in VE Testing RARS Volunteer Examiners conduct a W5YI VE Test Session at 9:00 AM. Walk-ins are welcome until 10:00 AM. The current W5YI exam fee is $14. Talk-in 146.64 Mhz RARS repeater. (Backup is 146.88 Mhz WB4TQD repeater.) NOTE: The backup repeater will not be monitored unless needed."

3/29/2013 10:40:17 AM

If it wasn't the day before Easter, I'd probably show up. It's been a while since I've been to a hamfest.

3/29/2013 11:06:57 AM

Awe crap. I totally meant to go to that.

3/31/2013 1:11:41 PM

I was there over lunchtime...mostly to catch up with some folks...did
not buy anything as I did not see anything I needed...

Oh and a heads up that Durham & Cary should be powering up their new P25 radio
systems sometime in the next week or so...I can only speak about Durham but the
plan is to run both the existing legacy radio system side by side with the new P25 system
and use a Motorola product called SmartX to link the 2 systems side by side allowing for
a gradual upgrade over the next couple years....

4/1/2013 2:11:15 PM

did you happen to pick up on anything tonight, around quarter-past seven, with regard to a downed biker on hillsborough st? lots of people crowded around. sure hope he was ok.

4/16/2013 8:08:47 PM

^ Don't see anything in yesterday's dispatch logs for anything bike related on Hillsborough St in that time frame...only call that even comes close is an accident call around 1pm:

Quote :

"Inc: F50OI : Map: 061N Add: HILLSBOROUGH ST / I 440, EB Loc: Apt: Unt: RFE8,RFSQ14,RFL7, TG: T17 Cty: RA Comm: **ACCIDENT-OVERTURN/INJURY** W/B HILLSBOROUGH TO RAMP FOR 440..."

4/17/2013 6:53:06 PM

^I rode passed that. Didn't look too bad for a rollover.

4/17/2013 7:59:33 PM

^^strange. this was definitely a little bit after 7pm. i know at least the police came, i could see them from the ymca. regardless, i'll take that as good news, probably means it wasn't that serious.

4/17/2013 9:44:47 PM

So Durham PD has a Polaris GEM e4 Electric Vehicle:
http://www.polaris.com/en-us/gem-electric-car/passenger-vehicle/e4/Pages/Overview.aspx
It certainly is a unique looking ride...we will be adding additional lights to it at some point in the
near future:

4/24/2013 12:39:32 PM

The prisoners have to ride in the back bucket?

4/24/2013 12:40:27 PM

is that to stop the frequent assaults and muggings on the tobacco trail?

4/24/2013 12:47:00 PM

^^ Suspects in custody are strapped to the top for the ride downtown
^ Well that and a couple of these:


They use all of the above plus bike patrols...and yet crimes still occur on the trail....

4/24/2013 2:37:07 PM

So, finally looking to pick up a unit for listening to Durham County (and surrounding area) public safety and NCHP.

Is that $100 Wouxun unit that was referenced on page 2(?) still a viable option?

Any suggestions on which one to get under $150ish?

5/13/2013 11:11:08 AM

Also wouldnt mind a unit that I can "grow into". Would love to do much more than just monitor those three channels obviously.

You had mentioned the Pro-96 a few years ago. Is that still an option for VIPER etc.?

If I can keep it around or under $200 i'd be happy, but if you have a better suggestion i'm all ears.

You seem to like your Uniden BCD346XT for ~$200...should I go that route?

5/13/2013 11:47:12 AM

Holy triple-post Batman. Sorry folks.

Ok, so I've been reading about these pretty much all afternoon.

It looks like i'm going to have to at least drop $150-200'ish on a Pro 96 or BCD346XT or similar to get digital trunking RX capability and digital voice decoding. This will let me listen to Durham/Wake County PD/NCHP?

Otherwise, I could just get something like the $40 Baofeng UV5RA or a cheap Wouxun to monitor (and transmit once/if I get my license) non-trunked systems.

[Edited on May 13, 2013 at 3:27 PM. Reason : .]

