I can recall skip rolling into Ohio on 44.74-45.10 years ago but with the changeover to Hi band and Now trunking, are any States still using low Band radios. Id like to know if anyone can get skip, probably not this time of the year but I'd be willing to punch in the old vhf to see if they are still coming in. Used to be gangbusters over the OSP low bands. Happy New Year
any Law enforcement still using Low band
- Thread starter SCPD
- Start date
- Status
Maryland State Police still are on Low Band in some areas, but that will soon end with new Statewide TRS.
profiledescent
Member
I just drove through Tennessee and noticed low band antennas on the state police cars. Don't know what else they are on.
Nc still does but that will be a thing of the past when p-25 kicks on with viper i think
RonnieUSA
Member
Haven't heard any low band in Kentucky in at least 5 years, that's when the DOT switch to using KSP frequencies for dispatch, and checks.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
City of San Francisco Police have kept their old VHF Low system to back up the 800MHz system. Not sure how much it gets used, but they still have the mobiles and 1/4 wave whips on the cars.
Not PD, but California Department of Transportation (Highway department) still uses some low band, although they have extensive 800MHz coverage.
Not PD, but California Department of Transportation (Highway department) still uses some low band, although they have extensive 800MHz coverage.
The fire dispatch and response in Rockland is still on low band. In early 2014 they are switching to a p25 phase II system
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
Project25_MASTR
Millennial Graying OBT Guy
Some of the TxDOT trucks still have low band radio's in them but for the most part everything is high band now. Literally got 4 pallets of the old 110W Kenwood's they used before putting high band in all of the trucks. I think it's mostly trucks that need district wide comms. County wide stuff is vhf.
TxDOT was the last Texas agency to switch away from low band.
I've heard some stories of the CHP repeater systems...Makes me wonder if they really know what they are doing over there.
Sent from my ME173X using Tapatalk
TxDOT was the last Texas agency to switch away from low band.
I've heard some stories of the CHP repeater systems...Makes me wonder if they really know what they are doing over there.
Sent from my ME173X using Tapatalk
W9NES
Member
Is LOS Angles City Fire still on the old 33.820 Low band VHF? I used to hear "OCD" on 33.820 all the time when vhf low band skip was rolling into Central Indiana. Can anyone advise?
Stephen
Member
I know that Missouri and Oklahoma Highway Patrol are still using Low Band in many places where the state trunked systems either have poor coverage or are not built into yet.
MO SP on Low Band
I had to work in KC and stayed in Lees Summit. I enjoyed the state police on low band. Take a look at the ULS for KAA 202. The license states 5KW transmit power and 15KW ERP! I had a receiving range during the day of about 100 miles on my return home. KAA 202 is a legacy call sign (borderline vanity) and LB sure can carry. The Lees Summit Post had a 100 to 150 tower with LB dipoles on the side, perhaps this is the gain for the ERP. I had an eye for high profile low band sites, but they can't compare to the millions of cell phone towers of today.
Unfortunately the high power station is no longer used or popular. High band is the new low band, the $50 bill is the new $20. Most cop cars don't have all the large antennas they used to. That may be a good thing. I used to like big antennas, but today they look out of place. Networked statewide trunking systems changed everything. Computer networks and the upcoming public safety broadband network will probably quiet things considerably. The only thing I have is memories because smartphones ruined everything, and that internet thing might fail someday..........
I had to work in KC and stayed in Lees Summit. I enjoyed the state police on low band. Take a look at the ULS for KAA 202. The license states 5KW transmit power and 15KW ERP! I had a receiving range during the day of about 100 miles on my return home. KAA 202 is a legacy call sign (borderline vanity) and LB sure can carry. The Lees Summit Post had a 100 to 150 tower with LB dipoles on the side, perhaps this is the gain for the ERP. I had an eye for high profile low band sites, but they can't compare to the millions of cell phone towers of today.
Unfortunately the high power station is no longer used or popular. High band is the new low band, the $50 bill is the new $20. Most cop cars don't have all the large antennas they used to. That may be a good thing. I used to like big antennas, but today they look out of place. Networked statewide trunking systems changed everything. Computer networks and the upcoming public safety broadband network will probably quiet things considerably. The only thing I have is memories because smartphones ruined everything, and that internet thing might fail someday..........
Project25_MASTR
Millennial Graying OBT Guy
I'll agree VoIP linked repeater systems have begun to kill off low band on state wide systems.
