Common ground fair radio frequencies

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Thorndike113

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Just wondering if anyone out there knows what frequencies they use at MOFGA Common ground fair in Unity Maine. I know there is a repeater used and the rest are simplex channels but I cannot find any listing anywhere.
 

ME343

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Take ur scanner to the fair when its going on and search the FRS/GMRS/MURs channels...
 

Thorndike113

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re: common ground freqs

Well I do know for a fact they are using highband VHF judging by the antenna and the radios they use. Its just trying to figure out what frequencies they use temporarily for a repeater for 4 days or so.
 

ecps92

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+1 likely renting from the Local Radio Shop

Nothing in the FCC that I could find
Take a look at the Radios, see if you can determine VHF or UHF
If not, search 450-470 for UHF and 150-162 for VHF

Take ur scanner to the fair when its going on and search the FRS/GMRS/MURs channels...
 

Thorndike113

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common ground fair.

Well what I do know, is that a couple of local ham radio operators take care of the communication. The frequencies are definitely VHF high band because the local sheriffs dept is programmed on one of the channels. The antennas on their tower are High band VHF and they run a repeater during the fair only. The repeater radios are taken down from the tower site after the fair is over and stored somewhere so I doubt they belong to a radio company. Up here in Maine, Scanning the High band VHF (148-174) isnt an easy task as the entire state is on high band VHF. I will do a scan this year when it comes around again and hopefully will have something to submit when I get the info.
 

ecps92

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Ahhh... sounds like they use Hams.
Search 144-148 and 440-450

Also look for your nearest Amateur Repeaters at
New England Repeater Directory

Yes scanning the 151-174 in Maine is fun, but you can always
a. Put the ATTN on ,to get only Strong/Near-by signals
b. With the ATTN Off, use No Antenna for Close/On-Site searching
c. Lock out the known MSCommnet channels
d. Hit Radio shack and get a subby antenna (if I recall, sold for the Racing community)

Plenty of options

Well what I do know, is that a couple of local ham radio operators take care of the communication. The frequencies are definitely VHF high band because the local sheriffs dept is programmed on one of the channels. The antennas on their tower are High band VHF and they run a repeater during the fair only. The repeater radios are taken down from the tower site after the fair is over and stored somewhere so I doubt they belong to a radio company. Up here in Maine, Scanning the High band VHF (148-174) isnt an easy task as the entire state is on high band VHF. I will do a scan this year when it comes around again and hopefully will have something to submit when I get the info.
 

nd5y

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The repeater radios are taken down from the tower site after the fair is over and stored somewhere so I doubt they belong to a radio company.
There is a large bike race that is held one weekend each year here.
In addition to ham repeaters they use two repeaters on 454 MHz paging channels that appear to be licensed to a local 2-way shop that are not used for anything else the rest of the year.
 

Thorndike113

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Well I also wondered if they may not just be using either ham frequencies at a very low power (which would be illegal) or maybe the murs channels. The amount of power used is very little, I am thinking they are running 2 watts on the repeaters. The radios if I am not mistaken are Quasar radios. But I do know they are definitely running VHF. I remember seeing somewhere many years ago frequency pairs for VHF business band repeaters ( even had a few active ones back in my home state). that is my last thought on it and if so, I cant remember what the frequencies were. I live about a mile from the grounds so I guess I will be doing a lot of scanning this fall.
 

ecps92

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If they are licensed Amateurs, using Amateur Frequencies, not sure where you get it would be Illegal.

Business band does not really have Pairs in VHF, the licensee with the Freq Coordinator, works out the potential for frequencies. The only exception is the former Taxi pairs which were duplex that many business's have begun to license as a Repeater Pair, if the local Taxi has already vacated them

Well I also wondered if they may not just be using either ham frequencies at a very low power (which would be illegal) or maybe the murs channels. The amount of power used is very little, I am thinking they are running 2 watts on the repeaters. The radios if I am not mistaken are Quasar radios. But I do know they are definitely running VHF. I remember seeing somewhere many years ago frequency pairs for VHF business band repeaters ( even had a few active ones back in my home state). that is my last thought on it and if so, I cant remember what the frequencies were. I live about a mile from the grounds so I guess I will be doing a lot of scanning this fall.
 

Thorndike113

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The illegal part would be if they were using the frequencies for the fair as the radios are used by all non amateurs to coordinate activities during the fair such as safety, parking, ems, sheriffs, electrical, and other coordinators.
The frequency list I saw that had pairs was from way back in the 90s. They had all your colored channels and low power itinerant frequencies and they also had some higher power business frequencies that had repeater pairs. The list I had was on paper, back before computers were in everyones hands, and even that was an old list. I did some digging and I found some communication companies in the area that are licensed with VHF repeaters. I am going to scan all those frequencies when the time comes.
 

ecps92

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Yes the Non Amateurs using Amateur would be, but if they are all Amateur - well then it's legal, they are supporting the event.

Guess we won't find out, until someone does some on-scene sniffing
Back to the Snow Shovel and Sand/Salt :cool:

The illegal part would be if they were using the frequencies for the fair as the radios are used by all non amateurs to coordinate activities during the fair such as safety, parking, ems, sheriffs, electrical, and other coordinators.
The frequency list I saw that had pairs was from way back in the 90s. They had all your colored channels and low power itinerant frequencies and they also had some higher power business frequencies that had repeater pairs. The list I had was on paper, back before computers were in everyones hands, and even that was an old list. I did some digging and I found some communication companies in the area that are licensed with VHF repeaters. I am going to scan all those frequencies when the time comes.
 

k1agh

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The waldo county radio club may be able to answer that. Also I think the system you see is what the county sets up for the deputies, fair staff and ema to use as that area is in a dead spot to talk to each other.
 
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