CamTran (Cambria County Transit Authority) in Cambria County

[RedPenguin]

Anyone here an avid listener of CamTran's radios. Either Urban or Rural?

I'm looking for those who know, what the portables are, besides 4 and 9. Also, those who know the frequencies other than just 453.350 and 453.475.

Any CamTran buffs out there?

You can PM me if you wish, if you don't wish to reply.

Anyone know 460.375? It's registered to CamTran+ in Carolltown. So is 453.7125.

I'm interested in knowing the Altoona frequency and the Urban Bus Direct to Direct frequency.

 

[sta1235]

Portable 5 is the other road superviser if p-9 is not there. I think p-6 or 7 is the driver training/safty superviser dont hear him too often. only hear the other ones during folk fest when they have the park and ride places set up or one is up at the arts fest stop. only ones I hear during the day are p-9 (jack) and p-4 (the garage).

 

[RedPenguin]

Portable 5 is the other road superviser if p-9 is not there. I think p-6 or 7 is the driver training/safty superviser dont hear him too often. only hear the other ones during folk fest when they have the park and ride places set up or one is up at the arts fest stop. only ones I hear during the day are p-9 (jack) and p-4 (the garage).

Wow, I didn't expect such a quick response, but you definitely are knowledgeable about CamTran.

I'm a little tickled to find someone else who actually knows some of the names of the CamTran staff.

Next you will tell me that you know Dave and Greg (Dispatchers) and Ray (Dispatch Supervisor).

I think I heard of portable 3 at times before. I think I heard this may actually be maintenance.

I also heard from a driver, that dispatch can actually take over for Jack (Portable 9) if they actually have to. They wouldn't assume Portable 5 would they?

 

[RedPenguin]

453.7125

CamTran registered the frequency 453.7125, but it's only registered as an output of 2.00 according to the FCC.

What would a bus company maybe do with a frequency at such a low output? Could it actually be Mobile 2 Mobile or Car 2 Car?

I'm trying to figure out their whole radio system, and so far, I figured this out:

CamTran Urban (453.350) PL 173.8 Ch. 1
CamTran Urban Bus 2 Bus (Possibly 453.7125) Ch. 2?
CamTran+ Rural 453.475 PL 173.8 Ch. 3
CamTran+ Rural Altoona Ch. 4 (Possibly 460.375).

I never seen any bus ever switch to Ch. 2 but I do know from talking to one driver that it's actually Bus 2 Bus. Would a bus company use such a low powered frequency for Bus 2 Bus?

EDIT: It appears that 460.375 is probably Ch. 4 because CamTran+ started the Altoona route in 2004 and this frequency was registered in 2004, which is an amazing coincidence.

I'm taking the bus to Altoona on Feb 18th, so maybe I will be able to confirm this or not, but that's probably only if there is actual traffic on Ch. 4 that day, instead of the driver only switching to Ch. 4.

Also I quickly threw together a page for CamTran's radio layout. It looks horrible now, but it's mainly for me just as a quick reference but if you want to see it, it's at http://adam.250free.com/camtran.htm

 

[RedPenguin]

Wow

Well I just found an old frequency list for Johnstown from a company called JM Communications & Electronics.

It has 453.350, 453.475, and 460.375, so I'm assuming again that 460.375 has to be channel 4, and that CamTran+ (Rural) must of used both channels at the same time and for a while.

The earliest FCC license I can find for 460.375 is 2004, when the Altoona run started.

EDIT: Actually I found out they must of had the frequency since 1999 then had it renewed in 2004.

If anyone is looking at my page, it's new home is http://adam.250free.com/freq.htm

EDIT #2: CamTran apparently has gotten a new frequency today (01-31-08) being 453.3375 at 100W. Not yet sure, what it's actually for yet, but I'm going to try and listen to figure it out.

I assume it must be for CamTran Urban mainly because it's tower/antenna is in Richland, while CamTran+ (Rural) are normally in rural areas like Nanty Glo or something.

EDIT #3: "The 460.375 is a short frequency for CamTran+ that services the area between Carrolltown and Patton." - from an actual CamTran employee.

EDIT #4: I just found out that 453.3375 is going to be a "data transmission" link, I have yet to figure out what they mean by that.

 

[RedPenguin]

Update on Portable List

Alright, I know this thread is a little old, but I felt since this information related to the original thread, that it would not make much sense to start a brand new thread.

Through a bunch of recording, monitoring, and just plain listening, I have discovered the following information.

