fireboards page updates

[ka3jjz]

Hi all; This past winter, some of you might remember that there was a lot of traffic regarding the fireboard frequencies. I assembled everything and posted them on this page on the CHM server:

CHM Fireboards page

Now with the vacation season coming up, if anyone finds updates please pass them along to me at ka3jjz@netscape.com

Be sure to indicate the PL/DCS if used, and the county in which it resides.

Thanx es 73s Mike

 

[KB3JUV]

Ones that I can confirm are

Blades 154.400
Millsboro 453.600
Rehoboth Beach 453.250
Indian River 453.225 (Audio is low)
and wherever this tower is located 453.700

 

[ka3jjz]

Hmm, the one I don't have is the 453.6 Millsboro freq; that's one to add. That's in Sussex county? and is there a PL or DCS on that freq?

Thanx....73s Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

I had one report that 460.625 was being heard in Sussex county; I know that freq is used in Newcastle and Kent; who's using it in Sussex?

73s Mike

 

[TinEar]

Mike, last night I was copying a freq of 155.49, [PL118.8] and transmitted a Morse callsign of KNAU536. According to the FCC database, that belongs to New Castle County with a transmitter site in Newark. It was EMS dispatch. Sounds like a sure thing to plop into the database but here's the problem that maybe someone in Delaware can solve for me. One of the dispatches was for a medic unit to Cape May. New Castle should not be dispaching to Cape May, NJ (unless there's another Cape May). I suppose it's possible that there is someone in the Cape May NJ area that's also on that freq but, if so, I couldn't detect it as a second speaker. Can anyone confirm for me that this freq/PL tone/callsign is indeed being used in New Castle County?

 

[ka3jjz]

Hmm, the only Cape May I know of is in southern NJ; you sure you were'nt getting a little tropo? Very interesting.

I'll post this on Phillyscanner - they cover southern NJ as well as parts of Delaware - see if someone on site can clear this up

73s Mike

 

[TinEar]

As mentioned, perhaps Cape May NJ was also on that freq. The transmission of the Morse callsign assures us that it's a New Castle DE transmitter though. I submitted it to the database based on that. The FCC listings confirm the freq and callsign go together.

Of course, you don't know for sure whether a Morse callsign actually belongs to the voice being heard on a frequency. It's possible New Castle transmits their identifier on that freq and someone in Cape May NJ using the same freq was doing the dispatching. More listening is in order. The only thing we know for sure is that KNAU536 is licensed to New Castle County for frequency 155.49.

 

[tolley]

Mike, 460.625 is used by Carlisle Fire Co in Milford, De as a simulcast for Sussex and Kent Fire Communications. Milford is located in both Kent and Sussex Counties.

 

[KB3JUV]

Hmm, the one I don't have is the 453.6 Millsboro freq; that's one to add. That's in Sussex county? and is there a PL or DCS on that freq?

Thanx....73s Mike

The 453.6 doesn't have a PL as far as I know. I have it on a scanner with all the others which doesn't have PL. You have Indian River also listed with a DCS but I hear stuff with my scanner no problem. Millsboro is in Sussex county.

 

[ka3jjz]

You would hear Indian Head on a scanner that was not DCS capable anyway. It's useful information to have, though, to help eliminate skip or other signals that you don't want to hear on the same frequency; exactly the same kind of reasoning when you use a PL.

Thanx es 73s Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

Mike, 460.625 is used by Carlisle Fire Co in Milford, De as a simulcast for Sussex and Kent Fire Communications. Milford is located in both Kent and Sussex Counties.

Ah now that I didn't know; I had .625 OK, but didn't know it straddled 2 counties. Thanx Mike

 

[doctordave]

Tolley, Interesting.....so is 460.625 a full-time simulcast freq for Sussex Fire Disp and Kent Fire Disp....or some other configuration? Will have to check that one out while over on the Shore this weekend.

