Antiquated Police Radios

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ve3opc

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Kind of dating my self here but am curious......I have lived long enough to watch Police Radio progress in frequency from OPP evolving from the old VHF Lo band 41.960 -42.020 42.060 42.220 to present and Belleville Police services moving from 155.210 -142.0350 but was curious as to where they where such services where even before that...I heard but never substantiated that once upon a time they where just above the AM Broadcast Band.?........Anyone older then me out there Know...LOL.
 

SCPD

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AM Multiband

Yes sir, I remember the old multiband radio we had when I was a kid that tuned AM band and AM police band. It was extremely difficult to tune to, as it tended to drift.
 

N4GIX

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Keep in mind that back then the "system" was one-way only. The cars could only receive "traffic" from the dispatcher. If they needed to talk back, they had to find a phone or call-box! ;)
 

w8prr

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If you watch and OLD movie and you hear "calling al cars, calling all cars, respond to.........." that was what they were doing, one way broadcasts hoping all cars would hear and respond. Later some agencies used VHF low band to talk back but still received on AM just about broadcast band.
 

KR4BD

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Lexington, KY
When living in Southern California around 1960, I used to listen to LAPD dispatches just above 1600 kHz. Most AM radios would tune a bit past 1600 where these broadcasts could be heard in good old Amplitude Modulation. Does anyone know when LAPD stopped using these AM frequencies?
 

derevs

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VE3OPC
Here is an answer from Ontario!!!
Yes I can remember when I was a lad I could listen to the OPP on a shortwave radio when I lived around Bala. Don't remember the frequency but it was in the 2 or 3 Mhz range.
The antenna on the cruisers when they operated in the 42 Mhz range were actually cut down from the shortwave to transmit in the 42 Mhzband.
 

w8prr

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CA Highway Patrol used Medium Frequency (1600-2000 kHz) for base to mobile very late, maybe as late as 1960, and had low band VHF ( around 42MHZ) transmitters in cars to talk back
 
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