Looking for equipment

[Agentblack]

Hey guys, love this message board, great posts. Im looking for some equipment hopefully in DECENT shape, not beat up and dented all to heaven and back. First thing: VHF Handhelds with battery(s), charger, and antenna, or base stations that at least work. Second: UHF Handhelds with battery(s), charger, and antenna, Third: 800mhz Handhelds with battery(s), charger, and antenna, or 800mhz base station, both that can pick up the safe-t system of indiana. Im a certified EMS responder and my little handheld is starting to go put on me, so i need a replacement. I also travel to ohio and michigan all the time, and boy there are some major accidents goin that way sometimes. it would be nice to be able to call for help. my cell phone is about worthless over in ohio, and most of michigan. Thanks Guys. J

 

[johnvassel]

Yikes!! I'll try to be productive here. In my county in michigan (eaton) if you were to key up on a radio, no matter whom you identified yourself as, you'd be in a bit of trouble once the emergency was over. We keep the sheriff in officers radios here, and once had an engineer radio Police dispatch about something criminal. While he was not charged with anything, he got enough of a chewing that he never did it again.
And, as long as you're only interested in true emergencies, where anything goes, why not try a modified ham rig, will get you everywhere but the 800 bands. <putting on flame proof gear>.
:lol:

Seriously tho, regardless of certs, you're better off with a cell or ham rig (and license) to make emergency comms.

John

 

[INDY72]

LOL very true, using a local agencies system if your NOT on that system is BAD news. You could concievably legally use say a Statewide Mutual Aid freq and not get in hot water. Also with the ways laws in MI are set up regarding radio usage (scanner or otherwise) just be very careful.

 

[Agentblack]

Well down here, i was informed that you could broadcast on emergency comm channels, ONLY when there was an emergency. I.e. Major car crash, robbery, medical emergency, etc. I work in the private sector of emergency medical response and disaster services, and to date we never have had to key up on county or state wide comms, but you never know when you might need to. i already have one mod ham rig an Icom V8 but i think its starting to go put on me, so i just didnt know if anyone out there could help with that type of equipment. i only paid like 25 bucks for it, it was new and what not, had a really nice store owner help me out in that fashion but im not sure if i got a good radio, or if age is taking its toll. I used to be able to hit our repeater, and now i can barely make it and alot of times i cant make it. I figured county/state comms would be thankful that there was someone trained in medical, police etc, that could alert them to something happening, as long as it wasnt a bunch of BS Chatter on the channel. but who knows.. everyone is different... J

 

[INDY72]

As a Firefighter/First Respnder myself, I can tell you that yes, any info of emergency nature is welcomed, just not on someone else's primary chans... Thats why there are mutual aid freqs out there. System Admins are extremely paranoid about unliscensed usage, no matter who it is.... thats part of what they get paid for.. But if a call comes in on a mutual aid chan, then alls well that ends well, thats all I am saying.... Ask any of the agencies you work with,.. they will mosty likely tell you the same thing. Unless your agency has a agreement to use the other systems, its usually frowned upon. Where I am at, there are not only statewide freqs for just that reason, but we have mutual aid agreements in place with the surrounding countys so that if we happen to run on an emergency situation, we can directly contact thier EOC.

 

[johnvassel]

Well, I'm sure your intentions are honorable. However, there isnt a dispatch center I know of that will encourage or allow without reprimand, anyone who feels trained, to just start using their radio system. Now, in a MCI, there will be exceptions of course. I didnt mean to imply you'd be doing anything wrong, but the dispatch centers are run by dispatch personnel, NOT the officers, techs, medics and FF's out in the field. Although we may appreciate it, the dispatch centers will most likely not.
And we wont even get into license reciprocity... :wink:

john

 

[Agentblack]

Eh true, i see ya point now, just like that accident i spotted on 75 north last week, took forever for emergency services to get there, and the only people to show up was just the police, THANK GOD no one was seriously hurt, but ya know, if it was gonna take the ems rig as long as the police did to get there, it would have been nice to let the dispatcher know so they could tone out the rig too and get them there in a decent amount of time. Well i guess my next question would be, does michigan along the I75 area have mutual aid channels? i had one list, but with that accident there in mich, and i tried to call for help, no one answered. of course could have been my radio not getting much either. BLAH the world of electronics, im thinking i should just stay with building computers. lol... J

 

[johnvassel]

Okay, you've been given your talking too (apology has been mailed :lol: )
What's your primary frequency? and what type of handheld are you looking for??

john

 

[Agentblack]

Well i mostly travel the I75 route north to pontiac about twice a week, does anyone know who i should speak with to ask for permission? i know in some states, like florida if you ask the head dispatcher or the person who controls that for special permission to broadcast emergency traffic they USUALLY approve your request. I was down in florida for clean up, and had gotten permission to use the channels, for obvious reasons, but i didnt know if michigan or ohio had something like that. *shrugs* i just want to be able to reach out for help, because as i said, my cell phone stinks butt up there, the only place i get reception is detroit and toledo, and there is ALOT of interstate between those two cities. Sorry to be such a pest about the issue, i just want to be prepared, and with bad weather starting to set in, if michigan drivers are anything like indiana drivers, im gonna be using my radio alot. lol no offence, just kidding. but just remember one thing, an 18 wheeler NOT HAVE 18 BRAKES SO PLEASEEEEEE dont cut us off. we almost crushed someones nice new mustang because they cut inbetween us and another semi.

as for this post:Okay, you've been given your talking too (apology has been mailed ) What's your primary frequency? and what type of handheld are you looking for??

