I am in Bethany, CT and have been having some trouble monitoring the local Fire and EMS channels. Fire/EMS Dispatch is given as 33.54 at the RadioReference database. I put that into my scanner and have picked up dispatches for both Fire and EMS. The transmitting base identifies itself as Bethany Fire-Comm. The difficulty in my scanning is in regards to responding units. I can pick up the base very clearly (which makes sense with a low band transmission and relatively small town). However, I can rarely pick up responding units and when I do, the transmission is very broken up. It's as if Bethany is using a simplex system. However, that would limit car-to-car communications since the base is the only one with a tall tower to pick up the transmissions sent out by the responding units. In that case, if a responding unit wanted to hear what another responding unit was saying, the transmission would be broken up like it is for me. I haven't heard of a town/city Fire/EMS service not using a repeater in a long time. Can anyone help me with this? Thanks in advance. Andy
Bethany, CT
- Thread starter andy404ns
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Just an update to my own post - it's the same with Beacon Falls. I can hear dispatch very clearly but can't pick up the responding units at all. I know they're saying something because dispatch keeps answering them.
Alot (not all) of the volunteer fire depts around here on the low band are simplex. I am in Derby and up until last year or so all the towns around here got by on low band simplex. But as the towns got money, they moved to VHF or UHF repeaters. Remember, even on low band, the units only have to hear each other and dispatch. They don't care if scanner listeners can hear their comms. Some towns (like Shelton) operate low band, but they have vehicle repeaters allowing them to use VHF hand helds to talk to each other at incident scenes that repeat to the low band.
If you're using the antenna supplied with your radio, you may have to go to an outside antenna to hear mobiles on your frequencies.
Good luck!
If you're using the antenna supplied with your radio, you may have to go to an outside antenna to hear mobiles on your frequencies.
Good luck!
Thanks for the input. I'm just surprised that the towns can assure themselves that the responding units will always have a clear line of sight to pick up other unit transmissions using simplex. I guess they might have some very powerful antennas on board? Do you have any suggestions for a good outside antenna for this purpose? Thanks.
In your area beacon, bethany, oxford, trumbul are all low band simplex. The field units dont really need to be line of site. Most cases the dispatch protocol is to repeat back the message or order. So as a unit arrives on scene and is giving an order dispatch repeats it back so all other responding units receive the order.
W2NJS
Member
Lowband radio systems...
Mobiles on lowband systems are usually heard by a remote receiver located at
a HIGH location for the area. The mobile signals are usually heard dead full quieting and are
sent via wireline or special radio link to the dispatcher's location. Transmitting is
usually just a reverse path of the receiving system. Lowband systems seem to
work best in hilly terrain, but again, you have to pick the highest point in the area
for your antenna site. The overall operation and propagation is similar to what is
found on the amateur six-meter band (50-54 mHz).
Tom, W2NJS
Washington DC
Mobiles on lowband systems are usually heard by a remote receiver located at
a HIGH location for the area. The mobile signals are usually heard dead full quieting and are
sent via wireline or special radio link to the dispatcher's location. Transmitting is
usually just a reverse path of the receiving system. Lowband systems seem to
work best in hilly terrain, but again, you have to pick the highest point in the area
for your antenna site. The overall operation and propagation is similar to what is
found on the amateur six-meter band (50-54 mHz).
Tom, W2NJS
Washington DC
- Status
