NCHP VHF Car Repeaters

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N8IAA

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Can anyone verify 155.445 and 154.68 as the correct freqs for the car rptrs? I have two different PL's for them also, 173.8 and 131.8. Are these correct? Will be traveling to W NC next couple of days and need confirmation.
TIA,
Larry
 

Lew

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Nchp Vehicle Repeater Freqs

I just looked up those 2 freqs on the RR database & programed them into my PRS500.
155.445/131.8
154.680/131.8

Lew in SC
 

Grog

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N8IAA said:
Can anyone verify 155.445 and 154.68 as the correct freqs for the car rptrs? I have two different PL's for them also, 173.8 and 131.8. Are these correct? Will be traveling to W NC next couple of days and need confirmation.
TIA,
Larry


The mobile repeater (lo-band to hi-band) will be transmitting to the handheld radio on 155.445. 173.8 is the CTCSS tone for all the lo-band radios. The CTCSS tone for the 155.445 frequency would be 131.8 but there have been a few times where I heard a mobile repeater transmitting without a tone, so you might want to program it twice, once with the tone and once without.


They are not being used as much anymore as some troopers have 800mhz HTs (on VIPER or local trunked systems) and some troopers just don't have a HT at all. I actually got a hot on 155.445 today for the first time in a month, almost surprised me :lol:


You might want to also program 154.920 as well with 155.445.


154.680 is the old hi-band repeater network, haven't heard anything on that in years. Jeff will likely check in as he monitors that more than I, but don't count on hearing much (if any) traffic on that as there are just not too many cars with hi-band gear anymore.
 

N8IAA

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Thanks all! I will experiment with the frequencies in both PL's and without a PL just to see what comes up if anything.
Larry
 

jthorpe

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Good luck. They pulled mine out of my car 3-4 months ago and I know most of the guys aren't using them anymore. They will all be gone soon.
 

N8IAA

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jthorpe said:
Good luck. They pulled mine out of my car 3-4 months ago and I know most of the guys aren't using them anymore. They will all be gone soon.

So, it's lo-band or trunked then? Thanks for the heads-up. Will put in radio just in case there are some left where I'm going.
Larry
 

jthorpe

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Pretty much, yes. I don't know anyone who uses or has a repeater in their cars anymore. Of course, I work East of Raleigh and not out West. They may still be using them to a degree out there. The guys I do know out West all have 800 radios. That includes Troop G.
 

N8IAA

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jthorpe said:
Pretty much, yes. I don't know anyone who uses or has a repeater in their cars anymore. Of course, I work East of Raleigh and not out West. They may still be using them to a degree out there. The guys I do know out West all have 800 radios. That includes Troop G.

Thanks JT. I have the Viper CC's programmed in along with the Troop G TGID's and the lo-band freqs too. I'll let ya'll know what is heard on my trip north.
L8ter,
Larry
 

N8IAA

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N8IAA said:
Thanks JT. I have the Viper CC's programmed in along with the Troop G TGID's and the lo-band freqs too. I'll let ya'll know what is heard on my trip north.
L8ter,
Larry
On my trip today to NC, did get squelch being broken on 154.68/131.8 three times. Very low signal, no voice. Got 3600 CC on 868.725 in Swain County. Lots of lo-band base and mobile. Tried out a "new" homebrew antenna--a marriage of a Wilson 1K magmount and the whip from the RS scanner magmount. Drilled out the whip adapter on the Wilson to accept the bottom rod of the RS antenna. Press fit it together the other day. Outstanding on lo-band, hi-band, and uhf today. Heard transmissions normally scratchy or almost nonexistent.
L8ter,
Larry
 

jplyler

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I've heard nothing in my area on the 154.680 repeaters except for the occasional "key-up", but no comms. I was visiting my parents in union county last week and did hear a mobile repeater on 155.445. I'm sure they will be going away there since the Monroe VIPER site seem to be up and running. The only other time I hear a decent amount of mobile repeater activity is during the races at Lowes motor Speedway,however most the NCHP units controlling traffic during the auto fair last month were on VIPER.

Jon
N4ZVY
Cornelius, NC
 

yardbird

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154.680 Mhz is the Highway Patrols VHF statewide repeater system.

I know that there are towers located in Concord at the ETV site, one on Crowders Mountain in Gaston Co. and another one in Ellerbe.

I do know that the Troop H communication center doesn't monitor the channels though.

I figure that when the state gets the Viper Sites built, and all the 800 Mhz portables issued to troopers and 800 Mhz mobiles installed in all patrol vehicles, the state will turn off all the VHF repeaters and the only thing that will be left is Low Band and 800 Mhz.

