154.250 SE PA

[trentbob]

Correction. I meant to say 154.25 in the above post.

 

[RES27CUE]

No the only VHF High frequency used by the Burlington Bridge Commission is 151.01 PL 127.3, simplex.. used every day more frequently than the bridge commissions talk group on the Burlington County encrypted system, District 49 is Burlington Bristol and District 48 is Tacony Palmyra.

My only experience in the area with 124.25 was, a long time repeater for East Windsor Rescue Squad. That frequency hung around for decades. Might still be used but I'm not in that area at all anymore so I don't know.

I've heard "station 11" and "49cars" on 154.25 every day and sometimes nights for the last two weeks and it is a repeater which was told the repeater ID was Burlington County. I also hear many comments about traveling short distances between PA and NJ and lane closures. I believe they may have since started using 154.25 with a repeater. Before about two weeks ago this frequency was silent outside of being used by the Lower providence fire department. Radio testing was done for about a week followed by hearing programming radio testing then range between PA and NJ atop a bridge. I am monitoring this from an indoor antenna from eastern Montgomery County with a pretty strong signal so this should be able to be heard roughly 25 miles out.

 

[trentbob]

I've heard "station 11" and "49cars" on 154.25 every day and sometimes nights for the last two weeks and it is a repeater which was told the repeater ID was Burlington County. I also hear many comments about traveling short distances between PA and NJ and lane closures. I believe they may have since started using 154.25 with a repeater. Before about two weeks ago this frequency was silent outside of being used by the Lower providence fire department. Radio testing was done for about a week followed by hearing programming radio testing then range between PA and NJ atop a bridge. I am monitoring this from an indoor antenna from eastern Montgomery County with a pretty strong signal so this should be able to be heard roughly 25 miles out.

I live on the Bristol side of the river near the bridge, I usually just listen when I'm going through the Bridge Approach in Bristol borough just to see if anything is active. The 151.01 frequency was the old F2 for the police way back when. Was always used more than the county systems, going back to the 500 MHz T band. When I listen to it I also listen to channel 13 which the bridge operators and boats are on.

This must be brand new as I recently heard them on 151.01, I'm surprised they're on a repeater as Simplex works so well in such close proximity between the bridges, the police cars talking to the bridge operators etc etc. Thank you very much for the tip and I will program that in tomorrow, I wonder where the repeater is coming from, do you have a PL tone?. I can search for one.

There is only room for one frequency to serve this function, Bridge operators notifying 2 District cars, police cars letting the bridge operators know that the road is closed and the bridge operator to let the police know that the bridge is seated. They need two Bridge operators at all times when a boat is passing under the bridge so the police have to pick up an operator from one of the toll booths before an opening. All of that has to be on one frequency or another they wouldn't use 2.

This must have happened just recently, again thank you for the tip and I will program that into my radios tomorrow and I will give a report if the old F2 frequency is being used anymore. That 151 MHz frequency goes Way Way Back. Thanks! I'll let you know what I hear. Great tip.

 

[RES27CUE]

I live on the Bristol side of the river near the bridge, I usually just listen when I'm going through the Bridge Approach in Bristol borough just to see if anything is active. The 151.01 frequency was the old F2 for the police way back when. Was always used more than the county systems, going back to the 500 MHz T band. When I listen to it I also listen to channel 13 which the bridge operators and boats are on.

This must be brand new as I recently heard them on 151.01, I'm surprised they're on a repeater as Simplex works so well in such close proximity between the bridges, the police cars talking to the bridge operators etc etc. Thank you very much for the tip and I will program that in tomorrow, I wonder where the repeater is coming from, do you have a PL tone?. I can search for one.

There is only room for one frequency to serve this function, Bridge operators notifying 2 District cars, police cars letting the bridge operators know that the road is closed and the bridge operator to let the police know that the bridge is seated. They need two Bridge operators at all times when a boat is passing under the bridge so the police have to pick up an operator from one of the toll booths before an opening. All of that has to be on one frequency or another they wouldn't use 2.

This must have happened just recently, again thank you for the tip and I will program that into my radios tomorrow and I will give a report if the old F2 frequency is being used anymore. That 151 MHz frequency goes Way Way Back. Thanks! I'll let you know what I hear. Great tip.

I have not put it in the receiver to obtain a tone, I have it in multiple things being a local fire company secondary channel. Two things that interest me is one frequency coordination as the fire company local here has had license to this frequency for what I believe is 30 years. To guess this repeater is 25 plus miles away on either side of the bridge and I am hearing it very strong. Another question why in the public safety pool, I would think this would fall business if any. I also just heard a transmission saying "48" so I have now heard 48,49 and what I believe they are saying station 11. Whoever it is they speak fast, and transmissions are short, but the license doesn't come back as bridge. I believe it comes back as a Burlington fire.

