Digging through older State of Oregon lowband licensing records

[kb6nzv]

I'd like to ask for feedback from long-time denizens of the Oregon forum on some quick research I did comparing older state low-band licensing with active licenses. I think it wise that even if the renovated public safety system never crumbles under disaster conditions that older proven technology appears to have not been abandoned. I wonder if any state public safety vehicles still include low-band mobiles?

Doing a quick ULS dig on the FCC website, I found older OSP licensing on:
42.44, 42.56, 42.78, 42.82, 42.86, 42.88, 42.90, 42.92, 42.94
All seem to be active on KOA485 on a statewide authorization.

While lightly digging through old OEM records, I found what appears to be OEM's link to counties on 46.58 and a quick dig shows active licensing:
KUB925 Lincoln County Newport Courthouse
KVG882-OEM-MarysPeak-in-BentonCounty (remote base, perhaps?)
KUL857 Clackamas County
KVA532 Jackson County
KYF333 Josephine County
WNXX334-OSP-Dispatch-BearwallowButte-Bend-Deschutes (remote base, perhaps?)
WNXX334-OSP-Dispatch-HoodooButte-SantiamJunction-LinnCounty (remote base, perhaps?)

 

[DCMon]

I live in Douglas County and can hear a regular sound on 42.8200 It sounds like what keying a mic sounds like.

 

[kb6nzv]

Thanks for the feedback! I wonder if OEM or others might run any scheduled tests on those, or if they guard them as I imagine they do with other frequencies?

 

[oregontreehugger]

Good question; I've been monitoring some of those freqs off-and-on and can't say I've ever heard any traffic or testing.

 

[ScanRite]

Not sure about any OEM vehicles, but there are no OSP cars equipped with low band. I worked at the Astoria patrol office in 1987 and we were the last station still on low band. I remember talking to San Diego CHP one day and couldn't hear my own office 10 miles away. We did have a few high band portables, but they were simplex, straight to the office, no repeater. I believe they finally switched over in late 1988.