FDNY Vintage Brooklyn Central Office Video / August 1989

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izzyj4

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Nice video, looked the same when i visited there in 1999. Thanks for sharing
 

rr60

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Priceless…timeless and classic. Enjoyed very moment of that, thanks for sharing.
 

MStep

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Per the FCC license archive, KEB525 power was 350W going back to earliest record on file (2001). Antenna height 170 ft (52.0m)
I always followed the "radio mechanic" (as they were called) into the building's basement, where the two Motorola transmitters were housed. That were the "A" and "B" transmitters. The radio mechanics were usually happy with an output of anything over 300 watts.

At the right side of the supervisor's position you might catch a glimpse in the video of a small Motorola "consolette" and microphone which was an emergency backup unit, and it was rarely used. Sometimes the Supervising Dispatcher would use it for a quick transmission if he (or she) did not want to walk over to the main radio console.

My recollection is that the transmitter and antenna for that "C" unit were located either at the Brooklyn Museum or the Brooklyn Public Library, both of which are in close proximity about 1/2 mile north of the Brooklyn Central Office and at a high ground elevation on Eastern Parkway just east of Grand Army Plaza. It was a lower powered unit, perhaps 100 watts or so.

The monopole antenna mast which you see in the video has since been replaced by a more conventional tower. When the mast was first erected (probably late 60's or so), in a compromise with the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, the entire mast was painted sky blue in order not to distract from the aesthetic beauty for visitors to the botanic gardens. However, it was deemed a hazard to aviation after a few near-misses and was repainted with its red interval stripes to make it more visible.

Hopefully there are some FDNY historians here who can fill in some of the gaps regarding my recollection.
 
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Rudy3145

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I miss those old powerful Vhf stations!

I wonder what year did they install the Centracom consoles
 

MStep

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I miss those old powerful Vhf stations!

I wonder what year did they install the Centracom consoles
Compared to the older consoles that had big PTT and Mixer toggle switches, those Centracom console buttons were way too small for some of us "bigger" fellows. I saw some of the old advertising for the Centracom, with a young lady with nimble fingers sitting at the console. Those smaller buttons were a real PITA; perhaps OK for "casual" dispatching, but not for a borough like Brooklyn in its heyday. We were doing more alarms per day than some departments did in years!
 
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ten13

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"Vintage"?

Here's vintage. Note the really old radio console (the original ones) after the chief gives the radio message....

 

MStep

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"Vintage"?

Here's vintage. Note the really old radio console (the original ones) after the chief gives the radio message....

True vintage. Dispatchers wearing ties! I recognized the faces of some of the dispatchers who were retiring around the time I came on the job. That sound on the rigs like a "screech" from the firetruck while they were responding---- my old boss used to call them "Buckeyes", and they were essentially whistles powered by the exhaust system on the rigs. What a haunting sound. The equivalent of today's air-horns. And who remembers when they actually used their firetruck bells when returning to quarters after an alarm? Those were the good ole days when life was less complicated.
 
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ten13

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True vintage. Dispatchers wearing ties!
That was because they were told they were going to be filmed....!


That sound on the rigs like a "screech" from the firetruck while they were responding---- my old boss used to call them "Buckeyes", and they were essentially whistles powered by the exhaust system on the rigs.

That noise wasn't coming from those rigs; it was superimposed over the film. Those rigs were too new to have Buckeyes on them.

The Buckeyes were used during WWII, when sirens were NOT used because of the use of Air Raid sirens during the war. The problem with those Buckeyes was that they caused the exhaust to back-up into the rig's exhaust system, and the systems rotted out prematurely.

And who remembers when they actually used their firetruck bells when returning to quarters after an alarm?
At one time, before radios on the rigs, they used to HAVE to return to quarters with sirens and lights, in order to get back in service as soon as possible. There was no "re-directing" in those days. That's why some of the busier Ladder Companies had two sections. The bell while returning was just an an afterthought from the old days.

More vintage FDNY...

 
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