LAFD Lowband

[Squelchtail]

As a Lowband guy living in the past. I became interested in the LAFD Lowband system. I did some looking around the following.

KMA706
33.70 F1 Fire Control
33.82 F2 Tac 1 Valley Division
33.90 F3 Tac 2
33.94 F4 Tac 3 Brush
33.60 F5 Command
33.48 F6 Service
33.86 F7 Mutual Aid
35.58 1947?
38.70 1946?

Anyone have any good history on this system you would like to add?

 

[prcguy]

As a Lowband guy living in the past. I became interested in the LAFD Lowband system. I did some looking around the following.

KMA706
33.70 F1 Fire Control
33.82 F2 Tac 1 Valley Division
33.90 F3 Tac 2
33.94 F4 Tac 3 Brush
33.60 F5 Command
33.48 F6 Service
33.86 F7 Mutual Aid
35.58 1947?
38.70 1946?

Anyone have any good history on this system you would like to add?

As a kid starting around 5yrs old I got to climb through the on air racks at the LAFD signal office in San Pedro when my father was stationed there on and off. I think they did south dispatch out of there and it had a lot of racks of radio stuff so the signal office probably did more. During the 60s I would play with the radios in the fire trucks and occasionally hear skip with the PL turned off. I remember 33.7 and 33.9 being most active in the south area.

I also remember them getting VHF low band HTs made by KAAR and those had a pull out telescoping antenna. Those didn't seem to be around very long and that might have been just before migrating to 500MHz and I got to see the radio techs change out some of the engines with the new radios and antennas with mounts and ground plane mounted up high.

 

[vavolff]

Check this out this link, it's a historical timeline of significant LAD radio events, might be helpful or you. I was they went into detail, but this works too. Lemme know if this helps/doesn't help. There used to be a webpage that dove into detail on LAPD's radio history. I think it mentions some LAD history as well. I'll dig around and try to find it. Like you, I love diving into something's history and more context.

 

[prcguy]

Check this out this link, it's a historical timeline of significant LAD radio events, might be helpful or you. I was they went into detail, but this works too. Lemme know if this helps/doesn't help. There used to be a webpage that dove into detail on LAPD's radio history. I think it mentions some LAD history as well. I'll dig around and try to find it. Like you, I love diving into something's history and more context.

Nice link, haven't seen that one before. I see a question about the Digicom status buttons being on VHF lo band.
?1972? - "Digicom" status buttons were added in apparatus (?on low band?)

I remember playing with the radios and the Digicom push buttons came about after the 500MHz radios were installed, I don't remember them on the older VHF lo band radios and I never saw a VHF lo band radio after the 1972 UHF upgrade. I also remember asking the Captain at station 101 in San Pedro what the buttons were for and he explained it all to me then as a teenager very interested in radios. My father was an LAFD fireman from about 1947 through 1976.

 

[Squelchtail]

Check this out this link, it's a historical timeline of significant LAD radio events, might be helpful or you. I was they went into detail, but this works too. Lemme know if this helps/doesn't help. There used to be a webpage that dove into detail on LAPD's radio history. I think it mentions some LAD history as well. I'll dig around and try to find it. Like you, I love diving into something's history and more context.

Thanks that’s some good info

 

[Engine104]

I remember the old LAFD low band system. In the fall, you could hear a rural Ohio FD's dispatches on 33.82 Mhz.

I am certain, though, the Digicom signals predate the UHF system. I remember hearing that way back in the early 1970s when all I had was a low band tunable receiver from Lafayette.

 

[jland138]

There's a message about Digicom in the preface of the 1976 Southern California edition of Police Call:

The word "Digicommed" has been added to the jargon of radio users and listeners. Digicom is the digital signaling system installed by the LAFD as part of its computerized dispatch system. When a status button on a fire unit is selected, Digicom sends out a unique set of beeps. Registered at the computer, the base station retransmits this code back to the unit, usually within microseconds. A "sniffer" in the mobile is supposed to prevent retransmission until the frequency is clear. However, mobiles frequently cannot receive another distant mobile and transmit the when the frequency is in use. The base reply thus overrides field traffic, so that a cut-off unit has been "Digicommed." System works fine in a repeater system, but somebody goofed on this one.

The 1984 Southern California edition contains the annotated list of 500 MHz frequences and lists 33.90, 33.48 and 33.86 as Digicom channels.

This forum had a nice thread on LAFD radio history in July, 2021 which contains a lot more information.

Los Angeles FD - radio history - ??

LAFD Radio History - Los Angeles City Calif Pub Safety wrote up 1 page of info here - more info needed

forums.radioreference.com

 

[ladn]

Nice link, haven't seen that one before. I see a question about the Digicom status buttons being on VHF lo band.
?1972? - "Digicom" status buttons were added in apparatus (?on low band?)

Digicom was active on the low band system. It would sometimes blast out override voice transmissions. Firefighters called that being "Digicommed". Really annoying to listen to on my Regency TMR 8XL scanner at the time.

 

[Squelchtail]

What was the digicom system.

See the big beautiful whips. Even the chief has a portable radio.

Came across this LAFD info from the Fm-Tv magazine dated June 1 1949

2 Base stations 33.90 Mhz

2228 W. 6th St. call sign KCJD

14415 Sylvan St.



210 Mobiles, KCJE



2 Base stations 33.90 Mhz

1624 Purdue Ave. KCUG

524 N. Spring St.

 

[chrismol1]

Facebook

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#LAFDFFLife
The impact of technology on our lives, especially over the last decade, is profound.

Just one of the many examples of the changes technology has brought to #YourLAFD is the way our resources communicate location back to our dispatch center.

The white box on the left is "Digicom". Addresses were written down by hand (from the radio dispatch) and the officer on the fire engine/truck would punch the appropriate button the on the Digicom to indicate their status.

