NCDOT - Highways and Bridges

[akalynchs]

Tried looking at past threads & didn’t really see specifics. Looking for I77& I40 highway crew comms during snow / sleet events.

Understand that NCDOT traffic control is carried on VIPER in the CLT area but much of the yellow gear equipment that is on the highway has the older vhf antenna (s)…guessing they are down on vhf or maybe a mixture of VIPER and VHF? Thanks.

 

[RaleighGuy]

I have not heard DOT on VHF in a very long time (doesn't mean they aren't) I have only heard them on VIPER. If anyone is hearing VHF I'd appreciate you sharing the freqs and areas.

 

[richardbritt]

Division 1 and 2 are using the VHF low band frequencies posted here. They just get very little regular use. Routinely the crews use cell phones. But I still hear sporadic transmissions now and then. Plus the base to base frequency is still in use. Although all I ever hear is a radio test now and then.

Richard in Edenton

 

[spacellamaman]

occaisionally mobile to mobile on 45.8 in central nc, but that's all i can mention.

 

[akalynchs]

Currently have the old DOT VHF Divisions 9, 10, 11, & 12 plugged in as well as IMAP on VIPER, will also try the mobile (45.8 fm).

I suspect with the Sunday event approaching we should catch some notable comms..

 

[reconrider8]

ill have unitrunker up on my 3 local viper towers if i see any dot action ill post here. i have had a bunch of hits on viper on the dot freqs but no real chatter

 

[yardbird]

Try the following

47.140 Mhz.

47.260 Mhz.

David

 

[akalynchs]

Got them, thanks.

 

[ai8o]

47.38 in Davidson County.
I have been listening all day.
The only transmissions I have heard is a Morse IDer about once an hour.
Nothing else.
I thought this storm would cause a lot of activity on the DOT frequencies.

 

[akalynchs]

Haven’t heard anything on vhf either. Very busy on VIPER though. Heard Iredell EOC reporting back on road conditions a few times which was new to me.

 

[CFP387]

47.38 in Davidson County.
I have been listening all day.
The only transmissions I have heard is a Morse IDer about once an hour.
Nothing else.
I thought this storm would cause a lot of activity on the DOT frequencies.

47.38 is the same for Rowan too. DOT Division 9 uses the same frequency with a different PL for each county within the Division.

During the last snowstorm we had, the frequency was pretty busy. I live about a 2 miles from the DOT yard and I was able to pick up "truck to truck" comms on the 45.74 repeater input channel as well. But it was all silent this time, minus the Morse ID every so often.

I can tell you that there are no VIPER 800 antennas on any of the DOT trucks in Rowan. There is a talk group on our local TRS for DOT but it was silent and so was the VIPER TG for Division 9 as well. This could mean that they either went to NXDN portables or just kept it simple and moved to just primarily using cell phones.

 

[spacellamaman]

pardon my veering here slightly, but i noticed a City of Concord work truck last night had what i suppose was a VHF antenna on the cab. looked like a stainless whip, prob in the 16 to 22in OAL range, that that had a 3inch coiled section in the middle. kinda like some dual band ham antennas. anyone know what that is all about?

he was presumably doing snow/ice clearing related activities, thats my justification for asking here.

 

[yardbird]

Nope !!

Made contact with the DOT Radio Engineer responsible for DOT radios across the state.

He advised me they were still using their old low band frequencies.

I asked about Viper and he said DOT wasn't interested in and/or had the funding for outfitting all their equipment with Viper radios at this time.

He said he was still traveling across the state repairing/replacing the low band equipment still being used.

David

 

[akalynchs]

That makes sense with the current antenna on most of the NC DOT gear.

I have been hearing C2C traffic (45.7600 pl 107.2) regarding front end loaders earlier today. Must have been nearby.

Thanks for the info…

 

[spacellamaman]

I asked about Viper and he said DOT wasn't interested in and/or had the funding for outfitting all their equipment with Viper radios at this time.

i actually happened to be eavesdropping nearby and overheard the comment, which was cleaned up a bit by yardbird in translation:

"Now listen here college boy, we don't need your fancy-schmancy $10,000 light-sabres or whatever them motorola fellas are callin' em these days, to talk to the shop anymore than we need a Cadillac to to hook onto the snow plow or a limousine to transport a work crew, so why don't we just stick to doing our jobs? You keep coming up with these here big ideas and blowing money all over creation and we'll make sure the roads are good enough you can drive to work!"