athens county

[firecatohio]

I programmed my new radios with the frequencies off here and none of them work.. if anyone has more reliable resources without having to pay 30-40$ to get programmed.. or who I can contact for info I need... just fire and ems needed for Athens county Ohio... thanks all...

 

[W8RMH]

Just so you know, I doubt if you will be able to receive Athens County up in Fairfield County. I travel that area occasionally and I have never been able to receive them outside of Athens County.

 

[firecatohio]

Im from Lancaster... in fairfield county...

But now im in Athens county, needing my radios programmed correctly down here

 

[firecatohio]

I live in Athens county now.. guess I need to update my profile... im originally from fairfield county though.. I just don't know of anyone down here to get info for radio programming... I do it all myself to save money... just the frequencies on here are wrong or something..

 

[firecatohio]

Im in Athens county.. need to update I guess lol.. just need working freq's cause mine don't work from here..

 

[radioscan]

What scanner are you using? EMS tones out on 159.07500, but actual two-way comms take place on MARCS, so you need a digital capable scanner to hear that. The fire frequencies in the database should still be good, notice that most have narrow banded (FMN), so if you have the capability to change that setting in your scanner (NFM) do so. If not, then your scanner will still hear them, but you may find the audio to be a bit low.

Unless, the rest of the county has joined MARCS (like Athens SO, EMS has), and no one has reported that here yet, then you should be able to hear them on the frequencies listed here.

 

[W8UU]

Athens County

Mark is correct on EMS. 159.075 MHz is the tone out. Everything else is on MARCS.

County Fire uses a hodgepodge of VHF repeaters. All alerts go out over 154.2425 MHz (the Athens tower) for volunteer departments, plus over other frequencies, depending on what agency is paged. If you have the room, put all the frequencies in your scanner so you won't miss anything.

Athens City Fire is switching to MARCS but will tone out on 154.265 MHz which is their VHF analog channel.

Athens Police will be installing MARCS and (for now) using it on a limited basis. Right now, most activity is still on 151.3025 MHz. 155.55 MHz is used by the parking enforcement ladies. The old 154.725 MHz channel has been decommissioned.

I believe Ohio University PD has some MARCS portables but they have no immediate plans to leave 155.25 MHz.

Nelsonville PD still using 154.74 MHz

Athens County Sheriff is using MARCS almost 100%. The backup channel is ACSO's old analog repeater on 151.19 MHz which is still used for comms by village police agencies and marshals.

Hope this helps.

Rick, W8UU

 

[firecatohio]

Im actually programming two way radios.. I have all my s scanners programmed up to date... I just don't have anyone down here to program them so I
Having to do it myself...

 

[k5die]

I'm from the Athens area but left there 20 years ago. I applied for and received the first radio license that Waterloo Twp. Fire Department had. Noticed in the FCC records that it has expired and not been renewed. Does anyone know if they are still using 46.42 and dispatching from the firehouse? Or has everything moved to a central alarm? No connections to the area any more but just curious. Thanks.

 

[firecatohio]

I'm from the Athens area but left there 20 years ago. I applied for and received the first radio license that Waterloo Twp. Fire Department had. Noticed in the FCC records that it has expired and not been renewed. Does anyone know if they are still using 46.42 and dispatching from the firehouse? Or has everything moved to a central alarm? No connections to the area any more but just curious. Thanks.

waterloo runs on 154.35500... dispatched on 155.07000...

 

[mtindor]

155.07 is listed in the DB as Fire Tac (no dispatching).

From what you say, firecat, it sounds like this has changed.

Can you confirm that Waterloo [and maybe others?] are actually dispatched on 155.07?

If so, what PL/DPL tone is being used for those dispatches?

I'll udpate the DB to reflect that dispatching does occur on 155.07 if this can be clarified and we know what PL/DPL is being used.


Thanks

Mike

 

[firecatohio]

the database is kinda screwie... but the pl codes are correct.. all the freqs are too.. just setting up a two-way radio is touchie cause there not set up right.. ill advise later after i get my radios done tomarrow.

 

[W8UU]

Here is an updated (Yesterday!) list from one of the Athens County agencies getting ready to program new radio equipment. All PL codes and frequencies are correct.

W8UU

 

[firecatohio]

the nelsonville/york twp. dispatch/ops channel is output 155.0700, input 159.1575 pl-146.2... getting stuff done at nelsonville and learing all the freqs in the area are screwie lol

 

[mtindor]

Here is an updated (Yesterday!) list from one of the Athens County agencies getting ready to program new radio equipment. All PL codes and frequencies are correct.

W8UU

153.89 Pyramid MARCS RX Only 79.7 PL

What's Pyramid? EMS or something? So there is a single transmitter on 153.89 whose sole purpose is to rebroadcast the MARCS traffic on VHF, one-way, so that county vehicles can hear. Is this correct?

Mike

 

[mtindor]

153.89 Pyramid MARCS RX Only 79.7 PL

What's Pyramid? EMS or something? So there is a single transmitter on 153.89 whose sole purpose is to rebroadcast the MARCS traffic on VHF, one-way, so that county vehicles can hear. Is this correct?

Mike

Nevermind. Vehicular repeater.

M

 

[quarterwave]

Two comments:

Athens City Fire's repeater output is on a National Mutual Aid freq?
Fireground freqs are the repeater outputs with different PL/DPL? (ok to use "talkaround" but if they don't use CSQ or the same PL as the output of the repeater, they won't know if they are talking over dispatch or vice versa.)

There's a couple of planning mistakes. Hope they didn't pay anyone too much to think this through.

 

[W8UU]

Several things ...