 

[trentbob]

I have not put it in the receiver to obtain a tone, I have it in multiple things being a local fire company secondary channel. Two things that interest me is one frequency coordination as the fire company local here has had license to this frequency for what I believe is 30 years. To guess this repeater is 25 plus miles away on either side of the bridge and I am hearing it very strong. Another question why in the public safety pool, I would think this would fall business if any. I also just heard a transmission saying "48" so I have now heard 48,49 and what I believe they are saying station 11. Whoever it is they speak fast, and transmissions are short, but the license doesn't come back as bridge. I believe it comes back as a Burlington fire.

Yes I have a theory because I have heard 151.01 in the last few days, as I say I take Route 13 to Route 413 which is the Bridge Approach. I listen in the car and if I hear that it is going to be an opening that's going to be happening any minute I take another route to avoid the traffic. I just heard them the other day on 151. 01... so here's my theory and we will find out tomorrow depending how many openings there are. 151. 01 is used for both District 49 and 48.

So here's my educated guess just hearing the simplex a few days ago, I chose to go to the Bridge Approach route because the bridge was seated and the highway was open and the backup had abated.. it's not monitored by Burlington County Wide dispatch. Maybe all the bosses are in locations where the simplex low power can't be heard. So here's my educated guess. The 124.25 repeater is going to rebroadcast the 151.01 simplex so it can be heard in total from a good distance. Maybe County dispatch at Woodland Road and Route 541 will monitor..

We will have an answer by tomorrow night LOL.😉

 

[trentbob]

Once again a correction I meant to say 154.25 above. So far this morning no bridge openings but there are two active repeaters way out of range for me on 154.25. One of them is illegible but it's only a automated station identification and the other is very weak, definitely not the Burlington County Bridge Commission. They do make reference to 39 cars and 50 cars which are not districts for the Bridge Commission. This repeater is on DCS156.

I will continue to monitor Marine 13, 151.01 pl127.3 and 154.25 on tone search. Hopefully we will have an opening today.

 

[RES27CUE]

Maybe they are saying 39 like I was saying short fast conversations and sometimes it clearer than others. Sometimes I just hear names and very plain speech which makes me believe it is a secondary channel. Please update bob thanks

 

[trentbob]

Maybe they are saying 39 like I was saying short fast conversations and sometimes it clearer than others. Sometimes I just hear names and very plain speech which makes me believe it is a secondary channel. Please update bob thanks

Yep.. I reread the entire thread carefully, may have something to do with tropospheric ducting as some people have mentioned. Until we have a complete bridge opening we won't know, it will be good if we can pin it down even if it takes a few days.

 

[RES27CUE]

Yep.. I reread the entire thread carefully, may have something to do with tropospheric ducting as some people have mentioned. Until we have a complete bridge opening we won't know, it will be good if we can pin it down even if it takes a few days.

I'd be very surprised of it being a band opening seeing how my signal doesn't seem to change much. There was however less activity today then I heard other days. The activity is more during business hours than at night.

 

[trentbob]

I'd be very surprised of it being a band opening seeing how my signal doesn't seem to change much. There was however less activity today then I heard other days. The activity is more during business hours than at night.

Unfortunately we have had no bridge openings. These are large International cargo ships and it seems to coincide with the economy. I also have an app on my phone that tells me if there's any activity. Nothing yet.

I've been listening to this repeater, some kind of enforcement agency. One car told another to check Area 3. That's how the bridge commission divides their property up, by areas. One car said to the other I'll see you back in the slot, I've never heard that with the Bridge Commission but if it's Tacony Palmyra, I don't know.

This kind of Chit Chat is usually associated with 151.01 or they talk on the phase 2 encrypted Burlington County system.. 151.01 is reserved for bridge openings and talking with Bridge operators, Public Works trucks and plows.

We shall see soon enough.

 

[trentbob]

What a mystery but we are making progress. I have been monitoring Marine Channel 13, 154.25 DCS 125 and 151.01 pl 127.3

My preliminary finding is this.. 154.25 is being used by the Burlington Bridge Commission. Doesn't make any sense but here's the reasons I think so. It came alive at 9:00 a.m. exactly which doesn't make any sense, it's a 24-hour operation to patrol the bridge. But they made reference to 48 cars and a backup on the Pennsylvania side. They could be monitoring traffic flow on the Tacony Bridge which is larger and far more used. But yesterday we heard a car told to patrol Area 3, Bridge Commission term.

I can't confirm that it isn't a rebroadcast of 151.01, I can't receive that frequency at very low wattage from this distance. There has been no traffic enforcement whatsoever as that would be done on the encrypted talk group on the Burlington County Wide Phase 2 system.

