Maryland SP

[wv_mountaineer]

What frequencies are the state police using along I-70 between the state line and the loop in Baltimore? I have looked at the data base and just decided to ask first before I input any of the freqs. for the state police. Seems like there could be a lot to choose from. I would imagine that the Vehicle Repeaters are a very good start, but I don't know how they are dispatched. Is it done from barracks to barracks? Should I also include the V-Call / V-Tac Bandplan?
It wouldn't hurt to know any info about I-95 and any of the Baltimore Loop info also!

 

[ka3jjz]

Actually you'll find it easier, at least in some cases, to hear MSP on the respective county's trunk system. I hear the Waterloo barracks (39.42) on the Howard county trunk very easily; the Glen Burnie barracks (39.04) can be heard on the Anne Arundel county trunk. However, in Baltimore county, you'll hear the Golden Ring barracks (39.44) more often than on the Baltimore county trunk, even though they have talkgroups assigned to them - I rarely hear them used, and I work in the county. You didn't say what your destination is...

The vehicle repeaters are low power, working into a quarter wave antenna - you'd likely be better off listening on the low band and trunk systems where available. I've heard virtually nothing on VTAC/VCall. A good mobile antenna is a must - a duckie won't hear very well on 39 mhz anyway - it's no more efficient on that frequency than a wet noodle, in most cases.

By the way, Baltimore city and the county are totally different jurisdictions; a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that since they're neighbors, that they're in the same jurisdiction.

I'm not sure about points West, though....73 Mike

 

[ocguard]

What frequencies are the state police using along I-70 between the state line and the loop in Baltimore? I have looked at the data base and just decided to ask first before I input any of the freqs. for the state police. Seems like there could be a lot to choose from. I would imagine that the Vehicle Repeaters are a very good start, but I don't know how they are dispatched. Is it done from barracks to barracks? Should I also include the V-Call / V-Tac Bandplan?
It wouldn't hurt to know any info about I-95 and any of the Baltimore Loop info also!

Mike gave you good information. Interstate 70 is quite a long road in Maryland. It is covered by the Maryland State police, but each county is passes through is a different State Police barrack. And I70 passes through a handfull of counties. You'll want to use the database to put in the following barracks:
McHenry (Garrett County), Cumberland (Allegany County), Hagerstown (Washington County), Frederick (Frederick County), Waterloo (Howard County), Westminster (Carroll County), and Golden Ring (Baltimore County).

As for the Baltimore Beltway (what you refered to as the loop), it is almost entirely covered by MSP Golden Ring. The Bay Bridge is covered by MdTA Police which are also in the DB.

Interstate 95 is a long story. It runs the entire length of the state, however, in the Baltimore Metro, it is covered by MSP Highway barrack from the DE State Line to the Baltimore County/Baltimore City line near Rosedale. It is covered by the MdTA police within Baltimore City limits. It is covered by MSP Golden Ring from the Baltimore Couty/Baltimore City line in near Arbutus to the Baltimore County/Howard County line, and by MSP Waterloo in Howard County.

Aren't you glad you asked?

 

[lynnk]

Hi ... I recently made a trip across I-70 and I-68 through Allegheny Co and Garret Co. I had the MSP frequencies programmed for both the 39 MHz group and the MSP talk groups in the counties' trunking systems and I never heard a single peep. The Allegheny MSP talk group would sometimes lock on but all I heard was a rushing noise. I used to get Cumberland on 39.24 regularly but nothing on the last several trips through the area. It's not an antenna problem because I get MSP on 39 MHz band in other parts of the state with no problem. Are they doing something in the Western counties that prevents listening? Any ideas??

 

[trimmerj]

While we're on the subject, I'm seeing 18" whips on a zillion msp units and feds. Any ideas ?

 

[ka3jjz]

Their portables have been on VHF hi band for a long time - or maybe they're starting to use the VTAC freqs? I haven't heard anything on the VTAC stuff, although I've got it programmed - maybe not everyone does yet

73 Mike

 

[ocguard]

While we're on the subject, I'm seeing 18" whips on a zillion msp units and feds. Any ideas ?

The 18" whip on an MSP cruiser in the center of the trunk door? This is the VHF mobile extender.

 

[MdListener]

No changes to MSP's lowband use. It's still very active in western Md. If you were scanning 39.34 and didn't hear anything traveling through Washington County, you definitely have a problem. The county's new UHF TRS is patched into 39.34 and they have both MSP and the sheriff's department sharing one talkgroup. It's rarely silent for more than a few seconds, unless maybe your trip was at 0400 on a Weds morning.

 

[wmbio]

Mc Henry Barracks 39.080 MHZ PL 110.9
Cumberland Barracks 39.240 MHZ PL 110.9
Hagerstown Barracks 39.340 MHZ PL 110.9

I have monitored traffic on all 3 channels all morning.

Please link onto my sig for our mutiple ACM scanner links that are hosted here at RR...

They do communicate by MDT's and good old cell phones today. MSP radio traffic is down from past years. But as you guys know..it's hard to type data into an MDT when your in a high speed chase..then the radios outshine any other communications tool they use.

