private radio freqs for scenic railway

Status
Not open for further replies.

magic_lantern

Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2013
Messages
112
Asking for a friend,

He is the IT/ technical guy for a scenic railroad that also links to mainline railroads.
They currently use the railroad freqs for rail operations but have a few dead spots along the line, about 20 miles or so.

Currently they cant talk point to point from one station to the other and were inquiring about a repeater.

vhf repeater would most likely work and when weather is better I will assist with coverage checks using a boom truck to elevate the antenna and use a base radio and see if I can talk both ways, this will tell me if a repeater will do the job. dont want satalite receivers or any recurring monthly costs

I dont know anything about the rules for the federal railroad freqs and was wonder if there are any channel pairs that are authorized for repeater use or can they utilize a GMRS repeater if licensed.

thanks
 

KK4JUG

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 13, 2014
Messages
4,246
Location
GA
GMRS has a pretty broad definition of "family" but it doesn't include railroads. It's supposed to be for family use.
 

conrails

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 5, 2003
Messages
15
Location
Elkton, Maryland
Sounds to me like a voter would help you out. I work for Amtrak and we use voters along with satellite receivers.
 

KC2zZe

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Messages
604
Location
Mid-Hudson Valley, NY
GMRS? As in General Mobile Radio Service? The service infested with illegally used bubble-pack and CC portable radios?

We're entertaining putting a railroad, that's responsible for the safety of the passengers it carries, on such a system?

I'm hoping that I misread that.
 
Last edited:

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
Railroads already have an allocation of frequencies. The obvious play would be to coordinate with AAR and FCC to get coverage for the dead spot(s).
 

ecps92

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
14,360
Location
Taxachusetts
Apply for a 2nd RR Frequency and use that as the input for a Repeater
Put the Repeater up at a High Spot.

Or as others suggested, just implement a Remote RX site [Voter]
Asking for a friend,

He is the IT/ technical guy for a scenic railroad that also links to mainline railroads.
They currently use the railroad freqs for rail operations but have a few dead spots along the line, about 20 miles or so.

Currently they cant talk point to point from one station to the other and were inquiring about a repeater.

vhf repeater would most likely work and when weather is better I will assist with coverage checks using a boom truck to elevate the antenna and use a base radio and see if I can talk both ways, this will tell me if a repeater will do the job. dont want satalite receivers or any recurring monthly costs

I dont know anything about the rules for the federal railroad freqs and was wonder if there are any channel pairs that are authorized for repeater use or can they utilize a GMRS repeater if licensed.

thanks
 

RadioDitch

Signals Identification Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
3,074
Location
All over the map.
A repeater in the AAR Band (railroad band) is your best option. A minor license modification and the appropriate equipment is all that is needed. There is no restrictions for using repeaters in the AAR Band, as long as you are licensed to.
 

KK4JUG

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 13, 2014
Messages
4,246
Location
GA
Railroads already have an allocation of frequencies. The obvious play would be to coordinate with AAR and FCC to get coverage for the dead spot(s).

Please! You're using logic to confuse this thread,
 

Kitn1mcc

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 18, 2014
Messages
485
Location
Old Lyme ct
How many watts is the current base running. what kind of antenna and elevations

A rpt will work. the only draw back is if the HT are on repeter and trying to move trains they might not be heard
 

KK4JUG

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 13, 2014
Messages
4,246
Location
GA
Go back and look at post #6. Do it the right way.
 

radioman2001

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
2,974
Location
New York North Carolina and all points in between
GMRS would be a bad idea for any railroad, the FRA frowns upon the use of any communications device by a RR employee while on, in or near tracks, and never mind train movement, so fines start at around 14K to the individual not the RR.
Voting receivers are good for dispatch but do nothing for unit to unit coverage. Depending where you are located going through TCI the co-ordinator for the AAR railroad frequencies you should have no problem getting a repeater frequency added to your existing license. You will need to either do some work on your own or have TCI do a plot map for coverage. The basic licensing fee will set you back about 4K, but at least you will be legal and SAFE. I would also add NXDN to both licenses and if you are thinking of TRBO do that after you get the new license.
 

wa8pyr

Technischer Guru
Staff member
Lead Database Admin
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
6,982
Location
Ohio
Asking for a friend,

He is the IT/ technical guy for a scenic railroad that also links to mainline railroads.
They currently use the railroad freqs for rail operations but have a few dead spots along the line, about 20 miles or so.

Currently they cant talk point to point from one station to the other and were inquiring about a repeater.

vhf repeater would most likely work and when weather is better I will assist with coverage checks using a boom truck to elevate the antenna and use a base radio and see if I can talk both ways, this will tell me if a repeater will do the job. dont want satalite receivers or any recurring monthly costs

I dont know anything about the rules for the federal railroad freqs and was wonder if there are any channel pairs that are authorized for repeater use or can they utilize a GMRS repeater if licensed.

To add to what others have said. . .

Yes, you can license a repeater in the railroad band. Definitely stay away from GMRS or other bands; railroads have a dedicated allocation so it's best to use it.

I'd recommend using the existing frequency as the repeater output, and obtain an additional frequency to use as the repeater input. By doing so, someone transmitting on the old (single) channel can still be heard by others on the repeater.

You'll have to get the necessary hardware (repeater and duplexer, antenna, feed cable, etc) and put the repeater somewhere that gives a good line of sight view of the entire route.

When you apply for a new frequency, get one as far away from the existing frequency as you can (for example, if the existing frequency is 161.565, get a frequency below 161.000 as the repeater input. At least 500 kHz away is best, and the farther the better; duplexers aren't cheap and get awfully expensive when the frequency separation drops below 500 kHz.

However, a way to get around an expensive large duplexer is to use a smaller duplexer and separate antennas, mounted vertically as far apart as possible. Getting this right can be tricky, though.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top