Hey you Berrien County guys!

[whacker]

Seems like in the last few weeks I hadn't heard anything from the Berrien Bus/Buchanan Dial-A-Ride outfit, on their old and moldy 43.78 MHz low band VHF freq. I knew, by observing some of their vehicles over the past couple of years, that at least some of them were UHF-equipped, but I kept hearing them on the old channel.

Today I happened to come across the Buchanan Dial-A-Ride bus and checked it out more thoroughly, and sure enough, no low band antenna, just a quarter-wave UHF whip. The driver confirmed no more low band, but couldn't say what the UHF freq was.

Who can hook me up with the frequency (or frequencies) they're now using? I'm really interested in hearing how their system gets out now compared to the old system. I don't even know if it's repeaterized (most likely though).

Thanks for any info!

[jack3726]

Do you know the call sign or from what city the dispatch center would be in.

[whacker]

Not the call sign, but the company is located in Berrien Springs. Their official name is Transportation Management, Inc., but as far as radio licensing it could be a different name entirely.

Part of the problem has been that I'm not in my home locale during the day, when they are using their radios the most and I could do searches and learn something.

However, I think I may have stumbled on at least one possible frequency, as I was able to do a search yesterday morning around 6:30a, and got a hit on 464.4625. Sounds like a transportation outfit, but I haven't been able to copy enough traffic to see if the voices sound familiar or if locations noted are from around here. Sounds promising though.

One thing about traffic on this freq.: Their audio could be louder. I was listening in transit on the way home last night, and got their signal at five bars, but the audio portion could barely cut it. I believe that in FM terms, their deviation could use a tweak or two (analogous to % modulation for AM).

But I'm counting on others in the area to come up with the real deal and reveal all about Berrien Bus' radio system!

[jack3726]

Whacker are they out of Niles?? I found this freq in the radioreference DB.

453.47500 458.47500 WPZQ730 RM Niles DARide Transit - Dial-a-Ride FM Transportation

This shows up in the fcc database as this:



Call Sign WPZQ730 Radio Service PW - Public Safety Pool, Conventional
Status Active Auth Type Regular
Dates
Grant 02/23/2004 Expiration 02/23/2014
Effective 11/03/2004 Cancellation
Control Points
1 623 N. 2ND STREET, BERRIEN, NILES, MI
P: (269)683-8282



Licensee

FRN 0008469132
(View Ownership Filing) Type Governmental Entity
Licensee
NILES, CITY OF
623 N. 2ND STREET
NILES, MI 49120-2231
ATTN DIAL-A- RIDE
P269)683-8282
F269)684-5154




Contact
HI-TECH SMR COMMUNICATIONS
MICHAEL RUEDINGER
2232 MISHAWAKA AVENUE
SOUTH BEND, IN 46615-2141
P574)289-2064
F574)289-2065

[jack3726]

43.78 shows up under Berrien County as active and expires in 2013 KNDL872.

When searching FCC database I only get 1 active hit on KNLD872 which is the 43.78

[whacker]

Niles Dial-A-Ride is indeed at the frequency you cite, but it has no connection to Berrien Bus, which also runs Buchanan's Dial-A-Ride. They apparently used to be connected until sometime in the '90s, when there was a split for some reason. Probably a lower bid for the service or something like that.

I'm banking on 464.4625 until something else turns up. Any connection licensing-wise to 43.78?

[WU8Y]

Originally Posted by whacker

One thing about traffic on this freq.: Their audio could be louder. I was listening in transit on the way home last night, and got their signal at five bars, but the audio portion could barely cut it. I believe that in FM terms, their deviation could use a tweak or two (analogous to % modulation for AM).

Could it be that they're transmitting FM-Narrow, and you're receiving FM or FM-Wide?

[jack3726]

There are 14 464.4625 licensed freqs in Michigan and only a handful of them are active and non around you, the closest one I could find was Dowagiac Mich. Maybe your picking up something from IL or IN on that freq. 43.78 is still active from what I can tell, nothing under Berrien Bus either.

[whacker]

Thanks guys, for the input.

My 396T defaults to narrow FM (unfortunately) for that band, so that's probably not a factor.

Well, I guess I'll (we'll) just have to wait and see what develops. I'll have to try and get a copy on them sometime this coming week when businesses and schools around here are up and running normally after the holidays.