Caroline County

[Scanning-Virginia]

Hi Guys,

Looks like I have made progress on this end but I'm still puzzled why I can't pick anything up from the Fire Dispatch Channel 154.3850 for Caroline? I am able to receive almost everything else around here including, King George, Stafford, Spotslyvania, Fredericksburg, Orange, Culpepper, Prince William, Fairfax ETc, Etc, etc.

Now if everything else comes in strong then either I'm doing something wrong, the Frequency is Wrong or the transmit signal is abnormally weak?

Any Help Appreciated!


Thanks,

JB

 

[KT4HX]

Well, that appears to be the correct frequency from what I can see. I will not be back in the area until next week, when I return from a business trip. But I will see if I can pick them up when I get home. I haven't seen any changes to their operating frequencies. Will let you know if I find out anything...Alan

 

[Scanning-Virginia]

Alan,

Thank you!!


JB

 

[runslow]

Monitored 154.385 today and heard Caroline rescue dispatched to a call at 1:10 PM, so it appears that the frequency is still in use. Signal strength was S-5 on an Icom R8500 using a Scantenna. I don't listen here often, but activity today was very limited.

 

[KT4HX]

Well thats just it, I don't know how active they really are. I would presume its like any other county wide service, it is variable. However, I would expect them to be reasonably active. I know I've heard them in the past, but even then I was more apt to pick up the Sheriff's dispatch than the Fire. As a comparison, Orange County F/R is very busy.

Jason, are you just scanning F'burg, Spotsy and the surrounding counties all the time, and not noticing it stopping on 154.385? If thats the case, it might just be that the other activity in the area is such that Caroline Fire just isn't transmitting at the moment your scanner hits that channel. You might try just tuning in the frequency in manual mode and just listening to it exclusively for an extended period to see if you pick them up. If you are getting the other area systems, then there is no reason you should not be picking up Caroline Fire.

Also just as a sanity check, I note that Caroline utilizes a CTCSS code of 186.2. Is it possible you inadvertently set a code for the channel in which you have 154.385 programmed that is different than that? If so, then your scanner will not open up the squelch when they transmit. If you didn't program in any code for that channel, then thats not the issue.

Just some food for thought......Alan

 

[brianm]

Jason,

I think I read somewhere that all you are using is an inside/rubber duckie antenna. If that is the case it is possible you just plain don't pick them up even when you pick the rest of your area up. I don't pick up Greene County and it is the nearest county to me, yet I pick up Orange, Louisa, and Fluvanna just fine (usually). If I am lucky I pick up Nelson or Madison. I even have an outside antenna, though it just hangs upside down from the roof of my apt balcony.

Brian

 

[radio]

RE: Caroline Co VA

Yes that is the correct frequency and CTTS, however, Caroline is not a busy jurisdiction. Inside my home here in Fredericksburg, I cannot receive Caroline inside, unless I put in a certain spot, since I do not have an outside antenna. Same thing goes for Charles (MD) Culpeper. Fauquier, Louisa, Orange and Stafford. Outside in my car with an outside antenna, I can even hear Montgomery(patched dispatch at 154.160, not their 800 trunk) and Prince Georges Maryland.

 

[mikext]

I picked up Caroline county this morning on 154.385, Skip was really coming in here in Hampton Roads

 

[Scanning-Virginia]

Thanks Guys! I had the scanner on all day and finally started picking up a signal once I placed it in a higher spot LOL. So appartently Brian you are correct on that one.

First Transmission was for a call of a woman who took 90 Tablets of Tylenol....... mIGHT JUST BE THE ACTIVITY LEVEL TOO.


Thanks,

Jason

 

[KT4HX]

Thats good Jason, glad you finally picked them up. I didn't think so much about the placement, since when I'm monitoring in my house I'm on the second floor using the stock antenna and never have a problem, or I'm in my truck mobile with the mobile antenna - again no problem to pick the surrounding counties up.

 

[WJP782]

Caroline County is very busy, on average 24-30 fire/ems calls a day. Lot of traffic on radio, their main Repeater has been out of service for a year or so. They hope to up grade system when dispatch moves to new building.
Will be still be high band.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

According to the 2003 annual performance report (available here ), the average is 12.4 calls per day, with a total of 4541 incidents in 2003.