Motorola Smartnet System at MT Stradbroke

[Doogs38]

While I was trawling through the ACMA database for Ipswich freqs, I noticed there was a Motorola Smartnet system listed for the Mt Stradbroke comms site. The freqs are in the 820, 850 and 860 MHz ranges - freqs seem odd, and I cannot locate a CC. Does anyone know anything about this Smartnet system? Is this a defunct trunking system? Alex

Site ID: 39646
Name: Qld Communications Site MT STRADBROKE
Location: MT STRADBROKE QLD 4311
Client: Motorola Smartnet Pty Limited (8203)
Licence No: Various

http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/site_ ... E_ID=39646

[Phil]

more than likely the dreaded Tetra, i have a similar site at Mt Gravatt Lookout i live less than a km with good line of site and i can't get anything from it

[Comint]

While I was trawling through the ACMA database for Ipswich freqs, I noticed there was a Motorola Smartnet system listed for the Mt Stradbroke comms site.

Well, for starters, it is NOT a Motorola Smartnet system. They are frequencies licensed to a Company that just happens, unfortunately, to be named Motorola Smartnet Pty Limited, who in the past, operated Motorola Smartnet systems from Mt Coot-tha and the Peninsula Building on the Gold Coast. I think there has been previous posts on these forums, detailing the history of Motorola Smartnet (the Business name) in this situation.

The freqs are in the 820, 850 and 860 MHz ranges - freqs seem odd, and I cannot locate a CC.

Nothing odd about those frequencies. The 86x.7875 MHz frequencies are the Repeater Tx freqs, and the 82x.7875 MHz freqs are the Repeater Rx freqs. The 852.xxx / 928.xxx freqs are Link frequencies currently licensed to the Qld Ambulance Service.

Does anyone know anything about this Smartnet system? Is this a defunct trunking system?

These frequencies have only been at Mt Stradbroke since the Zeon Digital Network (TETRA) was introduced to Queensland. 868.7875 and 869.7875 are at Mt Stradbroke, and also at Esk, and probably in some form of simulcast. Those two frequencies are the only ones I have heard transmissions on.

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Comint

[Comint]

more than likely the dreaded Tetra, i have a similar site at Mt Gravatt Lookout i live less than a km with good line of site and i can't get anything from it

Because of the complex waveshape of TETRA, conventional scanners generally won't hack it. There has been some reports coming out of Europe, that some success can be achieved with scanners having SSB mode, such as the Icom IC R-10, but all you will hear, is raucous noise.

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Comint

[Doogs38]

Very informative and helpful Comint (as always) - thank you . You'd think that calling yourself "Motorola Smartnet Pty Limited" would draw the attention and ire of Motorola's lawyers...

[Comint]

Very informative and helpful Comint (as always) - thank you . You'd think that calling yourself "Motorola Smartnet Pty Limited" would draw the attention and ire of Motorola's lawyers...

Long story there, and I probably don't have all the details correct, but from memory, the Network was originally operated (owned) by a mob called OziTel (or something like that) who went belly-up. So someone had to step in and take over the network, to keep the Users happy, and Motorola themselves decided to do it. Obviously they wanted to keep it separate from their other business units, so had to come up with a new name on short notice, and obviously were not very imaginative in that area.

When Motorola introduced the Zeon Digital Network into Australia, perhaps they should have done so via a newly created business unit, instead of just using the existing one. Just as they should have got the licences changed to show the correct Emission Designator for TETRA, when they created all the new Sites, and moved the numerous frequencies around.

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Comint