5/13/2013 3:19:04 PM

@Bobby Light: Let me reference a thread at Radioreference.com:

Quote :

"Need help on deciding which scanner to buy for Monitoring in NC? Forum Member Drafin crafted the response below which I think answers the question perfectly. Just one additional note: Most "large" metropolitan areas in NC (Charlotte/Mecklenburg, Greensboro/Guilford, Triangle/Wake/Durham, New Hanover) either already use systems that have digital voice transmissions or have plans to migrate up to digital voice systems. Which means that if you wish to monitor public safety in these areas in NC you need to seriously consider a digital voice capable scanner. I am going to sticky this for awhile as this question seems to get asked a lot here in the NC forum."

Quote :

"Most people are a bit reluctant to suggest one scanner over another. It's kind of the Pepsi or Coke, Ford or Chevy type of argument. Most people will fall into one of two camps. The Uniden crowd and the GRE/Radio Shack crowd. The best thing to do is to ask people in your area what they are using and how it performs. As a GENERAL BROAD STATEMENT (meaning this is no way an endorsement of one product or the other, a complete list, nor a recommendation of which to buy) you are looking at basically four main products. The GRE PSR 500 handheld (or PSR 600 for the mobile) and the Uniden BCD396XT handheld (or the BCD996XT mobile). These tend to be a little less user friendly but offer more options than the ones I am about to list. Radio Shack sells their own rebranded versions of the aforementioned GRE products. The more user friendly, but at the cost of overall options for the most part, would be the GRE PSR 800 (or the PSR 900 mobile version) and the "tweener" that is not really a mobile or a handheld but will function as both Uniden Home Patrol 1. These units from both manufacturers tend to be a little more plug and play. And as with my previous statement, Radio Shack sells their own rebranded versions of the aforementioned GRE products. All of these are great scanners and I suggest that you research each model and it's particular features, strong points and weaknesses to determine your individual needs. Keep in mind that there is a lot of bias in the scanner world toward one manufacturer or the other (which I never really understood to be honest, but I'll leave that for another day) and sort through the hyperbole and get down to a few things: 1. I'd suggest narrowing down what you want to monitor. It seems you have a good grasp of that already. 2. Determine what are the features you "need" and the features you "want". There is a difference. 3. Figure out what fits your budgetary requirements. What can you afford? 4. Read the forums here of the manufacturers you are interested in. 5. Speak to people in your area (here on the forums and in person if you can), to find out what they have, what they like about it, and what they dislike about it. 6. Read reviews of products from other places around the web to see what others are saying about the particular models you are interested in. Keep in mind though that someone that is not pleased with a product is much more likely to post about it than someone that is thrilled with a product. Realizing this up front will save you from the feeling that ALL of the scanners on the market suck... they don't. Basically to sum up, I'm just advising you to be an informed consumer. The same thing could be applied to almost any product out there though. Hope this at least gives you a starting point.--Drafin "

With the above being posted let me clear up a few points:
--I actually have a BCD396XT and not a BC346XT. Main difference is that the 396XT can monitor P25 Digital voice transmissions while the 346XT is an analog voice only scanner.
So I would not even consider the 346XT for monitoring in central NC...especially Durham County...being one of the folks responsible for maintaining the radio system that Durham city/county uses I can tell you we are in the middle of a P25 digital voice multi-year upgrade process which means that in the next 12-18 months we are looking at converting our analog voice channels on our system to digital voice. Wake County is already mostly digital and Cary is in the midst of migrating from analog to digital voice on their system. Digital voice capable scanner is a must for the Central NC area.
--Digital Voice Capable (aka "P25") scanners still run in the price range of $450-500 new. Just no
way around that price point at this time. However you can usually find used digital voice capable P25 scanners on the secondary markets (Craigslist, Ebay, etc) for around $200-$250. The Radio Shack Pro 96 is a good example. It is a scanner no longer manufactured and therefore can only be found on the secondary market but works great on VIPER and Durham. I still have a Pro96 at home that I use to monitor Raleigh PD Dispatch only. If you can find a Pro96 for the $200-250 price range that is a good bargain.
---The Amateur ham radio handheld units like the Wouxun do not receive P25 digital transmissions. They may receive digital Ham Radio transmissions like D-Star but those are different than P25 which public safety uses. That is why the Wouxun are able to stay at such at low price point....licensing the P25 digital vocoder from DVSI is why P25 scanners cost $400-500 new...the scanner companies have to pony up license fees from DVSI for every scanner manufactured...and it is not only the scanner companies but the regular 2 way radio companies as well..consider the internals of this city owned $4000 Public Safety grade Motorola XTS 5000 sitting here in my office:


That sticker references Digital Voice Systems, Inc (DVSI)...that company has a monopoly on the vocoder used to Translate digital 1s and 0s into voice and back...

