• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

BPR40 and its Frequencies

Status
Not open for further replies.

N7IFU

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
74
Location
Arizona
My school uses BPR40s, (I have one) and I'd like to find out the frequencies they use. Anyway to do that without sitting there with my amateur HT scanning until I hear something?
 

VFN05

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
68
Location
Norfolk, VA
BPR40 frequencies

BPR40's are programmable, so they may be customized to a user's assigned frequencies. Unfortunately unless they are transmitting frequently, finding the frequency using a HT's scan function is like finding a needle in a haystack.. I use a Radio Shack Pro-83 to find unknown frequencies, but with a little patience and deductive reasoning, you might still be able to find it. Try doing the following to narrow down your search.

1. What is the length of the antenna?
-As far as I know...BPR40's come in 2 flavors...UHF and VHF. The UHF ones have a shorter antenna, the VHF ones have a longer antenna. If you can put eyes on the radio, you might be able to at least figure out what band it's on and search from there. VHF business band and public safety users (depending on how the school is licensed) are most commonly in the 150-156 range on VHF, and 453-456, 460-467 on UHF.

2. Check the FCC database.
-The Universal Licensing System (ULS) on the FCC database is a wealth of information. Think of it as the "raw" version of RadioReference. You might not be able to find individual frequency use, but once you have the list of frequencies licensed for a given licensee, you can sleuth it out yourself.
The link to it is: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS): ULS Home

3. Try checking the "DOT" or itinerant frequencies for each band. Some of these are licensed, some of them don't require a license, and often users may be using a frequency that requires a license, but due to them running low power and nobody filing a complaint, have gone unnoticed by the FCC.
Check these references for specific frequencies:
Business band - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Microwave Rider - Garbage Channel Scanning Article
I remember there is also a link on here for itinerant and DOT frequencies, but I cannot locate it at the moment.

Good luck, and feel free to private message me if you have any questions you don't feel like posting to the list.

Jason
KG4AEP
 

N7IFU

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
74
Location
Arizona
Thank you for your help! I appreciate it very much!

I just got my BPR40 yesterday, VHF version, and it has a longer antenna as you stated! The school uses the shorter antenna, so they must be on UHF.

This seems weird to me as most HTs use a longer whip antenna for UHF and a shorter stiffer antenna for VHF. I will use my Yaesu to scan the UHF frequencies. Thanks again!
 

K8TEK

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
Banned
Joined
Jul 13, 2004
Messages
681
Location
Ohio
This seems weird to me as most HTs use a longer whip antenna for UHF and a shorter stiffer antenna for VHF.
I think you have that backwards.
 

N4KVE

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2003
Messages
4,103
Location
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
I think you have that backwards.
What he might mean, & from what I've seen, because a VHF antenna is so long, the user will probably put a stubby on it, so it doesn't grind a hole in his arm pit. However a UHF regular antenna isn't too long, so the user will keep the normal non stubby on it. At least from what I've seen. GARY N4KVE
 

Skypilot007

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 26, 2005
Messages
2,537
Location
Medford, NJ
If you know anyone with a uniden scanner with close call function it would only take a few seconds keying the radio and you will know what frequency they are on. If you're sure they're on UHF and don't have a close call scanner handy use a regular scanner and search between 450-470Mhz. That's more than likely where they are.
 

N7IFU

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
74
Location
Arizona
If you know anyone with a uniden scanner with close call function it would only take a few seconds keying the radio and you will know what frequency they are on. If you're sure they're on UHF and don't have a close call scanner handy use a regular scanner and search between 450-470Mhz. That's more than likely where they are.

Thanks Skypilot! I don't know anyone with that, but I have an OLD, OLD, OLD scanner. I don't know if it can scan through specific frequencies though.
 

cmdrwill

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
3,984
Location
So Cali
ALL so-called DOT frequencies require a FCC license, period....
DOT referred to a simple paint or color dot on the radio to identify the frequency in the radio, and DOT stuck as a "frequency" identification.

Somewhere along the line, persons assumed that no license was required or that the radio was under a certain TX power limit and did not require a FCC license. This could NOT be further from the truth.

Five of the VHF channels were changed to the MUR Service and are Licensed By Rule in FCC Part 95.

Even FRS radios are Licensed By Rule, also in FCC Part 95.
 

gary123

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2002
Messages
2,200
even easier.if you have access to the radio you want to find the frequency for , find someone with a uniden scanner with closecall and get the freq that way. You can also check radio shack and use the near radio feature if the store will plug in a unit for you to try. Hams are a good source of scanners/frequency counters maybe a local ham can help.
 

N7IFU

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
74
Location
Arizona
I don't know anyone with that and I don't have access to the radio, but thank you for the suggestion.
 

cmdrwill

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
3,984
Location
So Cali
Your Yeasu radios have scan and the 857 has a nice knob to do a manual sweep of the band without an antenna on it....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top