Here's another Oddity. There have been no bridge openings. I'm going by Burlington Bristol Bridge which I would hear everything loud and clear including the vessel contacting the bridge on Marine Channel 13. If there was a bridge opening inbound upstream at Tacony then the next stop would be the Burlington-Bristol Bridge and I have not heard any contact from a North bound boat to the Bristol Bridge.

I have heard nothing on 151.01 as there have been no bridge openings but once in awhile they would just be chatter but I've heard nothing. I have yet to hear reference to 49 cars on the 154.25.

This isn't over yet, I will continue to monitor the three frequencies and see if we get even a peep out of the Burlington-Bristol Bridge somewhere. Another possibly influencing factor, this August they named a new chairman of board of directors top boss of the commission, first female to ever hold the position. There might be some policy changes.

If one of the bridges was temporarily closed for maintenance which they do do. We would hear Mariner advisories on Coast Guard Channel 16 and 22. I have been kind of ignoring them but I will listen to them also but it would be repeated on a regular cycle. I have them in the car loud and clear and nada.

There is also the del-air railroad bridge which is south of Tacony just south of the Betsy Ross which does not need openings but the del-air does. They have been active on Marine Channel 13 with regular openings for the port. Doesn't necessarily mean they come north to Tacony it just means they're moving around in the port. The Delair bridge is operated by New Jersey Transit and the only communication they use is telephone and Marine Channel 13 and they never speak to the Bridge Commission.

I'm going to continue to follow through with this project and I have officially written to the Burlington County Bridge Commission requesting information on what might be going on, it doesn't hurt, I often did it when I published frequency listings.

What we need is a bridge opening at Bristol and I think that will answer a lot of questions. Could just be a slow time and could have to do with recent business slow down which of course you hear just the opposite on the idiot box LOL.

I will keep you posted.

 

[trentbob]

Around 11:00 I heard a car from Burlington Bristol on 151.01 and it tickled 154.25, how about that? It was scanning so I didn't hear them both at the same time.

 

[trentbob]

Correction on the DCS for 124.25 from The Burlington Bridge Commission. It's DCS 156.

 

[policefreak]

What a mystery but we are making progress. I have been monitoring Marine Channel 13, 154.25 DCS 125 and 151.01 pl 127.3

My preliminary finding is this.. 154.25 is being used by the Burlington Bridge Commission. Doesn't make any sense but here's the reasons I think so. It came alive at 9:00 a.m. exactly which doesn't make any sense, it's a 24-hour operation to patrol the bridge. But they made reference to 48 cars and a backup on the Pennsylvania side. They could be monitoring traffic flow on the Tacony Bridge which is larger and far more used. But yesterday we heard a car told to patrol Area 3, Bridge Commission term.

I can't confirm that it isn't a rebroadcast of 151.01, I can't receive that frequency at very low wattage from this distance. There has been no traffic enforcement whatsoever as that would be done on the encrypted talk group on the Burlington County Wide Phase 2 system.

Here's another Oddity. There have been no bridge openings. I'm going by Burlington Bristol Bridge which I would hear everything loud and clear including the vessel contacting the bridge on Marine Channel 13. If there was a bridge opening inbound upstream at Tacony then the next stop would be the Burlington-Bristol Bridge and I have not heard any contact from a North bound boat to the Bristol Bridge.

I have heard nothing on 151.01 as there have been no bridge openings but once in awhile they would just be chatter but I've heard nothing. I have yet to hear reference to 49 cars on the 154.25.

This isn't over yet, I will continue to monitor the three frequencies and see if we get even a peep out of the Burlington-Bristol Bridge somewhere. Another possibly influencing factor, this August they named a new chairman of board of directors top boss of the commission, first female to ever hold the position. There might be some policy changes.

If one of the bridges was temporarily closed for maintenance which they do do. We would hear Mariner advisories on Coast Guard Channel 16 and 22. I have been kind of ignoring them but I will listen to them also but it would be repeated on a regular cycle. I have them in the car loud and clear and nada.

There is also the del-air railroad bridge which is south of Tacony just south of the Betsy Ross which does not need openings but the del-air does. They have been active on Marine Channel 13 with regular openings for the port. Doesn't necessarily mean they come north to Tacony it just means they're moving around in the port. The Delair bridge is operated by New Jersey Transit and the only communication they use is telephone and Marine Channel 13 and they never speak to the Bridge Commission.

I'm going to continue to follow through with this project and I have officially written to the Burlington County Bridge Commission requesting information on what might be going on, it doesn't hurt, I often did it when I published frequency listings.

What we need is a bridge opening at Bristol and I think that will answer a lot of questions. Could just be a slow time and could have to do with recent business slow down which of course you hear just the opposite on the idiot box LOL.

I will keep you posted.

