Anyone else hearing fisherman chatting on CALCORD?

[footage]

Since I got my new FT-60R I've been testing it as a scanner, and I'm constantly hearing fishermen in the Golden Gate chatting on CALCORD. I know the fishing community often uses freqs not officially assigned to marine use, but this is a new one. Monitoring from the Richmond District of San Francisco, and signal seems much too strong (sometimes full quieting) to be an image.

 

[mmckenna]

I'm not close enough to hear, but I did put my remote receiver in Santa Cruz on that frequency. I often hear them on 146.415. Wouldn't be surprised, though. Buying used radios off E-bay, selecting a "random channel", etc.
Had a friend in high school that used to buy old 2 meter radios and sell them to fishermen for "private communications".

 

[footage]

I'll have to try my other radios and confirm the freq. What are you using for a remote receiver? Do you have a roof antenna on your office building (where I also work)?

 

[ecps92]

156.0750 is a valid VHF Marine Freq, not for the US tho, but is available in Marine Radios sold in the US
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Marine_VHF_Band_Plans

Since I got my new FT-60R I've been testing it as a scanner, and I'm constantly hearing fishermen in the Golden Gate chatting on CALCORD. I know the fishing community often uses freqs not officially assigned to marine use, but this is a new one. Monitoring from the Richmond District of San Francisco, and signal seems much too strong (sometimes full quieting) to be an image.

 

[footage]

That would explain it. Thanks.

 

[avascan522]

Yes, 156.075 is channel "61A" on most marine band radios. I let a few harbor patrol officers in my town know that if they ever needed to listen to or communicate on "CALCORD" in an incident, that they could just switch their VHF boat radios to 61A and get the same result, since their main ops channels are on low band.

 

[brushfire21]

Yes, 156.075 is channel "61A" on most marine band radios. I let a few harbor patrol officers in my town know that if they ever needed to listen to or communicate on "CALCORD" in an incident, that they could just switch their VHF boat radios to 61A and get the same result, since their main ops channels are on low band.

As of a few years ago, the state switched to PL tones and most fire and EMS agencies are using 156.7 in tx/rx. Those radios without it (marine radios) will not be heard obviously.

 

[ecps92]

Hopefully they read/understand interop and have PL on the input

We have a few Agencies that have been found with Interops being CSQ on the Repeater input and PL on the output because the read a document and thought it was based on the Repeater vs being written for the Portable/Mobile/Base radios

As of a few years ago, the state switched to PL tones and most fire and EMS agencies are using 156.7 in tx/rx. Those radios without it (marine radios) will not be heard obviously.

 

[cmpsa]

for 2019, the official CalFire programming & usage of CALCORD is PL 156.7 (CTCSS 156.7 receive & CTCSS 156.7 transmit).