Grass Valley PD Dispatch freq
 

Has there been some change to Grass Valley PD's dispatch frequency, 156.000? My nephew there is no longer hearing the dispatch side, but is getting intermittent static. Listening over the phone, I don't think it was encryption kind of noise, just mild static.

He's hearing the mobiles just fine on 158.775, but apparently dispatch doesn't TX via the uplink freq.... presumably going by landline or microwave up to the transmitter. He also hears the tac freq 155.94, and everybody else up there (SO, CHP, CalFire) except the dispatch side of GVPD. He's right in GV, so even if it's mild RFI, he should be hearing them I would think. This started happening in the past couple months.

Change in frequency? Encryption? Voodoo Electronics?

Thanks

Nevada County, California (CA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

It sounds like they might have changed their repeater output frequency, but the input is still on 158.775 mhz. Tiime to use the search funtion on his scanner and locate a frequency on the same band, where he can hear both sides of the conversation.

I would also try another scanner and make sure that the first one isn't bad. Computers can generate RFI, but this would affect other rigs tuned to the same frequency...

I'm hearing GVPD on 156.000 from my office in Nevada City. It's a little noisy, but I'm using the stock "rubber duck" antenna in an office building full of electronics. So, the noise is probably on my end.

Maybe confirm that your nephew hasn't changed the squelch by mistake. If his scanner can decode digitally coded squelch (aka DCS or DPL), it should be set to 466.

Thanks. His (only) scanner is a raggedy old BCT7 with no bells or whistles, especially things as exotic as PL or DPL. :) As I say, he tells me it's a relatively new issue and everything else, including fairly-distant mobiles, still come in clearly. 156.00 seems to be the sole bugaboo, and he's made no moves or changes of electrical appliances, etc. A mystery, I guess. I'll suggest he take the thing to a friend's place somewhere and see if that helps... could be something from an adjacent apartment, I suppose.

Outdoor antennas also use shielded coax! This eliminates a lot of that external RFI too. A VHF marine ground plane is little more than 16 inches high and tweaked for the 156 mhz band any way. If that doesn't pick up the Grass Valley PD base (about 500 watts simplex), then nothing will. Time to get another scanner since somebody else hears them from further away.

I can hear units close by (a few hundred yards) without an antenna on my scanners at all.

156.000 dc:466
 

I hadn't heard this frequency active in a while, but I am not exactly next to Grass Valley and I have not been at home monitoring all the time anyway. But tonight they came in loud and clear on 156.000 DC:466.

From http://www.napco.org/freqlogs/100212fl.pdf

13-Dec app pending grass valley grass valley 155.6550 To replace 156.000 50 w erp 160 aat 841 msl 23 agl. To abate an interference issue. Pw/apco

500 watts sounds like a typo

grass valley pd gets their interference from brentwood or oakley i believe

Yep, "500 watts" was my typo.

When I've been in GV and heard interference on 156.00 they ID'd as "Solano" (fire, I guess), and while it was an annoyance it didn't come close to really interfering with the GVPD units and dispatch hearing each other. But those foothill towns/counties have a lot of territory they overlook, so they do need to have good coordination.

I ditch-patched for them in the early 80s, and we'd occasionally get skip from Costa Mesa PD's helicopter (and someone in Colorado) on 45.08 until we finally moved to 45.22. Then we never heard from anybody... including our own portables if they weren't right downtown. :roll: Later they went to a low-band repeater before moving up to VHF-high.

For what it's worth I heard them on 156.00 DPL 466 back in late January with a mobile VHF antenna on Hwy 80. :) They were still really noisy. I'm glad they have that new app in, it was definitely not the best idea to try and share frequencies with Solano County Fire!

156.000
 

I monitor both GV PD and Solano Fire from here. I use CT/DC settings so the alpha tags match.

During a recent trip to the southern part of the state I had 156.000 programmed with no tone, as the agency I wanted to monitor was CSQ. I ended up having to lock out the frequency for most of my trip as it sounded as bad as low band with atmospheric noise.

Considering that I am only at 300' above sea level, I am sure GV can pick up Solano Fire just fine. I have also picked them both up when traveling in the Sierras.