Yes, 153.89 is a vehicular repeater system ("Pyramid" is the brand name) on all ACEMS ambulances that allows VHF portables to communicate through the mobile MARCS radio. The purpose of programming a "receive only" channel in the VHF mobile is to allow someone in the truck to hear a portable calling back to that truck. If one paramedic is in the back of the ambulance with a patient and the other is 100 feet down the highway talking to the state trooper and that medic calls for assistance, the crew member in the ambulance can hear that call. Without this feature, they hear nothing because the MARCS radio is in transmit mode. The crew member in the ambulance will hear the dispatcher's reply but that's it.

154.265 MHz is the Athens FD repeater output. At one time, "265" was supposed to be one of three nationwide miutual aid channels. They have never been used in southeast Ohio because most of the fire departments here are volunteer and operated on 33 MHz or 46 MHz low band (or used CB radios) for decades. I think you'll find most of the frequency coordinators just tried to find quiet channels for all these buildouts and upgrades. You will find base stations and repeaters transmitting on channels formerly reserved as 'mobile only' frequencies. You'll find Police systems on Highway Maintenance channels, et al. Nothing surprises me anymore. In any case, 154.265 works fine for AFD because there is no one anywhere near Athens using that frequency.

The county fire radio system is what it is. There is no logic or order to the mess and yes, they've spent a King's ransom over the years trying to make it work properly. The new 911 Director is a former Motorola service tech and he fully undertands what needs to change. They are looking at building out a single, county-wide VHF paging channel using syncronized transmitters. This way, all Fire, EMS, EMA, Siren Control tones can be broadcast on a single frequency. A number of agencies are moving toward MARCS (or talking about it) and there has been limited interest from several volunteer fire departments in building out several talkgroups for the VFDs to use. Of course, money is the biggest issue here. When everything is done, you'll probably see a bunch of VHF channels surrendered to the FCC for license cancellation.

Rick W8UU

 

[W8UU]

Fireground freqs are the repeater outputs with different PL/DPL? (ok to use "talkaround" but if they don't use CSQ or the same PL as the output of the repeater, they won't know if they are talking over dispatch or vice versa.)

It works better than it sounds. Once units are en route, radio communication with dispatch and all other responding units takes place on the repeater for that department's coverage area. Fireground channels are (suppoosed to be) assigned to the talk around of a repeater not in use, or one in another area of the county. If the fire is dispatched on the 156.2325 repeater, then another fireground channel would be chosen. The use of DPL is to prevent receiving distant radio traffic from another repeater. With the exception of the Athens repeater, most of the other repeaters are not high profile machines.

It's a botched-up mess, but they made it work. The biggest operational issue is the huge learning curve that volunteers are forced to endure if they really want to understand how and why things are the way they are and how to make it all come together. I know I sound like a dinosaur, but they would have been better off to have built out their 46 MHz low band system, added one more channel, and perhaps secured an additional 46 MHz channel for Athens County EMS when SEOEMS disbanded. Set up some VHF mobile repeaters in fire trucks and ambulances to access low band, then use those VHF portables for interoperability with the city agencies that were already on high band channels. Simple. Straight forward. You can't kill it. And it's a whole lot cheaper than what they put in place.

But what do I know ...

 

[quarterwave]

It works better than it sounds. Once units are en route, radio communication with dispatch and all other responding units takes place on the repeater for that department's coverage area. Fireground channels are (suppoosed to be) assigned to the talk around of a repeater not in use, or one in another area of the county. If the fire is dispatched on the 156.2325 repeater, then another fireground channel would be chosen. The use of DPL is to prevent receiving distant radio traffic from another repeater. With the exception of the Athens repeater, most of the other repeaters are not high profile machines.

It's a botched-up mess, but they made it work. The biggest operational issue is the huge learning curve that volunteers are forced to endure if they really want to understand how and why things are the way they are and how to make it all come together. I know I sound like a dinosaur, but they would have been better off to have built out their 46 MHz low band system, added one more channel, and perhaps secured an additional 46 MHz channel for Athens County EMS when SEOEMS disbanded. Set up some VHF mobile repeaters in fire trucks and ambulances to access low band, then use those VHF portables for interoperability with the city agencies that were already on high band channels. Simple. Straight forward. You can't kill it. And it's a whole lot cheaper than what they put in place.

But what do I know ...

I hear ya, I actually have some history related to that mess. I remember when they put in additional 46Mhz bases 18-19 years ago. I remember that terrain is a huge problem there. And I know that one of the best M service techs that I have ever met shot himself in the woods behind his house. I'll stop there.

There are people making messes out of systems all over the country for the simple reason they "think" they know what they are doing. A big problem takes several experienced people to solve. Non-related, but one of my beefs is the FCC letting businesses and some agencies apply for and be granted 5, 10, or 15 pairs of VHF or UHF frequencies and then they use 1. I have seen it happen. A school with a staff of 30, a maintenance man and maybe a security guy doesn't have or need 10 - 100 watt repeaters, but they are being licensed for them. This goes back to coordinators that don't have a clue. I know one business that has 24 UHF frequencies and they own about 20 radios. Hmmm. I know of a manufacturing plant that has 6 VHF repeaters and 500 portables. They run 100 watts and create all kinds of intermod because all of the outputs are within 245Khz of each other, and the inputs are just as bad, antenna's 30 feet from each other on a 40 foot rooftop. And they need to cover about 20 acres.....well, you don't need a 100 watt VHF repeater to do that. They need to be on UHF, so there is some VHF left for other wide area users, and they could really stand to be trunked. But, as long as M keeps selling them, and they keep buying, it wil never change.