john

most of our channels here are in the 150-160 area, but we are supposed to be switching to the 800mhz safe - t program, but money is been slow for our tower. and the rest of our disaster crews are on the UHF band, so a dual bander would be nice, or just the VHF cuz my cell works down here.. *thank goodness* Ive always had good luck with motorola's, but i would like to have a radio that i could program incase we change pl tones, which we do often for some reason, or something that is easy to program that an idiot like me can do :lol:

ok off my soap box *kicks it back under the desk*
J

 

[INDY72]

So an HT1250, or the like would be good for an HT for you..... Kenwood has some nice ones too, and mobiles.... As for programming.... if you know how, and have the RIB, RSS, and such,.. it'll be easy for you, though I would recommend your local system's radio tech/guru do it for you to get it right.... There are a lot of good deals on Motorola mobiles, HT's, and Kenwoods on eBay all the time.... A new radio from an authorized dealer will be very pricy, so you might come out better on eBay,... just depends on what your willing to cash out, and what exactly you need in your radio. As for your getting on SAFE-T eventually, you'll end up with an Motorola STX series HT probably..

 

[Agentblack]

the last set of radios i bought on ebay were junk lol because they didnt work like i was told. so now i have them for sale on here. i was burnt on buying stuff from ebay. guy told me they would work by talking to each other and didnt need a repeater to connect to, boy was he wrong. lol told me they were mtx 8000 found out from here that they are mtx 800's *btw if anyone wants to make an offer on them, i have two one hour quick chargers, and two radios without batteries, they are around here somewhere* ive seen the chargers go for like 25-30 bucks starting bid on ebay so id at least like to get that much out of them. and as far as the RIB RSS Stuff, i dont have that..lol i guess im spoiled with my little icom cuz i can just punch in the freq, pl tones, and go..lol any moto's out there like that? or kenwoods for that matter?. Thanks folks. J

 

[INDY72]

Motorola's no, you have to use the RSS to set em up.... I am not sure about the Kenwoods.. will look and see what I can find. Also on eBay there are some folks that will program your radios for you for free if you provide a letterhead from your agency proving your Public Safety.

 

[Agentblack]

I guess im spoiled with icoms because this little v8 has done me great, works like a dream. Icom sold me on their quality, but when i did my ER rotation we used moto's, those were alright, just HEAVY AS HECK!!!! just give a cop a moto radio, screw the gun, lol the cop can chuck the radio at the crook and knock him out with it. i learned quickly that you dont leave ur radio on your hip all night, because it will get sore. lol. all the guys always took their radios out and set them down when we were in the EMS bay. it would be nice to find another radio like my icom that i can just punch in the freq and go without having to send it off to be reprogrammed. *shrugs* im spoiled what can i say!! J

 

[INDY72]

The Kenwood TK-705 Mobile is front panel programmable,.. and looks like a nice radio..... thier is one right now on eBay for like under $200.00 it ends in 2 hrs..... Look around and there may be other Kenwoods for sale....

 

[Agentblack]

eh as i said, im kinda iffy about buying stuff from ebay. screw me once it will never happen again. thats kinda my view..lol i spent good money on a set of radios that didnt work. i tend to steer clear of ebay for my electronic purchases anymore. sorry to be such a downer..lol but i wont get taken again. J

 

[INDY72]

Check your local radio shops, or ask your system admins/techs about where to get stuff, or even check local authorized dealers.

 

[Agentblack]

by the time our techs get our radios from the fleet, their so beat up, they just send them off for recycling. been down that road lol. J

 

[johnvassel]

I'm in the habit of listening to a lot of freqs, as I travel mich somewhat regularly. I use an FT-90 by yaesu. Covers everything but trunking, and allows me to use it on the ham bands. As much as it *could* transmit on the public service bands, I've never done so. Just never had the need. If I'm out of my response area(s) I use my phone, and if I'm in the county, I'll use my handheld for dispatch. (At this point I'd be out of the vehicle anyways, doing scene size-up or patient assessments).
Be cautious, Michigans scanner laws expressly prohibit monitoring of public safety frequencies (in a vehicle) unless authorized by a state permit, or an amateur license holder of technician class or above. While the deputies have always been kind in our neck of the woods regarding this, it says nothing about firefighter/ems personnel being allowed to monitor the Sheriff. You'd probably win in the end, but in the mean time they could confiscate equipment, write appearance tickets, etc.

john

 

[Agentblack]

I dont bring the radio out unless theres a reason. i keep it locked away in my backpack. indiana has screwed up scanner laws too, but i dont go hanging out of the truck screaming HEY LOOK AT ME I HAVE A SCANNER!! lol how do u get mich state permits for radios? anyone know and do they cost much? thanks kids. J

 

[KB8UYC]

I also travel to ohio and michigan all the time, and boy there are some major accidents goin that way sometimes. it would be nice to be able to call for help. my cell phone is about worthless over in ohio, and most of michigan. Thanks Guys. J

In working with public safety everyday here in michigan, unless you are a FireFighter in Ohio, I would not key up on any ones frequency. On our main fire channel here in our county, if another firefighter is out of their jurisdiction and rolls up on an accident, they are allowed to key up on our fire channel and request one of the 7 department that we dispatch for and visaversa. That is the only way that someone can key up on someone's Radio stystem. Firefighters are all given a number, and with that number they can Identify themselves, Paramedics are not. Firefighters also have lights on there vehicles(well the volunteers do) paramedics dont. Keying up on someones radio system is a no no, and you will probably not get the permission, unless you are a fire fighter.

Hope that helps

Eric