I can confirm 154.25 IS the Burlington County Bridge Commission. This morning I had on 151.01 headed towards the bridge from the NJ side and there was no activity through Maple Shade and Pennsauken. I then tuned in to 154.25 and heard very clear transmissions talking about setting up a lane closure. Sure enough there was a lane closure on the bridge. There were several transmissions related directly to the construction on the bridge. Unsure if it was PD or the other workers on the bridge doing the transmissions. There was no activity on 151.01 at that time. On my way home I will listen again. This can be very helpful to listen to for traffic hangups on the bridge.

 

[RES27CUE]

Would anyone know where this repeater is located? Is the bridge commission part of Burlington County? Why would it still be licensed to the county as a fire frequency. I can hear this in Eagleville Montgomery County pretty clear.

 

[policefreak]

Would anyone know where this repeater is located? Is the bridge commission part of Burlington County? Why would it still be licensed to the county as a fire frequency. I can hear this in Eagleville Montgomery County pretty clear.

So I'll do more testing, but I'm pretty sure one is at the base of the Tacony Palmyra bridge on the NJ side at the Burlington County Bridge Commission building. The building has an antenna out front.

 

[RES27CUE]

Thats quite a ride 20 or so miles under so many different terrains. It has to be a high-power repeater or have elevation.

 

[trentbob]

Okay, I just spoke with a boss at the Bridge Commission. I heard an opening at the Tacony Palmyra Bridge on 154.25 DCS 156 that is absolutely used by the Burlington County Bridge Commission police and Tower operators. When I heard an opening and communication with station 11 and several Bridge Commission police cars indicating an opening but had not hear any boats contacting anybody including coming from the Burlington Bristol Bridge or going to the Burlington-Bristol Bridge, I had had enough.. LOL

I called a friend and got the inside number to a boss at the commission. The opening at Tacony Palmyra was a test opening as they are doing routine inspections, something that's done on both Bridges rather frequently.

I told him I was a amateur radio operator and listen to Marine Channel 13 without mentioning the new repeater frequency or 151.05.. I asked if there was a problem with the Burlington-Bristol bridge as I had not heard any boats contacting the bridge in days.

He was friendly and informative and said that he couldn't believe it either, he said there just isn't any traffic going or coming from Fairless, upstream or downstream for days now. Everything's operational..

As I say I've been using Marine Channel 13 and 151.01 pl127.3 forever so as to avoid traffic jams during openings when going through the intersection of Route 13 and 413 in Bristol.

I will continue to listen and I will report the next bridge opening at Bristol, even if it's a test.

I'll try to ascertain if the repeater which apparently is new is limited to just the Tacony Palmyra and the simplex 151.05 is limited to Burlington Bristol, that would make sense.

At least we found a solution to the question posed in the thread. Great find.

 

[trentbob]

Okay I just heard 49 cars, that's Burlington-Bristol on the repeater, they are picking up an operator from the toll plaza. I'm assuming it's not an opening for a boat, it's probably a test opening since no boats called The Bridge. One Cop said to the other I didn't hear a thing you said. The next I hear is 151.01 and the cop said I'll be on this radio LOL. My references to 151.05 in the above post, I meant 151.01.

I do hear the repeater clearly but it's not a really great signal with a rooftop and I'm right near the bridge and if the cops are having a hard time hearing it, you've got to wonder just how strong it is.

49 cars have both the radios and I bet you the 48 cars do to.

I have a theory about this with the new head chairman of the board in the commission taking over a few weeks ago. You can only hear the towers and the cops for a very short distance on the Simplex frequency and maybe somebody wants to hear that communication from a distance.😉

 

[RES27CUE]

Okay I just heard 49 cars, that's Burlington-Bristol on the repeater, they are picking up an operator from the toll plaza. I'm assuming it's not an opening for a boat, it's probably a test opening since no boats called The Bridge. One Cop said to the other I didn't hear a thing you said. The next I hear is 151.01 and the cop said I'll be on this radio LOL. My references to 151.05 in the above post, I meant 151.01.

I do hear the repeater clearly but it's not a really great signal with a rooftop and I'm right near the bridge and if the cops are having a hard time hearing it, you've got to wonder just how strong it is.

49 cars have both the radios and I bet you the 48 cars do to.

I have a theory about this with the new head chairman of the board in the commission taking over a few weeks ago. You can only hear the towers and the cops for a very short distance on the Simplex frequency and maybe somebody wants to hear that communication from a distance.😉

So, 151.01 is not being rebroadcasted on 154.25 repeater? I cannot hear 151.01 but 154.25 is a S5-S6 from Eagleville by the Emergency operations center which I would say off the top of my head is 15 or so air miles. There are times I hear it clearer than others but the repeater audio itself always sounds the same maybe not narrow banded radios. They also talk really fast or mumbled like at times.