Channel Numbers of Telus Mike Sites

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Last Updated: 13-Aug-2006

The following list shows the command channels of the Telus Mike sites in Southern Ontario. It is by no means complete, so if you can provide me with the channels of a site not on the list it would be greatly appreciated. Unlike Cell IDs on GSM (which are unique) or PN Offsets on CDMA (which aren't unique, but are fairly stable over time) channel assignments on iDEN networks are subject to change without notice. I am able to maintain the channel assignments based on updates to the Industry Canada database, on which all Mike channel licenses must be publicly listed. However, that database isn't always 100% accurate, and so there may be a few erroneous channels listed here.

Note that some iDEN phones provide something that even better than a Cell ID, they provide the coordinates of the site on which the phone is parked. For more information see Finding the Coordinates of an iDEN Site.

All of Motorola's iDEN phones have Field Test screens which can be displayed using the same approach on most models. Quickly press  #, *, Menu, and the right cursor key. This will display a menu of options that varies from model to model. In the case of the newer SIM-based iDEN phones, a menu will appear that you can scroll through. Go down to the one marked Rx Status and press the Select option twice. An updated Field Test screen will appear and disappear on your phone showing the signal quality (SQE), channel number, transmit level, and receive signal strength in dBm. To turn off this mode, either power down the phone or repeat the above sequence.

The channel number consists of 3 characters, followed by a dash, followed by a single or double character. Ignore the stuff that comes after the dash, as it isn't important to us in this instance. This 3-character string is actually a number represented in hexadecimal format. We can convert it into the true frequency (in MHz) by taking the hex number, converting it to decimal, multiplying by 0.0125, and adding 851. However, we aren't really interested in the frequency in MHz. The 3-character hex number is much easier to remember (and write down).

Because most Mike sites in the GTA are sectorized, you'll find 3 separate command channel listings for each. Unlike the other technologies, where the providers have the luxury of a contiguous block of spectrum, iDEN must go with whatever channels can be licensed from the SMR band. Subsequently there is no discernable pattern for the channels chosen for each sector.

The second last column is the site's ID number, though this information cannot be determined over-the-air. The number is included only for reference. You'll often find this number, with "ON" in front it, on the doors of equipment shelters. The same goes for the last column, which consists of a group of code letters that give you general location of the site (T = Toronto, W = West of Toronto, N = North of Toronto, E = East of Toronto, K = Kitchener/Waterloo, L = London, H = Hamilton, F = Niagara Falls, O = Ontario not in a major area).

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