Any law enforcement agencies use hf channels?

[radioman2001]

HF is catch as catch can. While on manuevers at Otis Air Base in the 70's, we were using HF to talk to our base located at Westchester County Airport. Right in the middle of our exercise we started hearing a phone call. Turns out it was from Italy. It was summer, so I guess anythings possible.
Now Westchester County has licenses for HF as do New York State and NYSP. Used for emergencies to link to Albany. During the big Y2000 scare we had HF stations set up all over the state. So my take on HF for LE is that it is used for long range comms to the local emergency headquarters, not for day to day service.
BTW NYCDEP had played with it for their Policing of the upstate watersheds years ago, they went to sat comms instead.

 

[DaveNF2G]

BTW NYCDEP had played with it for their Policing of the upstate watersheds years ago, they went to sat comms instead.

Say what?

DEP uses commercial LTR-PassPort trunking when patrolling upstate.

If they are using satellites, it would be for telemetry (water levels and such).

 

[KF4ZTO]

Quick FCC license search finds Part 90.17A licenses for the Commonweath of Virginia for the following frequencies:

2326kHz, 2411kHz, 2463kHz, 2511kHz, 2587kHz, 2801kHz, 2812kHz, 5140kHz, 5192kHz, 5195kHz, and 7805 kHz for 1000 watts maximum ERP.

I'm assuming they're part of some statewide emergency license, but those are listed as center frequencies and the other frequencies listed are 1.3 kHz above the center, leading me to believe its USB. The licenses are WPDQ295, WPDQ296, WPDQ297, WPDQ298, and WPDQ299...

What I'm wondering is if all the states have some sort of setup or if its only a Virginia thing. From what you guys have said a lot of other states have HF-SSB licenses...

 

[nd5y]

I don't know how current this is. It may have changed in recent years.
A lot of states have a system called Operation SECURE (State Emergency Capability Using Radio Effectively)
It can only be used during a disaster or for short periods of time for training. It is not for routine traffic (like the Australian police HF frequencies).

The available frequencies are:
(kHz USB suppressed carrier frequency)
2326
2411
2414
2419
2422
2439
2463
2466
2471
2474
2487
2511
2535
2569
2587
2801
2804
2812
5135
5140
5167
5192 (interstate)
5195
7477
7480
7802
7805 (interstate)
7932
7935

All frequencies are not used in all states. They usually only have 4 or 5 of them.

In Texas the DPS and TxDOT had some frequencies licensed and trap dipoles installed at each TxDOT district HQ and each DPS comm center. I don't think they use it here any more and some of the DPS and TxDOT facilites in my area don't have the antennas any more.

 

[nd5y]

Say what?
If they are using satellites, it would be for telemetry (water levels and such).

Wrong. There is at least one and maybe more satellite radio services available for data and push-to-talk voice service that are used by several federal and state agencies. One of them is SkyTerra.

 

[iMONITOR]

Michigan State Police still list some HF frequencies. I've never monitored anything on them, but I've been told they are still in place, with working equipment, if needed.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Wrong. There is at least one and maybe more satellite radio services available for data and push-to-talk voice service that are used by several federal and state agencies. One of them is SkyTerra.

Don't contradict me unless you are talking about exactly what I said.

NYCDEP does not use satellites for voice communications when patrolling upstate water facilities.

When you quoted me, you excluded the part that renders your response totally irrelevant.

 

[Thunderknight]

I read in an article (I'll add it in if I can find it again) that NYCDEP uses meteor scatter (in the 30-80 MHz range, the exact frequencies escape me) for watershed telemetry. Much like the SNOTEL system in the western states.

 

[kb2vxa]

Meteor scatter??? OK, now pull the other one.

 

[ka3jjz]

Folks let's confine this discussion to HF - that is, frequencies below 30 mhz - usage by law enforcement. We're wandering a bit off base here.

73 Mike

 

[headsense]

Hi all from the colonies, glad to see we rate a mention still, below information pulled from old database that has since expanded and contracted somewhat due to the broad roll out of cell services to many remote area townships (local 40mile footprints, implementation of digital trunking systems and closure of many vhf services for common uhf allocations. Transmissions all in the clear USB, mobile units 100W PEP and base stations 100-400W PEP

Qld Police Service (khz)
2112,2182,2284,2436,2524,2632,3196,3752,4557,4620,4780,5180,5915,6905,7657,10295,13087,17675

Base and mobile stations predominately consist of Codan 9232 and Codan NGT transmitters with 9350autotune mobile antenna's, multitap fibreglass whips and base stations typically Delta type broad band omni directional folded wire type antennaes.

Major users these days are highway patrols outside Brisbane metro area and remote community areas or disaster releif , search and rescue ops.