I am not to sure how long Low Band will be around. I know some of the Troop Radio Engineer II's and they tell me that they are having to take two Lowband Syntor 9000's to scrap just to get parts to make one that will work. I have also been told that the state has experimented with Kenwood Low Bands, but thet don't have the quality of service and output power like the Motorolas do.

If you are lucky, you can hear some troppers talking on 42.220 Mhz. For the most part troopers usually talk on Nextels or Cell Phones for person to person communications.

David
 

Grog

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yardbird said:
154.680 Mhz is the Highway Patrols VHF statewide repeater system.

I know that there are towers located in Concord at the ETV site, one on Crowders Mountain in Gaston Co. and another one in Ellerbe.


I've never heard any traffic, or even heard of any mention of a 154.680 repeater in Gaston County. I guess it's a moot point as they are brought off-line.
 

jthorpe

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yardbird said:
154.680 Mhz is the Highway Patrols VHF statewide repeater system.

I know that there are towers located in Concord at the ETV site, one on Crowders Mountain in Gaston Co. and another one in Ellerbe.

I do know that the Troop H communication center doesn't monitor the channels though.

Well, if that repeater pair really exists, I can tell you this. Not a single patrol car in the state has it. NONE of us have high band VHF radios in our cars. The only high band VHF any car has is either a radio installed for use with the local sheriff's department or vehicular repeaters. The only county in the state to have both 800mhz portables AND mobiles is Wake. The rest of us only have portables so a large portion of the state still uses low band.

I figure that when the state gets the Viper Sites built, and all the 800 Mhz portables issued to troopers and 800 Mhz mobiles installed in all patrol vehicles, the state will turn off all the VHF repeaters and the only thing that will be left is Low Band and 800 Mhz.

As I stated above, we don't have any VHF repeaters in use other than vehicular.

I am not to sure how long Low Band will be around. I know some of the Troop Radio Engineer II's and they tell me that they are having to take two Lowband Syntor 9000's to scrap just to get parts to make one that will work. I have also been told that the state has experimented with Kenwood Low Bands, but thet don't have the quality of service and output power like the Motorolas do.

We don't have any Kenwood lowband radios in any of the cars. We do have Vertex, and they work great. I have one in mine and it works better than the Syntor does. All the guys who have Syntors are having issues with them at one point or another. They are being replaced slowly with the Vertex units. At least in my county they are.

If you are lucky, you can hear some troppers talking on 42.220 Mhz. For the most part troopers usually talk on Nextels or Cell Phones for person to person communications.

True for coordinating dinner and anything non-work related. Anything work related is usually on a common 800mhz channel or car-to-car low band.
 

yardbird

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The Repeater for Crowders Mountain is Highband channel 7

Tx. 156.075
Rx. 154.680

Pl: 131.8

Like I said it is up and transmitting, but nobody really uses it.

The Highway Patrol issued us GP-300 portables with highband 7 for use at the weigh station, but I talked with Monroe Communications and they advised they didn't even monitor highband.

We started to use Highband Channel 4 for direct communications for lot to station communications then the Sgt. found out and stopped us from using it for that purpose, so everybody at the weigh station does not even carry the portables, because they are of no use if nobody will listen to it.

I have tried to talk to them about installing a 800 Mhz base at the stations and having an 800 Mhz portable to carry when we are out on the lot.

That is a dead issue, because we are not sworn law enforcement officers we are not allowed to have 800 Mhz radios.

I think one of the reason is that the 800 Mhz here have been programmed with a different variety of systems and talkgroups. I also think it has to do with the radios having CMPD talkgroups programmed into them.

Nobody knows. at least they do not want to expalin why we can't be issued one for the stations.

David
 

CCHLLM

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There were Kenwood low bands and Midland low bands in some (damn few) SHP cars and other agencies using the SHP low band freqs, and several MaraTracs as well. There were even some (damn few again) CDM1550 low bands out there. I would know because I installed them. With the unreliability of the units and cheap construction (lack of durability) of the accessories, the Kenwoods may, and the Midlands for sure, are gone now. In fact, if a car came in to be stripped, we would remove any Midland or Kenwood units and place them in the "back of the line" for reinstallation. A new car always got a Syntor or a MaraTrac if one was available, and as we kept all the spare Syntors in the best shape possible, we never had to reinstall a Kenwood or a Midland. The MaraTracs are still in service and doing well.

