T HELP DESK SPECIFIC FREQUENCY AND EQUIPMENT QUESTIONS Larry Van Horn, N5FPW M [email protected]

Q. My problem is programming the ing one of the new GRE (500/600) or Uniden A. Magic is just one of the many intersec- BCT 8 in 800 MHz Type II. I am trying (396/996) scanners if you want to monitor this tions that are used by air traffic controllers. to program Gwinnett Co. which is a Mo- system in the future. Since it is the Atlanta ARTCC that is using torola Type II Smartnet SysID 2D31. I this “Magic” intersection, it is most likely an have everything programmed according Q. While out recently in Corpus Christi, IFR route intersection. These intersections are to the manual. But I can’t get the letter Texas, I took my little trusty BC92XLT usually the intersection of two navigation aid M to appear next to the Trunk in the and was operating it in Close Call radials. upper left hand corner of the screen. I mode. I was downtown and got a hit on Historically, the name of every inter- tried to look for a Yahoo Group but there 408.325 MHz. It locked up the scanner section makes some reference to something and it would not move off from there near that location. Originally the words were is none. And I don’t want to buy the spelled out. With the advent of computers, computer programming software just until I left the area. The image or signal was so strong I didn’t get a good read all intersections consist of five letters which yet. I want to program it first by hand. may phonetically resemble the original. LODI (Bill Black-Buford, Georgia) on it. It sounded like it was a control channel used for a trunking network. became LODDI, RIO VISTA became REJOY and VISTA. Only an active imagination or an A. There are three things that immediately I am familiar with all of Corpus old memory bank makes possible many of the come to mind. I have seen this condition be- Christi law enforcement, EMS and fire associations. fore with others who had a problem similar to communications on their looked for your “Magic” intersection on yours. 2 system in the 800 MHz band and my VFR and IFR charts and could not find it. First, make sure that you are in the trunk knew it was not them. It went away But sometimes it is a matter of an odd spell- programming mode before you enter any fre- a few blocks from the Whataburger ing. This triggered a spark of recognition, and quency. Press TRUNK for 1.5 seconds and you restaurant I was in. It seems to be in a look through the online MT 2007 Index of will then hear two beeps, and “BANK” and the government and military band, so I Articles, I found where Iden Rogers answered “TRUNK” will begin to flash on the display. think it might be coming from the Vet- this same question in February 2007 Boats, Then you select the bank you want to store the erans Center located next door to the Planes and Trains. The intersection being frequency by using the keypad. Then select heard in North Carolina is actually MAJIC, the system you want to track by using the ∆ Whataburger. and it can be seen, he says, on the map found at or ∇ key, then press E. Make sure you select Nothing in my files show any list- http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0612/00078majic. "E2-800 (Motorola Type II 800 MHz)." ings for that center, so do you have pdf At this point you could enter all the fre- any ideas? I doubt it is a highly used If you missed that discussion, check quencies or do only the control channels and network since there is only a small unit out Iden’s column for more information on use the "control channel only" mode. I highly there. There is, however, a cop at the intersections and aero charts in the February recommend you program all the frequencies. door with a handheld. I can’t tell if it’s 2007 MT, and also look in the Planes column Those frequencies include the following a 800 or 400 MHz radio. Are there any from February 2005 for more on “names and (thanks to our friends at Scannerstuff and their trunked systems in the Corpus area in numbers” used in aircraft communications. Atlanta Frequency Directory: www.atlantas- the 400 MHz band? (Emmitt in Sinton, canner.com/): Q. Excuse me for asking a dumb ques- Texas) tion (I am a newbie), but what does ALE 854.78750 854.81250 854.83750 855.31250 855.48750 855.76250 A. I do not have any Texas allocations for stand for?? (Michael Smith VK3 VMS) 855.78750 855.81250 856.81250 408.325 MHz in my database. There are some 856.83750 856.91250 857.81250 US Bureau of Prison trunk system allocations 857.83750 857.91250 858.78750 A. ALE = Automatic Link Establishment. 858.81250 866.13750 866.38750 in Michigan and Missouri. Fort Bliss also You can learn more about ALE on the ARRL 867.38750 867.96250 868.13750 has a trunk radio system allocation on this website at www.arrl.org/tis/info/ale.html. 868.48750 MHz frequency. But as you know, that is nowhere The page above has weblinks for articles and near Corpus Christi. I agree with your assump- software to monitor ALE signals (including Now you should be able to track the tion that it is probably not the Vet Center, so freeware). system and the “M” should be present. If not, my best guess is you are getting an image you are either (1) out of range of the system or from one of the 800 MHz Public Safety TRS (2) the current control channel in use has not systems from either Corpus Christi or Nueces been programmed or (3) a frequency has not County. been programmed properly. If you step through each frequency manually in that bank and you Q. I live in High Point, North Carolina, don’t hear a control channel, you can’t trunk and I hear 128.800 (Atlanta Center). the system. I frequently hear commercial airlines Regrettably, your BCT-8 scanner may not telling Atlanta controllers that they “are be of much use to you much longer. Reports crossing Magic,” or they “just crossed indicate that Gwinnett County is switching to a magic.” This term is used a great deal nine-site, digital trunk radio system. These reports indicate the system is now well of the time and I have no idea what it under construction. This new digital network means. Do you know or maybe have will replace the older Motorola Type-II sys- any suggestions on who can help me? tem that I have described above. The project (Stuart Smith - High Point, North Caro- is expected to be complete by the autumn of lina) this year. So you will have to look at purchas-

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