Dallas Police-How long at 460?

[Lowboy23]

I was told or heard that DPD switched to 460 in the late 60's. Don't know how reliable that info is, but if so, gosh, that must be some kind of record. Same frequencies and same basic channel plan for about 50 years. Somebody needs to check that out.

Speaking of 1968, I also read that Electra made the first scanner, but lets save the comments on that for another thread.

 

[nd5y]

Dallas PD was on low band when JFK was shot in 1963.
They were on UHF in 1973 when I lived there.
I don't know what year they switched.

Some of DPD is already 800 MHz trunked. Eventually they are supposed to move everyhting to P25 trunked. Here are two of several theads about it.
https://forums.radioreference.com/texas-radio-discussion-forum/362415-dallas-city-county-p25.html
https://forums.radioreference.com/t...y-dallas-accepting-p25-ph-ii-system-bids.html

 

[Lowboy23]

Thanks for reply. Yeah I know they are seriously considering P25. DPD was on 460 when I got my first scanner for a Christmas present in 1971.

 

[Ensnared]

Don't forget DPD Vice: Dallas City Local Government Trunking System, Dallas, Texas - Scanner Frequencies

 

[Russell]

The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas specifically calls out Ch 2 on 460.375 as the channel the Kennedy assassination was called out on. If true, 460.325 and 460.375 were in use in the early 60s. It's been upgraded many times and is truly a resilient and reliable system. I'd put it up against any trunked system any day.

Dallas Police operate on no less than three of Dallas' radio systems. The portables and mobiles have access to all City of Dallas (conventional, analog trunked and P25 trunked) and some regional systems. FYI, the P25 system has been approved for expansion but who wants to spend another $100 MILLION on radios (besides /\/\omo)?

 

[nd5y]

The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas specifically calls out Ch 2 on 460.375 as the channel the Kennedy assassination was called out on. If true, 460.325 and 460.375 were in use in the early 60s.

The musem has the frequencies or just the channel numbers?

 

[Fowler]

Looking at the DPD motors in the Zapruder film the antennas dont look UHF, they look low band....

 

[ab5r]

When I got out of the Navy in 1954, I de-tuned my car's AM radio to receive DPD. 1722 Kc seems to come to mind. Of course, it was only the dispatcher.

45.66 MHz comes to mind for the DPD frequency afterwards, Later, I bought a tunable GONSET receiver to get the FM signals. I cannot remember exactly remember when the change over to UHF came.

 

[Russell]

The musem has the frequencies or just the channel numbers?

Both. I thought it seemed kind of early for UHF when I saw it.

 

[Tradioman]

DPD moved to UHF in the mid 70's (1975) as part of a Council of Governments project that was funded to move DFW departments off low band.

Most agencies were moved to VHF high band while others to UHF. This is also the time frame when Texas DPS moved from low band to VHF high band.

General Electric was awarded most of the radio contract for the COG project. Dallas County (Sheriff and Constables) moved from 37 Mhz to VHf high in 1975 with new GE wide band dual drawer Master II mobiles, GE PE portables and GE Master Pro repeaters and voting receivers.

 

[Lowboy23]

Sorry Tradioman-my memory is very clear about this part-I was listening to DPD frequencies 460.375-NE, 460.325-Central, and 460.075-NW with my new Regency scanner on Christmas of 1971.

 

[davidzimmerman]

when i lived in Dallas from 1981-1988 DPD was UHF and DFD was on VHF

 

[Lowboy23]

DPD at 1722 kc in 1954. Cool stuff there.

My best guess-DPD switched to UHF between the years 1964-1970

 

[Fowler]

Side note when the Albuquerque Police went from Low band to VHF in the early 60s The motors stayed on low band until they could get funding for VHF radios. They had a seperate console in dispatch for motors. All the field cars were dispatched from the VHF consoles.

 

[garys]

Dallas PD used the Motorola Mark 12 at one point. Those were produced from the late 1960s until they were replaced by newer models in the mid 1970s.

During that time frame Motorola was pushing UHF radio systems to large city police departments. Boston, Chicago, and Dallas used the Mark 12 at one time or another. Exactly when Dallas used them, I don't know.

The Mark12 chassis was used from 1968 on by Motorola as the basis for their IMTS mobile phone system.

 

[Tradioman]

Ah yes the Mark 12. You would be doing good to get 20 watts max out of them.

So I stand corrected DPD was first on UHF in late 1969 to early 1970. DFD moved to VHF about the same time. I reached out to an old City of Dallas radio man from way back and he was there when they transitioned from low band.

 

[garys]

They were a beast! I had a complete unit from Boston PD, but the cable and R/T unit disappeared somewhere along the line. I have two control heads left. One marked Mark 12, the other "MOTRAN". They are in about the condition you'd expect after 10 or so years of use in police cars. They were replaced by the mid 1980s with 8 channel Micors.

Boston was on UHF by 1974, when I first went to work selling CBs, scanners, ham radios, etc...

Ahhh, the good old days.

Ah yes the Mark 12. You would be doing good to get 20 watts max out of them.

So I stand corrected DPD was first on UHF in late 1969 to early 1970. DFD moved to VHF about the same time. I reached out to an old City of Dallas radio man from way back and he was there when they transitioned from low band.

 

[Lowboy23]

Well it looks likes we got this puppy nailed down-1969-1970. Thanks for replies. KKB364 signing off.