 

[TinEar]

That does sound interesting. I'm going to see what I can do with it from here after the sun goes down - but somehow I doubt I'll receive it.

 

[doctordave]

I'll plug it in here, as well....but most of the DE FDs do have rather low-power output on the UHF freqs.

 

[ka3jjz]

As mentioned, perhaps Cape May NJ was also on that freq. The transmission of the Morse callsign assures us that it's a New Castle DE transmitter though. I submitted it to the database based on that. The FCC listings confirm the freq and callsign go together.

Of course, you don't know for sure whether a Morse callsign actually belongs to the voice being heard on a frequency. It's possible New Castle transmits their identifier on that freq and someone in Cape May NJ using the same freq was doing the dispatching. More listening is in order. The only thing we know for sure is that KNAU536 is licensed to New Castle County for frequency 155.49.

Actually, here's something WA3YSU sent me from the Phillyscanner group;
==========
Historically 155.49 with a PL of 118.8 has been used by Lower Township
Police in Cape May County NJ as their PD CH-1 repeater. The license for
them is KBH341. I can't imagine that Newark, DE, would dispatch to them.
==========
So it seems quite likely that there are at least 2 users on this frequency. Whether 155.49 is all that active from the Newark area needs to be seen, as TinEar has suggested. 73s Mike

 

[coopermj]

TinEar

Briefly back to the 155.490 freq you mentioned earlier. It was used by New Castle Co PD (Delaware) prior to going to 800. I read your post at the firehouse earlier today and checked when I got home. I found a spreadsheet from 1996 that had it listed as well as a CTCSS of 103.5hz I had penciled in. Hope that helps with your search. I'll plug it in a little later to see if there is any activity locally. Hope the info helps.

 

[TinEar]

Yes indeed...good info from both Mikes.

Here's what I'm leaning toward:
The Morse callsign (KNAU536) being transmitted on 155.49 merely means that New Castle (Newark) still owns the freq and identifies it as such. The voice traffic however, must be coming from the Cape May area since that was referenced in the traffic. Take that, along with the info provided by the Phillyscanner group that matches the PL tone I heard and it puts the traffic there. The only item I'm not clear on is that the FCC database identifies the 155.49 freq in Cape May County as being in Cold Spring. That means the transmitter is located there but it could very well belong to Lower Township I suppose.

I only wonder why, if this info is known, no one has bothered to submit it to the radioreference database before this. Perhaps because not everyone belongs to this site, right? (That's called answering your own question.) So, I'll listen again tonight and if all the traffic remains from Cape May County, I'll submit it.

Thanks very much for all the help. It's appreciated.

Oh, and Mike (from Rehoboth Beach), is the 154.74 freq still good for the PD from that area? PL 156.7 still good for it? Thanks.

 

[Audiodave1]

Hi Folks,
I dropped in 155.49 last night for recording but have yet to get any local traffic on it from my QTH in Wilmington.

If I can confirm it I will work it but i believe it will end up being a non active licensed freq.

Dave

 

[TinEar]

You're looking right Audiodave1. It appears New Castle is doing nothing but retaining claim to the freq and transmitting their callsign. I heard 155.49 again last night and again the traffic was around Cape May. I guess we call it Lower Township. Can someone explain to me just what that is? It appears the township is comprised of several small towns and makes up a legislative district in Cape May County. At least that's what I think it is. It's EMS traffic with PL 118.8 and is confirmed with the FCC database which shows the transmitter at Cold Spring which is within the township.

 

[Audiodave1]

Hey,
Yea, Lower Twp is an interesting piece of geography...
There is a lower, middle and upper twp just to make things more interesting.

I have spent the last 13 summers at the NJ shore monitoring the area and for the life of me couldn't nail down the exact boundries on the municipal PD's WITHIN Lower Twp (Much less what hours they were on shift).

I had lots of time to work on it while sitting in Fri / Sun. traffic.

Headed to Dewey Beach this year for a change...Easy to monitor.

Dave