HWY 80 & 15 (Sierras) CalTrans and CHP

[AaronN]

It's getting to the time of year when snow wreaks havoc on my trips to the snow. I figured that I'd buy a scanner to know what's going on...instantaneously...as I travel.

Can anybody assist me in acquiring the proper frequencies for CHP and Cal Trans for I-80 and I-15 from Sacramento to the stateline? Snowplow units to CHP cruisers to...you name it...would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mick]

RR has a terrific list for the CHP:
http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&aid=995

 

[RolnCode3]

Here's CalTrans's listing:

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&aid=1234

 

[mkewman]

what district is the sacramento area/sierra foothills considered in?

 

[RolnCode3]

CHP is Valley, dispatched by Sacramento Comm Center. Gold is north Sac, Black is south Sac, and green is ElDorado (channels).

CalTrans is District 10 (I believe...just looked up Hwy88 tonight after a snowplow helped get me unstuck at 88/Mormon Emigrant, and that's the district for that...District 3 is El Dorado and others up there...so it's probably one of these two).

*EDIT* Just looked at CalTrans's listing here. It's definitely District 3. The Hwy 50 west, east, and Kyburz (which is on 50 between South Lake Tahoe and Placerville) are all Sacto area. 80 @ Auburn is the closest of those listed for I-80.

 

[Norman]

I5 N to Oregon would be Caltrans District 2, HQ in Redding. The only freq I can confirm would be 858.9875 PL 131.8 called Ch 3 from St John Mt, covers the Red Bluff area. Also, a little off topic, Hwy 88 still uses low band in the Sierras, 47.10 from Stockton, District 10.
Also used for Hwy 4. Another one, 74.06 from Telegraph Hill near Angels Camp, repeats 47.10 traffic. Hope this helps, Norm.

 

[SCPD]

I've driven Highway 88 more times than I can count as it is the east west route for eastern Sierra residents when 120/108 are closed for the winter. I was hearing both 47.10 traffic and 800 MHz traffic for many years after District 10 started its 800 MHz conversion. I haven't heard any 47.10 traffic for several years now (2-4) and hear them on 800 MHz. Next time I drive it I will have to look at the plow trucks to see if the low band whip is still installed. The section supervisors vehicles still have the low band whip because the supervisors all have CHP radios installed in their rigs, so seeing one of these would not determine if they are still running low band.

I should check the FCC files for District 10 to see if the state is allowing the lowband licenses to expire. I live in District 9 which was the first rural district involved in the 800 MHz conversion back in 1982 or 1983. District 9 has only retained one low band license and that is for the electronic site nearest the District Office. I think this is for long distance communication in the event the microwave system fails. None of their stations has low band antennas on them anymore.

As for monitoring the 70 MHz link frequency I have found doing so to be useful only when at home. Trying to monitor a vertically polorized link frequency is marginal at best when mobile.

There are not a lot of good Internet references for Caltrans frequencies. This one has some infomation about the two northern districts:

http://www.norcalscan.org/caltrans.html

The Kelty State Agency book, available at Scanner Unlimited, is usually a good source for Caltrans as so many other publishers ignore non law enforcement and fire frequencies. I've been trying to keep up with Caltrans via the Northern CA APCO site, but need to to a comprehensive research job on the FCC site to bring my information up to date. When I do there is another website I would like to put it on and it is:

http://www.scancal.org/

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having state highway agency frequencies programmed into a mobile. Even in other states where the highway patrol mobiles are repeated, allowing you to hear them from quite some distance (not the case with CHP in most rural areas), the highway patrols are usually not that specific when it comes to talking about road conditions. Highway department personnel tend to talk with more detail and listening to them has saved me 2-6 hours of being held up in traffic on at least 6 or more occasions to accidents, flooding, and avalanche control work. I also listen to chain contol locations being called in ahead of me so I can anticipate driving on snow covered roads. On other occasions it has allowed me to know what is going on even if I am caught by such events and have no alternative routes or plans available.

 

[Norman]

Just heard them on 47.10 yesterday on Hwy 88. They tend to use this more than 800.
(probably works better!). Been listening for many years. Different story for Hwy 50, haven't
heard them on low band since they converted to 800. I guess it works for them. I live in El Dorado Cty and can hear quite well. Norm.

