Loudicrous skip in the KC area

[mancow]

I noticed it on the way to work and it went on all day. I was getting Manhattan (Riley Co.) KS, from my area south of KC. Right now at home I'm getting Ofallon, MO P-25 digital on 155.4875. Ofallon is a suburb of St. Louis.

St. Louis to KC on Vhf... nuts. I'm using a DPD log periodic at about 23 feet. I rotated it due east at 90 degrees and Ofallon is coming in with three bars on the 996.

I don't think I've ever heard an opening like this before.

 

[KC0QNB]

Well just to add to your misery, I was also listening to Riley last night though, came in clear as a bell. The vhf band was still hot this morning, I talked to a guy in Ft Dodge of at least two repeaters mine and his, mobile and 5 watts, it was fun.

 

[rankin39]

Still strong this evening. Numerous different FBI repeaters not normally audible here: 167.2125, 167.2375, 167.3125, 167.5125, 167.6875, 167.7125, 167.7875, 170.625. Also mystery stations on 167.925 PL 118.x, 169.6125 DCS 114. Several military users on 163.5375, 163.5625, 163.5875.

Bob

 

[mancow]

I bet your mil stuff is Forbes. I think they use that for fire/crash.

I know 167.6875 is Ottawa and it appears to be linked to 165.925 somehow. I find it keying in sync with that at times but I know that the input is not the same. So, they either have another input to Ottawa or there is some distant machine input that is synced to 925.

Wouldn't it be neat to actually have the file that lays it all out and shows how it's all networked. It has to exist somewhere.

It seems kind of silly that it's kept such a secret. Afterall, all you have to do is search to hear it.

Anyway... enough of that.

You must have some decent elevation. Are you logging these during the day or are you still getting the 160 stuff in the evening? I was at work till 5 so I probably missed most of the good stuff.

 

[nascarfan999]

"Right now at home I'm getting Ofallon, MO P-25 digital on 155.4875. Ofallon is a suburb of St. Louis. "

O'Fallon does not have a P-25 Digital dispatch. They use an 800MHZ frequency (non trunked) for their city. However, I believe what you heard was actually the St. Charles County Sheriff (the county that O'Fallon is located in). Their primary dispatch is 155.490 and is indeed digital.

I "missed the boat" so to speak but realized something was up moments ago when I was having trouble receiving my local TV channels. Unfortunately, all seems quiet for me now except for some slightly favorable conditions on the TV.

 

[mancow]

Yep, you are right. I remember hearing 155.490 with digital when I attended a training class in Ofallon a few months ago.

It's amazing how this map is exactly spot on correct.

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

 

[n0lqt]

It's not just VHF either. I'm picking up traffic off of the Illinois StarCom System in Newton, KS (just shy of 500 miles). I was getting 90+% decode off of the Matoon, IL tower (Tower 234) around 10:15 this evening.

 

[shaft]

I noticed it on the way to work and it went on all day. I was getting Manhattan (Riley Co.) KS, from my area south of KC. Right now at home I'm getting Ofallon, MO P-25 digital on 155.4875. Ofallon is a suburb of St. Louis.

St. Louis to KC on Vhf... nuts. I'm using a DPD log periodic at about 23 feet. I rotated it due east at 90 degrees and Ofallon is coming in with three bars on the 996.

I don't think I've ever heard an opening like this before.

Ahh you are hearing the St. Charles Co. Sheriffs Office on that freq. Glad you posted this, I made a contact on the 2m repeater here from a guy in Eureka, KS. It just happend to be my first skip contact too!

 

[rankin39]

I bet your mil stuff is Forbes. I think they use that for fire/crash.

I know 167.6875 is Ottawa and it appears to be linked to 165.925 somehow. I find it keying in sync with that at times but I know that the input is not the same. So, they either have another input to Ottawa or there is some distant machine input that is synced to 925.

You must have some decent elevation. Are you logging these during the day or are you still getting the 160 stuff in the evening? I was at work till 5 so I probably missed most of the good stuff.

Actually I'm in a valley west of Tonganoxie with hills everywhere except to the South, SE and SW. But I have my discone at about 40 ft. and a fairly quiet location r.f.-wise.

I don't normally hear anything from Forbes except 163.375 (now digital) security and 173.5875 medical or fire/crash. I don't know what the mil stuff on 163 was last evening.

Agreed that Ottawa uses 167.6875, but that's a full meter here and the sigs last night were only a couple of bars. So I think it's a different sub-system -- someplace off East or SE. Some of the other 167's I was hearing were linked together but none was more than three bars on the meter. Some of the reception was from Oklahoma since I was getting the Cherokee and Creek Nations' Indian Police, but most of the new stuff seems to have been coming from the East somewhere. 169.6125 is some sort of truck loading -- maybe Postal Service -- someplace.

UHF wasn't as active, but I did hear the trunking system on 406.150 that normally isn't audible at my location.

I probably should have tried 2 meters. Back in the '70s I worked Louisville, KY during an opening on 146.

Bob