The Syntors are very tired and badly need to be replaced, but they're still more reliable than the Junkwoods and Craplands. The great majority of the Kenwoods were plagued with intermittent problems and became known as the "can you hear me now?" radio. When they worked, they worked OK, but reliability was a real problem.

The Midlands weren't particularly troublesome, but they have really ****ty receive audio, poor receiver performance, cheaply constructed accessories, and just don't have the transmit audio quality or power that the Syntors and MaraTracs have.

The MaraTracs are relatively new as they were some of the last manufactured by Motorola and are doing very well. The Vertex aren't nearly what the Syntors were quality and durabilitywise, but they're serving fairly well so far.

The 154.680 repeater system is still up and operating in some areas, though what purpose it serves is a mystery as the huge majority of any mobiles and portables used on it are now removed from cars and personnel. I'll see what I can find out.

Almost half of the VIPER sites are in place and capable of operating, but not all are on line due to other factors, like microwave changes, reworking of trunking hierarchies as the system expands, no other 800 stuff in the area and consequently no portables being distributed, etc. The state seems to be going slowly and deliberately forward with VIPER in such a manner as to eliminate the problems other systems have experienced. If it means anything, the state has declared itself as out of the low band business except for whatever it takes to keep it on line until the 800 can take over, so low band future in NCSHP is limited.
 
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jthorpe

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Speaking of audio, I must say that the audio on the Syntors is MUCH better than the audio on the Vertex radio. Once you go over 10 or so, and especially at high speeds, the Vertex is almost impossible to hear if you have a light bar on top. It's not such a big deal for the slick tops but with that wind noise going on, siren and everything else, the Vertex audio BLOWS. I LOVE motorola gear if for no other reason that no matter what you're doing, you can turn it up loud enough to overcome any background noise.

I also use Syntor X9000's in my NCCERT vehicle. One UHF and one VHF. I love them. The receive is great, etc. Wish they still made them. Never been a big fan of the spectra.
 

CCHLLM

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Well, the first premise of decent audio is a decent amount of overhead in the audio power department. Syntors had 12 watts to work with, so distortion wasn't a problem at required loud levels. 4 watts is a break-even point for marginal performance in noisy conditions, and is why most ham radios, scanners, and cheap commercial units with 1 or 2 watts are hard pressed to deliver sufficient audio when the ambient noise levels are above living room level. I've got Spectras and MaraTracs in my response vehicle, and as you say, audio is not a problem.

As for the VHF high band radio system, I checked, and there were and still are plans to update and expand it and make it a statewide emergency responder common radio system that can also be patched to other systems (VIPER) for interops, and that would satisfy some of the Homeland Security goals. SHP units would presumably not be equipped with VHF high band under the updated system since VIPER has the patch capabilities. Timetable? Ha ha ha! We're talking the state here. Money, politics, and bean counting will prevail as usual and will, of course, delay plans until P25 has become P360 and all is moot.
 
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yardbird

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Totally agree with the statement about the state not getting in a hurry and the budget issues.

It seems like the state only cares about getting the teacher pay to the national average. What about the other state employees that provide service to keep the state running.

I know the feeling about installing kenwoods and midlands in patrol vehicles. I had that task before when I worked in the Troop E radio shop years ago.

Never had any problems with the Spectra. My opinion darn good radio! I have a Vhf and Uhf in my explorer. The only bad thing is I have a C-9 800 Mhz Spectra, and naturally Motorola has discontinued the W-9 control head for the rebanding radios. I hate that because it will look odd having a O-5 800 Mhz control head and the rest will be C-9's.

The last time I talked with Troop H radio shop the only thing they were using the Kenwoods for was district office radios.

They would mount the control head to the top of a 20 amp power supply and then off to the district office it went. I know they have them in the weigh stations in Troop H.

I think the last time I talked with Troop E they were installing CDM mobiles as bases in there weigh stations.

David
 

CCHLLM

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Here's the way budget management works:

Government operation is based on money and politics.

The state has plans for all contingencies in all departments.

The state does not have money to fund all plans for all contingencies in all departments.

The state must decide which special interests connected with which plans for which contingencies in which departments are most important.

Importance is based on politics and influence.

Importance is directly proportional to the amount of money your department must spend to purchase and retain the level of influence required.

In order of importance, successful budget requests include money to achieve influence, money to maintain influence, money to increase influence, money to cover up bad influence, money to cover up the cover up, and a few paltry bucks to actually carry out some of your department's responsibilities while looking underfunded so that you can request budget increases at the next budget session.

So, what part of slow action on planning is it that you don't understand?
 
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