White PD - Set Your Wayback Machines

[ke6gcv]

Does anyone recall what the old statewide "White PD" frequency was? For me, it would have been late '80s to early '90s when I had just got into scanning and just before getting my Amateur Radio license.

 

[drsl2000]

I'm not sure about statewide, but in Orange County there was a car to car frequency, not repeated, "White" which was 460.150

 

[ladn]

I've been monitoring a long time and don't recall a statewide "White PD" frequency. There was a "White FD" frequency, 154.28 (now VFIRE21). It's corresponding LE frequency was CLEMARS (154.920), now CALAW1. There was also a CLEMARS mobile frequency (154.935), now CALAW2.

 

[norcalscan]

Same here. Been scanning since 91 and deep into California intel, as well as older 60-70’s system maps and diagrams of state systems (I’ll digitize them sometime to share) and have never come across a law “White” channel. Just the three White 1-3 for the fire side that are now absorbed into the VFIRE’s.

 

[ke6gcv]

Thank you, everyone! I was thinking there was some statewide channel like that where that name was used. The only thing I can think of now is that it was local to the city who was inquiring before they went 800.

I know the V-Fires were renamed from White Fire. But the moment I was asked, I immediately thought that "White PD" was some type of interop channel before interop was a thing. It just shows how well I've been keeping track of things. (Here's a hint... not very well... Haha!)

Thank you again! Much appreciated!

 

[K6CDO]

You may be thinking of the CLEMARS channels (154.920, 154.935) which were the "GOLD" channels. However, the naming convention was ignored in many jurisdictions.

Don

 

[ladn]

The only other statewide "White" LE channel designations I can think of are on the CHP system. They are divisional channels, not statewide interop.

 

[inigo88]

I've heard that the CHP UHF frequencies formerly belonged to the California State Police, which merged with CHP in 1995. They're now used for all kinds of random stuff, outside agency access, DMV investigators, etc. I'm not sure what the channel plan was or whether any had the "White" designator.

In the Bay Area, CHP Golden Gate Division does (or at least used to) simulcast the dispatch side of multiple division channels which would constantly be stepping on each other on 453.825 MHz "UHF 3" from Mt Diablo, and I was told at one point that was an ex-CSP frequency. The FCC license is KYJ333. 460.45 MHz and 453.85 MHz are also common CHP UHF frequencies you'll see around the state which I believe were former State Police frequencies as well, although I've heard very little voice traffic on them.

You can take a look at the CHP page in the database for the complete list: California - California Highway Patrol (CHP) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

 

[Kingscup]

I thought I vaguely remember 460.025 on the UHF side being the statewide white channel.

 

[Ronaldski]

42.560? Farthest back internet wayback machine goes to on the url in #7 . From there you can adjust it at the top of that page for different dates. January 9, 2008 => Department of the Highway Patrol (CHP) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

 

[inigo88]

Post #7 has the old CSP channel plan from a Bob Kelty GRS book from 1988. I don't see a White channel in there though, so you were likely thinking of CHP.

CHP-Ops2

I found Ops 2 thru 4 listed (460.45, 453.8375, and 453.85) and plugged them in. For the past 2 days I've been hearing traffic on Ops2, which is almost certainly CHP Capitol Ops (as a supplement to 460.375). It has the same PL of 127.3. Question: Does anyone know what the use is? Is it for...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[ke6gcv]

After reading everyone's responses, I do believe that the channel name was local to the agency. Unfortunately the inquiring agency couldn't provide a frequency - which would've been a big help, I know. They just powered up the radio and saw the name then asked. Nothing more.

Thank you to everyone who responded! It is much appreciated!

 

[commstar]

Late to the party here:

CMARS White 856.2625 CSQ
California Multi-Agency Radio System (CMARS)
Source: Government Radio Systems, California State Agencies, 1999

Back in that time, OES would deploy portable repeaters on CMARS freqs
for LE special events or limited duration programs in addition to static sites.

If memory serves, CDC transport bus operations used to use CMARS.

Repeated this channel would have been called Purple and used 110.9,
simplex it was White.

RIP Bob Kelty, your work lives on.

r/,
Mike

 

[Paysonscanner]

Late to the party here:

CMARS White 856.2625 CSQ
California Multi-Agency Radio System (CMARS)
Source: Government Radio Systems, California State Agencies, 1999

Back in that time, OES would deploy portable repeaters on CMARS freqs
for LE special events or limited duration programs in addition to static sites.

If memory serves, CDC transport bus operations used to use CMARS.

Repeated this channel would have been called Purple and used 110.9,
simplex it was White.

RIP Bob Kelty, your work lives on.

r/,
Mike

Later to the party.

My memory is quite fuzzy on this. I think individual agencies were assigned unique input/output tones so that the California Conservation Corps didn't have to listen to CDCR and so forth. My 2006 Kelty State Agencies book does not show the CMARS White like your copy shows. The 2006 version also showed what agencies were CMARS users. I can't find the unique tones assigned to each agency, material I remember late Hubby having. I remember him showing me the list and my ham tech class pea brain thinking, "imagine these repeaters all over the state receiving multiple input tones and having to pair those with multiple output tones." I hope I didn't recycle the paper he had this list on. Moving from CA to Payson, AZ was a tough experience in so many ways.

I've looked all through all of his CA state notebooks and haven't found any reference to a law enforcement "White." I found an old frequency list from a Radio Shack from some small Sierra Nevada town that has some "secret squirrel" DOJ frequencies with color references, but there isn't a "White." The only other agency with a frequency labeled "White" is State Parks (DPR). The radio users of that system don't refer to their frequencies with colors, only the radio techs do. Wait, I just found that on the old Caltrans VHF-Low they had a statewide "White" that was also Channel 1 and was 47.020 MHz.

Kelty's books not only identified frequencies, but contained information to help listeners understand much of what they were hearing. For example, he has lists of identifiers for different state agencies using both CMARS and the CHP systems. On both systems, the drivers of the governor's vehicle were simply "5000." I remember hearing this identifier on the local CHP net on the mobile frequency and saying "Arrrnold is in town!" Other staff of the governor had numbers like 5001 and so on. ABC had numbers in the 8100 series. There are other agencies on the page as well. He even had identifiers for the Dept. of Water Resources.

I wish Arizona could have or had a Kelty.