Old (old) statewide point to point low band frequencies

[Davrs]

Hi all,
Back home in Rochester for a while, and was cleaning the old shack of 30+ years of dust.
My son & I were discussing old state systems and I told him that there used to be a few low band point to point channels out there ( 42.xxx SP point to point, 42.xxx SP to Sheriff's Depts, 39.xxx County Sheriff's point to point, and of course there's 46.22).
We're making a kind of historical journal about my "old days" listening in the shack all night, and was wondering if anyone knew what the frequencies- tho long depreciated- actually were, as well as any in WNY that I might have forgotten.
Thanks in advance

 

[k2hz]

42.14 NYSP and 39.46 Sheriffs. Prior to 39.46 many Sheriff's were on 39.18 and it was also used for interagency. 46.10 was similarly used for Fire intersystem before 45.88. 46.22 was the common Fireground frequency.

 

[chrismol1]

Has anyone heard 42.14 radio at Troop stations recently? I've noticed a few NYSP bases still license 42.14 on their licenses along with the standard 154.695 STATE and their Troop Base freq and 39.46 is still licensed throughout the state altho renewals vs installations, I don't know, its on the interop guide so on standby for those rare times

NY Interoperability Guide has 39.46 as LLAW1D. LFIRE4D 45.88. NYFIRE22 46.22

 

[jeepsandradios]

I know of many counties that still use and have 45.88 on the air and many that have a base for 46.22. Have not seen a 39.46 at a tower site but not saying they are not out there.

 

[k2hz]

When NYSP was on Low Band, 42.14 was statewide base and 42.30 statewide mobile. When they moved to VHF, 42.14 base stations were left in place for backup point to point communication between NYSP stations. I believe they have been phased out over the years as substations were relocated and towers replaced. I heard that when the original Troop D Canandaigua headquarters monopole tower was replaced several years ago 42.14 was not moved to the new tower.

I am not aware of any NYSP to Sheriff use of any 42 frequency. The radios back in the 60s could not handle a wide frequency split without retuning or even a different model radio. The 39.46 frequency was picked for Interop since it was in the middle of the 39 MHz band so a mobile or base for an agency that was on 39.10 or 39.98 could use it as "F2" in their radios. NYSP had separate base stations for 39.46 and I don't believe any Sheriff's had 42.14 since the 42 frequencies could only be licensed to state police agencies.

When the Interop frequencies 39.46, 45.88 and 46.22 were adopted it replaced the use of 39.18 and 46.10 which had been informally adopted since many departments originally had these as their primary or secondary frequency and the use of 46.22 was officially recognized. Like 39.46, 46.22 was in the middle of the 46 band so it could be used as F2 in the old radios for a FD that was on 46.02 or 46.46.

With few agencies still on Low Band, 155.370 NYLAW has made 39.46 obsolete and I doubt it is in use anymore. 45.88 still remains as Fire point to point since there is no comparable VHF or UHF Fire frequency for county to county dispatcher communications I am aware of. With very few FDs still on Low Band use of 46.22 as a common fireground channel is pretty much deprecated.

 

[GTR8000]

45.88's days may be numbered in some lower Hudson Valley counties as well.

 

[Davrs]

Thanks for all the help guys. My son read the posts and can't believe that these frequencies we're actually used, lol. I recall that I heard many good 'catches' listening in the middle of the night.
My son grew up in Ridgewood, Bergen Co NJ, where they still occasionally use their 37.xx and 39.xx channels - but mostly just to have a car pick up their food, or just to complain.

 

[mshumeyk]

My son grew up in Ridgewood, Bergen Co NJ, where they still occasionally use their 37.xx and 39.xx channels - but mostly just to have a car pick up their food, or just to complain.

I have very rarely heard Broome County Communications communicate with Chenango County on 45.88 regarding mutual aid.

Also, I too grew up in the Ridgewood Saddle River area. 37.08 was used by the towns on the HoHokus to Mahwah Route 17 corridor, 37.38 by the Bergan County Police, 37.18 by the Rockland County PD's, and we called 37.10 the "garbage frequency" as it was used by local DPW's, local ambulance toneouts, and scattered PD's all over the region including several Westchester County towns (Mt Pleasant, ?Ossining), Saddle Brook/Rochelle Park/Lodi, and Millburn. When listening to 37.08 with tunable VHF radios in the pre-scanner days, transmissions on nearby 37mhz frequencies would bleed over, allowing you to monitor addition departments, whether you wanted to or not.

 

[onsceno]

45.88's days may be numbered in some lower Hudson Valley counties as well.

Is this expected to be the case with the proper integration of TRS? Even with NYCOMCO in place (prior to its semi-demise), 45.88 was and still is heavily utilized down this way; especially Orange/Ulster/Westchester and even Rockland. FWIW, it remains quite active in the Catskills region.

