ISP 42.500MHz

[K9JLR]

FYI,

I monitored a transmission this morning put out by District 14 (Macomb) radio operations on 42.500 MHZ. As of June 22nd, 2006 ISP District 14 will no longer have the capability to activate 10-10 receivers for severe wx warnings, and listeners were "urged to find alternate means of receiving severe wx information."

Anyone else catch similar traffic this week? I'm assuming this will be a statewide trend as ISP dumps lowband capabilites.

 

[daleduke17]

What are 10-10 recievers?

I know some of the ISP units around here monitor the fire frequencies for their beat counties, so that could help, and also most of them have their am/fm car stereos on during that time, so hopefully that will help them.

I also know that they broadcast severe bulletins on ISPERN and IREACH (or at least used to).

 

[K9JLR]

These receivers are basically like a wx radio, only they are activated by the ISP. I recall them being more popular prior to the sudden increase in NOAA wx radio funding seven years ago. The receivers were made available to EMA agencies and many other public institutions such as nursing homes, schools, hospitals, etc. I don't hear of too many in use these days anyhow.

 

[illini52]

A bunch of mid and downstate districts have broadcasted a message similar to this already. I've heard D10 and D Chicago do this personally.

 

[N9JIG]

The Illinois State Police is phasing out almost all low band operations as they start getting ready to move up to StarCom21. By moving weather alerts off of 42.50 they can eliminate one more need for low band radios.

Ten-Ten radios are similar to Plectrons, they are tone alert monitors used to listen silently on 42.50 until the State Police put out the tones to open the radios. These tones (Federal series tones of 2440.0 and 1780.0 / F18 and F14) have been used for years. Some districts will continue weather alerts on ISPERN 155.4750.

Users of the old Ten-Ten receivers should acquire NOAA weather alert radios. With the proper SAME codes one can tailor the alerts received for his specific area instead of getting alerts that may be for an area hundreds of miles away.

 

[OpSec]

So with the continued elimination of lower tier "operations" off of lowband, what is a realistic time frame for the northern Districts (2,16 and 5) to be moving off lowband completely? I'm looking into a lowband radio for the vehicle, with primary uses being ISP and 6m ham...if those ISP districts are moving soon, this changes my choices for radios.

 

[N9JIG]

That will actually be the last area off of Low Band. StarCom21 is not operational in the Chicago area yet, they still haven't selected all the sites yet.

I would be surprised to see District 2 drop low band before the end of 2007 but I think Districts 5 and 16 could go before then since StarCom21 is already in the testing phase in portions of those districts.

 

[timmer]

I have a question about the weather alerts that the ISP puts out on 42.5. That is, when these weather alerts are ended, how are the troopers notified of impending severe weather in their district? Do they have noah weather radios in their cars, or get the info off of their in car computers, or are they just not too concerned about weather as a general rule? Will the weather watches/warnings be broadcast over starcom?

 

[N9JIG]

The 42.50 weather alerts were not intended for notification to troopers, they were intended for those with the alert receivers, such as schools, hospitals and local emergency services. Troopers would be notified of the alerts on the dispatch channels, sometimes the District would simulcast the alert on the district dispatch channel.

Some ISP districts have or will switch weather alerts to ISPERN, but with the proliferation of cheap NOAA weather alert recievers it is easier to distribute those.

The town I work for used to have a Plectron in each school on our local fire freq and used a dediated tone set to notify of storms. We bought a case of weather alert radios ad swapped them out for the Plectrons a few years back.

 

[kb9hgi]

I'm in dist 20 which operate on 42.62 and 42.68 so they will dump these soon too and I will have to get a digital scanner to monitor them correct?

 

[N9JIG]

I'm in dist 20 which operate on 42.62 and 42.68 so they will dump these soon too and I will have to get a digital scanner to monitor them correct?

Yes, I would think that District 20 will go pretty quick, possible by the end of this year.

 

[intrepid97]

I know a guy who works for ISP Communications District 18 area and he said they are pojecting the state to converted by the end of the year.

He says he is not holding his breath on the system being completed by the end of the year though.

 

[scannerbum]

About 42.500

A few nights ago in Springfield Il. I heard ISP car to car traffic during a chase in town.