The most important buttons are across the top:
ENR = Enroute to the call
ONS = Onscene at the call
AVI = Available from the call (released/done)
RAD = Available via the radio (meaning you're in the engine/truck)
QTR = Once you return to the station, shows you are available
'In Quarters"
CAV = Conditionally available - example: involved in a training drill
and if you're sent on a call, you'll be delayed
LOC = Used with "RAD" you enter the number of the fire station
district you are "available by radio" and then hit this
example: '13' 'LOC' = fire station 13's district

Now, bring in the Information Technology Revolution! Today, in every LAFD apparatus you will find the computer on the right, 'Mobile Dispatch Computer' (MDC)

The dispatch information will appear on the computer screen providing all the key information for a response. And if you look closely, you'll see buttons that pretty closely resemble the Digicom.

We could provide much more detail....but we don't want to bore you! If you're really interested, we invite you to stop by any LAFD fire station and take a look!

 

[prcguy]

Facebook

www.facebook.com

#LAFDFFLife
The impact of technology on our lives, especially over the last decade, is profound.

Just one of the many examples of the changes technology has brought to #YourLAFD is the way our resources communicate location back to our dispatch center.

The white box on the left is "Digicom". Addresses were written down by hand (from the radio dispatch) and the officer on the fire engine/truck would punch the appropriate button the on the Digicom to indicate their status.

The most important buttons are across the top:
ENR = Enroute to the call
ONS = Onscene at the call
AVI = Available from the call (released/done)
RAD = Available via the radio (meaning you're in the engine/truck)
QTR = Once you return to the station, shows you are available
'In Quarters"
CAV = Conditionally available - example: involved in a training drill
and if you're sent on a call, you'll be delayed
LOC = Used with "RAD" you enter the number of the fire station
district you are "available by radio" and then hit this
example: '13' 'LOC' = fire station 13's district

Now, bring in the Information Technology Revolution! Today, in every LAFD apparatus you will find the computer on the right, 'Mobile Dispatch Computer' (MDC)

The dispatch information will appear on the computer screen providing all the key information for a response. And if you look closely, you'll see buttons that pretty closely resemble the Digicom.

We could provide much more detail....but we don't want to bore you! If you're really interested, we invite you to stop by any LAFD fire station and take a look!

View attachment 199279

When the 500MHz radios went in around 1972 I remember being shown something that looks like this for the Digicom. They had a new Micor style control head instead of the older Mocom with a matching push button add on made by Motorola.

 

[Squelchtail]

Facebook

www.facebook.com

#LAFDFFLife
The impact of technology on our lives, especially over the last decade, is profound.

Just one of the many examples of the changes technology has brought to #YourLAFD is the way our resources communicate location back to our dispatch center.

The white box on the left is "Digicom". Addresses were written down by hand (from the radio dispatch) and the officer on the fire engine/truck would punch the appropriate button the on the Digicom to indicate their status.

The most important buttons are across the top:
ENR = Enroute to the call
ONS = Onscene at the call
AVI = Available from the call (released/done)
RAD = Available via the radio (meaning you're in the engine/truck)
QTR = Once you return to the station, shows you are available
'In Quarters"
CAV = Conditionally available - example: involved in a training drill
and if you're sent on a call, you'll be delayed
LOC = Used with "RAD" you enter the number of the fire station
district you are "available by radio" and then hit this
example: '13' 'LOC' = fire station 13's district

Now, bring in the Information Technology Revolution! Today, in every LAFD apparatus you will find the computer on the right, 'Mobile Dispatch Computer' (MDC)

The dispatch information will appear on the computer screen providing all the key information for a response. And if you look closely, you'll see buttons that pretty closely resemble the Digicom.

We could provide much more detail....but we don't want to bore you! If you're really interested, we invite you to stop by any LAFD fire station and take a look!

View attachment 199279

When the 500MHz radios went in around 1972 I remember being shown something that looks like this for the Digicom. They had a new Micor style control head instead of the older Mocom with a matching push button add on made by Motorola.

View attachment 199283

Thanks that’s interesting..

 

[Squelchtail]

Facebook

www.facebook.com

#LAFDFFLife
The impact of technology on our lives, especially over the last decade, is profound.

Just one of the many examples of the changes technology has brought to #YourLAFD is the way our resources communicate location back to our dispatch center.

The white box on the left is "Digicom". Addresses were written down by hand (from the radio dispatch) and the officer on the fire engine/truck would punch the appropriate button the on the Digicom to indicate their status.

The most important buttons are across the top:
ENR = Enroute to the call
ONS = Onscene at the call
AVI = Available from the call (released/done)
RAD = Available via the radio (meaning you're in the engine/truck)
QTR = Once you return to the station, shows you are available
'In Quarters"
CAV = Conditionally available - example: involved in a training drill
and if you're sent on a call, you'll be delayed
LOC = Used with "RAD" you enter the number of the fire station
district you are "available by radio" and then hit this
example: '13' 'LOC' = fire station 13's district

Now, bring in the Information Technology Revolution! Today, in every LAFD apparatus you will find the computer on the right, 'Mobile Dispatch Computer' (MDC)

The dispatch information will appear on the computer screen providing all the key information for a response. And if you look closely, you'll see buttons that pretty closely resemble the Digicom.

We could provide much more detail....but we don't want to bore you! If you're really interested, we invite you to stop by any LAFD fire station and take a look!

View attachment 199279

Thanks that’s interesting….

 

[mikegilbert]

When the 500MHz radios went in around 1972 I remember being shown something that looks like this for the Digicom. They had a new Micor style control head instead of the older Mocom with a matching push button add on made by Motorola.

View attachment 199283

I've got a black status / message panel on my Syntor "SuperStack" radio.