So I am looking for a way to be able to listen to the fireground from a distance. I heard that the fdny used only a 2W Range from the scene on there radios and unless you are within that range you can’t hear much but I’m looking for a way to get through that and listen to it from a long range without a problem? Like is there a certain radio or certain antenna??? Need help
Fdny Fireground Range
- Thread starter Salmatt30
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Sweetbritches
Member
Increase portable range
Get your antenna high. The higher up you are the further you can hear and communicate. Our Motorola
portables running 2 watts on 154.600 Mhz band can talk back to an antenna on a 70 foot silo from 5 miles
away.
Get your antenna high. The higher up you are the further you can hear and communicate. Our Motorola
portables running 2 watts on 154.600 Mhz band can talk back to an antenna on a 70 foot silo from 5 miles
away.
A higher antenna will help, with loss coax, etc. but physics is still physics. In the urban canyons, range is a lot less than in farm land.
Larger incidents repeat fire ground traffic onto the DoITT trunked system and can be heard over the City and further. . But only some incidents.
Larger incidents repeat fire ground traffic onto the DoITT trunked system and can be heard over the City and further. . But only some incidents.
If it "maxes out at 80W", that means you can apply up to 80 Watts of transmit power into the antenna for (legally) transmitting. It basically has nothing to do with receiving or range.
That aside...that antenna will probably work better (receive more) than just the rubber duckie on your scanner. Especially if you get it outside, up higher, etc. But it won't be a magic change that receives portables all of the city or such.
That aside...that antenna will probably work better (receive more) than just the rubber duckie on your scanner. Especially if you get it outside, up higher, etc. But it won't be a magic change that receives portables all of the city or such.
Never going to find a good solution, I can barely hear the truck outside the building. Been to boxes where I used my cell phone to call a member because radio didn't work.
And the watts means nothing, that's for transmitting.
Don't forget the DoITT UHF system rebrodcast (TG 4560 Division 8). You won't hear it for every run but at major incidents you will.
Danny37
Member
I don't think you have a clear understanding of how simplex radio operations work. The amount of watts you have has nothing to do with how far you can receive, as other members stated that's only for transmitting.
As far as receiving fireground, I used to live on the northern tip of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Sandwiched between lower Manhattan and south western queens. On good days I used to be able to receive fireground communications from both boroughs with a UHF 35 inch magnet mount antenna placed on a cookie sheet. I also used a UHF radio to receive, because radios always recieve better than scanners no doubt. I would find the highest spot in your home or apartment and improvise a solution for an antenna if you can get it outside, even better.
As far as receiving fireground, I used to live on the northern tip of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Sandwiched between lower Manhattan and south western queens. On good days I used to be able to receive fireground communications from both boroughs with a UHF 35 inch magnet mount antenna placed on a cookie sheet. I also used a UHF radio to receive, because radios always recieve better than scanners no doubt. I would find the highest spot in your home or apartment and improvise a solution for an antenna if you can get it outside, even better.
Danny37
Member
Also as others have mentioned, big incidents get rebroadcasted on the NYC DoITT trunking system so invest in a trunking scanner, I use a RadioShack pro-163 and you can get it for about $50-$60 on eBay used. Not a bad scanner at all, only downside is that it doesn't do the 6.25 channel step without a firmware upgrade so monitoring FDNY dispatch and EMS is a pain unless you upgrade.
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