Holy crap, I ended up typing up waaay more than I first intended to
Hopefully the above makes sense...let me know if you still have questions and I will do my best to answer them...
Oh and here is a 30 sec video I recently shot at the Durham Communications back up Comm Center where I had to reprogram 11 backup "consolettes" or Back up radios:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-rMf6GJDmU&feature=share&list=UUkfCoZP3t7dRjiOPseqvZQw

We still have a lot to do in Durham before we can think of migrating to full P25 digital...but we are on the road there

5/13/2013 3:45:42 PM

Many thanks for the clarification! I've got my eye on a few Pro 96's on ebay. Hopefully one of these will go for a decent price.

If anyone's looking to sell a scanner that can monitor P25 Digital voice transmissions, holla at me!

[Edited on May 14, 2013 at 10:16 AM. Reason : .]

5/14/2013 10:13:23 AM

^If you do pick one up let me know and I can help you get it programmed and up and running...though I always tell someone that you still want to learn all of the ins and outs of how the radio works on your own as well...my Pro96 has served me well considering I first got it in 2003...damn that is a decade of use and abuse that I have put that radio through and it still works

5/14/2013 2:05:11 PM

^What is your opinion of the BeoFang UV5A? For $38.99 I'm thinking of getting one to replace my aging VX-150.

I dont transmit much, but I do like to listen. I also dont want to spend $380 like I did a few years ago on my VX-8R.

5/14/2013 2:31:50 PM

^ if you can get used to the programming menu structure then it is a good low cost
radio that you don't have to stress over if it gets damaged/lost....also the scan rate is
a little slow if you scan many channels...but it is a good low priced HT...Heck I still use
my yaesu VX-5R and it still does me a good job after 9 or so years...
Oh and if you want to see a city issued Motorola XTS 5000 in action here is a few seconds of radio traffic from this afternoon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPuumJSMCEk&feature=share&list=UUkfCoZP3t7dRjiOPseqvZQw

It does not sound too much different than a commercial grade scanner

5/14/2013 3:30:40 PM

^I've had a VX5, 6, 7 and 8. Money got tight and sold all of them, but I miss the features my current VX-150 does not have (nice display, wider range).

I figure for all I do (scan the local repeaters and marine band) it should work just fine.

5/14/2013 4:53:26 PM

^If you do pick up one of the BeoFang let me know what ya think.

I might pick one up myself.

5/15/2013 11:35:54 AM

So it has been a busy last few weeks here in the Bull City...
We have been busy updating the programming in handheld radios as
we slowly migrate our system to all digital P25 voice. We are in the midst
of removing the phone patch feature in all radios and modifying the private call feature
so it will work with the system upgrade. All things considered we are still way ahead
of the curve so we are happy. 615 City PD handheld radios, 117 City FD handheld Radios handled.
Now to move onto the Sheriff Dept, County EMS and Volunteer FDs.
We call this Job security

5/28/2013 2:36:35 PM

can you join Skywarn if you are not a HAM radio operator? Can you call in reports, or tweet them?

6/3/2013 3:41:30 PM

^ Been awhile since I have been to a Skywarn meeting/training session but when I was a net
control years ago the NWS wanted the Skywarn Spotters to go through spotter training class
before being able to pass info along to the NWS. And we used to have a landline phone line number
for those that did not have two-way radio access. That being said, Being able to be a part of Skywarn just one of the many benefits of getting your Ham License. And with basic electronics
theory knowledge one can get licensed very easily these days!

6/3/2013 7:32:08 PM

Yes, you can be a spotter without being a ham operator. You do have to complete the courses through NWS. You can listen to the weekly net on Broadcastify, and there is a 1-800 number to call to make reports. Feel free to PM me if you need links to the class schedules.

Edit: getting a ham license is not that hard, though. I'm not very radio savvy, but I was able to get my technician class license without missing a single test question. That level is more about knowing etiquette and basic electronics. They may call me a "equipment operator," but I don't care too much.

[Edited on June 3, 2013 at 9:36 PM. Reason : ]

6/3/2013 9:26:32 PM