 

[Spleen]

90% of the traffic around here on the various *TAC frequencies is either tests or exercises at this stage of the game. You may have heard some traffic a couple weeks ago when the match bombs were being sent to the various government offices, but that's about it. RAIL SAFE, MARS, and similar exercises are good days to listen, but even then the traffic is minimal...

Anyone who might be missing some of the frequencies should go here:
http://www.npstc.org/documents/NIFOG_1_3.pdf and download the PDF. The publication is copy/pasteable if you need to make cheat-sheets or enlarged versions, and has some useful reference information that might be handy to keep in the 'shack anyway...

Their portables have been on VHF hi band for a long time - or maybe they're starting to use the VTAC freqs? I haven't heard anything on the VTAC stuff, although I've got it programmed - maybe not everyone does yet

73 Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

And we have much about the various TAC frequencies in our wiki...

Common Public Safety - The RadioReference Wiki

best regards..Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

I notice in our database that we still have 39.14 listed for the Annapolis barracks, which of course closed last spring (I think it was...). Anyone know what the new channel designation is now or how its used? I'm going to bet on a car-car tac channel, but that's pure speculation on my part

best regards..Mike

 

[Spleen]

Good catch, Mike, I completely forgot about 39.14....I still have it in my .p96, .p500, and Winradio memory files....maybe I'll leave it on with Scanner Recorder running tonight during the game and see what it picks up....

 

[spanner]

And we have much about the various TAC frequencies in our wiki...

Common Public Safety - The RadioReference Wiki

best regards..Mike

Mike,

Can we get this through an import when downloading from RR database directly to the scanner?

Carl

 

[ka3jjz]

Nope - it's not a part of the web service. These freqs are part of a nationwide allocation, not regional - I would imagine that's why they're not. 73 Mike

 

[spanner]

Guess its manual entry....Have not done that in a while!

Carl

 

[Spleen]

I finally broke down and created a bank in the old '96 that was nothing but Federal and interop frequencies, just to make it easier to swap labels and frequencies as the different agencies messed with the allocations over time. It also makes it easier for my "customers" to activate/deactivate that set simply by turning on or off that bank...

With the newer scanners not using "banks" in the conventional sense, you'll probably want to arrange in your particular programming software a group or set of objects similar to the Wiki listing keep from having to dig around looking for them as their labels, PL codes, status ("draft" or "proposed" to "final") change.

I have no recommendation for the 700 MHz information except to keep it handy but don't sweat keeping it current....most of us will probably be retired before that gets deployed...

 

[lynnk]

MSP Crossed to local trunking systems

I notice that the database for MSP does not show where some channels are either simulcast on trunking systems or moved operations to a local trunking system. Below is a table that crosses all the ones I could find. This info should be in the database section for MSP but I don't know how to get it there. I submitted but nothing has happened.

Maryland State Police on local Trunking Systems

39.42 Waterloo Barracks A Howard County (SID=1707) Talkgroups 45776, 47344
39.40 Frederick Barracks B Frederick County (SID=582) Talkgroups 1872, 1904
39.24 Cumberland Barracks C Allegheny County (SID=4075) Talkroup 0-02-018
39.34 Bel Air Barracks D Hartford County (SID=2846) Talkgroups 36000, 36016, 36032, 36048
39.46 Salisbury Barracks E Wicomico County Public Safety (SID=1559) Talkgroups 2512, 3344
39.52 Westminster Barracks G Carroll County Public Safety (SID=381) Talkgroups 2864, 3024, 3056, 3088, 3120, 3248
39.06 La Plata Barracks H Charles County Public Safety (SID=2847) Talkgroup 18592
39.96 Easton Barracks I Upper Maryland Eastern Shore Consortium (SID=615)Talkgroup 25840
39.32 Rockville Barracks N Montgomery County (SID=2142) Talkgroups 36464, 32496
39.14 Glen Burnie Barracks P Anne Arundel County (SID=187) Talkgroups 2736, 6544
39.44 Golden Ring Barracks R Baltimore County Public Safety (SID=189) Talkgroup 8048
39.38 Leonardtown Barracks T St. Mary's County Public Safety (SID=388) Talkgroups 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044
39.28 Prince Frederick Barracks U Calvert County (SID=380) Talkgroup 2576
39.60 Berlin Barracks V Ocean City (SID=2554) Talkgroup 833 and Worchester County (SID=386) Talkgroups 833, 834

 

[Spleen]

Apparently I have a local interference issue, but no traffic has punched through on 39.14Mhz when I've had spare time to leave it on...

I notice in our database that we still have 39.14 listed for the Annapolis barracks, which of course closed last spring (I think it was...). Anyone know what the new channel designation is now or how its used? I'm going to bet on a car-car tac channel, but that's pure speculation on my part

best regards..Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

I've been working in the Woodlawn area for the last 5 years, and have yet to hear Golden Ring on the Baltimore county trunk. It may be allocated for it, but I'm willing to bet no one has been assigned portables to get onto the system as yet (money issues, no doubt). I've never heard 'em.

73 Mike