158.400 Albany Repeater?

[Mtnrider]

Anyone know who this is? Was sitting in Crossgates mall playing with scanner the other day and heard ding/dongs Beeps and sounding like a wife asking to move a car to a male. Husband? rather strong signal for a itinerant frequency. Heard testing testing after the other convo Was A DPL of 311 and PL 162.2

 

[Warthog1]

I can receive it up here in Northville. The repeater must be up high, like Crawford or Helderberg.

 

[Thunderknight]

There was a chain of discussion on a forum (can't recall if it was RR or another site) about this, starting several years ago. If I recall, it is (or was) an unlicensed repeater, using a MURS frequency as an input with off the shelf alarm type devices (perhaps Dakota Alerts or such) and apparantly linked to a site or more downstate.

 

[Warthog1]

I remember that thread. I have heard the "Alert - Zone-1" recordings, doorbell sounds, the family type comms, as well as what sounded like setting up surveillance cameras .

 

[DaveNF2G]

It's a bootleg repeater, possibly in Grafton, apparently operated by some well-connected individual as the FCC has failed to respond to any complaints of interference to licensed co-channel operators.

 

[Warthog1]

Thanks Dave.

 

[radionerd13669]

There are several repeaters across the state that use the same split! There is one up here also...

 

[ecps92]

There are quite a few NY Licenses out there with MO6 on that frequency.

There are several repeaters across the state that use the same split! There is one up here also...

 

[jgorman21]

158.400 Albany Repeater

All good points. This has been going on for years and Dave pretty much nailed it. I think the thread was on Popular Wireless or one of those. I am on the road now, but I have it bookmarked at home. If you google that you may find it! There was a guy who had a license for thos freqs that's been pretty concerned about it for years. From what I recall it goes quite far from upstate in the Albany area to New Jersey. Speculation was a linked repeater system and it's involving a driveway alert system!

 

[Mtnrider]

OK i Googled the freq and yeah popularwireless has pages on it......Unreal no one has done anything. i'll have to listen closer but sounds like these people are aware of others paying attention. Only thing i have heard is just a id'er going off and the alert zone one and four......and i doubt theres a lic for it after checking all the posts etc...i even doubt the archives of the FCC have anything. And i'll also bet the "well connected" card is being played well

 

[Mtnrider]

Seems one of there Repeaters is in Florida New Yawk.....Heard them this AM chatting away...one didn't want to disclose his location.....other was crossing Wanaque Bridge with a portable...other stated he was in Bergen county still

 

[Mtnrider]

WOW heard again this AM, Mic gain on the radio? Must be using some strange radio there....betting modified ham equipt....Jimmy this time on the air,Other at his dad's. Unreal

 

[Mtnrider]

Hard to believe this guy is still at it. 218.1 tone being tested at this time. Was on yesterday testing and it seems programming a radio you could hear the scan priority beep in the back round....then theres the driveway ding-dong.......Also hear the echo in the back round from i would assume his internet connection....54 testing....

 

[jgorman21]

158.400 Albany Repeater

Yes, it has been going on for years. Sometimes in the past you would hear long QSO's in the early morning between two guys sounding like amateur radio operators. Very strange.It was a Popular Wireless bulletin board and it has several years worth of comments from people whose locations ranged from further north of Albany, to Northern NJ, and the Catskills. One of the main commentators was licensed on those frequencies. This started on 158.385 I think, then moved here. If you Google it, there's quite a bit out there. It was also a topic of discussion on "This week in Amateur Radio" a few years back as well.

Many people have picked up on it, but it has never been addressed by any authorities.

 

[Mtnrider]

I saw the popwireless stuff......and i as well remember the ham QSO's. i was thinking he has it on a tower with one of there local machines and it was mixing with something else and keying his toy......today hes testing in full force....sounds like hes doing his internet connection as there's a echo in the background. audio keeps changeing as well. Todays PL is a DPL out of 311.....o well

 

[LathamScan]

OK. Time to add my 2 cents...

Back when I was in the two-way radio business, I used to go up to Bald Mtn. a lot - we have a system there as well as another customer. On the drive up Bald Mountain, close to the summit, there are 2 houses. One is a very nice elderly couple that I have stopped and spoken to from time to time; he is an amateur radio operator. Across the access road is another house. This house has a lot of VHF or UHF stationmaster antennas on the roof. In the driveway from time to time was a pickup truck with a security service name on the door (I don't remember the name). But what I do remember is that the phone number on the truck started with a 973 area code, and the truck had New Jersey plates. In passing conversations with another technician, I was told the owner of that house owns a security service company in New Jersey. Also, on the access road up the mountain, there are a bunch of sensors and cameras, which that person had installed (due to problems with unauthorized persons going up the private road towards the summit).

If I get the chance to go back up Bald Mountain to work on anything, I will make sure to pay attention to the pickup truck in that driveway. I'm starting to think that 158.400 transmitter is at that location on Bald Mountain - the signal is very strong from my location in Latham, and the summit of Bald Mountain (along with those houses) are in plain sight from my location.

Kevin

 

[Mtnrider]

Just have your radio tuned in and if you hear "Alert zone" whatever you'll know......interested to know what hes using for a input.....only 5 choices...

 

[quantar21]

Try 151.505 that is the mate to 158.400 repeater pair. Both are part 90 itinerant freqs.

 

[wkredick]

I have heard that a few times in my area on MURS radios.Also was applying for 154.0550 for a new license and it had lots of traffic on it in the Troy/Cohoes/Menands area on CSQ.
Will have to program those up again and listen in.154.0550 had female dispatcher talking to male drivers but no other infos such as company name etc.
I live right across from Bald Mtn so should pick up anything shooting down the valley from there.

 

[Mtnrider]

The "zone alert" transmitters only do MURS freqs i am seeing/reading....the 151's and 154s' also only do the regular pl's.....and from reading the popwireless site when i could seems theres a lot more controls on the "machine" as well