OPP Radio history

[RClary11]

Does anyone here know what frequency range the OPP would have used in the early 1950's?. say 1953?

 

[davidmc36]

Does anyone here know what frequency range the OPP would have used in the early 1950's?. say 1953?

I didn't read the whole thread but there may be something or somebody useful here:

Yahoo! Groups

 

[RClary11]

I didn't read the whole thread but there may be something or somebody useful here:

Yahoo! Groups

Thanks, that was very helpful.

 

[bpsmicro]

When you find out, post back here.

 

[vabiro]

Does anyone here know what frequency range the OPP would have used in the early 1950's?. say 1953?

Hi,

I believe the were using low band VHF 42 MHz. (Downsview was on 42.060)

I was in the LMR business when the OPP communications unit was at Lakeshore and Jarvis. They were on 42MHz at that time and they had many old, hybrid and tube, transceivers around.

Victor

 

[mciupa]

I remember Peterborough using the 41.96 / 42.02 MHz combo in the early days

 

[DaveH]

Does anyone here know what frequency range the OPP would have used in the early 1950's?. say 1953?

I recall reading that they started using the 42Mhz band around mid-1940's, and continued
up until late 1980's. Someone once said they thought lowband was still in use up in the
far north, but never heard any actual reports.

Dave

 

[RClary11]

From that Yahoo groups discussion the OPP at first used the 6mhz band in the shortwave spectrum, as someone on the forum mentioned that they used to listen to them on shortwave. Though I am not sure how long they used that system until the switch to VHF Low.

 

[derevs]

OPP using 6mhz

I am the person that posted about the OPP on 6mhz. It would have been in the 50's when I was a teenager. This would have been the Bala/Bracebridge detachment area. Was an avid S/W listener back then.
I left the area in 1959 when I joined the RCAF.

 

[tac7]

Does anyone here know what frequency range the OPP would have used in the early 1950's?. say 1953?

I'm not sure whether they used the same frequencies in the early 50's, but when I started listening to the OPP in the 60's, they used 62.060 MHz for their Base / Dispatch frequency, and 42.220 MHz for their Cruiser / Mobile frequency. That was for the Toronto-Hamilton-Niagara corridor.
I used to sit in my car on the Hamilton Mountain Brow, tweaking the front-end of the VHS receiver, and then later the crystal scanners, for best reception. I still have those OPP crystals, and the other crystals for the Fire and PD of the surrounding cities.

 

[ATCTech]

You wouldn't mean "42.060" and "VHF" receiver by chance? 62.06 MHz would be in the VHF TV band, and if you used a VCR to hear the OPP you were onto something special! :wink:

Bob

 

[TIZ6]

Yeah it was 42.060 and 42.220 down here in Windsor-Essex until the late '80s. A local ham picked up a pile of ex-OPP Mastrpros and coverted them to 6m, which provided myself and many others with my a very affordable (and funky) mobile rig at the time for almost nothing.

 

[tac7]

You wouldn't mean "42.060" and "VHF" receiver by chance? 62.06 MHz would be in the VHF TV band, and if you used a VCR to hear the OPP you were onto something special! :wink:

Bob

Just about killed myself laughing when I read your post. Yes, of course I meant VHF!

 

[RClary11]

Thanks for all the replies, what had me thinking of this is there was a rather famous, or infamous bank robbery in 1953 in Langton Ontario, which is a rather small village south of where I live in Tillsonburg. The OPP from Toronto even came down to participate in the manhunt for the robber. Anyway I had this idea in my head as to what channels they would have used in those days if someone wanted to listen to the police during the manhunt. Odd perhaps, but it got me thinking of the history of the OPP's radio spectrum.

 

[danimac67]

Very interesting question.
I was wondering why you would ask such a question, but you just answered it.
Anyway, those of you who answered, and remember when!!!!!!! must be old, LOL.

 

[RClary11]

I guess it was love for history that also made me bring up the question. I myself started listening to the OPP in 1985, I really didn't have a proper scanner till that time. And at that time they were still using VHF low. Before that only had dial radios that received that VHF hi band, but I only listened to the Tillsonburg town police, or the Simcoe police when I lived there briefly. I should say those dial radios had the VHF lo band, but since the OPP were on different base and mobile channels never listened to them and waited till I got my Radio Shack Pro-2006 to listen to them properly. In those days I lived in a house in Delhi Ontario and had an antenna on the roof, now that was good reception. The only other time I had good reception was when I lived on the third floor of an apartment building and had a mobile antenna on the balcony. I miss those days.

 

[mrweather]

Yeah it was 42.060 and 42.220 down here in Windsor-Essex until the late '80s. A local ham picked up a pile of ex-OPP Mastrpros and coverted them to 6m, which provided myself and many others with my a very affordable (and funky) mobile rig at the time for almost nothing.

I think that was Jerry (VE3EXT) who grabbed them. If I remember they used a couple for the SMR 6m repeater.

(I was a BCRC member until 2000)

 

[TIZ6]

Yes it was Jerry. I bought mine from him in 1991. His repeater is still up. Those rigs did wonders for jump starting 6m FM in Essex county.