A History Lesson, Please.

[Chaos703]

I'd like to know more about the history of the old state nets.:
155.49, 155.67, 155.76, 155.13, etc.

I've always made certain assumptions about how the origins of the system. For example, I assumed that at one time there was only one universal frequency used by all the SOs (49) and one for all the PDs (67?), and one for all the FDs (13),etc. But I've recently seen those freqs labeled so many different things I'm now very curious about the how it all came into being.

I think I've read somewhere that VHF High technology was perfected during WWII for short range, battlefield tactical applications. So did these state networks come about after the war, maybe? Pre-FCC, too, I'm sure.

Anyone old (in a good way) enough to remember?

 

[PanJurekMrJerry]

:arrow: Does this help?:

http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/h/hi/history_of_radio.html 8)

 

[n5bew1]

I have been listening to scanners since the mid-70's in those days and even earlier times were simpler both in amount of radio traffic and in the complexity of the radios. Small towns could co-exist on 155.49 for there traffic. If they needed to check a tag and didn't have a teletype they went to "state net ie 155.67 to call into the OHP or a larger PD to obtain that info. Many PD's and SO's monitored 155.67 in addition to their main channel. Fire Depts in smaller towns used 154.13 to dispatch and to have mutual aid capability with neighboring small towns. Also radios in those days were crystal controlled and each extra set for a new frequency were
expensive for some radios. Each radio had a specific bandwidth so frequencies could not be spread all up and down the band and tended to be clustered fairly closely. With the newer computer programming and super-duper wide band 400 channel vhf radios now you can cover a lot of ground. Back in the days of a 2 or 4 channel radio small towns kinda stuck with what they had but as radio traffic increased over the years even they have had to spread out to other freqs to avoid too much talk.

 

[Chaos703]

Very informative. Thanks. All this modern technology is so easy to take for granted.

I started scanning in about 1988 or 89. I lived in Okmulgee at the time. Even at that late date it was still quite common to hear something like "Okmulgee PD, Tulsa OHP, state net" on 67. I guess they no longer communicate like that because I haven't heard such a call for years. Even back then Okmulgee PD could run their own records and the calls were usually something like a 10-5 request or to advise Troop B of some wreck or hazard—all situations that, I would think, they still have a need for today.

Was such inter-departmental state-net traffic officially halted, or is it all done with email and flash notes now days?

Also, back in the day (1940s, 50s & 60s), were these network channels a national thing, or just Oklahoma frequencies?

 

[n5bew1]

Howdy I suspect that with more computering of law enforcement most all things that were handled on 155.67 are now done in house by even the smallest PD. Also the freqs were probably co-ordinated by the law enforcement frequency co-ordinators which all licensees had to go through statewide to get the FCC license. 155.49, 155.67, 155.76 & 154.13 were issued a lot for Oklahoma. I think in Texas their version of 155.67 is 155.37. Any other opinions are welcomed. Ken

 

[Thunderbolt]

The original Oklahoma police mutual aid frequencies were on 37 and 45 MHz., but moved up to 155.490 and 155.670 in the late 1950s. The reason for this was the heavy amount of skip traffic, making it impossible to communicate even at short distances. Likewise, the statewide Civil Defense freq., was 37.10 before moving to 155.235 MHz., at about the same time.

The old low band system was unique to Oklahoma, as are the current VHF-High band frequencies. However, Pennsylvania uses 155.490 in many areas for mutual aid purposes.


73's

Ron