Portable 1 - Never Heard
Portable 2 - Dispatcher Use*
Portable 3 - Sounds like some sort of maintenance guy and seems to talk to 128 a lot. (Main job I ever heard this unit do was take care of the diesel exhaust system down at the Main Street Transit Center).
Portable 4 - Garage/Maintenance/Mechanics
Portable 5 - Dispatch Supervisor Use
Portable 6 - Dispatcher Use*
Portable 7 - Director of Operations/Safety/Driver Training Use**
Portable 8 - Director of Operations Use**
Portable 9 - Roads Supervisor
Portable 10 - Dispatcher Use? - Only heard mentioned during the Halloween Parade '08.
Portable 128 - Sounds like some sort of maintenance guy and seems to talk to 3 a lot. (Main job I ever heard this unit do was to take care of the "diesel door" at the Central Ave garage.) I think possible this number is 128 and so out of range (number-wise) with the other Portables, because it may be using Vehicle Number 128 and CamTran does have vehicles within close numbering, known as the Trolleys 124 & 125).

*Dispatcher Use means that it is used by a Dispatcher when they are not Dispatching. So while one Dispatcher may be Dispatching another may be called out to do Road Detour Work or mainly trying to get buses through parades and similar.
**Director of Operations Use is where either of the two DOOs use thier portables. It's very confusing, but CamTran actually has two DOO which makes no sense to me. Seems like it would be confusing.

I think that possibly 3 and 128 are some kind of supervisors that I don't know of, but the only types of supervisors that I know CamTran has is, Roads Supervisor (vacant), Dispatch Supervisor, and Maintenance Supervisor (seems to be one of the guys on Portable #4).

Does anyone know of any other supervisors or people that go with the missing? Also, anything that I appear to be wrong at?

 

[RedPenguin]

Update

Just an update to this, I have a question for anyone who can answer this or at least guess as to how it must work.

For 2 years I have not had any luck finding out who "Portable 10" is, but I narrowed it down to two people, either the Executive Director or the Rural Operations Manager.

Now the evidence that goes for Rural OP Man is that the Urban Op Man has a number and would be someone in operations like the rest of the numbers, yet there is very little evidence this unit goes to the Urban division except for meetings, never road supervenes, and doesn't even seem to respond to bus accidents that include Rural buses. (Urban Safety Guy, seems to do this) Also, they don't use Potables even for their Mechanics, so it seems like, they are 100% not in to the Portable scene. Also Cambria Aging Agency, uses a Portable 10, so I figure is she identifies as P10, on Rural she is going to create some confusion as they share radios. Though I guess she could identify in Urban only. I have no reports of this unit ever going on the road, leaving the office, anything special. To sum it up, they have it setup like a single person operation with a secretary (Dispatcher) and an Assistant. There is no authentic Dispatch/Road Supervisor, type thing up at the Rural Office.

The evidence I have for the Executive DIrector is that, she has definitely gone out on
"Op Jobs" like helping out with the Murtha funeral, helping last year's bad storm. She is never heard on the radio though.

I feel that 10 still exists because a weird thing happened, a new person was assigned 10 back in Oct, but by November he changed his number to 11 and is still 11,. I don't think them move had anything to do with Aging using P10, as they are on a separate radio channel most of the time.

 

[KB3HYM]

Portable units are either Safety Director or the maintenance workers at the terminal on Main St. T units are mechanic's vehicles.

I dont know anything about the rural units.

 

[RedPenguin]

I see

Portable units are either Safety Director or the maintenance workers at the terminal on Main St. T units are mechanic's vehicles.

I dont know anything about the rural units.

I know everything you said there, but you say Maint Workers at TC, I have never heard them identify as a Portable, have you? I've heard Buildings & Grounds before.

So far like my list above, I got everybody but number 10, so I was trying to fill in the blank.

EDIT: This is what I have so far for everything up to date without posting more threads:

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Cambria_County_Transit_Authority_Unit_IDs

 

[KB3HYM]

T units would be like T98 or T94. They are mechanic units. They have mobile repair trucks. The number usually came from the year the truck was put in service.

 

[RedPenguin]

Oh ok

T units would be like T98 or T94. They are mechanic units. They have mobile repair trucks. The number usually came from the year the truck was put in service.

Oh I understand that, I thought you meant the TC cleaners identified as a Portable number before.

Thanks for explaining how they do their numbers, as I never knew that about the year.

Anyway, I know T87 is Service Truck Rural, T88 is Service Truck for Mechanics, T89 is Buildings & Grounds truck, and finally T93 is the dump truck.

C7 is the Chevy Blazer that the Mechanics in Urban as well.