GRE PSR-500 frequncy coverage question.

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KD7HGK

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I love my PSR-500. I live in Knoxville, TN and was programming the THP for my area into my scanner. I got to the THP fixed relay section and tried to program 75.880 and 75.960 (Knoxville/Knox County). It wouldn't do it (I'm not even sure I would have heard anything even if it had, but I wanted to at least try). SO, I looked over the frequency specs for the scanner and saw that there is a coverage gap between 54 and 108 MHz. Why doesn't the scanner cover anything in that gap?
 

KB7MIB

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From 54-108 MHz, you'll find TV channels 2-6 (now gone with the digital switch), the VHF-Midband, and the FM broadcast band. The only thing of any real potential interest to scanner listeners would have been the 72-76 MHz VHF Midband, but it was never....
 

KB7MIB

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...to my knowledge, included in any scanner. Some communications recievers may include it, however. (A communications reciever is basically a shortwave radio that has coverage up to 3GHz give or take. Icom's IC-R9000 for example.)
 

KB7MIB

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Many years ago, "Popular Communications" magazine had an article on the VHF Midband. Do a Google search on "72-76MHz" or "VHF Midband" or "VHF Mid-band" and see what you find.
 

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I'm curious as to why the PSR-500 includes 151.8200-151.9400 and 154.5700 and 154.6000, which is business and MURS, in the VHF PubSafty search range, but not 150.9950-151.4750 which is public safety?
 

KB7MIB

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Or why it includes 462.5500-462.7250 and 467.5500-467.7250 GMRS/FRS, but doesn't include EMSCOMM 462.9375-463.1875 and 467.9375-468.1875 in the UHF PubSafty search range? There are VHF Lowband ranges missing as well.
 

W8RMH

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I'm curious as to why the PSR-500 includes 151.8200-151.9400 and 154.5700 and 154.6000, which is business and MURS, in the VHF PubSafty search range, but not 150.9950-151.4750 which is public safety?

Actually 154.570 and 154.600 are public safety too.
 

KB7MIB

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154.570 and 154.600 are MURS channels 4 and 5, respectively. AKA, the "Blue Dot" and "Green Dot" business itinerant channels before MURS was established. They're not in the public safety pool.
 

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154.570 and 154.600 are MURS channels 4 and 5, respectively. AKA, the "Blue Dot" and "Green Dot" business itinerant channels before MURS was established. They're not in the public safety pool.

I saw these in the data base. I guess public safety is permitted to use MURS.

154.60000 SHELBY FG 14 County Fire Tac 14 FM Fire-Tac

154.57000 67.0 PL County Sheriff tactical Law Enforcement
Government and Safety Services
 
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KB7MIB

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Wow. That would be very unusual, to me, to hear any public safety agency utilize any frequency that John and Jane Doe can also legally use. Under the FCC rules, they have to share those channels, whether they like it or not.
 

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I have heard Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies chit-chatting on FRS channels late at night several years back, but it was informal chit chat, not an official tactical channel or anything.
 

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154.570 and 154.600 are popular Wal-Mart channels. I've heard fast-food drive through's on 154.570. My old high school's maintenance and security people were on both, as well as 151.625, aka "Red Dot".
 

W8RMH

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Here is one with a repeater:

154.60000 151.95500 151.4 PL Tri-County Fire Alger County MI

I see a lot in the DB but have not seen any call signs. They may be using these frequencies without a license.
 

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I'd have to double check to see if repeaters were permitted on 154.600 prior to the establishment of MURS, and would therefore be grandfathered, but they're specifically prohibited now.
 

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I think we hijacked KD7HGK's thread here...sorry! Back on topic. The VHF Midband is home to point-to-point links, radio remote control, and some limited business land mobile, IIRC. (The PopCom article showed a factory or warehouse where a VHF Midband...
 

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...portable radio was being used by the workers.) Of most interest to scanner listeners would be the PTP links used by public safety agencies to/from remote tower sites.
 
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W8RMH

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I wonder if these are just old data base entries which were valid before MURS and are no longer in service.
I have yet to see a callsign/license for PS.

I even found one supposedly in use on a P25 system.

154.60000 345 NAC Princeton PD & Caldwell SO "TAC-2" (retrans of TAC-2 154.8000/136.5) P25
 

KB7MIB

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MURS has been around since 2002 or so? I'm not sure, but I don't think P25 has been around that long, at least not in wide-spread use. If an agency is using those channels, then they just need to be aware that they have to share them with everyone else.
 

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If there is anyone else in the area using them, that is.
 

KB7MIB

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And on the topic of missing frequency ranges:
30.8600-31.9800
33.0200-33.1000
37.9000-37.9800
46.5100-46.5800
47.0200-47.6600
are all missing from my PSR500's VHF Low PubSafty search range, when they are all in the public safety pool.
 
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