 

[SCPD]

Interesting. I will continue to put 47.10 MHz in the program I use when I travel that direction. I would suspect that there are far fewer sites using the 47.10 MHz frequency than the 800 MHz frequencies (an easy guess). Since the scanner antennas I have favor everything from 150 MHz and up I must not be hearing the distant low band transmitters very well or at all.

If I was often in areas where Caltrans is using lowband working mobile and needed to hear them and the CHP better I would buy a straight whip for lowband and trim it for the 42 MHz frequencies, figuring that is better than trimming it for the higher frequencies and having it too short. That would then require a seperate scanner for low band and another hole in the roof. I've run out of room for radios in my small "out of town" car and the next radio I put in it will be a 220 rig. A lowband scanner is low in priority as after the 220 I would want to have a moibile HF in there. I think my wife would protest if I take the passenger seat out and build a large console in its place to hold all the radios I would like to have in that car!

 

[Norman]

Rather than using another scanner, why couldn't you use a duplexer? Fairly pricey 'tho as they are designed for xmitting. At home, I use an old ground plane with long drooping
radials. Works great on the low band, can hear many CHP mobile units with it. 220 is a great band, very under utilized, great characteristics. I am hooked on 222 ssb Norm kc6zwt.

 

[ScannerDude244]

Does anyone have info Monterey County District? I think they are on 800mhz

 

[Kirk]

Does anyone have info Monterey County District? I think they are on 800mhz

From www.freqofnature.com:

Salinas Territory 856.7625 860.7625 860.7375 858.9875
Monterey Territory 860.7375 858.9875

Should be 800MHz conventional, not trunked.

 

[mkewman]

CalTrans is District 10 (I believe...just looked up Hwy88 tonight after a snowplow helped get me unstuck at 88/Mormon Emigrant, and that's the district for that...District 3 is El Dorado and others up there...so it's probably one of these two).

just what i needed. Thanx Bill.

 

[WayneH]

Caltrans freqs licensed in Monterey County (Dist 5):
Big Sur 856.7625, 859.7625, 858.9875
Chualar 857.7375
Salinas 856.7625
Soledad 860.7375, 857.2625, 860.9875

I've got this web based spreadsheet I did some time ago. The "All" sheet is sorted by County.
Here

-Wayne

 

[CZ]

What are CALTRANS frequencies for Fresno County Area? Already looked in RR data files and no mention of this area.

 

[SCPD]

Rather than using another scanner, why couldn't you use a duplexer?

This is an idea I hadn't thought of. It would be for a mobile application and the only downside is I'm close to running out of room on my Subaru Legacy for anymore antennas. I presently using two Larsen antennas which are around 17-19 inches in length that don't need to be fooled with when I drive the car in and out of the garage. I'm not sure I really want one of the fold over antennas either. I have space for one more antenna and I think it will be a 220.

I'm looking at various options for roof top antennas for my Yeasu FT-847 multi-band base station, which will come into full use when I pass my general. I have limited space for antennas on my condo's roof and have to use multi-band mobile antennas due to homeowners association concerns. One option I'm looking at will need a duplexer in order to cover 6 meters.

I like operating 220 because there seems to be fewer people on it, mostly because of the lack of equipment available for it, especially when it comes to multi-band capability.

 

[WayneH]

What are CALTRANS frequencies for Fresno County Area? Already looked in RR data files and no mention of this area.

Click the link I posted above. Look under the County column for Fresno.

-Wayne

 

[CZ]

wayneh

I put the frequencies for Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Mariposa, and Kings Counties in on Dec. 1.
Up to time/date of this post have heard nothing from Base or Mobiles in those Counties -- BUT on 857.7375 MHz. I have heard 3 or 4 transmissions between Dec. 1, & this post from MERCED County which is about 70+ Miles North of me.

Frequencies Installed are:

856.7625
856.9875
857.2625
857.7375
857.7625
857.9875
859.7375
859.9875
860.9875

 

[ScannerDude244]

Caltrans freqs licensed in Monterey County (Dist 5):
Big Sur 856.7625, 859.7625, 858.9875
Chualar 857.7375
Salinas 856.7625
Soledad 860.7375, 857.2625, 860.9875

I've got this web based spreadsheet I did some time ago. The "All" sheet is sorted by County.
Here

-Wayne

I been picking up on 857.26250 its a Trunk freq CTF Correctional Training Facility I live 2 miles away from it.

 

[WayneH]

Yeah, often the *.2625 freqs are prison/correctional related. My oversight.

-Wayne