 

[N2ACF]

Is this expected to be the case with the proper integration of TRS? Even with NYCOMCO in place (prior to its semi-demise), 45.88 was and still is heavily utilized down this way; especially Orange/Ulster/Westchester and even Rockland. FWIW, it remains quite active in the Catskills region.

The lower Hudson Valley counties will still maintain 45.880 because not everyone (like some State units or very distant Counties, etc.) won't have access to the TRS. But, there is a plan for those lower Counties to use a common TG on a TRS in lieu of 45.880.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Source here
39.46 - State Police
42.04 - State Police
42.14 - State Police
42.30 - State Police
42.36 - State Police
42.48 - State Police
42.52 - State Police
39.46 - County Sheriff

 

[doctordialtone]

39.46 - State Police
42.04 - State Police
42.14 - State Police
42.30 - State Police
42.36 - State Police
42.48 - State Police
42.52 - State Police
39.46 - County Sheriff

Those are all former CT State Police Frequencies.

Wonder if it's a coincidence or erroneous information?

 

[k2hz]

I can confirm that 42.04, 42.14, 42.30 and 42.36 were used by NYSP in central/western NY prior to the move to High Band and 42.48 and 42.52 may have been used downstate. At that time, there was a tendency to use the same Low Band frequencies in adjacent states on a regional basis and avoid frequencies used in other parts of the country like the west and south to avoid "skip" interference. The idea being you could minimize interference from adjacent states with careful separation of operating areas for each frequency but skip interference on frequency could be a strong as local.

If you were co-channel with somebody like California that tended to operate duplex and left their bases keyed up with "busy" signals it was catastrophic to try to hear your own units while skip was present.

 

[mshumeyk]

Those are all former CT State Police Frequencies.

Wonder if it's a coincidence or erroneous information?

Back in the early 70's I traveled to Connecticut fairly frequently and at that time all Connecticut State Police Troops were dispatched on 45.02 mHz. and I believe mobile talked back on 44.86 or a frequency in that area. When NY State made the switch to their current VHF high band system their old low band frequencies were licensed to the Connecticut State Police. I wasn't around the state at that time but I remember seeing the information in the old Radio Shack "Police Call" frequency lists.

 

[k2hz]

IIRC NYSP was definitely co-channel with Maine on some frequencies but I don't recall anything about Connecticut while NYSP was still Low Band.

 

[doctordialtone]

I remember seeing the information in the old Radio Shack "Police Call" frequency lists.

Yes exactly! That's where I got my frequencies from.

there was a tendency to use the same Low Band frequencies in adjacent states on a regional basis and avoid frequencies used in other parts of the country

Yep.


I listened from mostly Central CT, so rarely heard the other states on the frequencies.

Good info on the old days here.

 

[bcrmc]

I have very rarely heard Broome County Communications communicate with Chenango County on 45.88 regarding mutual aid.

Broome County still uses 45.88 on nearly a daily basis to talk with Tioga, Cortland, Chenango and Delaware Counties. The transmitter is on Hawkins Hill northeast of Port Crane.

 

[bcrmc]

155.370 NYLAW1 is still used among VHF police agancies however the National Interop VCall and VTacs are becoming more and more prevalent. The same goes for UCall and UTacs, 8 Call and 8Tacs. SOme are using 7Tacs as well.

 

[mshumeyk]

155.370 NYLAW1 is still used among VHF police agancies however the National Interop VCall and VTacs are becoming more and more prevalent. The same goes for UCall and UTacs, 8 Call and 8Tacs. SOme are using 7Tacs as well.

The Vestal PD 155.31 transmitter is so close to my house that every transmission bleeds over onto 155.37 which has no PL so I've locked it out. I do remember when 155.37 was used by Broome to page NYSP cars due to our County Sheriff refusing to let NYSP transmit on the Sheriff channel. Must have been over 20 years ago.
Also after my post about 45.88 I remembered hearing Broome speaking with Tioga on that frequency. I may have locked it out of my desktop scanner with roof antenna and know I can't pick them up on the handhelds I use most of the time .

 

[bcrmc]

The Vestal PD 155.31 transmitter is so close to my house that every transmission bleeds over onto 155.37 which has no PL so I've locked it out. I do remember when 155.37 was used by Broome to page NYSP cars due to our County Sheriff refusing to let NYSP transmit on the Sheriff channel. Must have been over 20 years ago.

Actually, that was 31 years ago.... when Broome established E911 and the County received the 911 calls. The nearest car concept was quickly implemented and 911 calls have been transmitted over the Sheriff transmitters ever since. That will continue on the new P25 system when fully implemented.