Vintage SDPD Audio Recordings

[StevenS]

Hi All,

I was just taking a trip down memory lane. I was just thinking about my early days (early and mid 1980's) of listening to SDPD. This is back when SDPD operated on six 150 - 160 MHz VHF dispatch frequencies, and you would hear the crackle of a carrier when a unit released the mic. Back when a cross county incident may involve listening to CLEMARS. Back when the emergency traffic tone sounded like a DTMF number 4 being keyed rapidly 5 times in a row. You know, the good old days.

Anyway, my question is this. For those of us who have fond memories of those days, I was wondering if anyone knows of a source online containing any SDPD audio recordings from the 1980's or before? I did a search but came up empty handed. It would be really cool to go back and listen to some of these every now and then, just to remember how far things have progressed. Just curious if anyone knows if such a source exists. It makes me wish I had recorded more back in the day...

 

[brandon]

That would be fun to hear!

I think I may have an old casette tape somewhere that might have some SDPD. Also have some old SDSO recordings from their UHF days on those tapes. Remember their ET ringers? Good 'ol days

Now the the hardest part is going to be finding where I put them

 

[marcotor]

The city channels would just boom into my North County location in those days (Cardiff). The thing I remember, was hearing the dispatchers keyboards clattering while they were typing when dispatching calls. You post made me wistful, wishing I had saved those tapes from 1977-1983.

Hope someone finds an archive!

 

[StevenS]

Maybe it is just me, but when I recall the old days, I remember that the SDPD Frequencies hit my PRO-33 (I still have it, but now vintage ) with a really tinny sound, while the SDSO UHF frequencies sounded lower with bit more bass. I certainly do remember the clattering of the typing of the dispatcher keyboards! Remember the periodic FCC designators being announced (one SDPD one went something like "KMD727" if my memory is correct. I am getting to be an old guy now ?

I call these the good old days because it was so simple back then. There was no software or trunked systems in use. A good 20 channel scanner would allow you to monitor most of the county as I recall.

Ahh the memories. There used to be a site up, but somewhere over about the last 5 or 7 years it has disappeared. If memory serves me correct, it was like sandiegopublicsafety.com or something similar. I stumbled upon it one day and it probably had like 100 or more SDPD audio recordings archived. It was a lot of fun to go back and listen to more exciting radio traffic on a really slow day. Anyway, it has disappeared, so I am just really hoping someone finds another big repository of comms out there.

 

[brandon]

so I am just really hoping someone finds another big repository of comms out there.

I have a bunch of audio clips in mp3 format for San Diego and Riverside County if you are interested. I will see about getting them uploaded too. They are not quite vintage but from the 2000s era.

 

[StevenS]

I would totally be interested in having those uploaded somewhere where we could all enjoy them. Who knows, someday, it may be all we have left to listen to, sadly...

 

[n2deep]

Ahh the memories. There used to be a site up, but somewhere over about the last 5 or 7 years it has disappeared. If memory serves me correct, it was like sandiegopublicsafety.com or something similar. I stumbled upon it one day and it probably had like 100 or more SDPD audio recordings archived. It was a lot of fun to go back and listen to more exciting radio traffic on a really slow day. Anyway, it has disappeared, so I am just really hoping someone finds another big repository of comms out there.

HaHa that was actually my website back in the day. I went and looked and found a bunch of those recordings on a disc and uploaded them to dropbox here...https://www.dropbox.com/sh/200la02ik1xv2y0/AADQX6VVKyBITByLd5X47ID1a?dl=0 and feel free to download and use them as needed and if anyone has a website that they would like to add these to and hopefully preserve them, that is fine too.

 

[n6766j]

Vintage recordings

Steve,

Remember the Brenda Spencer shooting incident in the San Carlos neighborhood circa 1979. I have abut 90 minutes of that in digital...copied from cassette tape. Interested?

Tim Robinson
SDFD Dispatcher

 

[mike619]

Steve,

Remember the Brenda Spencer shooting incident in the San Carlos neighborhood circa 1979. I have abut 90 minutes of that in digital...copied from cassette tape. Interested?

Tim Robinson
SDFD Dispatcher

I would be interested in hearing it.

 

[StevenS]

Hi Tim,

I am not familiar with that incident. I would be interested in listening to that incident.

As an aside, I happened to be listening when the Serra Mesa/Birdland area officer involved shooting happened yesterday. It is very strange. Once you have been listening for many of years, you sort of get a very bad feeling in the pit of your stomach when something is about to go from bad to much worse. When I heard the suspect from yesterdays shooting was reaching into a backpack, I knew the incident was about to turn a deadly corner, and it did. Whenever I listen to these types of incidents, I immediately appreciate, and am thankful for the difficult job these officers do, each and every day. The officer shot is expected to recover, thankfully.

Steve

 

[StevenS]

n2deep,

Thank you for posting those in dropbox. I loved that site you had back in the day. Whenever the airwaves were slow, I would sometimes hop on over to your site, and listen to old incidents I had missed. It was a really cool site!

Steve