Fire Tone Out Phoenix Pager Frequencies

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jpolich7

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Phoenix Fire Department seems to use a variety of pager tone combinations on its main dispatch frequency 154.19 MHz to announce incidents that tie up large numbers of resources across cities, such as greater alarms and major hazmat situations. These pager tones apparently alert senior personnel and perhaps other agencies. Can anyone provide these pager tones?

And can these tones be detected by a BCD996XT?

Thanks.
 

KB7MIB

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Every Tuesday morning, there's a pager test, as well. A little before 7am, IIRC.

Some of the tones are as follows:

All Call: 339.6
Sky Harbor: 339.6/378.6
Sun City BC 131: 832.5/339.6
Daisy Mtn BC 141: 368.5/389.0
Tolleson BC 161: 726.8/339.6
Avondale BC 171: 953.7/339.6
Surprise BC 301: 979.9/339.6

This info is from the Southwest Frequency Directory, 10th Edition, circa 2009. (There is further info on some specific Mesa, Buckeye Valley and Gila Bend units in the list.) Some of the tones may have changed in the past 5 years.

Check your user manual for information on how fire tone outs work in your scanner.
 

N9JIG

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Phoenix Fire Department seems to use a variety of pager tone combinations on its main dispatch frequency 154.19 MHz to announce incidents that tie up large numbers of resources across cities, such as greater alarms and major hazmat situations. These pager tones apparently alert senior personnel and perhaps other agencies. Can anyone provide these pager tones?

And can these tones be detected by a BCD996XT?

Thanks.


If you put the 996XT in ToneOut Search mode (by setting the frequency to 154.190 and the A and B tones to 0) the radio will display the tones and open up when detected. If multiple tones are sent at the same time only the first will be displayed.

Once you hear these tones listen to the message and determine the uses.

Remember that the tones displayed by the 996XT are approximate. A tone sent at 939.9 Hz. may display as 935.8 or 943.2 etc. This is an area of the hobby that close enough is close enough, the tolerances of these radios are wide enough that the exact tone is not needed.
 

rpgaun

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OK, so to confirm -

1- The radio (BCD996XT) can not be scanning for the "pager" function to work you have to be locked on the channel, correct? (unlike the weather alert which works when scanning)

2- Is the same thing true for the BC-15X?
 

jpolich7

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Thanks to all for the feedback. I'll see what turns up locked on 154.19 with tone out search.
 

Kars10az

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Although I listen to Phoenix FD dispatch on VHF almost exclusively, I just got to wondering if the tone-out works on the RWC digital (K1). Has anyone tried it, or is this something that simply wasn't meant to work from day one? I have not looked at my scanner's user's manual to see if it's even a possibility for the scanner.
 

azmedic

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Although I listen to Phoenix FD dispatch on VHF almost exclusively, I just got to wondering if the tone-out works on the RWC digital (K1). Has anyone tried it, or is this something that simply wasn't meant to work from day one? I have not looked at my scanner's user's manual to see if it's even a possibility for the scanner.

For what its worth, we dont get the all call tones over our 800mhz radios so im guessing its a VHF only thing

Sent from my SGH-T999L using Tapatalk
 

rpgaun

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The only way you can use paging tones on 800 is in the conventional mode or thru a non-trunking repeater. As of a few years ago there were no 800 pagers available only VHF & UHF but, that might have changed.
 

Kars10az

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Channel 1 VHF and K1 used to be patched together and now they're simulcast. I don't know why the tones don't go out over 800 MHz, but it could simply be a programming issue. I don't think I've ever been listening to K1 when tones have gone out. Like I said, I typically monitor on VHF.

Ed
 

mule1075

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