FDNY VHF all offline?
- Thread starter izzyj4
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Septa3371CSX1
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I didn't hear anything on them when I was up that way last weekend so I'm guessing it's dead.
Danny37
Member
I believe they're all offline at the moment, my scanner skips right over them.
I listen to U.S. Park Police in NYC (they cover Gateway Nat'l Recreation Area) in Brooklyn along the Belt Pky/Flatbush Ave, and Floyd Bennett Field along with Riis Park in Rockaway and Staten Island Ft. Wadsworth and the beach just south of the Verrazano Bridge.
There are also some NYC based volunteer fire departments and ambulances that operate on VHF.
Other then that, there's not much else that I know of on VHF in NYC.
Danny37
Member
VHF is pretty dead in NYC, if you live near the outskirts like close to North Jersey, Westcheter or Nassau County you'll probably hear some stuff. If your a rail fan then your lucky cause vhf is pretty active. but that's about it.
They had some second line rigs and spare rigs that still had VHF radios.
I guess it's time to reprogram some radios. Funny how it goes, years ago the spectrum was too crowded...now there's not much on VHF. I have 154.400 on now and it's as quiet as a church on a Tuesday afternoon.
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The last time I was in NYC with a scanner, about two years ago, the FDNY UHF channels seemed to "hang up" for long periods of time. Is that still happening?
Also, when FDNY first got UHF radios, I remember a post here saying that the transition would be gradual as they were going to replace radios when new apparatus was put into service. There were no plans to engage in a massive replacement program. Which is why VHF hung around for so long, I guess. There probably was no apparatus on VHF for some time before the VHF system was turned off.
Also, when FDNY first got UHF radios, I remember a post here saying that the transition would be gradual as they were going to replace radios when new apparatus was put into service. There were no plans to engage in a massive replacement program. Which is why VHF hung around for so long, I guess. There probably was no apparatus on VHF for some time before the VHF system was turned off.
That's how the system works. The dispatchers turn the "mixer" on and off manually, which keeps the base station keyed while injecting the audio from the mobile frequency of the duplex pair. Essentially, it's a manual repeater system where the dispatchers control whether or not the input gets rebroadcast. If the channel hangs, it's simply because the dispatcher left the mixer on, not because of any technical issues. No different on UHF than it was on VHF for decades.
Danny37
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I didn't know EMS had that mixer option as well, during the 10-13 in the Bronx where the EMT was killed by that scumbag. Field units were complaining that the mixer was off.
Danny37
Member
The VHF frequencies had great coverage could legit hear it from 50 miles away in the tristate area.
The EMS channels are full-time repeaters, unlike the FDNY channels. The ability to disable the repeat function for the EMS repeaters is there, although seldom used. Technically speaking, all 4-wire repeaters have that capability if desired, where the dispatcher can monitor the input while disabling the repeater, effectively turning it into a full duplex system.
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Thanks. That does explain it, although I didn't know anyone was still using that sort of system.
The transit police were the same way when they were still of VHF.
Danny37
Member
True but from what I remember above ground it had great coverage but underground they're was a lot of dead spots. From what people have told since their switch over to UHF there isn't much dead spots underground. Plus it was common for a 13 or 85 to take place in transit and for the princinct concern to be unaware of it but that doesn't seem to be the case as transit field units will most likely switch over the division frequencies and notify the division dispatcher of the emergency.
coolrich55
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I'll never forgot summer of 89, 10 years old, my old PRO-42, SE Connecticut. Came across 154.250 Manhattan loud and clear. As a kid it was an amazing thing to hear. Those were the days...
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