Key West Fire/Rescue

[Rob_K]

Good morning. I'm getting ready for my vacation to Key West next month and I've started to gather the frequencies I want to monitor while I'm in the warm sun.

I try to travel with only one radio; a Yaseu VX-6. This allows me to use the local amateur repeaters and monitor fire/rescue frequencies.

I see that Monroe county utilizes an analog trunk system. There is a note in the database: "Fire/Rescue dispatch is simulcast across all dispatch channels." I did some searching through the "Florida" Regional Section and I thought I saw a post that said Key West talk groups are not simulcast. Can anyone confirm?

I'd like to avoid bringing a scanner too but I will if necessary.

Thank you!
Rob

 

[Gadgetmann]

Good morning. I'm getting ready for my vacation to Key West next month and I've started to gather the frequencies I want to monitor while I'm in the warm sun.

I try to travel with only one radio; a Yaseu VX-6. This allows me to use the local amateur repeaters and monitor fire/rescue frequencies.

I see that Monroe county utilizes an analog trunk system. There is a note in the database: "Fire/Rescue dispatch is simulcast across all dispatch channels." I did some searching through the "Florida" Regional Section and I thought I saw a post that said Key West talk groups are not simulcast. Can anyone confirm?

I'd like to avoid bringing a scanner too but I will if necessary.

Thank you!
Rob

According to the DB here, it shows that Monroe Co is on a Motorola Type II Smartzone and the mode shows Digital. Might be a good idea to bring your digital scanner too.

 

[Rob_K]

According to the DB here, it shows that Monroe Co is on a Motorola Type II Smartzone and the mode shows Digital. Might be a good idea to bring your digital scanner too.

Thanks for the reply. I saw "Analog" and stopped reading and missed the APCO25 piece.

"System Voice: Analog and APCO-25 Common Air Interface"

Does this mean its all digital? Guess I better cross my fingers the simulcast works because I don't have a digital scanner (yet).

Thanks again,
Rob

 

[Bote]

You came to the right place.

Monroe County, Florida uses a Motorola P25-ish trunked system. Any public safety is in digital mode, so your Yaesu won't help you there. They still simulcast their fire dispatch talkgroup on a series of linked UHF analog repeaters down the Keys, so you can monitor those if you want to. The listings here should be accurate.

Because of the nature and layout of the Keys, the Sheriff's Office is closely involved in anything that fire or EMS runs so a digital scanner can provide additional details that you wouldn't hear on the fire channels.

Key West police and fire are on their own talkgroups on the Key West site of the overall Monroe County system and those are all digital. The one notable exception is a little-used analog talkgroup that I think is police; they sound like they deal with logistics and cruise ship passengers. There are still a handful of analog high band frequencies listed as public works, but I haven't heard them active in a while on my feed.

The VHF marine channels are very active. You can monitor boats asking about room at marinas, commercial fishermen bemoaning their plight, and Coast Guard broadcasts about rafts adrift in the Florida Straits. Key West airport and Boca Chica tower are active as well if you like aircraft comms, although they can be repetitive after a time.

Don't waste your time with ham radio activity in Key West. I have all the listed repeaters in my scanner feed and those rare times when I enable that group all I ever hear is the same repeater identifying every hour on the hour--never any people talking.

Besides all that, put down the radio and take a boat ride, rent a bicycle and ride around to enjoy all the architecture, stroll around and have a drink or a bite to eat. You probably won't care much about the radio once you fall into the tempo of Key West, trust me.

Listen to this to get you in the mood:

Bote's Southermost Feed

Safe travels.

 

[Rob_K]

Besides all that, put down the radio and take a boat ride, rent a bicycle and ride around to enjoy all the architecture, stroll around and have a drink or a bite to eat. You probably won't care much about the radio once you fall into the tempo of Key West, trust me.

Safe travels.

Thanks for the info! The radio is something I usually only have on when in the hotel room.

My biggest interest is Fire/Rescue and with that said, any tips for the Miami area? Spending the last 2 nights in Miami Beach before flying home to snowy CT.

Thanks again!
Rob

 

[spdfile1]

Rob,

I live in West Palm Beach,Fl so a rocks throw from the keys!!! Anyways the wife & I took a trip in september and I checked all the ham radio repeaters listed for the area and made a list of the ones that work. It is on the collaboration page under Monroe County,Fl.

 

[Bote]

Thanks for the info! The radio is something I usually only have on when in the hotel room.

My biggest interest is Fire/Rescue and with that said, any tips for the Miami area? Spending the last 2 nights in Miami Beach before flying home to snowy CT.

Thanks again!
Rob

Dade County fire is on UHF analog conventional repeaters, but Miami Beach operates on an analog Type II trunked system. I'm afraid you're going to hear fewer and fewer public safety agencies with a conventional receiver as time goes on.

Enjoy your trip.