I remember I used to hear "All units, switch to Tac 2 (or Tac 1)."
As Harry wrote, your label #1 was actually a dial knob and not a switch. In your picture, the black plastic knob is missing, so it kind of looks like a toggle switch.
The Control Head in your picture was a "Dual Front-End" model. Because of the narrow bandwidth between channels, a dual system was used. I think Dispatch frequencies were on Tac 1, and Mobile and Tac frequencies were on Tac 2 (referring to the toggle switch on the right side, your lable #2).
Mostly specialized units (Metro, Detectives, etc) used the “Simul” channel. Only "hot shot" calls were broadcast on this channel; this allowed these units to hear only important calls and not have to listen to the division radio traffic. Most cars did not have this channel activated or it was not used by normal patrol units.
(Some of this may be a little redundant, but maybe this explains it a little further; I am not sure I even understand the Dual Front-End scheme
).
For several years, LAPD used both the UHF R.O.V.E.R. and the VHF system, simultaneously. In fact, I used to hear calls on the VHF system (Tac 1) as late as a couple of years ago.
It was not too long after LAPD got the UHF R.O.V.E.R.s, that they got the MDTs; both in the early 1980s. The MDTs had their own radio systems to transmit/receive the data. For about a year (several months), our MDTs were covered with a vinyl hood and were "not to be used."
Somewhere in my garage, I have one of those Motorola control heads. The "Hunter" show had the same (or similar) radios in their cars, as well as Dragnet.
Here is a link to some picures of other LAPD radio equipment at the LAPD museum: LAPD Museum and Jack Webb interview Photo Gallery by samsast at pbase.com
Remember this car; and here are some RTO pics:
As Harry wrote, your label #1 was actually a dial knob and not a switch. In your picture, the black plastic knob is missing, so it kind of looks like a toggle switch.
The Control Head in your picture was a "Dual Front-End" model. Because of the narrow bandwidth between channels, a dual system was used. I think Dispatch frequencies were on Tac 1, and Mobile and Tac frequencies were on Tac 2 (referring to the toggle switch on the right side, your lable #2).
Mostly specialized units (Metro, Detectives, etc) used the “Simul” channel. Only "hot shot" calls were broadcast on this channel; this allowed these units to hear only important calls and not have to listen to the division radio traffic. Most cars did not have this channel activated or it was not used by normal patrol units.
(Some of this may be a little redundant, but maybe this explains it a little further; I am not sure I even understand the Dual Front-End scheme
).For several years, LAPD used both the UHF R.O.V.E.R. and the VHF system, simultaneously. In fact, I used to hear calls on the VHF system (Tac 1) as late as a couple of years ago.
It was not too long after LAPD got the UHF R.O.V.E.R.s, that they got the MDTs; both in the early 1980s. The MDTs had their own radio systems to transmit/receive the data. For about a year (several months), our MDTs were covered with a vinyl hood and were "not to be used."
Somewhere in my garage, I have one of those Motorola control heads. The "Hunter" show had the same (or similar) radios in their cars, as well as Dragnet.
Here is a link to some picures of other LAPD radio equipment at the LAPD museum: LAPD Museum and Jack Webb interview Photo Gallery by samsast at pbase.com
Remember this car; and here are some RTO pics:
