So is that normally simplex or repeated smoke? Still next to nothing here. I've only heard two exchanges and I have all the repeaters in. Seems hard to believe they talk that little, but I guess it must be.
Mostly repeater traffic, but if two trucks are working within a mile or so they might use simplex. I've heard a lot of chatter late night/early morning on the Johnstone and Lukens repeaters when it is snowing on the Angeles Crest Highway. I also hear lots of traffic on Hauser and Los Pinetos when there are accidents and backups on the 14 and 5 in the northern portion of D7.
For some reason I've not been able to receive the trunked system in the L.A. Basin while I'm in west L.A. during the last several 1-2 trips per year to that area. I guess I will have to take down the discone next time. In the past much of the traffic on it has been from D12 and the metro area of D8.
When you say "slides in ANF" what are you referring to? The only slides you will hear on Caltrans frequencies would be those on the Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2). Sometimes people are called to come in if it is after hours or respond from a maintenance station to the scene with equipment. When they are working side by side with loaders and trucks the traffic would definitely be simplex, but would be minimal. There is not a lot of chatter when everyone can see each other, plus loaders require a lot of work with the hands so they don't often pick up a mike, preferring hand signals if possible. Once they get started there is not a lot to say with trucks backing up in the same spots so the loaders can dump.
Slides on the Angeles Forest Highway or Big Tujunga road are the jurisdiction of L.A. County so Caltrans radio traffic is not involved on those roads.
Does anyone know how Caltrans is working the Angeles Crest with the Chilao maintenance station gone? I would imagine that the 2 is closed for the winter near Islip Saddle so access to slides on the uphill side is not available. Rebuilding this station is not going to happen for some time.