Texas DPS's standard is high band VHF. Nearly all the cruisers have 48" 5/8 wave antennas either mounted on the trunks (for sedans) or on the roofs (for SUVs and pickups). Some will have trunkable radios to tie into county/city systems where they are based. If I remember correctly, some of the newer cruisers have mobile rigs in them that automatically switch repeaters based off GPS location so the only thing the officer has to dick around with is county/city channels on the radios.
33kracing
Member
some Nebraska state patrol cars here in central Nebraska still have the old low band antennas... most are disappearing... when they had p25 trunk problems a year or two ago they all but scrapped the p25 but now they basically threw a bunch more tower sites all over and paid big bucks to have a big shot from Motorola drive around and do radio checks... however, im happy to report that the Nebraska dept. of roads still have and still use the 47mhz low band for daily ops and snow removal 
Project25_MASTR
Millennial Graying OBT Guy
some Nebraska state patrol cars here in central Nebraska still have the old low band antennas... most are disappearing... when they had p25 trunk problems a year or two ago they all but scrapped the p25 but now they basically threw a bunch more tower sites all over and paid big bucks to have a big shot from Motorola drive around and do radio checks... however, im happy to report that the Nebraska dept. of roads still have and still use the 47mhz low band for daily ops and snow removal
TxDOT still uses low band on occasion. Some trucks are set up for both low and high. Some for 800...
Sent from my ME173X using Tapatalk
Stephen
Member
After reading a recent report on the CHP radio system, I can tell you that low band is not going anywhere in California for a long time. They are buying newer low band radios for the cars, and have even stated they will continue to look for more bandwidth in the VHF LO region to allow for expansion. I know that the southern part of the state was having major interference issues with Missouri's high power transmitters.
The West Virginia State Police is still on lowband in addition to being on the statewide interoperability radio network(SIRN).
There is a PD in West Milford, NJ that uses low band for dispatch. There is a cross patch with portable radios that puts all transmissions out on 37.020 PL 146.2. They also input on 37.24. 37.02 is the lowest public safety freq available outside of HF in the US!
nd5y
Member
Wrong. It's 30.86.
KB7MIB
Member
Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (BREW; Opera Mini/6.0.3/27.2354; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 320X240 LG VN530)
30.860-31.980 was Forestry Conservation
33.020-33.100 was EMS, Highway Maintenance and Special Emergency
33.420-33.980 was Fire
37.020-37.420 was Local Goverment and Police
37.900-37.980 was EMS, Highway Maintenance and Special Emergency
39.020-39.980 was Police and Local Goverment
42.020-42.940 was State Police
44.620-46.580 was available for everything: Forestry Conservation; Fire; Local Goverment; EMS; Police; Highway Maintenance; Special Emergency
47.020-47.660 was EMS, Highway Maintenance and Special Emergency
All of the former individual radio services were consolidated into the Public Safety Radio Service (the Public Safety Pool). Unless otherwise specified under Part 90, any frequency can now be assigned for any public safety use.
It's strange, my PSR-500 does not include all the ranges, or even the entire ranges of some it does include, in it's Public Safety search. 30.860-31.980; 33.020-33.100; 37.900-37.980 and 47.020-47.660 are missing completely. 44.620-46.580 excludes 46.520-46.580.
It's also missing some VHF-High and UHF ranges, but includes the MURS/Business range, as well as the GMRS/FRS range in their place.
But I'm off topic now, sorry.
30.860-31.980 was Forestry Conservation
33.020-33.100 was EMS, Highway Maintenance and Special Emergency
33.420-33.980 was Fire
37.020-37.420 was Local Goverment and Police
37.900-37.980 was EMS, Highway Maintenance and Special Emergency
39.020-39.980 was Police and Local Goverment
42.020-42.940 was State Police
44.620-46.580 was available for everything: Forestry Conservation; Fire; Local Goverment; EMS; Police; Highway Maintenance; Special Emergency
47.020-47.660 was EMS, Highway Maintenance and Special Emergency
All of the former individual radio services were consolidated into the Public Safety Radio Service (the Public Safety Pool). Unless otherwise specified under Part 90, any frequency can now be assigned for any public safety use.
It's strange, my PSR-500 does not include all the ranges, or even the entire ranges of some it does include, in it's Public Safety search. 30.860-31.980; 33.020-33.100; 37.900-37.980 and 47.020-47.660 are missing completely. 44.620-46.580 excludes 46.520-46.580.
It's also missing some VHF-High and UHF ranges, but includes the MURS/Business range, as well as the GMRS/FRS range in their place.
But I'm off topic now, sorry.
Last edited:
- Status
Similar threads
