Low band point to point

[kinfolk]

Does anyone know if any states are still using a low band frequency as a venue for point to point communications between law enforcement agencies? Ohio used 39.46 for decades but now it is inactive.

 

[n4yek]

Tennessee Highway patrol dispatch uses the 42 MHz range to communicate traffic to the troopers.

 

[intrepid97]

Illinois used to use 39.46 for P2P as well.

I also remember 39.50 and some other low-band freqs being used.

I liked the skip when listening to low-band hearing those southern accents from Georgia,Mississippi,Carolinas etc lol

 

[WayneH]

California Highway Patrol uses low-band for site to site linking in some situations.

 

[MississippiPI]

Mississippi HP also dispatches in the 42....as well

 

[N9JIG]

The last users of 39.46 in Illinois was Macoupin County and Ford County, both to contact the Sate Police posts in the area, as they were the last ones to have that freq. The last of the 39.46 radios were removed years ago and replaced with 155.370. The ISP itself has gotten rid of just about all the old 42.xx MHz. stuff after they moved to StarCom21, any old 39.46 stuff laying around would have been tossed.

An interesting aside... Back when IL had a Statewide Sheriff's Channel (39.50) Illinois State Police low band radios in the squads used to have a switch on them labeled "Sheriff". This set the receive for F1 from 42.50 to 39.50 and allowed them to monitor the Sheriff's channel. Sheriff's cars often had a similar switch that let them monitor 42.50 and transmit on 39.50, so that the ISP and Sheriff's could talk to each other and still only transmit on their licensed channels.

 

[DaveNF2G]

New York also allocates 39.46 for P2P. Most counties use 155.370 (which was not supposed to be P2P but M2M), except for the Capital District which uses CDERN (460.400). The only part of the state with any noticeable use of 39.46 is the Southern Tier.

 

[James_Bond_007]

WVa. SP used to have 72 / 76 mhz p2p frequencies and 42mhz as the base/mobile frequencies.

been 10+ years since i have lived there so i don't know if they are still in use.

 

[trace1]

I liked the skip when listening to low-band hearing those southern accents from Georgia,Mississippi,Carolinas etc lol

California Highway Patrol uses low-band for site to site linking in some situations.

Back in the mid 80's I remember hearing the CHP on the low-bands and I was way down here in Alabama!

 

[SCPD]

Well, Nebraska still uses 39.9 for the Sheriff's and other small LE agencies. Nebraska State Patrol still dispatches on 42.46 and NSP mobiles on 42.3 (to name a few small band freqs still in use). There are also some small town fire depts on 39.98 for fire and 39.82 for medical.

Nebraska, rural as it is, will probably see low band in use for several years in the future. NSP is building a VHF P25 system, but has yet to build the system out. Maybe when it is complete we will see the rural areas switch to VHF high, but I consider it most unlikely that 39.9 will go away for good.

 

[SquierStrat]

ya beat me to it Dak, with a low band antenna in nebraska you cant go 10 minutes without hearing something. between the state patrol and the 3 "mutual aid" frequencies....... plenty of active low band here

 

[rvictor]

The last users of 39.46 in Illinois was Macoupin County and Ford County, both to contact the Sate Police posts in the area, as they were the last ones to have that freq. The last of the 39.46 radios were removed years ago and replaced with 155.370. The ISP itself has gotten rid of just about all the old 42.xx MHz. stuff after they moved to StarCom21, any old 39.46 stuff laying around would have been tossed.

An interesting aside... Back when IL had a Statewide Sheriff's Channel (39.50) Illinois State Police low band radios in the squads used to have a switch on them labeled "Sheriff". This set the receive for F1 from 42.50 to 39.50 and allowed them to monitor the Sheriff's channel. Sheriff's cars often had a similar switch that let them monitor 42.50 and transmit on 39.50, so that the ISP and Sheriff's could talk to each other and still only transmit on their licensed channels.

Rich,

Just out of curiosity, how did they initiate a conversation on that "system"? In other words, how did they know to flip the switch without someone transmitting on the other's frequency or monitoring that frequency?

73,
Dick

 

[N9JIG]

Good question! The few times I heard the system in use they were already on the scene, I imagine they set up the conversations thru the dispatchers ("Have ISP call me on the Sheriff Switch")

Rich,

Just out of curiosity, how did they initiate a conversation on that "system"? In other words, how did they know to flip the switch without someone transmitting on the other's frequency or monitoring that frequency?

73,
Dick

 

[rvictor]

Sounds reasonable. I was trying to figure out if I was missing something in thinking it through.

Thanks.

73
Dick

 

[Thunderbolt]

Here in Michigan, 37.10 MHz was used in southeastern part of southeast part of the state. This included all counties in Michigan State Police Districts 1, 2, and 4. However, 39.14 and 39.82 MHz was used throughout the rest of the Lower Peninsula. Conversely, the Upper Peninsula used 39.58 MHz.

In the 1970s, most of the police departments in the south half of the Lower Peninsula, switched to 155.370 MHz, while the northern half stayed on 39 MHz. Meanwhile, the entire Upper Peninsula switched to 155.415 MHz. However, most every county across the state had a transmitter on 155.865 MHz, which is the Michigan Emergency Public Safety System (MEPSS).

73s

Ron

 

[n2ops]

39.46 in Western NY

39.46 is still used in Western NY between county dispatchers with a PL of 206.5. That's not a typo, 206.5. Not a lot of traffic though.

 

[kinfolk]

Thanks to all who took the time to reply. I appreciate having the info that all of you supplied. Looking forward to a good season of skip and band openings.

 

[DaveNF2G]

39.46 is still used in Western NY between county dispatchers with a PL of 206.5. That's not a typo, 206.5. Not a lot of traffic though.

Can you be more specific about where in "western" NY this is used? Monroe County no longer has a transmitter on that frequency. I think you'll find that it's the western Southern Tier that is still active there, but nobody near Lake Ontario.

 

[rmosier]

Mount Olive, NJ (Morris County) Uses 39.40 in addition to their 156.06

 

[n2ops]

39.46 Western New York

Livingston, Genesee, Wyoming and Ontarios counties are heard using 39.46 with 206.5.