Where is VDOT?

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rbuxton

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Is VDOT still using the 47 MHz freqs? I've heard nothing for a real long time. Every now and then I'll hear some cryptic comms on the STARS talkgroups for VDOT (as listed in RR) and the DOT units on the VSP talkgroups.

Where does VDOT conduct its routine operations nowadays?

Thanks.
 

KF4ZTO

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I'm in Richmond and still hearing VDOT on lowband very active tonight in the snow, 47.300 (PL 110.9) repeater.
 

fredva

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The VDOT Safety Service Patrol is on a Commtronics LTR 463.9625 HR-17

That is in your area of the state. Further north, the Safety Service Patrol has been using the VSP dispatch talkgroup, which allows the SSP and troopers direct communication while handling accidents.
 

Samuel

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I think VDOT's radio usage varies signficantly depending on where you are in the state. I almost never hear anything on their frequencies in NOVA but I will pick up all kinds of traffic from further south. I know they make significant use of nextel direct connect and as another poster said SSP up here is on VSP's talkgroups. I havent heard a peep on the old SSP lowband repeater since VSP went to STARS.
 

rescue674aa

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all the vdots stuff is moving to stars. I work with a contractor for vdot we are all moving to STARS even SSP and us. SSP in Hampton Roads is switching soon.
 

billsblots

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All of VDOT is not moving to STARS. NoVA SSP is the primary VDOT user of STARS, with new SSP functions in Southwest and Northwest Virginia added in 2012 on STARS. VDOT only got 150 manager/SSP trucks with STARS radios initially and their fleet has nearly 5,000 mobile radios on low band. They definitely are NOT moving off low band for the foreseeable future.

There are now more than 50 low band repeaters up state wide. New ones added in the past year or so are in Alleghany, Bath, Highland, Nelson, Grayson, Augusta, and more. In some areas there is not much traffic until snow or bad weather, then they are pinging all the time. The Augusta repeater on Elliott Knob is on 47.22, and can be heard east of the mountains even. Again, mostly quiet until bad weather hits.

Nova Safety Service Patrol has largely moved off 47.04 onto STARS. The 47.04 site may be reallocated to Fairfax Highway Maintenance. In VDOT NoVA there is a culture not wanting to use two-way radio, and in many places turn it off and refuse to use it. The exception is many Loudoun County headquarters and mobiles who use the 47.08 repeater on Short Hill.

Virginia Beach SSP continue to use the monster repeater on 47.30, heard in much of southeast VA if you have a decent antenna. Day in and day out this is the most active VDOT channel. The other typically busy channel is Culpeper Madison on 47.34, also heard in much of the eastern half of Virginia because of its location over 3,000 feet.

There are so many repeaters on their system now that the number of users on most channels is fairly small, so many repeaters have little traffic until the snow hits.

One thing to try is just programming in the FCC traditional Highway frequencies, roughly every 20 KHz from 47.020 to 47.400. Not every one is used in Virginia but if you have any kind of good antenna and scan those during and after a snow storm or hurricane you will be able to hear repeaters on many of those channels, in fact you will pick up 2 repeaters on some of those freqs, depending on your location. Disable PL, but their repeaters use standard PL 110.9 and 114.8. Simplex ops uses some of those 47 MHz freqs on different PLs. Repeater inputs are paired in the 45 MHz range, as is a workzone channel. There has not been a significant weather event in Virginia for a couple of winters so the widespread and noticeable activity in the lower 47 MHz band has seemed absent.
 
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rescue674aa

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Once again i was at work and ran into SSP and also 3 State troppers. They are switching to help with communication and also using the old low band as back up.



Dusty
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SCPD

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Saw on WAVY TV10 that a company TME treats the interstates and other stuff. Not sure if they have radio's in the trucks. Been searching 47.000-48.000 and NO hits for VDOT freq.
 

rescue674aa

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they use the Hampton Roads channel and only the supervisors have mobiles in there trucks trucks no portables. the rest of them use CB's for like doing a mobile operations. Where they use 3 TMA(crash trucks) in a line.
 

billsblots

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Massive traffic on VDOT repeaters this afternoon from Roanoke to Petersburg. This likely will push east with the snow.
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EDIT:
Currently from Farmville on a mobile antenna the following freqs are very active.

47.04 Pr Edward Co Hampden Sydney (Leigh Mtn rptr)
47.30 Bedford (Apple Orchard rptr)
47.12 Appomattox Rustburg (Long mtn rptr)
47.20 Nelson County, a few trucks (rptr above Livingston)
47.22 Mecklenburg Chase City (Chase City rptr)
47.28 Amherst Forks of Buffalo (Tobacco Row mtn rprtr)
47.34 Franklin Co. Rocky Mount, above squelch (Grassy Hill rptr)
47.08 Halifax South Boston (South Boston rptr)
47.20 Pittsylvania County north (Smith Mtn rptr)
 
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billsblots

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The VDOT Safety Service Patrol is on a Commtronics LTR 463.9625 HR-17

That is a contractor, not actually VDOT. They are under contract to perform motorist assistance and as part of their contract had to provide their own communications. They lease services from a local two way radio company.

EDIT: That refers to Richmond area only. Hampton Roads SSP are contractors too but use the VDOT repeater on 47.30 located at 650 feet on a tower at Driver. SW, NW, and NOVA SSP primarily use STARS, the NOVA primarily on VSP talk groups.
 
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trainman111

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Is the contractor driving VDOT marked vehicles or their own? All of the SSP vehicles I see have VDOT markings.
 

adamfo

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Virginia Beach Police feed

What happened to the Virginia Beach Police online feed? I do not have a scanner/radio. Any other websites I can go on to listen to VBPD?
 

billsblots

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Some additional VDOT frequencies active this evening as I drove to the Petersburg Richmond area. The HR SSP and Windsor rptrs as usual were audible beginning west of Petersburg on US 460.

47.22 King William Tappahannock St Stephen Church (Rumford rptr)
47.34 New Kent Charles City (New Kent rptr)
47.30 Hampton Roads SSP (Driver rptr, which is kind of a play on words)
47.08 Southampton County, Franklin city (Franklin VSP tower)
47.20 Windsor and surrounding offices (Windsor tower rptr)
47.20 Goochland Oilville (Goochland I-64 EB rest area tower rptr)
 

billsblots

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Is the contractor driving VDOT marked vehicles or their own? All of the SSP vehicles I see have VDOT markings.

That's a good question if you're asking about the Richmond region. I don't know. In HR they have always had VDOT markings even though the drivers were contract. Recently they went from VDOT owned vehicles to contractor supplied vehicles there, but I believe they still carry the VDOT markings. I'll see what I can find out.

In Salem SW Region they are VDOT owned and VDOT markings with STARS and VDOT radios, but use STARS for SSP voice traffic.
 
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