Can some one explain this?

markandjere · #1 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 04:02 PM

I was sitting here at home this afternoon with the frs/gmrs on and scanning. I heard some form of LEO traffic about a suspicious vehicle and they ran the plate and found that the person was wanted and to go ahead and stop the vehicle . I switched the Pro-96 over to search and sure enough the same traffic was on the frs/gmrs/murs band (467.5875). I lost the signal before a location was confirmed.I live in the Chambersburg ,Pa. area . What LEO would be using thes radios as communications?

markandjere · #2 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 04:11 PM

maybe just someone playin'?

texasemt13 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 04:18 PM

I've seen some LEOs using FRS/GMRS at private off-duty jobs.

Example:
An LEO working a side job at a high school football game is given some bubblepacks by a school administrator to keep in touch. He then sees a suspicious vehicle and communicates that to anyone else who might be using that frequency.

However, I don't think they should be using them in this fashion (running LPs).

Could you tell if he was reading an LP to someone who might have run it on their MDT? Could you tell if the "other end" was a dispatcher?

Let us know what you figure out

MPSCS · #4 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 04:43 PM

I don't think an off-duty cop is allowed to run inquiries through LEIN. I know they're not allowed to in Michigan.

trace1 · #5 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markandjere

I was sitting here at home this afternoon with the frs/gmrs on and scanning. I heard some form of LEO traffic about a suspicious vehicle and they ran the plate and found that the person was wanted and to go ahead and stop the vehicle . I switched the Pro-96 over to search and sure enough the same traffic was on the frs/gmrs/murs band (467.5875). I lost the signal before a location was confirmed.I live in the Chambersburg ,Pa. area . What LEO would be using thes radios as communications?

Could have just simply been someone re-transmitting the Police frequency over the FRS/GMRS frequencies...

markandjere · #6 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 05:16 PM

The person was refering to "dispatch" as one end of the conversation. They did a good job of sounding professional anyhow. I lost the signal for a while but I will be checking out the frs/gmrs hoping to hear more. Thanks guys..........

markandjere · #7 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trace1

Could have just simply been someone re-transmitting the Police frequency over the FRS/GMRS frequencies...

Didn't sound like a re-trans. I guess it could have been but I don't think so.

trace1 · #8 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markandjere

Didn't sound like a re-trans. I guess it could have been but I don't think so.

Well oddly enough I seem to remember someone, perhaps on this forum, that mentioned using FRS/GMRS radios to be used as a monitor to rebroadcast their scanner when they were away from it, such as a base/mobile I would guess to keep up with what was going on.

canav844 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 10:28 PM

I've seen the National Guard use them as tactical radios, in the airport post 9/11, this was still 2001 and 2002 though, so the bubble pack phenomenon hadn't fully taken off yet. I yanked one of my FRSs out of my carry on and listened in.

It would not surprise me to hear municipalities using these improperly on the relatively quiet GMRS frequencies (unless you know a repeater most people I've heard when scanning are on FRS Ch1, out of lazyness) esp as the cheap quick fix to not having a tactical channel available for events like fairs and such.

That said you generally *won't* find that to be the case cause it undermines the whole agency when it comes to public opinion and law enforcement.

My vote would be some kids playing around, but you said they sounded professional, so maybe the rebroadcast theory has some merit, or someone didn't know what they were doing when the programmed the new UHF business radios, many of which carry GMRS frequencies if you program them in there. Again this is something I'd expect from a small department, with no budget for any sort of staff educated about radios, which is very uncommon.

Obviously this is all speculation on what you heard, I'd listen up and see if you can find them again, then see if you can find them on a different frequency with the scanner, and try and figure out what just agency it is.

uniden278 · #10 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 08:59 AM

When I was in the police explorers program in my home town we had a tendency to use FRS along with our own frequency for training extercises. Of course at that point we were transmitting with radios WAY over the .5 watt limit... a practice I wouldn't reccomend. Like vertex vx10's, ht1000's and syntor x 9000's at full power. I was the main radio nerd of the group. The kiddies that couldn't afford the real radios had bubble pack FRS radios.

We did a lot of "traffic stops" as training (in a controlled parking lot environment under police supervision, of course), and if you were to listen you would hear us running plates, license checks, and so forth.

gewecke · #11 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 02:12 PM

Our explorer post in this area,I noticed has their own dedicated licensed repeater on 463.350 with a 107.2 tone. Although other than some randome kerchunking I haven't heard any traffic on it yet.
N9ZAS.

prcguy · #12 (**permalink**) 06-04-2009, 12:48 AM

I'll bet ya get more random kerchunking now that the frequency and tone are now posted.
prcguy

Quote:

Originally Posted by gewecke

Our explorer post in this area,I noticed has their own dedicated licensed repeater on 463.350 with a 107.2 tone. Although other than some randome kerchunking I haven't heard any traffic on it yet.
N9ZAS.

MaxTracker · #13 (**permalink**) 06-05-2009, 09:03 AM

Its not uncommon for radio techs to program FRS channels in vehicular repeaters as the transmit channel either. They have been known to use MURS & DOT/STAR Channels also.

OldsDoug · #14 (**permalink**) 06-05-2009, 10:54 PM

Private security?

ab3ai · #15 (**permalink**) 06-13-2009, 10:02 PM

Were I work a Fire Departmaent claimed we were interfering with them. When a tech went out to check out the claim, we found that the transmitter had a spur (with in the FCC specs) right on there frequency. Add a amp and a directional antenna pointed at them, well you get the pic. From what I remember, the spur was somewere in the 5 to 7 MHz range from our assigned freq. Chambersburg is about 7MHz off 467.5875. The FCC shows there license output to be 100 watts. If it continues try programming the freq in the database and listen to two radios. It's possible Chambersburg might have a spur. Just my two cents.