Low Band in Nebraska

[cellphone]

From Sherman County the Low Band Traffic I have heard on a regular basis in the past that is no longer on Low Band:
-NSP -> now on State Radio System
-St. Paul mutual aid with NSP and GIEC on 39.900 -> Now on State Radio System C ROC Call.
-Ord PD on 39.900 -> Now on 155.490 with Valley County.
-Local Sheriffs mutual aid with NSP on 39.900 -> Haven’t monitored any of these situations since NSP moved to State Radio System.
-Ambulance to hospital on 39.820 -> Haven't heard for a while. I think most is on cell phones these days.

Where is Low Band still in use?

 

[mikeoz]

Joe, I believe most of your monitoring area went central dispatch over multiple counties. At that time multiple grants were given to update radios.
Region 26 - Emergency Management - Thomas, Blaine, Loup, Garfield, Wheeler, Greeley, Valley, Sherman and Custer Counties Nebraska link to this radio system. When this switched over there we're several problems directing 911 calls to unfamiliar areas.
Platte County Sheriff still uses low band and Columbus Fire still uses 38.82 to talk to hospital

 

[autovon]

I have heard there are still a few holdovers out west. Some of the NSP cars out that way still have their lowband antennas as well. I wonder if they just haven't gotten around to taking them off.
There's a towing company out of Omaha on 35.98. I took a lot of lowband freqs out of the scanner due to high noise levels at home.

 

[33kracing]

don't forget Nebraska dept of roads... but since the snow has held off (((crossing my fingers))) I last heard traffic on our sunday funday snow storm here in central nebraska

 

[cellphone]

don't forget Nebraska dept of roads...

Ahh, forgot about them! I rarely listen to them. Maybe when all the snow plows are parked for the summer, they will install new radios to get them on the SRS.

 

[33kracing]

Ahh, forgot about them! I rarely listen to them. Maybe when all the snow plows are parked for the summer, they will install new radios to get them on the SRS.

now I did hear some sort of a radio check on the SRS NDOR (unknown dist) talkgroup right before our last sunday funday snow storm last month... two ladies were checking signal (((unknown where exactly))) but did FINALLY hear something on that part of the p25 system.

 

[33kracing]

Ahh, forgot about them! I rarely listen to them. Maybe when all the snow plows are parked for the summer, they will install new radios to get them on the SRS.

i could almost swear that they have the short unity gain whip type antennas truckson their cars, pickups and dump trucks. (((the antenna that the NSP started out using on the rear trunk lid))) so its there...just not used at this time. i dont think haha

 

[cellphone]

I spent a few days in NE Roads district 4 this week. I looked closely at the NE Roads yards in St. Paul and Loup City. None of the vehicles had a VHF High antenna. All had Low Band antennas only. I also got stopped in some road work on Highway 92 by Osceola, and all those vehicles only had Low Band antennas. I guess NE Roads is in no hurry to move to the State system, at least in central Nebraska.

 

[33kracing]

i work just off of hwy 281 and wildwood road south of grand island...ne dept roads working resurface project...and all traffic still 47mhz. or whatever it is/was. they apparently dont need hi-tech equipment when they stand around and watch one person work at a time anyway (((govment job))) hahaha

 

[joeuser]

lol, its kind of neat services still use these freqs. I was checking my local counties here in Kansas & there are FCC licenses for these low band still active. No one even has an antenna nor a radio for them, but heck, I monitor them anyway.



We are planning to go up to Hastings & GI next week, I was going to take my 436 along - I added a FL for the NE P25 system, is it just not being used much?

 

[cellphone]

Nebraska State Patrol uses the P25 system. I have not heard them on Low Band in over a year. You will hear quite a bit of NSP radio traffic.

Nebraska Public Power District is also a heavy user. These are the two agencies that use it the most. There are a few other users that I have heard (Game and Parks, Fire Marshal, Lincoln County, LES, etc) but they are not as active.

 

[joeuser]

Thanks, I'm definitely bring my radio! I'm going to program counties around 281 up to the GI area also. Appreciate the reply!

 

[33kracing]

[QUOTE
Platte County Sheriff still uses low band and Columbus Fire still uses 38.82 to talk to hospital[/Q


do you know for what type of operation they pcso still uses low band?? I pick up a ton of pcso south radio traffic from here in grand island. even merrick county ditched the low band system for VHF 155 MHz, which I never thought would happen.

 

[33kracing]

Thanks, I'm definitely bring my radio! I'm going to program counties around 281 up to the GI area also. Appreciate the reply!

your best bet for GI (((which is where im from))) is to program the giltner tower site freq 155.52750 MHz for p25 nsp... unless you have a radioshack scanner... then program 154.9125 MHz and 154.9650mhz if im not mistaken... its been two years since I had a radioshack scanner. upgraded to uniden. hope I can be of help!!

 

[joeuser]

Thank you very much

 

[autovon]

On a somewhat related note, I'd been looking through some old VHF Utility DX newsletters from the 70s. Pretty cool to ready how much was on 39.9 MHz in NE. Here is just one of the newsletters.
VHF-UHF Digest October 1975 (pp.42-43) - VHF Utility DX Column

 

[cellphone]

Until the mid 80's, these freqs were used by almost every agency either for primary dispatch or mutual aid:

39.820 - Medical
39.900 - Law
39.980 - Fire
42.300 - NSP Mobiles
42.460 - NSP Bases

In the mid to late 80s, NSP added 42.180/42.340 and 42.280/42.480 freqs pairs to alleviate some of the interference. Until just recently almost every rural sheriffs department was also installing low band radios in addition to their primary dispatch radio for mutual aid. That practice is going away as I see very few low band antennas on newer local sheriff and police vehicles.

I'm ok with low band going away, because now I can use much smaller antennas for monitoring. Goodbye 50" antenna, and hello 15" antenna.

 

[joeuser]

Yeah & all the low band noise & pirates etc

 

[33kracing]

Yeah & all the low band noise & pirates etc

pirates lol

 

[joeuser]

Well, had a nice trip up to GI. Glad I brought my BCD436HP. I ran my RS ext w center load antenna. Didn't get any NSP action until we were basically on top of 80. I was getting GI stuff in Blue Hill. Never got any low band. Mostly UHF & then VHF. Thanks for the tips!